head to head · open source
Home Assistant vs better_thermostat
Home Assistant has 91,945 GitHub stars, 39,193 forks, 3,527 open issues and last shipped today. better_thermostat has 1,543 stars, 192 forks, 56 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Home Assistant leads on adoption by 5,859% (91,945 vs 1,543 stars). Home Assistant is written in Python under Apache-2.0; better_thermostat is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. Home Assistant has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, better_thermostat 12%. Home Assistant was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (hacktoberfest, 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
| Home Assistant | better_thermostat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 92K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 39K | ⑂ 192 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Home Assistant if
- You weight community size — 92K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick better_thermostat if
- You want the better_thermostat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and better_thermostat fits your workflow better
About Home Assistant
Home Assistant Chat Status ================================================================================= Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server. Check out home assistant.io for a demo , installation instructions , tutorials and documentation . Featured integrations The system is built using a modular approach so support for other devices or actions can be implemented easily. See also the section on architecture and the section on creating your own components…
read the full Home Assistant overview →
About better_thermostat
Better Thermostat For more info visit: Requirements Minimum required Home Assistant version: 2026.7.2 ( continuously tested against Home Assistant ) Companion UI We've created a companion UI element which can display more information than the default thermostat element in Home Assistant. Check it out via HACS: better thermostat ui card If you have a question or need help please create a new discussion or check if your question is already answered If you have a suggestion, found a bug, or want to add a new device or function create a new issue If you want to contribute to this project create a new pull request…
read the full better_thermostat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant or better_thermostat more popular?
Home Assistant has 91,945 GitHub stars and better_thermostat has 1,543. Home Assistant has the larger community by that measure.
Are Home Assistant and better_thermostat free?
Both are open source. Home Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and better_thermostat under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Home Assistant and better_thermostat?
Home Assistant is written in Python and better_thermostat in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Home Assistant or better_thermostat?
Choose Home Assistant if you want the larger community (91,945 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose better_thermostat if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.