head to head · open source
Home Assistant vs Hey
Home Assistant has 90,654 GitHub stars, 38,685 forks, 3,527 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Hey has 29,369 stars, 1,806 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 12 days ago. Home Assistant leads on adoption by 209% (90,654 vs 29,369 stars). Home Assistant is written in Python under Apache-2.0; Hey is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. Home Assistant has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, Hey 6%. Home Assistant was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (hacktoberfest), 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 | Hey | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 91K | ★ 29K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 39K | ⑂ 1.8K |
| 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 Hey if
- You want the Hey feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Hey 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 Hey
Hey (hey.xyz) is a decentralized, permissionless social media application built on the Lens Protocol, aimed at Web3 developers and teams who want to self host or fork a blockchain backed social client.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant or Hey more popular?
Home Assistant has 90,654 GitHub stars and Hey has 29,369. Home Assistant has the larger community by that measure.
Are Home Assistant and Hey free?
Both are open source. Home Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Hey under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Home Assistant and Hey?
Home Assistant is written in Python and Hey in TypeScript. 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 Hey?
Choose Home Assistant if you want the larger community (90,654 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Hey if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.