EMQX vs Frigate Cards
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?
| Feature | EMQX | Frigate Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Erlang | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,599 | ★ 1,117 |
| First released | 2026 | 2021 |
| Replaces | — | Ring app |
Why pick each one
Choose EMQX if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 16.6k GitHub stars
- Written in Erlang
Choose Frigate Cards if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is EMQX or Frigate Cards better?
Neither is universally better. EMQX has the larger community, while Frigate Cards is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are EMQX and Frigate Cards free and open-source?
Yes. EMQX is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Frigate Cards under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run EMQX and Frigate Cards with Docker?
EMQX: yes. Frigate Cards: check the project docs for container support.