head to head · open source
Home Assistant vs iOS
Home Assistant has 91,945 GitHub stars, 39,193 forks, 3,527 open issues and last shipped yesterday. iOS has 2,398 stars, 553 forks, 293 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Home Assistant leads on adoption by 3,734% (91,945 vs 2,398 stars). Home Assistant is written in Python under Apache-2.0; iOS is written in Swift under Apache-2.0. Home Assistant has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, iOS 23%. 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 | iOS | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 92K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 39K | ⑂ 553 |
| 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 iOS if
- You want the iOS feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and iOS 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 iOS
Home Assistant for Apple Platforms ================= Getting Started Home Assistant uses Bundler, Homebrew, and SPM to manage build dependencies. You'll need Xcode 27.0 (or later), currently a beta, which you can download from Apple Developer Downloads. You can get the app running using the following commands: Once this completes, you can launch HomeAssistant.xcodeproj and run the App Debug scheme onto your simulator or iOS device. Testing just the frontend To just test the frontend, you can use a simulator version built by our GitHub actions. 1. Install Xcode from the App Store making sure it's at least the…
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Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant or iOS more popular?
Home Assistant has 91,945 GitHub stars and iOS has 2,398. Home Assistant has the larger community by that measure.
Are Home Assistant and iOS free?
Both are open source. Home Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and iOS under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Home Assistant and iOS?
Home Assistant is written in Python and iOS in Swift. 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 iOS?
Choose Home Assistant if you want the larger community (91,945 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose iOS if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.