head to head · open source
espectre vs alexa_media_player
espectre has 9,505 GitHub stars, 723 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped yesterday. alexa_media_player has 1,988 stars, 346 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. espectre leads on adoption by 378% (9,505 vs 1,988 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; alexa_media_player is written in Python under Apache-2.0. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, alexa_media_player 17%. espectre 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 | alexa_media_player | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.5K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-10-10 | 2026-10-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 723 | ⑂ 346 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick espectre if
- You weight community size — 9.5K 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 alexa_media_player if
- You want the alexa_media_player 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 alexa_media_player fits your workflow better
About espectre
ESPectre is an open source Wi Fi CSI motion sensing platform that turns a supported ESP32 board into a private, local motion sensor reporting movement in real time, and it is built for embedded developers, Home Assistant users, and DIY builders who want room level sensing without cameras, microphones, wearables, or dedicated radar hardware.
read the full espectre overview →
About alexa_media_player
Alexa Media Player is a custom Home Assistant component that lets people who own Amazon Echo devices control them as media players through the unofficial Alexa API.
read the full alexa_media_player overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or alexa_media_player more popular?
espectre has 9,505 GitHub stars and alexa_media_player has 1,988. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and alexa_media_player free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and alexa_media_player under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and alexa_media_player?
espectre is written in Python and alexa_media_player 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 alexa_media_player?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,505 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose alexa_media_player if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.