head to head · open source
espectre vs home-assistant-glow
espectre has 9,389 GitHub stars, 709 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped yesterday. home-assistant-glow has 1,270 stars, 182 forks, 12 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. espectre leads on adoption by 639% (9,389 vs 1,270 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; home-assistant-glow is written in various languages under MIT. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, home-assistant-glow 14%. 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 | home-assistant-glow | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.4K | ★ 1.3K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | — |
| Last push | 2026-09-22 | 2026-09-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 709 | ⑂ 182 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick espectre if
- You weight community size — 9.4K 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 home-assistant-glow if
- You want the home-assistant-glow feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- You evaluated both and home-assistant-glow 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 home-assistant-glow
Home Assistant Glow is an open source firmware and hardware project that reads the pulse LED on an electricity meter and sends those measurements to Home Assistant, built for home automation users whose meter has no P1 port and who are willing to assemble a small ESP based sensor themselves.
read the full home-assistant-glow overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or home-assistant-glow more popular?
espectre has 9,389 GitHub stars and home-assistant-glow has 1,270. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and home-assistant-glow free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and home-assistant-glow under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and home-assistant-glow?
espectre is written in Python and home-assistant-glow in various languages. 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 home-assistant-glow?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,389 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose home-assistant-glow if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.