head to head · open source
android vs iOS
android has 3,903 GitHub stars, 1,067 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped yesterday. iOS has 2,357 stars, 521 forks, 293 open issues and last shipped yesterday. android leads on adoption by 66% (3,903 vs 2,357 stars). android is written in Kotlin under Apache-2.0; iOS is written in Swift under Apache-2.0. android has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, iOS 22%. iOS was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (hacktoberfest, home-assistant, home-automation, open-source-app), 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.
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Side by side
| android | iOS | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.9K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Kotlin | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.1K | ⑂ 521 |
| 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 iOS if
- You want the iOS feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and iOS 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 iOS
Home Assistant for Apple Platforms is companion app for Home Assistant on iOS and macOS. It lives in Home Assistant open source home automation ecosystem. Project is written in Swift, licensed Apache 2.0, and tagged with home assistant, home automation, ios, macos, open source app, swift. Repository lists 2350 stars, 519 forks, 293 open issues, and 10 years age. Category is Productivity & Utilities / Automation. Last push is 2026 09 15T06:10:16Z.
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Frequently asked questions
Is android or iOS more popular?
android has 3,903 GitHub stars and iOS has 2,357. android has the larger community by that measure.
Are android and iOS free?
Both are open source. android is licensed under Apache-2.0 and iOS under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between android and iOS?
android is written in Kotlin and iOS in Swift. 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 iOS?
Choose android if you want the larger community (3,903 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose iOS if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.