head to head · open source
operating-system vs android
operating-system has 7,492 GitHub stars, 1,293 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. android has 3,919 stars, 1,070 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. operating-system leads on adoption by 91% (7,492 vs 3,919 stars). operating-system is written in Python under Apache-2.0; android is written in Kotlin under Apache-2.0. operating-system has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, android 27%. android was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (hacktoberfest, home-assistant), 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
| operating-system | android | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.5K | ★ 3.9K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-09-23 | 2026-09-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.3K | ⑂ 1.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick operating-system if
- You weight community size — 7.5K 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 android if
- You want the android feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and android fits your workflow better
About operating-system
The Home Assistant Operating System is a Linux based operating system built specifically to host Home Assistant and its Apps, intended for people running Home Assistant on a single board computer such as a Raspberry Pi or ODROID, or on an x86 64 machine with UEFI firmware.
read the full operating-system overview →
About android
The Home Assistant Companion for Android is the official Android application for Home Assistant, an open source home automation platform. It is written in Kotlin, released under the Apache 2.0 license, and distributed as an open source app for Android devices. The project sits inside the Home Assistant ecosystem and connects a mobile client to a user's Home Assistant instance.
read the full android overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is operating-system or android more popular?
operating-system has 7,492 GitHub stars and android has 3,919. operating-system has the larger community by that measure.
Are operating-system and android free?
Both are open source. operating-system is licensed under Apache-2.0 and android under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between operating-system and android?
operating-system is written in Python and android in Kotlin. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, operating-system or android?
Choose operating-system if you want the larger community (7,492 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose android if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.