head to head · open source
frigate vs HomeSpan
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars, 3,782 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. HomeSpan has 2,203 stars, 205 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. frigate leads on adoption by 1,587% (37,160 vs 2,203 stars). frigate is written in Python under MIT; HomeSpan is written in C++ under MIT. frigate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, HomeSpan 9%. frigate was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| frigate | HomeSpan | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 2.2K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 205 |
| 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 HomeSpan if
- You want the HomeSpan feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and HomeSpan 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 HomeSpan
Welcome! Welcome to HomeSpan a robust and extremely easy to use Arduino library for creating your own ESP32 based HomeKit devices entirely within the Arduino IDE. HomeSpan provides a microcontroller focused implementation of Apple's HomeKit Accessory Protocol Specification Release R2 (HAP R2) designed specifically for the Espressif ESP32 microcontroller running within the Arduino IDE. HomeSpan pairs directly to HomeKit via your home WiFi network without the need for any external bridges or components. With HomeSpan you can use the full power of the ESP32's I/O functionality to create custom control software…
read the full HomeSpan overview →
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Internet of Things (IoT) projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Internet of Things (IoT) field.
Frequently asked questions
Is frigate or HomeSpan more popular?
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars and HomeSpan has 2,203. frigate has the larger community by that measure.
Are frigate and HomeSpan free?
Both are open source. frigate is licensed under MIT and HomeSpan under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frigate and HomeSpan?
frigate is written in Python and HomeSpan 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 HomeSpan?
Choose frigate if you want the larger community (37,160 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose HomeSpan if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.