head to head · open source
CrateDB vs homeThing
CrateDB has 4,441 GitHub stars, 618 forks, 332 open issues and last shipped yesterday. homeThing has 546 stars, 42 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 29 days ago. CrateDB leads on adoption by 713% (4,441 vs 546 stars). CrateDB is written in Java under Apache-2.0; homeThing is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. CrateDB has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, homeThing 8%. CrateDB 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| CrateDB | homeThing | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 4.4K | ★ 546 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Java | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2026-08-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 618 | ⑂ 42 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick CrateDB if
- You weight community size — 4.4K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- 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 CrateDB
CrateDB is a distributed, scalable SQL database built for storing and analyzing massive amounts of data in near real time, including complex queries. It is written in Java, licensed under Apache 2.0, and based on Lucene. The project combines the benefits of an SQL database with the scalability and flexibility typically associated with NoSQL databases, and it is PostgreSQL compatible, speaking the PostgreSQL wire protocol as well as offering an HTTP API. It lives in the analytics, big data, and IoT ecosystem, and the topic list places it alongside distributed SQL databases, Elasticsearch, industrial IoT, and IoT a…
read the full CrateDB overview →
About homeThing
homeThing is a collection of open source hardware and software — a 3D printable ESP32 remote, an ESPHome menu system, and components for controlling Home Assistant devices — for makers and Home Assistant users who want a battery powered physical remote with a screen and scroll wheel instead of a touch screen.
read the full homeThing 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 CrateDB or homeThing more popular?
CrateDB has 4,441 GitHub stars and homeThing has 546. CrateDB has the larger community by that measure.
Are CrateDB and homeThing free?
Both are open source. CrateDB is licensed under Apache-2.0 and homeThing under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between CrateDB and homeThing?
CrateDB is written in Java 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, CrateDB or homeThing?
Choose CrateDB if you want the larger community (4,441 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose homeThing if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.