head to head · open source
python-miio vs ESPresense
python-miio has 4,305 GitHub stars, 601 forks, 313 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. ESPresense has 1,477 stars, 184 forks, 121 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. python-miio leads on adoption by 191% (4,305 vs 1,477 stars). python-miio is written in Python under GPL-3.0; ESPresense is written in C under AGPL-3.0. python-miio has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, ESPresense 12%. ESPresense 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
| python-miio | ESPresense | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 4.3K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C |
| Last push | 2026-07-25 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 601 | ⑂ 184 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick python-miio if
- You weight community size — 4.3K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ESPresense if
- You want the ESPresense feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and ESPresense fits your workflow better
About python-miio
python miio is a Python library and console tool for controlling Xiaomi smart appliances. It supports devices using Xiaomi's miIO and MIoT protocols, and it provides programmatic access through Python and command line access through miiocli. The project lives in the Python home automation ecosystem, and its topics connect it to Home Assistant and Xiaomi smart home control.
read the full python-miio overview →
About ESPresense
ESPresense is an AGPL 3.0 licensed ESP32 firmware project that turns low cost ESP32 boards into indoor positioning nodes which report presence data over MQTT to Home Assistant or to the ESPresense companion application.
read the full ESPresense overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is python-miio or ESPresense more popular?
python-miio has 4,305 GitHub stars and ESPresense has 1,477. python-miio has the larger community by that measure.
Are python-miio and ESPresense free?
Both are open source. python-miio is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ESPresense under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between python-miio and ESPresense?
python-miio is written in Python and ESPresense 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, python-miio or ESPresense?
Choose python-miio if you want the larger community (4,305 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose ESPresense if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.