head to head · open source
integration vs homeThing
integration has 7,744 GitHub stars, 1,593 forks, 164 open issues and last shipped yesterday. homeThing has 546 stars, 42 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 29 days ago. integration leads on adoption by 1,318% (7,744 vs 546 stars). integration is written in Python under MIT; homeThing is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. integration has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, homeThing 8%. integration 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
| integration | homeThing | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.7K | ★ 546 |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2026-08-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 42 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick integration if
- You weight community size — 7.7K stars and counting
- You want the MIT 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 integration
HACS (Home Assistant Community Store) is an MIT licensed Python integration that gives Home Assistant users a user interface for discovering, installing, tracking, and updating custom elements without leaving Home Assistant itself.
read the full integration 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 integration or homeThing more popular?
integration has 7,744 GitHub stars and homeThing has 546. integration has the larger community by that measure.
Are integration and homeThing free?
Both are open source. integration is licensed under MIT and homeThing under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between integration and homeThing?
integration 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, integration or homeThing?
Choose integration if you want the larger community (7,744 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose homeThing if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.