head to head · open source
operating-system vs homeThing
operating-system has 7,491 GitHub stars, 1,293 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. homeThing has 546 stars, 42 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 29 days ago. operating-system leads on adoption by 1,272% (7,491 vs 546 stars). operating-system is written in Python under Apache-2.0; homeThing is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. operating-system has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, homeThing 8%. operating-system was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (home-assistant), 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
| operating-system | homeThing | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.5K | ★ 546 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2026-08-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.3K | ⑂ 42 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick operating-system if
- You weight community size — 7.5K 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 homeThing if
- You want the homeThing feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and homeThing fits your workflow better
About operating-system
The Home Assistant Operating System is a Linux based operating system built specifically to host Home Assistant and its Apps, intended for people running Home Assistant on a single board computer such as a Raspberry Pi or ODROID, or on an x86 64 machine with UEFI firmware.
read the full operating-system overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is operating-system or homeThing more popular?
operating-system has 7,491 GitHub stars and homeThing has 546. operating-system has the larger community by that measure.
Are operating-system and homeThing free?
Both are open source. operating-system is licensed under Apache-2.0 and homeThing under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between operating-system and homeThing?
operating-system is written in Python and homeThing 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 homeThing?
Choose operating-system if you want the larger community (7,491 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose homeThing if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.