head to head · open source
Home Assistant vs better_thermostat
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars, 38,710 forks, 3,527 open issues and last shipped yesterday. better_thermostat has 1,484 stars, 174 forks, 56 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. Home Assistant leads on adoption by 6,021% (90,832 vs 1,484 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 | ★ 91K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 39K | ⑂ 174 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Home Assistant if
- You weight community size — 91K 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 is an open source home automation platform that runs locally on devices such as Raspberry Pi or a personal server. It enables users to control and automate smart home devices—including lights, thermostats, locks, and sensors—without relying on cloud services. Built in Python with an asyncio event loop, it emphasizes local processing and data sovereignty, ensuring all device data remains under the user’s control.
read the full Home Assistant overview →
About better_thermostat
Better Thermostat is a free, open source custom component for Home Assistant that adds smart climate control to thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), and it is aimed at home automation users who want accurate, automated room heating without writing their own automations.
read the full better_thermostat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant or better_thermostat more popular?
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars and better_thermostat has 1,484. 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 (90,832 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.