head to head · open source
IRremoteESP8266 vs Gladys Assistant
IRremoteESP8266 has 3,601 GitHub stars, 933 forks, 105 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. Gladys Assistant has 3,197 stars, 320 forks, 51 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. IRremoteESP8266 leads on adoption by 13% (3,601 vs 3,197 stars). IRremoteESP8266 is written in C++ under LGPL-2.1; Gladys Assistant is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. IRremoteESP8266 has attracted 26% as many forks as stars, Gladys Assistant 10%. Gladys Assistant 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.
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Side by side
| IRremoteESP8266 | Gladys Assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.6K | ★ 3.2K |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-23 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 933 | ⑂ 320 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick IRremoteESP8266 if
- You weight community size — 3.6K stars and counting
- You want the LGPL-2.1 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Gladys Assistant if
- You want the Gladys Assistant feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and Gladys Assistant fits your workflow better
About IRremoteESP8266
IRremoteESP8266 is an open source C++ library for the Arduino framework that lets ESP8266 and ESP32 boards send and receive infrared signals. It lives in the embedded home automation and HVAC control ecosystem and is based on Arduino IRremote. It uses common 940 nm infrared LEDs and common infrared receiver modules, including TSOP{17,22,24,36,38,44,48} demodulators.
read the full IRremoteESP8266 overview →
About Gladys Assistant
Gladys Assistant is a privacy first, open source home automation assistant, written in JavaScript and licensed under Apache 2.0, that runs on hardware you own — a Raspberry Pi, a NAS or a mini PC — so that smart home data stays local instead of living in a vendor cloud.
read the full Gladys Assistant overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is IRremoteESP8266 or Gladys Assistant more popular?
IRremoteESP8266 has 3,601 GitHub stars and Gladys Assistant has 3,197. IRremoteESP8266 has the larger community by that measure.
Are IRremoteESP8266 and Gladys Assistant free?
Both are open source. IRremoteESP8266 is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Gladys Assistant under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between IRremoteESP8266 and Gladys Assistant?
IRremoteESP8266 is written in C++ and Gladys Assistant in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, IRremoteESP8266 or Gladys Assistant?
Choose IRremoteESP8266 if you want the larger community (3,601 stars) or its LGPL-2.1 licence terms. Choose Gladys Assistant if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.