head to head · open source
Home Assistant vs HomeSpan
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars, 38,710 forks, 3,527 open issues and last shipped yesterday. HomeSpan has 2,166 stars, 199 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Home Assistant leads on adoption by 4,094% (90,832 vs 2,166 stars). Home Assistant is written in Python under Apache-2.0; HomeSpan is written in C++ under MIT. Home Assistant has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, HomeSpan 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 | HomeSpan | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 91K | ★ 2.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 39K | ⑂ 199 |
| 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 HomeSpan if
- You want the HomeSpan feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and HomeSpan 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 HomeSpan
HomeSpan is an MIT licensed C++ Arduino library for the Arduino ESP32 ecosystem. It lets developers build HomeKit devices on Espressif ESP32 microcontrollers without external bridges or components. The project implements Apple's HomeKit Accessory Protocol Specification Release R2, called HAP R2, and pairs directly to HomeKit through a home WiFi network.
read the full HomeSpan overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant or HomeSpan more popular?
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars and HomeSpan has 2,166. Home Assistant has the larger community by that measure.
Are Home Assistant and HomeSpan free?
Both are open source. Home Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and HomeSpan under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Home Assistant and HomeSpan?
Home Assistant is written in Python and HomeSpan 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 HomeSpan?
Choose Home Assistant if you want the larger community (90,832 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose HomeSpan if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.