head to head · open source
espectre vs project_aura
espectre has 9,811 GitHub stars, 742 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped yesterday. project_aura has 791 stars, 73 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. espectre leads on adoption by 1,140% (9,811 vs 791 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; project_aura is written in C under GPL-3.0. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, project_aura 9%. espectre was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (diy, 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 | project_aura | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.8K | ★ 791 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C |
| Last push | 2026-11-12 | 2026-11-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 742 | ⑂ 73 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick espectre if
- You weight community size — 9.8K 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 project_aura if
- You want the project_aura 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 project_aura 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 project_aura
Project Aura AQ Project Aura AQ is an open source ESP32 S3 air quality station built for makers who want a polished, finished device rather than a temporary sensor prototype. You print the enclosure, install top tier sensors, flash the firmware from a browser, and get a touchscreen air quality monitor with a local web dashboard, OTA updates, MQTT/Home Assistant integration, optional 0 10V ventilation control, and no cloud dependency. Project Aura AQ was created and is maintained by Volodymyr Papush (21CNCStudio) . This repository contains the firmware source code and configuration needed to flash and customize…
read the full project_aura overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or project_aura more popular?
espectre has 9,811 GitHub stars and project_aura has 791. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and project_aura free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and project_aura under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and project_aura?
espectre is written in Python and project_aura 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 project_aura?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,811 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose project_aura if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.