OpenMQTTGateway vs ThingsBoard
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?
OpenMQTTGateway
Bridge for RF, IR, BLE, and sensors to MQTT
VS
ThingsBoard
Open-source IoT platform for device management and data
| Feature | OpenMQTTGateway | ThingsBoard |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,073 | ★ 22,200 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | SmartThings Hub | AWS IoT, Azure IoT |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenMQTTGateway if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (4.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenMQTTGateway or ThingsBoard better?
Neither is universally better. ThingsBoard has the larger community, while OpenMQTTGateway is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenMQTTGateway and ThingsBoard free and open-source?
Yes. OpenMQTTGateway is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ThingsBoard under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenMQTTGateway and ThingsBoard with Docker?
OpenMQTTGateway: check the project docs for container support. ThingsBoard: yes.