head to head · open source
Home Assistant vs pyatv
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars, 38,710 forks, 3,527 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pyatv has 1,175 stars, 146 forks, 258 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. Home Assistant leads on adoption by 7,630% (90,832 vs 1,175 stars). Home Assistant is written in Python under Apache-2.0; pyatv is written in Python under MIT. Home Assistant has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, pyatv 12%. Home Assistant was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (asyncio, 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 | pyatv | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 91K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-08-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 39K | ⑂ 146 |
| 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 pyatv if
- You want the pyatv feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and pyatv 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 pyatv
pyatv is an asyncio Python client library, distributed on PyPI under the MIT licence, that lets developers and home automation builders control Apple TV, HomePod, AirPort Express, and other AirPlay and RAOP receivers from their own code and scripts.
read the full pyatv overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant or pyatv more popular?
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars and pyatv has 1,175. Home Assistant has the larger community by that measure.
Are Home Assistant and pyatv free?
Both are open source. Home Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and pyatv under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Home Assistant and pyatv?
Home Assistant is written in Python and pyatv in Python. 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 pyatv?
Choose Home Assistant if you want the larger community (90,832 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose pyatv if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.