head to head · open source
Browser Use vs homeThing
Browser Use has 119,857 GitHub stars, 13,358 forks, 421 open issues and last shipped yesterday. homeThing has 548 stars, 42 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. Browser Use leads on adoption by 21,772% (119,857 vs 548 stars). Browser Use is written in Python under MIT; homeThing is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. Browser Use has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, homeThing 8%. Browser Use was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| Browser Use | homeThing | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 120K | ★ 548 |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 13K | ⑂ 42 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Browser Use if
- You weight community size — 120K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick homeThing if
- You want the homeThing feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and homeThing fits your workflow better
About Browser Use
Navigate the web like a human does. Find an available slot, pick a date and time, handle the CAPTCHA, and book a driving test. Explore more demos and prompts ↗ Which Browser Use do I need? Path 1: Fully Hosted Cloud: Scale up with a fully hosted agent and browser. Path 2: CLI: Automate your own browser tasks. Path 3: Python Library: Run the open source Browser Use agent locally from your own code. Quickstart Path 1: Fully Hosted Cloud Scale browser automation with our hosted agent, stealth browsers, and infrastructure for profiles, recordings, and data policies. Get started with the API ↗ New Google, GitHub, or…
read the full Browser Use overview →
About homeThing
homeThing Remote ⚙️ (esphome remote) homeThing is a collection of software and hardware for creating universal remotes that control smart home devices. There are 3 components that belong to homeThing: the case and circuit board, the menu system code, and the code to control smart home devices Hardware specific for smart home remotes that's open source, customizable, and 3D printable. Menu system for ESP32 devices focused on controlling smart home devices similar to an iPod's menu. ESPHome Components for controlling Home Assistant devices. Check out the next generation homeThing C6 Learn More Get Started Learn…
read the full homeThing overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Browser Use or homeThing more popular?
Browser Use has 119,857 GitHub stars and homeThing has 548. Browser Use has the larger community by that measure.
Are Browser Use and homeThing free?
Both are open source. Browser Use is licensed under MIT and homeThing under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Browser Use and homeThing?
Browser Use is written in Python and homeThing 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, Browser Use or homeThing?
Choose Browser Use if you want the larger community (119,857 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose homeThing if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.