head to head · open source
espectre vs MenuBarMijia
espectre has 9,728 GitHub stars, 739 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped yesterday. MenuBarMijia has 744 stars, 47 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped yesterday. espectre leads on adoption by 1,208% (9,728 vs 744 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; MenuBarMijia is written in Swift under MIT. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, MenuBarMijia 6%. MenuBarMijia 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 | MenuBarMijia | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.7K | ★ 744 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 739 | ⑂ 47 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick espectre if
- You weight community size — 9.7K 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 MenuBarMijia if
- You want the MenuBarMijia feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and MenuBarMijia 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 MenuBarMijia
English 简体中文 MenuBarMijia Control your entire home right from your computer, without picking up your phone. A native macOS menu bar app for Xiaomi / Mijia smart home devices, with a companion Windows 11 tray build. Scan a QR code to connect directly to Mi Home without setting up Home Assistant. Features keyboard fuzzy search, push to talk voice, Mac event automation, and one click undo. Official website · Download latest · Install & Connect · Platform Comparison · Safety & Privacy · Changelog macOS demo mode with simulated devices. Why Put Smart Home Control on Your Desktop? When coding, writing, or in a…
read the full MenuBarMijia overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or MenuBarMijia more popular?
espectre has 9,728 GitHub stars and MenuBarMijia has 744. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and MenuBarMijia free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and MenuBarMijia under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and MenuBarMijia?
espectre is written in Python and MenuBarMijia in Swift. 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 MenuBarMijia?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,728 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose MenuBarMijia if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.