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10 top picks · 1 audience ranking

Best open source home automation software

The best open source home automation platform is Home Assistant, with 91,266 GitHub stars, the Apache-2.0 license and a Docker image; Node RED and Thingsboard (source-available) are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Home Assistant leads for home use. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 19 apps in the home automation & IoT category of the appsgit catalog.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed nightly

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    Home Assistant

    home-assistant/core

    Home automation platform.

    FeaturedHome Automation & IoTPythonDocker

    Home Assistant has 91,266 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,497 commits in the last year; it replaces IFTTT and Nest / SmartThings.

  2. Rank 2:

    Node RED

    node-red/node-red

    Browser-based flow editor that helps you wiring hardware devices, APIs and online services to create IoT solutions.

    Home Automation & IoTJavaScriptDocker

    Node RED has 23,716 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 684 commits in the last year; it replaces Zapier and IFTTT.

  3. Rank 3:

    Thingsboard

    thingsboard/thingsboard

    IoT Platform - Device management, data collection, processing and visualization.

    Source-availableHome Automation & IoTJavaDocker

    Thingsboard has 22,512 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 3,539 commits in the last year.

1 of 2 · 10 picks

Top picks

10 of the 19 apps in the home automation & IoT category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Home Assistant

    Home automation platform.

    Home Assistant has 91,266 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,497 commits in the last year; it replaces IFTTT and Nest / SmartThings.

  2. 2

    Node RED

    Browser-based flow editor that helps you wiring hardware devices, APIs and online services to create IoT solutions.

    Node RED has 23,716 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 684 commits in the last year; it replaces Zapier and IFTTT.

  3. 3

    Thingsboard

    IoT Platform - Device management, data collection, processing and visualization.

    Thingsboard has 22,512 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 3,539 commits in the last year.

  4. 4

    Tasmota

    Open source firmware for ESP devices. Total local control with quick setup and updates. Control using MQTT, Web UI, HTTP or serial. Automate using timers, rules or scripts. Integration with home…

    Tasmota has 24,800 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 742 commits in the last year; it replaces Nest / SmartThings.

  5. 5

    EMQX

    Scalable MQTT broker. Connect 100M+ IoT devices in one single cluster, move and process real-time IoT data with 1M msg/s throughput at 1ms latency.

    EMQX has 16,777 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 6,842 commits in the last year.

  6. 6

    evcc

    Extensible Electric Vehicle Charge Controller and home energy management system.

    evcc has 7,331 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,536 commits in the last year.

  7. 7

    Domoticz

    Home Automation System that lets you monitor and configure various devices like: Lights, Switches, various sensors/meters like Temperature, Rain, Wind, UV, Electra, Gas, Water and much more.

    Domoticz has 3,816 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,517 commits in the last year; it replaces Nest / SmartThings and Google Home.

  8. 8

    Gladys

    Privacy-first home assistant.

    Gladys has 3,222 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 582 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Home.

  9. 9

    Scrypted

    Home video integration platform that connects cameras to HomeKit, Google Home and Alexa.

    Scrypted has 6,000 GitHub stars, uses a license appsgit could not verify, ships a Docker image and had 274 commits in the last year.

  10. 10

    OpenRemote

    IoT Asset management, Flow Rules and WHEN-THEN rules, Data visualization, Edge Gateway.

    OpenRemote has 1,912 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 627 commits in the last year; it replaces Nest / SmartThings.

2 of 2 · 5 picks

Best for home use

Ranked for home use on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Home Assistant

    Home automation platform.

    Home Assistant has 91,266 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,497 commits in the last year; it replaces IFTTT and Nest / SmartThings. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Node RED

    Browser-based flow editor that helps you wiring hardware devices, APIs and online services to create IoT solutions.

    Node RED has 23,716 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 684 commits in the last year; it replaces Zapier and IFTTT. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Thingsboard

    IoT Platform - Device management, data collection, processing and visualization.

    Thingsboard has 22,512 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 3,539 commits in the last year. For home use it also scores on a Docker image and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    EMQX

    Scalable MQTT broker. Connect 100M+ IoT devices in one single cluster, move and process real-time IoT data with 1M msg/s throughput at 1ms latency.

    EMQX has 16,777 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 6,842 commits in the last year. For home use it also scores on a Docker image and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    evcc

    Extensible Electric Vehicle Charge Controller and home energy management system.

    evcc has 7,331 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,536 commits in the last year. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

What is the best open source home automation platform?

The best open source home automation platform is Home Assistant, with 91,266 GitHub stars, the Apache-2.0 license and a Docker image; Node RED and Thingsboard (source-available) are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Home Assistant leads for home use. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 19 apps in the home automation & IoT category of the appsgit catalog.

Is Home Assistant free?

Yes. Home Assistant is open-source software released under the Apache-2.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

Which open source home automation platform is best for home use?

Home Assistant ranks first for home use, with 91,266 GitHub stars, the Apache-2.0 license and a Docker image; Node RED and Thingsboard (source-available) follow. The home use ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits on top of stars and activity.

Can I self-host these home automation software with Docker?

Yes, 8 of the 10 picks. Home Assistant, Node RED and Thingsboard publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.

Are all of these home automation software open source?

7 of the 10 apps on this list are open source; 2 are source-available; 1 has a license appsgit could not verify. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy.

Which of these home automation software is the most actively developed?

Home Assistant, with 17,497 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, 2026.9.4, from September 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.

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