head to head · open source
android vs IRremoteESP8266
android has 3,903 GitHub stars, 1,067 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped yesterday. IRremoteESP8266 has 3,601 stars, 933 forks, 105 open issues and last shipped 28 days ago. android leads on adoption by 8% (3,903 vs 3,601 stars). android is written in Kotlin under Apache-2.0; IRremoteESP8266 is written in C++ under LGPL-2.1. android has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, IRremoteESP8266 26%. android was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (hacktoberfest, 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.
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Side by side
| android | IRremoteESP8266 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.9K | ★ 3.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Written in | Kotlin | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-08-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.1K | ⑂ 933 |
| 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 IRremoteESP8266 if
- You want the IRremoteESP8266 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-2.1 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and IRremoteESP8266 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 IRremoteESP8266
IRremoteESP8266 is an open source C++ library for the Arduino framework that lets ESP8266 and ESP32 boards send and receive infrared signals. It lives in the embedded home automation and HVAC control ecosystem and is based on Arduino IRremote. It uses common 940 nm infrared LEDs and common infrared receiver modules, including TSOP{17,22,24,36,38,44,48} demodulators.
read the full IRremoteESP8266 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is android or IRremoteESP8266 more popular?
android has 3,903 GitHub stars and IRremoteESP8266 has 3,601. android has the larger community by that measure.
Are android and IRremoteESP8266 free?
Both are open source. android is licensed under Apache-2.0 and IRremoteESP8266 under LGPL-2.1. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between android and IRremoteESP8266?
android is written in Kotlin and IRremoteESP8266 in C++. 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 IRremoteESP8266?
Choose android if you want the larger community (3,903 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose IRremoteESP8266 if its feature set, stack or LGPL-2.1 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.