head to head · open source
Home Assistant vs HomeKey-ESP32
Home Assistant has 91,945 GitHub stars, 39,193 forks, 3,527 open issues and last shipped today. HomeKey-ESP32 has 1,116 stars, 101 forks, 47 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. Home Assistant leads on adoption by 8,139% (91,945 vs 1,116 stars). Home Assistant is written in Python under Apache-2.0; HomeKey-ESP32 is written in C++ under MIT. Home Assistant has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, HomeKey-ESP32 9%. 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 (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 | HomeKey-ESP32 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 92K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-10-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 39K | ⑂ 101 |
| 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 HomeKey-ESP32 if
- You want the HomeKey-ESP32 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and HomeKey-ESP32 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 HomeKey-ESP32
HomeKey ESP32 Apple HomeKey functionality for the rest of us Documentation What is HomeKey ESP32? The project aims to be the easy DIY solution for using Apple's HomeKey feature without the need to purchase a compatible smart lock that you probably don't want. HomeKey ESP32 brings Apple's secure NFC based unlocking to an ESP32 module near you, enabling you to unlock doors and whatnot with a simple tap of your iPhone or Apple Watch. No proprietary hardware required – just an ESP32 and one of the supported NFC modules [!WARNING] The flash memory is not encrypted as this kinda started as a pet project of mine but a…
read the full HomeKey-ESP32 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant or HomeKey-ESP32 more popular?
Home Assistant has 91,945 GitHub stars and HomeKey-ESP32 has 1,116. Home Assistant has the larger community by that measure.
Are Home Assistant and HomeKey-ESP32 free?
Both are open source. Home Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and HomeKey-ESP32 under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Home Assistant and HomeKey-ESP32?
Home Assistant is written in Python and HomeKey-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 HomeKey-ESP32?
Choose Home Assistant if you want the larger community (91,945 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose HomeKey-ESP32 if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.