Dawarich vs GeoPulse
GeoPulse is a self-hosted location timeline platform started in 2025, built in Java (Quarkus) with a Vue frontend. Like Dawarich, it positions itself as an alternative to Google Timeline, with an emphasis on a small resource footprint.
This page compares Dawarich with GeoPulse to help you understand the differences and choose the best option for your needs. Both projects are actively developed — this comparison reflects each project's documentation and releases as of July 2026. If something is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.
Legend
- ✅ Fully supported - Feature is available and well-implemented
- ⚠️ Partially supported - Feature exists but with limitations
- ❌ Not supported - Feature is not available
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Dawarich | GeoPulse |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing & Hosting | ||
| Open source license | ✅ AGPL-3.0 | ⚠️ BSL 1.1 (source-available, free for personal use) |
| Self-hosted | ✅ | ✅ |
| Managed cloud option | ✅ Dawarich Cloud | ❌ |
| Location Tracking | ||
| Own native mobile apps | ✅ iOS & Android | ❌ (web app only) |
| Built-in tracking, no extra apps | ✅ | ❌ (requires a third-party tracker) |
| OwnTracks / Overland / GPSLogger support | ✅ | ✅ |
| Traccar support | ✅ | ✅ |
| Home Assistant support | ✅ | ✅ |
| Timeline & Analysis | ||
| Visit & place detection | ✅ | ✅ |
| Configurable detection thresholds | ⚠️ (defaults tuned automatically) | ✅ |
| Transport mode detection | ✅ | ✅ |
| Statistics dashboard | ✅ | ✅ |
| Yearly / monthly digests | ✅ | ❌ |
| AI insights | ❌ | ⚠️ (bring your own OpenAI key) |
| Sharing & Family | ||
| Live location share links | ✅ (phrase-protected, revocable, respects privacy zones) | ✅ (password-protected, revocable) |
| Trip / track share links | ✅ | ❌ |
| Shareable monthly stats | ✅ | ❌ |
| Family live location + history | ✅ | ⚠️ (friends with per-friend permissions) |
| Privacy zones | ✅ | ❌ |
| Data Import/Export | ||
| Google Takeout import (all formats) | ✅ | ⚠️ (Google Timeline export) |
| GPX / GeoJSON import | ✅ | ✅ |
| KML / FIT import | ✅ | ❌ |
| CSV import | ❌ | ✅ |
| Full data export (no lock-in) | ✅ GPX, GeoJSON, account archive | ✅ GPX, GeoJSON, CSV, JSON |
| Integrations | ||
| Immich | ✅ | ✅ |
| PhotoPrism | ✅ | ❌ |
| OIDC / SSO | ✅ | ✅ |
| Technical | ||
| Resource footprint | ⚠️ (heavier: Rails + Sidekiq + Redis + PostGIS) | ✅ (very light native binary) |
| Community | ✅ 10k stars, 56 contributors | ⚠️ 1.3k stars, 12 contributors |
What GeoPulse Does Well
- Small footprint — compiled to a native binary, GeoPulse runs comfortably on very small servers. If your homelab is a 1 GB VPS and every megabyte counts, that's a real advantage.
- Timeline configurability — stay/trip detection thresholds are exposed as settings you can tune.
- Fast iteration — a motivated maintainer ships weekly releases.
What Dawarich Adds
- Native iOS and Android apps with built-in tracking — no third-party tracker apps to configure. Install, sign in, and tracking works, including for non-technical family members.
- A managed Cloud option — if you ever stop wanting to run a server, your data can move to Dawarich Cloud (and back out again; exports are always open formats).
- Privacy zones — hide sensitive areas (home, work) from shared links and exports.
- Richer sharing — share live location, individual trips, tracks, and monthly stats, each with its own expiring, revocable link.
- AGPL-3.0 open source — Dawarich is OSI-approved open source. GeoPulse's BSL 1.1 is free for personal use but is not an open-source license and restricts commercial use.
- A larger contributor community — 56 contributors versus a mostly single-maintainer project, which matters for long-term continuity.
Pricing
| Plan | Dawarich | GeoPulse |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | Free (open source) | Free for personal use (BSL 1.1) |
| Cloud | €150/year or €18/month | N/A |
| Free trial | 7-day Cloud trial | N/A |
Migrating from GeoPulse
Export your data from GeoPulse as GPX or GeoJSON and import it into Dawarich — imports are streamed and handle millions of points. The reverse works too: Dawarich exports your complete history in open formats, because your data should never be locked in.
Try Dawarich Cloud
No server to set up, works with the Dawarich mobile apps, automatic backups, and a 7-day free trial. Start your free trial →