head to head · open source
espectre vs homeassistant-powercalc
espectre has 9,388 GitHub stars, 708 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. homeassistant-powercalc has 1,583 stars, 423 forks, 17 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. espectre leads on adoption by 493% (9,388 vs 1,583 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; homeassistant-powercalc is written in Python under MIT. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, homeassistant-powercalc 27%. homeassistant-powercalc 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 | homeassistant-powercalc | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.4K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-23 | 2026-09-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 708 | ⑂ 423 |
| 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 homeassistant-powercalc if
- You want the homeassistant-powercalc feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and homeassistant-powercalc 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 homeassistant-powercalc
PowerCalc is a free, MIT licensed Home Assistant custom component that estimates the power and energy consumption of lights, fans, media players and other appliances that cannot measure themselves, letting Home Assistant users monitor energy across a whole home without fitting a smart plug to every device.
read the full homeassistant-powercalc overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or homeassistant-powercalc more popular?
espectre has 9,388 GitHub stars and homeassistant-powercalc has 1,583. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and homeassistant-powercalc free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and homeassistant-powercalc under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and homeassistant-powercalc?
espectre is written in Python and homeassistant-powercalc 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 homeassistant-powercalc?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,388 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose homeassistant-powercalc if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.