head to head · open source
espectre vs self-host
espectre has 9,728 GitHub stars, 739 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped yesterday. self-host has 1,490 stars, 62 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped yesterday. espectre leads on adoption by 553% (9,728 vs 1,490 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; self-host is written in Go under Apache-2.0. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, self-host 4%. self-host 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 | self-host | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.7K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 739 | ⑂ 62 |
| 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 self-host if
- You want the self-host feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and self-host 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 self-host
self host Try self hosted apps from your terminal. Website · Docs · Showreel · Discord self host is a terminal UI for getting self hosted Apps running with Docker Compose. Pick an App, let it set up an account and connect the Apps it supports, then try it. It's meant for people getting started, or anyone who wants to try an App before adding it to their own setup. Think of it as a small terminal based alternative to Portainer, with App setup included. If you already have a setup you're happy with, you don't need this. It manages its own Compose Project, not your existing containers. Get started You need Docker…
read the full self-host overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or self-host more popular?
espectre has 9,728 GitHub stars and self-host has 1,490. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and self-host free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and self-host under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and self-host?
espectre is written in Python and self-host in Go. 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 self-host?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,728 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose self-host if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.