head to head · open source
espectre vs tagreader
espectre has 9,775 GitHub stars, 743 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped yesterday. tagreader has 1,623 stars, 219 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped 7 months ago. espectre leads on adoption by 502% (9,775 vs 1,623 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; tagreader is written in Shell under GPL-3.0. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, tagreader 13%. espectre was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | tagreader | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.8K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-11-07 | 2026-04-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 743 | ⑂ 219 |
| 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 tagreader if
- You want the tagreader feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and tagreader 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 tagreader
Tag Reader for Home Assistant The tag reader is a simple to build/use NFC tag reader, specially created for Home Assistant. It is using a D1 mini ESP 8266 and the PN532 NFC module. The firmware is built using ESPhome. I am selling a pre built version, a DIY version (assembly required), or just the case (use with own components). Check it out on my website. Building the tag reader To build your own tag reader, you need the following components: ESP8266 D1 Mini PN532 NFC Reader WS2812 Buzzer The 3D models for the case are here. WARNING regarding AZdelivery D1. We have had several users contacting us with different…
read the full tagreader overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or tagreader more popular?
espectre has 9,775 GitHub stars and tagreader has 1,623. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and tagreader free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and tagreader under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and tagreader?
espectre is written in Python and tagreader in Shell. 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 tagreader?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,775 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose tagreader if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.