head to head · open source
frigate vs HomeKey-ESP32
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars, 3,782 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. HomeKey-ESP32 has 1,116 stars, 100 forks, 47 open issues and last shipped 17 days ago. frigate leads on adoption by 3,230% (37,160 vs 1,116 stars). frigate is written in Python under MIT; HomeKey-ESP32 is written in C++ under MIT. frigate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, HomeKey-ESP32 9%. frigate was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (home-assistant, home-automation), 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
| frigate | HomeKey-ESP32 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 100 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick frigate if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick HomeKey-ESP32 if
- You want the HomeKey-ESP32 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and HomeKey-ESP32 fits your workflow better
About frigate
Frigate NVR™ Realtime Object Detection for IP Cameras \[English\] 简体中文 A complete and local NVR designed for Home Assistant with AI object detection. Uses OpenCV and Tensorflow to perform realtime object detection locally for IP cameras. Use of a GPU or AI accelerator is highly recommended. AI accelerators will outperform even the best CPUs with very little overhead. See Frigate's supported object detectors. Tight integration with Home Assistant via a custom component Designed to minimize resource use and maximize performance by only looking for objects when and where it is necessary Leverages multiprocessing…
read the full frigate overview →
About HomeKey-ESP32
HomeKey ESP32 Apple HomeKey functionality for the rest of us Documentation What is HomeKey ESP32? The project aims to be the easy DIY solution for using Apple's HomeKey feature without the need to purchase a compatible smart lock that you probably don't want. HomeKey ESP32 brings Apple's secure NFC based unlocking to an ESP32 module near you, enabling you to unlock doors and whatnot with a simple tap of your iPhone or Apple Watch. No proprietary hardware required – just an ESP32 and one of the supported NFC modules [!WARNING] The flash memory is not encrypted as this kinda started as a pet project of mine but a…
read the full HomeKey-ESP32 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is frigate or HomeKey-ESP32 more popular?
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars and HomeKey-ESP32 has 1,116. frigate has the larger community by that measure.
Are frigate and HomeKey-ESP32 free?
Both are open source. frigate is licensed under MIT and HomeKey-ESP32 under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frigate and HomeKey-ESP32?
frigate is written in Python and HomeKey-ESP32 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, frigate or HomeKey-ESP32?
Choose frigate if you want the larger community (37,160 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose HomeKey-ESP32 if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.