head to head · open source
Home Assistant vs EMS-ESP32
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars, 38,710 forks, 3,527 open issues and last shipped yesterday. EMS-ESP32 has 1,010 stars, 152 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Home Assistant leads on adoption by 8,893% (90,832 vs 1,010 stars). Home Assistant is written in Python under Apache-2.0; EMS-ESP32 is written in C++ under LGPL-3.0. Home Assistant has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, EMS-ESP32 15%. Home Assistant was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (home-automation, iot, mqtt), 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 | EMS-ESP32 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 91K | ★ 1.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 39K | ⑂ 152 |
| 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 EMS-ESP32 if
- You want the EMS-ESP32 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and EMS-ESP32 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 EMS-ESP32
EMS ESP32 is an open source C++ firmware for the Espressif ESP32 microcontroller that reads and controls EMS and Heatronic compatible equipment such as boilers, thermostats, solar modules and heat pumps, built for technically confident home automation users who own Bosch, Buderus, Nefit, Junkers, Worcester, Sieger, elm.leblanc or iVT heating hardware.
read the full EMS-ESP32 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant or EMS-ESP32 more popular?
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars and EMS-ESP32 has 1,010. Home Assistant has the larger community by that measure.
Are Home Assistant and EMS-ESP32 free?
Both are open source. Home Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and EMS-ESP32 under LGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Home Assistant and EMS-ESP32?
Home Assistant is written in Python and EMS-ESP32 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, Home Assistant or EMS-ESP32?
Choose Home Assistant if you want the larger community (90,832 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose EMS-ESP32 if its feature set, stack or LGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.