EMQX vs Zigbee2MQTT Assistant
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 | Zigbee2MQTT Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Erlang | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,599 | ★ 448 |
| First released | 2026 | 2019 |
| Replaces | — | SmartThings Hub |
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 Zigbee2MQTT Assistant if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C#
Frequently asked questions
Is EMQX or Zigbee2MQTT Assistant better?
Neither is universally better. EMQX has the larger community, while Zigbee2MQTT Assistant is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are EMQX and Zigbee2MQTT Assistant free and open-source?
Yes. EMQX is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Zigbee2MQTT Assistant under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run EMQX and Zigbee2MQTT Assistant with Docker?
EMQX: yes. Zigbee2MQTT Assistant: yes.