head to head · open source
OpenMQTTGateway vs Gladys Assistant
OpenMQTTGateway has 4,094 GitHub stars, 906 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped today. Gladys Assistant has 3,196 stars, 320 forks, 51 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. OpenMQTTGateway leads on adoption by 28% (4,094 vs 3,196 stars). OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; Gladys Assistant is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. OpenMQTTGateway has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, Gladys Assistant 10%. 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| OpenMQTTGateway | Gladys Assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 4.1K | ★ 3.2K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 906 | ⑂ 320 |
| 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 Gladys Assistant if
- You want the Gladys Assistant feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and Gladys Assistant 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 Gladys Assistant
Gladys Assistant is a privacy first, open source home automation assistant, written in JavaScript and licensed under Apache 2.0, that runs on hardware you own — a Raspberry Pi, a NAS or a mini PC — so that smart home data stays local instead of living in a vendor cloud.
read the full Gladys Assistant 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 OpenMQTTGateway or Gladys Assistant more popular?
OpenMQTTGateway has 4,094 GitHub stars and Gladys Assistant has 3,196. OpenMQTTGateway has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenMQTTGateway and Gladys Assistant free?
Both are open source. OpenMQTTGateway is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Gladys Assistant under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenMQTTGateway and Gladys Assistant?
OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ and Gladys Assistant in JavaScript. 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 Gladys Assistant?
Choose OpenMQTTGateway if you want the larger community (4,094 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Gladys Assistant if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.