head to head · open source
homeThing vs libretiny
homeThing has 546 GitHub stars, 42 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 29 days ago. libretiny has 544 stars, 115 forks, 124 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. homeThing leads on adoption by 0% (546 vs 544 stars). homeThing is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; libretiny is written in C under MIT. homeThing has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, libretiny 21%. homeThing was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (esp32, esphome), 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
| homeThing | libretiny | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 546 | ★ 544 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | C |
| Last push | 2026-08-27 | 2026-06-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 42 | ⑂ 115 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick homeThing if
- You weight community size — 546 stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick libretiny if
- You want the libretiny feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and libretiny fits your workflow better
About homeThing
homeThing is a collection of open source hardware and software — a 3D printable ESP32 remote, an ESPHome menu system, and components for controlling Home Assistant devices — for makers and Home Assistant users who want a battery powered physical remote with a screen and scroll wheel instead of a touch screen.
read the full homeThing overview →
About libretiny
LibreTiny is a PlatformIO development platform for BK7231, RTL8710 and LN882H IoT chips, built for embedded developers who need a usable build environment and Arduino compatible cores for IoT modules that lack official tooling.
read the full libretiny overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is homeThing or libretiny more popular?
homeThing has 546 GitHub stars and libretiny has 544. homeThing has the larger community by that measure.
Are homeThing and libretiny free?
Both are open source. homeThing is licensed under GPL-3.0 and libretiny under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between homeThing and libretiny?
homeThing is written in C++ and libretiny 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, homeThing or libretiny?
Choose homeThing if you want the larger community (546 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose libretiny if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.