head to head · open source
Home Assistant vs iOS
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars, 38,710 forks, 3,527 open issues and last shipped yesterday. iOS has 2,357 stars, 521 forks, 293 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Home Assistant leads on adoption by 3,754% (90,832 vs 2,357 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 22%. iOS 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 | ★ 91K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 39K | ⑂ 521 |
| 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 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 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 iOS
Home Assistant for Apple Platforms is companion app for Home Assistant on iOS and macOS. It lives in Home Assistant open source home automation ecosystem. Project is written in Swift, licensed Apache 2.0, and tagged with home assistant, home automation, ios, macos, open source app, swift. Repository lists 2350 stars, 519 forks, 293 open issues, and 10 years age. Category is Productivity & Utilities / Automation. Last push is 2026 09 15T06:10:16Z.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant or iOS more popular?
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars and iOS has 2,357. 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 (90,832 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.