Mozilla WebThings Gateway vs FHEM
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?
Mozilla WebThings Gateway
Open gateway for the decentralized web of things
VS
FHEM
Perl-based server for home automation tasks
| Feature | Mozilla WebThings Gateway | FHEM |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,643 | ★ 22 |
| First released | 2018 | 2005 |
| Replaces | SmartThings, Google Home | SmartThings |
Why pick each one
Choose Mozilla WebThings Gateway if…
- Open standards-based
- Privacy-focused
Frequently asked questions
Is Mozilla WebThings Gateway or FHEM better?
Mozilla WebThings Gateway is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider FHEM if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Mozilla WebThings Gateway and FHEM free and open-source?
Yes. Mozilla WebThings Gateway is licensed under MPL-2.0 and FHEM under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mozilla WebThings Gateway and FHEM with Docker?
Mozilla WebThings Gateway: yes. FHEM: yes.