head to head · open source
espectre vs OpenMQTTGateway
espectre has 9,747 GitHub stars, 741 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. OpenMQTTGateway has 4,117 stars, 912 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. espectre leads on adoption by 137% (9,747 vs 4,117 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, OpenMQTTGateway 22%. 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 | OpenMQTTGateway | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.7K | ★ 4.1K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-10-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 741 | ⑂ 912 |
| 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 OpenMQTTGateway if
- You want the OpenMQTTGateway feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and OpenMQTTGateway 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 OpenMQTTGateway
OpenMQTTGateway aims to unify various technologies and protocols into a single firmware. This reduces the need for multiple physical bridges and streamlines diverse technologies under the widely used MQTT protocol. Sponsors Documentation The documentation is here New to OpenMQTTGateway? Follow the Getting Started guide to flash a board from your browser and see your first sensor data in about 15 minutes. The reference sheet, with the list of all functions, pinouts is here Upload Upload OpenMQTTGateway directly from the upload page (no additional software required) or build your own configuration with PlatformIO…
read the full OpenMQTTGateway overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or OpenMQTTGateway more popular?
espectre has 9,747 GitHub stars and OpenMQTTGateway has 4,117. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and OpenMQTTGateway free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and OpenMQTTGateway under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and OpenMQTTGateway?
espectre is written in Python and OpenMQTTGateway in C++. 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 OpenMQTTGateway?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,747 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose OpenMQTTGateway if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.