head to head · open source
espectre vs hassio-zigbee2mqtt
espectre has 9,498 GitHub stars, 723 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. hassio-zigbee2mqtt has 1,989 stars, 787 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. espectre leads on adoption by 378% (9,498 vs 1,989 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; hassio-zigbee2mqtt is written in Shell under Apache-2.0. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, hassio-zigbee2mqtt 40%. hassio-zigbee2mqtt 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 | hassio-zigbee2mqtt | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.5K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 723 | ⑂ 787 |
| 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 hassio-zigbee2mqtt if
- You want the hassio-zigbee2mqtt feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and hassio-zigbee2mqtt 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 hassio-zigbee2mqtt
hassio zigbee2mqtt is the official Zigbee2MQTT add on repository for Home Assistant, letting Home Assistant users run Zigbee2MQTT as a managed app instead of a separate installation.
read the full hassio-zigbee2mqtt overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or hassio-zigbee2mqtt more popular?
espectre has 9,498 GitHub stars and hassio-zigbee2mqtt has 1,989. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and hassio-zigbee2mqtt free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and hassio-zigbee2mqtt under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and hassio-zigbee2mqtt?
espectre is written in Python and hassio-zigbee2mqtt in Shell. 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 hassio-zigbee2mqtt?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,498 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose hassio-zigbee2mqtt if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.