SHSelfHostIndex

Zigbee2MQTT Frontend vs HA-Bridge

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
ZI Zigbee2MQTT Frontend Open Zigbee coordinator firmware for many adapters VS HA HA-Bridge Emulate Philips Hue to control devices by voice
FeatureZigbee2MQTT FrontendHA-Bridge
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseMITApache-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptJava
Setup difficultyHardEasy
Min. RAM128 MB256 MB
Deploymentsource, dockerdocker, bare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 561★ 1,477
First released20182015
ReplacesPhilips Hue BridgePhilips Hue Bridge

Why pick each one

Choose Zigbee2MQTT Frontend if…

  • Foundation of an open Zigbee stack
  • Broad hardware support
Zigbee2MQTT Frontend details

Choose HA-Bridge if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
HA-Bridge details

Frequently asked questions

Is Zigbee2MQTT Frontend or HA-Bridge better?

HA-Bridge is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Zigbee2MQTT Frontend if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Zigbee2MQTT Frontend and HA-Bridge free and open-source?

Yes. Zigbee2MQTT Frontend is licensed under MIT and HA-Bridge under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Zigbee2MQTT Frontend and HA-Bridge with Docker?

Zigbee2MQTT Frontend: yes. HA-Bridge: yes.

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