head to head · open source
android vs HTTP-Shortcuts
android has 3,903 GitHub stars, 1,067 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped yesterday. HTTP-Shortcuts has 1,819 stars, 152 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. android leads on adoption by 115% (3,903 vs 1,819 stars). android is written in Kotlin under Apache-2.0; HTTP-Shortcuts is written in Kotlin under MIT. android has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, HTTP-Shortcuts 8%. android was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (android, home-automation), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| android | HTTP-Shortcuts | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.9K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Kotlin | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.1K | ⑂ 152 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick android if
- You weight community size — 3.9K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick HTTP-Shortcuts if
- You want the HTTP-Shortcuts feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and HTTP-Shortcuts fits your workflow better
About android
The Home Assistant Companion for Android is the official Android application for Home Assistant, an open source home automation platform. It is written in Kotlin, released under the Apache 2.0 license, and distributed as an open source app for Android devices. The project sits inside the Home Assistant ecosystem and connects a mobile client to a user's Home Assistant instance.
read the full android overview →
About HTTP-Shortcuts
HTTP Shortcuts is a free and open source Android app that turns home screen shortcuts, widgets, and quick settings tiles into triggers for arbitrary HTTP requests and other network actions, aimed at Android users who want to control devices and services without building a dedicated app. It lives in the Android ecosystem and is written in Kotlin under the MIT licence.
read the full HTTP-Shortcuts overview →
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Internet of Things (IoT) projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Internet of Things (IoT) field.
Frequently asked questions
Is android or HTTP-Shortcuts more popular?
android has 3,903 GitHub stars and HTTP-Shortcuts has 1,819. android has the larger community by that measure.
Are android and HTTP-Shortcuts free?
Both are open source. android is licensed under Apache-2.0 and HTTP-Shortcuts under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between android and HTTP-Shortcuts?
android is written in Kotlin and HTTP-Shortcuts in Kotlin. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, android or HTTP-Shortcuts?
Choose android if you want the larger community (3,903 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose HTTP-Shortcuts if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.