head to head · open source
operating-system vs HomeSpan
operating-system has 7,634 GitHub stars, 1,335 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. HomeSpan has 2,210 stars, 206 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. operating-system leads on adoption by 245% (7,634 vs 2,210 stars). operating-system is written in Python under Apache-2.0; HomeSpan is written in C++ under MIT. operating-system has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, HomeSpan 9%. operating-system was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| operating-system | HomeSpan | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.6K | ★ 2.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-06 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.3K | ⑂ 206 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick operating-system if
- You weight community size — 7.6K 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 operating-system
Home Assistant Operating System Home Assistant Operating System (formerly HassOS) is a Linux based operating system optimized to host Home Assistant and its Apps. Home Assistant Operating System uses Docker as its container engine. By default it deploys the Home Assistant Supervisor as a container. Home Assistant Supervisor in turn uses the Docker container engine to control Home Assistant Core and Apps in separate containers. Home Assistant Operating System is not based on a regular Linux distribution like Ubuntu. It is built using Buildroot and it is optimized to run Home Assistant. It targets single board…
read the full operating-system overview →
About HomeSpan
Welcome! Welcome to HomeSpan a robust and extremely easy to use Arduino library for creating your own ESP32 based HomeKit devices entirely within the Arduino IDE. HomeSpan provides a microcontroller focused implementation of Apple's HomeKit Accessory Protocol Specification Release R2 (HAP R2) designed specifically for the Espressif ESP32 microcontroller running within the Arduino IDE. HomeSpan pairs directly to HomeKit via your home WiFi network without the need for any external bridges or components. With HomeSpan you can use the full power of the ESP32's I/O functionality to create custom control software…
read the full HomeSpan overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is operating-system or HomeSpan more popular?
operating-system has 7,634 GitHub stars and HomeSpan has 2,210. operating-system has the larger community by that measure.
Are operating-system and HomeSpan free?
Both are open source. operating-system is licensed under Apache-2.0 and HomeSpan under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between operating-system and HomeSpan?
operating-system 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, operating-system or HomeSpan?
Choose operating-system if you want the larger community (7,634 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose HomeSpan if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.