head to head · open source
OpenMQTTGateway vs room-assistant
OpenMQTTGateway has 4,094 GitHub stars, 906 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped today. room-assistant has 1,348 stars, 125 forks, 76 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. OpenMQTTGateway leads on adoption by 204% (4,094 vs 1,348 stars). OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; room-assistant is written in TypeScript under MIT. OpenMQTTGateway has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, room-assistant 9%. 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
| OpenMQTTGateway | room-assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 4.1K | ★ 1.3K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 906 | ⑂ 125 |
| 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 room-assistant if
- You want the room-assistant feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and room-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 room-assistant
room assistant is an MIT licensed, TypeScript based tool that brings presence detection and room level occupancy tracking to home automation, aimed at self hosters and smart home tinkerers who want automations keyed to which room a person is actually in.
read the full room-assistant overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenMQTTGateway or room-assistant more popular?
OpenMQTTGateway has 4,094 GitHub stars and room-assistant has 1,348. OpenMQTTGateway has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenMQTTGateway and room-assistant free?
Both are open source. OpenMQTTGateway is licensed under GPL-3.0 and room-assistant under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenMQTTGateway and room-assistant?
OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ and room-assistant in TypeScript. 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 room-assistant?
Choose OpenMQTTGateway if you want the larger community (4,094 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose room-assistant if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.