head to head · open source
frigate vs OpenMQTTGateway
frigate has 36,005 GitHub stars, 3,611 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenMQTTGateway has 4,094 stars, 906 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped today. frigate leads on adoption by 779% (36,005 vs 4,094 stars). frigate is written in TypeScript under MIT; OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. frigate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, OpenMQTTGateway 22%. OpenMQTTGateway was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (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
| frigate | OpenMQTTGateway | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 36K | ★ 4.1K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 906 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick frigate if
- You weight community size — 36K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenMQTTGateway if
- You want the OpenMQTTGateway 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 OpenMQTTGateway fits your workflow better
About frigate
Frigate NVR is a complete and local network video recorder built for Home Assistant, with AI object detection. It uses OpenCV and Tensorflow to run realtime object detection locally on IP cameras, so video analysis happens on your own hardware instead of a vendor cloud. Project lives in the Home Assistant home automation ecosystem, with tight integration through a custom component, and it talks over MQTT so other systems can consume its events. Written mainly in TypeScript, MIT licensed, 8 years old, 35,896 stars and 3,596 forks on GitHub.
read the full frigate overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is frigate or OpenMQTTGateway more popular?
frigate has 36,005 GitHub stars and OpenMQTTGateway has 4,094. frigate has the larger community by that measure.
Are frigate and OpenMQTTGateway free?
Both are open source. frigate is licensed under MIT and OpenMQTTGateway under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frigate and OpenMQTTGateway?
frigate is written in TypeScript and OpenMQTTGateway 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, frigate or OpenMQTTGateway?
Choose frigate if you want the larger community (36,005 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose OpenMQTTGateway if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.