head to head · open source
OpenMQTTGateway vs emhass
OpenMQTTGateway has 4,094 GitHub stars, 906 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped today. emhass has 680 stars, 166 forks, 50 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. OpenMQTTGateway leads on adoption by 502% (4,094 vs 680 stars). OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; emhass is written in Python under MIT. OpenMQTTGateway has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, emhass 24%. OpenMQTTGateway was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (home-automation), 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
| OpenMQTTGateway | emhass | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 4.1K | ★ 680 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 906 | ⑂ 166 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenMQTTGateway if
- You weight community size — 4.1K 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 emhass if
- You want the emhass feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and emhass fits your workflow better
About OpenMQTTGateway
OpenMQTTGateway is an open source C++ gateway firmware for ESP8266 and ESP32 boards that connects local radio and sensor protocols to MQTT. It lives in the home automation ecosystem and is associated with Home Assistant, OpenHAB, NodeRed, and AWS IOT. The project aims to unify various technologies and protocols into a single firmware, reducing the need for multiple physical bridges.
read the full OpenMQTTGateway overview →
About emhass
EMHASS (Energy Management for Home Assistant) is an MIT licensed Python module for residential households that optimizes home energy use around electricity prices, solar panel generation, and battery storage, and that interfaces with Home Assistant.
read the full emhass overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenMQTTGateway or emhass more popular?
OpenMQTTGateway has 4,094 GitHub stars and emhass has 680. OpenMQTTGateway has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenMQTTGateway and emhass free?
Both are open source. OpenMQTTGateway is licensed under GPL-3.0 and emhass under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenMQTTGateway and emhass?
OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ and emhass in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenMQTTGateway or emhass?
Choose OpenMQTTGateway if you want the larger community (4,094 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose emhass if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.