head to head · open source
frigate vs homeThing
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars, 3,782 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. homeThing has 548 stars, 42 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. frigate leads on adoption by 6,681% (37,160 vs 548 stars). frigate is written in Python under MIT; homeThing is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. frigate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, homeThing 8%. 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 | homeThing | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 548 |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 42 |
| 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 homeThing if
- You want the homeThing feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and homeThing 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 homeThing
homeThing Remote ⚙️ (esphome remote) homeThing is a collection of software and hardware for creating universal remotes that control smart home devices. There are 3 components that belong to homeThing: the case and circuit board, the menu system code, and the code to control smart home devices Hardware specific for smart home remotes that's open source, customizable, and 3D printable. Menu system for ESP32 devices focused on controlling smart home devices similar to an iPod's menu. ESPHome Components for controlling Home Assistant devices. Check out the next generation homeThing C6 Learn More Get Started Learn…
read the full homeThing overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is frigate or homeThing more popular?
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars and homeThing has 548. frigate has the larger community by that measure.
Are frigate and homeThing free?
Both are open source. frigate is licensed under MIT and homeThing under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frigate and homeThing?
frigate is written in Python and homeThing 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 homeThing?
Choose frigate if you want the larger community (37,160 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose homeThing if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.