head to head · open source
frigate vs docker-homebridge
frigate has 36,060 GitHub stars, 3,626 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. docker-homebridge has 2,692 stars, 251 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped yesterday. frigate leads on adoption by 1,240% (36,060 vs 2,692 stars). frigate is written in Python under MIT; docker-homebridge is written in Shell under GPL-3.0. frigate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, docker-homebridge 9%. frigate 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
| frigate | docker-homebridge | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 36K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-22 | 2026-09-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 251 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick frigate if
- You weight community size — 36K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick docker-homebridge if
- You want the docker-homebridge 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 docker-homebridge fits your workflow better
About frigate
Frigate NVR is a complete and local network video recorder built for Home Assistant, with AI object detection. It uses OpenCV and Tensorflow to run realtime object detection locally on IP cameras, so video analysis happens on your own hardware instead of a vendor cloud. Project lives in the Home Assistant home automation ecosystem, with tight integration through a custom component, and it talks over MQTT so other systems can consume its events. Written mainly in TypeScript, MIT licensed, 8 years old, 35,896 stars and 3,596 forks on GitHub.
read the full frigate overview →
About docker-homebridge
docker homebridge is the official Docker image for Homebridge, packaging the HomeKit bridge that emulates the iOS HomeKit API on a local network as a multi architecture container for x86 64, ARM32v7 and ARM64v8 hosts.
read the full docker-homebridge overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is frigate or docker-homebridge more popular?
frigate has 36,060 GitHub stars and docker-homebridge has 2,692. frigate has the larger community by that measure.
Are frigate and docker-homebridge free?
Both are open source. frigate is licensed under MIT and docker-homebridge under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frigate and docker-homebridge?
frigate is written in Python and docker-homebridge 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, frigate or docker-homebridge?
Choose frigate if you want the larger community (36,060 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose docker-homebridge if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.