head to head · open source
OpenMQTTGateway vs ESPresense
OpenMQTTGateway has 4,117 GitHub stars, 910 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped 17 days ago. ESPresense has 1,502 stars, 190 forks, 121 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenMQTTGateway leads on adoption by 174% (4,117 vs 1,502 stars). OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; ESPresense is written in C under AGPL-3.0. OpenMQTTGateway has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, ESPresense 13%. ESPresense was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (esp32, home-assistant, 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 | ESPresense | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 4.1K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | C |
| Last push | 2026-10-19 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 910 | ⑂ 190 |
| 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 ESPresense if
- You want the ESPresense feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and ESPresense fits your workflow better
About OpenMQTTGateway
OpenMQTTGateway aims to unify various technologies and protocols into a single firmware. This reduces the need for multiple physical bridges and streamlines diverse technologies under the widely used MQTT protocol. Sponsors Documentation The documentation is here New to OpenMQTTGateway? Follow the Getting Started guide to flash a board from your browser and see your first sensor data in about 15 minutes. The reference sheet, with the list of all functions, pinouts is here Upload Upload OpenMQTTGateway directly from the upload page (no additional software required) or build your own configuration with PlatformIO…
read the full OpenMQTTGateway overview →
About ESPresense
ESPresense An ESP32 based presence detection node for use with the Home Assistant mqtt room component or ESPresense companion for indoor positioning Documentation: Building: building. Release Notes: changelog. trigger CI
read the full ESPresense overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenMQTTGateway or ESPresense more popular?
OpenMQTTGateway has 4,117 GitHub stars and ESPresense has 1,502. OpenMQTTGateway has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenMQTTGateway and ESPresense free?
Both are open source. OpenMQTTGateway is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ESPresense under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenMQTTGateway and ESPresense?
OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ and ESPresense 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, OpenMQTTGateway or ESPresense?
Choose OpenMQTTGateway if you want the larger community (4,117 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose ESPresense if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.