Domoticz vs Home Assistant Supervisor
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Domoticz | Home Assistant Supervisor |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,811 | ★ 2,226 |
| First released | 2012 | 2017 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
What are Domoticz and Home Assistant Supervisor?
Domoticz
Domoticz is a lightweight home automation system for monitoring and configuring various devices like sensors, switches, and meters. It targets users wanting an efficient automation hub on modest hardware. It is deployed via Docker or packages.
- Runs well on low-power hardware
- Supports many sensor protocols
- Scripting and events
- Mobile-friendly UI
Home Assistant Supervisor
Home Assistant Supervisor is the component that manages the Home Assistant Core installation, add-ons, backups, and updates. It enables the add-on store that extends a Home Assistant system.
- Add-on store management
- Automated backups
- Update orchestration
- System health checks
Domoticz vs Home Assistant Supervisor: key differences
Domoticz is written in C++, while Home Assistant Supervisor is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Domoticz versus Apache-2.0 for Home Assistant Supervisor. Domoticz is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Home Assistant Supervisor. Domoticz is the more established project (first released 2012), while Home Assistant Supervisor arrived in 2017.
Why pick each one
Choose Domoticz if…
- Very lightweight
- Good on Raspberry Pi
- Stable
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Smaller community than Home Assistant
Choose Home Assistant Supervisor if…
- Enables one-click add-ons
- Simplifies maintenance
Watch out for
- Tied to supervised installs
- Not standalone
Frequently asked questions
Is Domoticz or Home Assistant Supervisor better?
Neither is universally better. Domoticz has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Domoticz and Home Assistant Supervisor free and open-source?
Yes. Domoticz is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Home Assistant Supervisor under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Domoticz and Home Assistant Supervisor with Docker?
Domoticz: yes. Home Assistant Supervisor: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Domoticz or Home Assistant Supervisor?
Domoticz has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Home Assistant Supervisor. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.