Zigbee2MQTT Frontend vs deCONZ
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?
Zigbee2MQTT Frontend
Open Zigbee coordinator firmware for many adapters
VS
deCONZ
Zigbee gateway software for ConBee and RaspBee
| Feature | Zigbee2MQTT Frontend | deCONZ |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 561 | ★ 1,910 |
| First released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Philips Hue Bridge | Philips Hue Bridge |
Why pick each one
Choose Zigbee2MQTT Frontend if…
- Foundation of an open Zigbee stack
- Broad hardware support
Frequently asked questions
Is Zigbee2MQTT Frontend or deCONZ better?
deCONZ is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Zigbee2MQTT Frontend if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Zigbee2MQTT Frontend and deCONZ free and open-source?
Yes. Zigbee2MQTT Frontend is licensed under MIT and deCONZ under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Zigbee2MQTT Frontend and deCONZ with Docker?
Zigbee2MQTT Frontend: yes. deCONZ: yes.