head to head · open source
espectre vs adaptive-lighting
espectre has 9,819 GitHub stars, 742 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. adaptive-lighting has 3,580 stars, 243 forks, 185 open issues and last shipped yesterday. espectre leads on adoption by 174% (9,819 vs 3,580 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; adaptive-lighting is written in Python under Apache-2.0. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, adaptive-lighting 7%. adaptive-lighting was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (home-assistant), 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
| espectre | adaptive-lighting | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.8K | ★ 3.6K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-12 | 2026-11-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 742 | ⑂ 243 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick espectre if
- You weight community size — 9.8K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick adaptive-lighting if
- You want the adaptive-lighting feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and adaptive-lighting fits your workflow better
About espectre
ESPectre Turn an ESP32 into a private, local Wi Fi motion sensor. When someone moves through a room, they change the way Wi Fi signals travel through it. ESPectre reads those changes and reports motion in real time. No camera, no microphone, no wearable, and no dedicated radar hardware: just a supported ESP32 and the Wi Fi network already in the room. ESPectre is an open source platform that brings together ready to flash firmware, an embeddable C++ SDK, a MicroPython implementation, browser tools, a host CLI, an open dataset, open model weights, and the research workflow used to build and validate the…
read the full espectre overview →
About adaptive-lighting
🌞 Adaptive Lighting: Enhance Your Home's Atmosphere with Smart, Sun Synchronized Lighting 🌙 Adaptive Lighting is a custom component for Home Assistant that intelligently adjusts the brightness and color of your lights 💡 based on the sun's position, while still allowing for manual control. Download and install directly through HACS (Home Assistant Community Store): By automatically adapting the settings of your lights throughout the day, Adaptive Lighting helps maintain your natural circadian rhythm 😴, which can lead to improved sleep, mood, and overall well being. Experience cooler color temperatures at…
read the full adaptive-lighting overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or adaptive-lighting more popular?
espectre has 9,819 GitHub stars and adaptive-lighting has 3,580. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and adaptive-lighting free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and adaptive-lighting under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and adaptive-lighting?
espectre is written in Python and adaptive-lighting in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, espectre or adaptive-lighting?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,819 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose adaptive-lighting if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.