head to head · open source
ProxmoxVE vs HomeSpan
ProxmoxVE has 30,010 GitHub stars, 2,938 forks, 27 open issues and last shipped yesterday. HomeSpan has 2,203 stars, 205 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. ProxmoxVE leads on adoption by 1,262% (30,010 vs 2,203 stars). ProxmoxVE is written in Shell under MIT; HomeSpan is written in C++ under MIT. ProxmoxVE has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, HomeSpan 9%. ProxmoxVE 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
| ProxmoxVE | HomeSpan | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 30K | ★ 2.2K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Shell | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 205 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ProxmoxVE if
- You weight community size — 30K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick HomeSpan if
- You want the HomeSpan feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and HomeSpan fits your workflow better
About ProxmoxVE
Proxmox VE Helper Scripts One command installations for services, containers, and VMs on Proxmox VE A community project — built on the foundation of @tteck 's original work What is this? Simplify your Proxmox VE setup with community driven automation scripts. Install and configure popular self hosted services with a single command — no manual package hunting, no config file archaeology. Paste a command into your Proxmox shell, answer a few prompts, and your container or VM is up and running. The collection covers hundreds of services across categories like home automation, media servers, networking tools…
read the full ProxmoxVE overview →
About HomeSpan
Welcome! Welcome to HomeSpan a robust and extremely easy to use Arduino library for creating your own ESP32 based HomeKit devices entirely within the Arduino IDE. HomeSpan provides a microcontroller focused implementation of Apple's HomeKit Accessory Protocol Specification Release R2 (HAP R2) designed specifically for the Espressif ESP32 microcontroller running within the Arduino IDE. HomeSpan pairs directly to HomeKit via your home WiFi network without the need for any external bridges or components. With HomeSpan you can use the full power of the ESP32's I/O functionality to create custom control software…
read the full HomeSpan overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ProxmoxVE or HomeSpan more popular?
ProxmoxVE has 30,010 GitHub stars and HomeSpan has 2,203. ProxmoxVE has the larger community by that measure.
Are ProxmoxVE and HomeSpan free?
Both are open source. ProxmoxVE is licensed under MIT and HomeSpan under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ProxmoxVE and HomeSpan?
ProxmoxVE is written in Shell and HomeSpan 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, ProxmoxVE or HomeSpan?
Choose ProxmoxVE if you want the larger community (30,010 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose HomeSpan if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.