head to head · open source
IRremoteESP8266 vs tagreader
IRremoteESP8266 has 3,602 GitHub stars, 934 forks, 105 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. tagreader has 1,607 stars, 212 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. IRremoteESP8266 leads on adoption by 124% (3,602 vs 1,607 stars). IRremoteESP8266 is written in C++ under LGPL-2.1; tagreader is written in Shell under GPL-3.0. IRremoteESP8266 has attracted 26% as many forks as stars, tagreader 13%. IRremoteESP8266 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| IRremoteESP8266 | tagreader | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.6K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-08-23 | 2026-04-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 934 | ⑂ 212 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick IRremoteESP8266 if
- You weight community size — 3.6K stars and counting
- You want the LGPL-2.1 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick tagreader if
- You want the tagreader feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and tagreader fits your workflow better
About IRremoteESP8266
IRremoteESP8266 is an open source C++ library for the Arduino framework that lets ESP8266 and ESP32 boards send and receive infrared signals. It lives in the embedded home automation and HVAC control ecosystem and is based on Arduino IRremote. It uses common 940 nm infrared LEDs and common infrared receiver modules, including TSOP{17,22,24,36,38,44,48} demodulators.
read the full IRremoteESP8266 overview →
About tagreader
tagreader is a GPL 3.0 NFC tag reader built from an ESP8266 D1 Mini and a PN532 module running ESPHome firmware, created specifically so that Home Assistant users can scan physical tags and manage them inside Home Assistant.
read the full tagreader overview →
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Internet of Things (IoT) projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Internet of Things (IoT) field.
Frequently asked questions
Is IRremoteESP8266 or tagreader more popular?
IRremoteESP8266 has 3,602 GitHub stars and tagreader has 1,607. IRremoteESP8266 has the larger community by that measure.
Are IRremoteESP8266 and tagreader free?
Both are open source. IRremoteESP8266 is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and tagreader under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between IRremoteESP8266 and tagreader?
IRremoteESP8266 is written in C++ and tagreader in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, IRremoteESP8266 or tagreader?
Choose IRremoteESP8266 if you want the larger community (3,602 stars) or its LGPL-2.1 licence terms. Choose tagreader if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.