head to head · open source
python-miio vs spook
python-miio has 4,305 GitHub stars, 601 forks, 313 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. spook has 1,298 stars, 91 forks, 29 open issues and last shipped yesterday. python-miio leads on adoption by 232% (4,305 vs 1,298 stars). python-miio is written in Python under GPL-3.0; spook is written in Python under MIT. python-miio has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, spook 7%. spook 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 | spook | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 4.3K | ★ 1.3K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-07-25 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 601 | ⑂ 91 |
| 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 spook if
- You want the spook feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and spook 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 spook
Spook is a custom integration for Home Assistant that extends a Home Assistant instance with a set of extra tools, aimed at people who already run Home Assistant and want more capability without forking core components.
read the full spook overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is python-miio or spook more popular?
python-miio has 4,305 GitHub stars and spook has 1,298. python-miio has the larger community by that measure.
Are python-miio and spook free?
Both are open source. python-miio is licensed under GPL-3.0 and spook under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between python-miio and spook?
python-miio is written in Python and spook in Python. 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 spook?
Choose python-miio if you want the larger community (4,305 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose spook if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.