head to head · open source
OpenMQTTGateway vs tagreader
OpenMQTTGateway has 4,095 GitHub stars, 906 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped yesterday. tagreader has 1,607 stars, 212 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. OpenMQTTGateway leads on adoption by 155% (4,095 vs 1,607 stars). OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; tagreader is written in Shell under GPL-3.0. OpenMQTTGateway has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, tagreader 13%. OpenMQTTGateway was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| OpenMQTTGateway | tagreader | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 4.1K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-21 | 2026-04-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 906 | ⑂ 212 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenMQTTGateway if
- You weight community size — 4.1K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick tagreader if
- You want the tagreader feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and tagreader fits your workflow better
About OpenMQTTGateway
OpenMQTTGateway is an open source C++ gateway firmware for ESP8266 and ESP32 boards that connects local radio and sensor protocols to MQTT. It lives in the home automation ecosystem and is associated with Home Assistant, OpenHAB, NodeRed, and AWS IOT. The project aims to unify various technologies and protocols into a single firmware, reducing the need for multiple physical bridges.
read the full OpenMQTTGateway overview →
About tagreader
tagreader is a GPL 3.0 NFC tag reader built from an ESP8266 D1 Mini and a PN532 module running ESPHome firmware, created specifically so that Home Assistant users can scan physical tags and manage them inside Home Assistant.
read the full tagreader overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenMQTTGateway or tagreader more popular?
OpenMQTTGateway has 4,095 GitHub stars and tagreader has 1,607. OpenMQTTGateway has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenMQTTGateway and tagreader free?
Both are open source. OpenMQTTGateway is licensed under GPL-3.0 and tagreader under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenMQTTGateway and tagreader?
OpenMQTTGateway is written in C++ and tagreader in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenMQTTGateway or tagreader?
Choose OpenMQTTGateway if you want the larger community (4,095 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose tagreader if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.