head to head · open source
espectre vs versatile_thermostat
espectre has 9,698 GitHub stars, 737 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. versatile_thermostat has 1,230 stars, 151 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. espectre leads on adoption by 688% (9,698 vs 1,230 stars). espectre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; versatile_thermostat is written in Python under MIT. espectre has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, versatile_thermostat 12%. versatile_thermostat 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 | versatile_thermostat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.7K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-10-26 | 2026-10-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 737 | ⑂ 151 |
| 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 versatile_thermostat if
- You want the versatile_thermostat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and versatile_thermostat 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 versatile_thermostat
[![GitHub Release][releases shield]][releases] [![GitHub Activity][commits shield]][commits] [![License][license shield]](LICENSE) [![hacs][hacs badge]][hacs] [![BuyMeCoffee][buymecoffeebadge]][buymecoffee] Versatile Thermostat This README file is available in languages : English Français Deutsch Čeština Polski Versatile Thermostat is a highly configurable virtual thermostat that transforms any heating equipment (radiators, air conditioners, heat pumps, etc.) into an intelligent and adaptive system. It allows you to consolidate and centrally control multiple different heating systems, while automatically…
read the full versatile_thermostat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is espectre or versatile_thermostat more popular?
espectre has 9,698 GitHub stars and versatile_thermostat has 1,230. espectre has the larger community by that measure.
Are espectre and versatile_thermostat free?
Both are open source. espectre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and versatile_thermostat under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between espectre and versatile_thermostat?
espectre is written in Python and versatile_thermostat in Python. 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 versatile_thermostat?
Choose espectre if you want the larger community (9,698 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose versatile_thermostat if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.