head to head · open source
operating-system vs frontend
operating-system has 7,522 GitHub stars, 1,301 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. frontend has 5,693 stars, 3,860 forks, 383 open issues and last shipped today. operating-system leads on adoption by 32% (7,522 vs 5,693 stars). operating-system is written in Python under Apache-2.0; frontend is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. operating-system has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, frontend 68%. frontend was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| operating-system | frontend | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.5K | ★ 5.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.3K | ⑂ 3.9K |
| 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 frontend if
- You want the frontend feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and frontend 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 frontend
The Home Assistant Frontend is the official web interface for Home Assistant, built for home automation users and developers who want a browser based control panel for their smart home.
read the full frontend 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 operating-system or frontend more popular?
operating-system has 7,522 GitHub stars and frontend has 5,693. operating-system has the larger community by that measure.
Are operating-system and frontend free?
Both are open source. operating-system is licensed under Apache-2.0 and frontend under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between operating-system and frontend?
operating-system is written in Python and frontend 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, operating-system or frontend?
Choose operating-system if you want the larger community (7,522 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose frontend if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.