head to head · open source
android vs IRremoteESP8266
android has 4,021 GitHub stars, 1,132 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. IRremoteESP8266 has 3,661 stars, 945 forks, 105 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. android leads on adoption by 10% (4,021 vs 3,661 stars). android is written in Kotlin under Apache-2.0; IRremoteESP8266 is written in C++ under LGPL-2.1. android has attracted 28% 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 | ★ 4.0K | ★ 3.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Written in | Kotlin | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-08-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.1K | ⑂ 945 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick android if
- You weight community size — 4.0K 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
Home Assistant Companion for Android Welcome to the Home Assistant Companion for Android ! This is the official Android app for Home Assistant, a powerful open source home automation platform. Join us in building an app used by millions of users worldwide. Features Control Your Smart Home : Seamlessly interact with your Home Assistant instance. Native Android Experience : Leverage Android specific features like widgets, notifications, and location tracking. Customizable : Tailor the app to your needs with themes, dashboards, and more. Open Source : Contribute to a project that empowers users to take control of…
read the full android overview →
About IRremoteESP8266
This library enables you to send and receive infra red signals on an ESP8266 or an ESP32 using the Arduino framework using common 940nm IR LEDs and common IR receiver modules. e.g. TSOP{17,22,24,36,38,44,48} demodulators etc. v2.9.0 Now Available Version 2.9.0 of the library is now available. You can view the Release Notes for all the significant changes. Upgrading from pre v2.0 Usage of the library has been slightly changed in v2.0. You will need to change your usage to work with v2.0 and beyond. You can read more about the changes required on our Upgrade to v2.0 page. Upgrading from pre v2.5 The library has…
read the full IRremoteESP8266 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is android or IRremoteESP8266 more popular?
android has 4,021 GitHub stars and IRremoteESP8266 has 3,661. 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 (4,021 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.