head to head · open source
Home Assistant vs OpenMQTTGateway
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars, 38,710 forks, 3,527 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenMQTTGateway has 4,094 stars, 906 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped today. Home Assistant leads on adoption by 2,119% (90,832 vs 4,094 stars). Home Assistant is written in Python under Apache-2.0; OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. Home Assistant has attracted 43% 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 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
| Home Assistant | OpenMQTTGateway | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 91K | ★ 4.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 39K | ⑂ 906 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Home Assistant if
- You weight community size — 91K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- 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 Home Assistant
Home Assistant is an open source home automation platform that runs locally on devices such as Raspberry Pi or a personal server. It enables users to control and automate smart home devices—including lights, thermostats, locks, and sensors—without relying on cloud services. Built in Python with an asyncio event loop, it emphasizes local processing and data sovereignty, ensuring all device data remains under the user’s control.
read the full Home Assistant 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 Home Assistant or OpenMQTTGateway more popular?
Home Assistant has 90,832 GitHub stars and OpenMQTTGateway has 4,094. Home Assistant has the larger community by that measure.
Are Home Assistant and OpenMQTTGateway free?
Both are open source. Home Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenMQTTGateway under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Home Assistant and OpenMQTTGateway?
Home Assistant is written in Python 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, Home Assistant or OpenMQTTGateway?
Choose Home Assistant if you want the larger community (90,832 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose OpenMQTTGateway if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.