head to head · open source
operating-system vs IRremoteESP8266
operating-system has 7,492 GitHub stars, 1,293 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. IRremoteESP8266 has 3,607 stars, 934 forks, 105 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. operating-system leads on adoption by 108% (7,492 vs 3,607 stars). operating-system is written in Python under Apache-2.0; IRremoteESP8266 is written in C++ under LGPL-2.1. operating-system has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, IRremoteESP8266 26%. operating-system was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (hacktoberfest), 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 | IRremoteESP8266 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.5K | ★ 3.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-23 | 2026-08-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.3K | ⑂ 934 |
| 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 IRremoteESP8266 if
- You want the IRremoteESP8266 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-2.1 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and IRremoteESP8266 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 IRremoteESP8266
IRremoteESP8266 is an open source C++ library for the Arduino framework that lets ESP8266 and ESP32 boards send and receive infrared signals. It lives in the embedded home automation and HVAC control ecosystem and is based on Arduino IRremote. It uses common 940 nm infrared LEDs and common infrared receiver modules, including TSOP{17,22,24,36,38,44,48} demodulators.
read the full IRremoteESP8266 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is operating-system or IRremoteESP8266 more popular?
operating-system has 7,492 GitHub stars and IRremoteESP8266 has 3,607. operating-system has the larger community by that measure.
Are operating-system and IRremoteESP8266 free?
Both are open source. operating-system is licensed under Apache-2.0 and IRremoteESP8266 under LGPL-2.1. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between operating-system and IRremoteESP8266?
operating-system is written in Python and IRremoteESP8266 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, operating-system or IRremoteESP8266?
Choose operating-system if you want the larger community (7,492 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose IRremoteESP8266 if its feature set, stack or LGPL-2.1 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.