Software Alternatives & Startups

ST - Simple Terminal VS Opalstack

Compare ST - Simple Terminal VS Opalstack and see what are their differences

ST - Simple Terminal

st is a simple terminal implementation for X.

ST - Simple Terminal Landing page
Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Opalstack

Managed Hosting for developers, entrepreneurs, and businesses like yours

Opalstack Landing page
Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, ST - Simple Terminal seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 50 times since March 2021.

social mentions
50 vs 0
SSH popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

ST - Simple Terminal
Opalstack
Website st.suckless.org opalstack.com
Pricing
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

ST - Simple Terminal 5 features
Opalstack 5 features
  • Lightweight
    ST is designed to be extremely lightweight, making it fast and responsive even on older machines.
  • Minimal Dependencies
    ST aims to minimize dependencies, which simplifies installation and reduces potential for conflicts with other software.
  • Customizability
    ST's source code is intended to be modified by users to fit their needs, allowing deep personalization and optimization.
  • Simplicity
    ST follows the Suckless philosophy of simplicity, providing essential features without unnecessary bloat.
  • Open Source
    ST is open source, allowing users to inspect, modify, and contribute to the development of the software.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Features
    Due to its minimalist design, ST lacks some advanced features found in other terminals, which might be essential for certain users.
  • Manual Configuration
    ST requires users to modify its source code for configuration, which can be a barrier for those unfamiliar with programming.
  • Lack of Pre-built Binaries
    ST typically needs to be compiled from source, which can be inconvenient compared to using package managers with pre-built binaries.
  • Basic Look and Feel
    The focus on minimalism means ST does not provide out-of-the-box eye candy or extensive customization of appearance through simple configuration files.
  • Community Size
    ST has a smaller community compared to more popular terminals, potentially making it harder to find support or plugins for additional functionality.
  • Developer-Friendly Hosting
    Opalstack is designed with developers in mind, offering SSH access, Git integration, and support for multiple programming languages and frameworks including Python, Node.js, Ruby, and PHP, giving developers granular control over their hosting environment.
  • Affordable Pricing
    Opalstack offers competitive pricing for shared and managed hosting plans, making it an accessible option for small businesses, freelancers, and individual developers who need robust features without enterprise-level costs.
  • Modern Control Panel
    Opalstack provides a clean, modern, and intuitive web-based dashboard for managing sites, applications, databases, and email accounts, which is a significant improvement over older-style hosting control panels like cPanel.
  • Strong Support for Multiple Applications
    The platform supports a wide variety of application types including WordPress, Django, Flask, Express, static sites, and more, allowing users to host diverse projects on a single account with easy deployment.
  • Reliable Infrastructure and Support
    Opalstack is built by former WebFaction team members, bringing experienced hosting expertise. They offer responsive customer support and a reputation for stable, well-managed server infrastructure with good uptime.

Possible disadvantages

  • Smaller Community and Ecosystem
    Compared to major hosting providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, or even shared hosts like SiteGround, Opalstack has a smaller user base, which means fewer community tutorials, third-party guides, and forum discussions available for troubleshooting.
  • Limited Scalability Options
    Opalstack is primarily a shared hosting provider, which means it may not be the best choice for high-traffic applications or projects that require rapid, on-demand scaling of resources like CPU, RAM, or storage.
  • Not Ideal for Beginners
    While developer-friendly, Opalstack's approach can be intimidating for non-technical users. Setting up applications often requires familiarity with the command line and server configuration, which may not suit those looking for simple one-click solutions.
  • Limited Data Center Locations
    Opalstack offers a relatively small number of data center locations compared to major cloud providers, which may result in higher latency for users targeting audiences in regions not well-served by the available server locations.
  • Fewer Managed Services and Add-ons
    Unlike larger hosting platforms, Opalstack lacks a wide range of managed add-on services such as built-in CDN integration, managed backups with granular restore options, or one-click SSL management that more mainstream providers offer out of the box.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

ST - Simple Terminal
Opalstack

No analysis of ST - Simple Terminal yet.

Overall verdict

  • Opalstack is a solid choice for developers and tech-savvy users seeking an affordable, flexible control panel hosting solution with good performance and transparent pricing, though it may require more technical know-how than mainstream cPanel hosts.

Why this product is good

  • Uses a custom lightweight control panel that's fast and efficient compared to resource-heavy alternatives like cPanel
  • Offers straightforward, transparent pricing without hidden fees or aggressive upselling
  • Provides SSD storage and solid server performance for the price point
  • Supports multiple app types including Python, Node.js, and various frameworks beyond typical PHP hosting
  • Founded by the original creators of WebFaction, bringing significant hosting industry experience
  • Good for running multiple websites/apps under one account with granular resource control
  • Responsive customer support with a knowledgeable team
  • No long-term contracts required, allowing flexibility

Recommended for

  • Developers who need support for Python, Node.js, or other non-PHP applications
  • Users comfortable with a more technical, non-cPanel control panel interface
  • Small businesses or freelancers hosting multiple websites who want granular control
  • Former WebFaction users looking for a similar service after its shutdown
  • Budget-conscious users who want VPS-like flexibility without full server management
  • Users who prioritize transparent pricing over bundled marketing extras

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
ST - Simple Terminal
Opalstack
100% 100%
SSH
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

ST - Simple Terminal no reviews yet
Opalstack no reviews yet

We have no reviews of Opalstack yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

ST - Simple Terminal 50 mentions
Opalstack 0 mentions
  • Linux Terminal Memory Usage
    I've been using st-terminal[1] for 5-6 years at this point. It starts instantly, uses ~10mb of Ram and has almost zero latency. It's especially apparent on X11 without compositing enabled. I tried ghostty the last year and I was... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Linux Terminal Memory Usage
    i've been using xst https://github.com/gnotclub/xst, a fork of suckless st https://st.suckless.org/ for a long period, but there's also st-flexipatch https://github.com/bakkeby/st-flexipatch available which now includes sixel support. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Tabby – A Terminal for the Modern Age
    Last I personally used Alacritty was 3-4 years back on Linux w/ wayland got some weird rendering bugs, switched to st (https://st.suckless.org/) for a good while. When I got a Macbook last year, I did a "best terminal macos" search and... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago

View more

Tracking Opalstack since Sep 2023.

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