SHSelfHostIndex

EMQX vs Zwave-JS Server

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?
EM EMQX Scalable MQTT broker VS ZW Zwave-JS Server Small server wrapping the Z-Wave JS driver over WebSocket
FeatureEMQXZwave-JS Server
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageErlangTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB128 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 16,599★ 162
First released20262021
Replaces—SmartThings

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
EMQX details

Choose Zwave-JS Server if…

  • Decouples driver from clients
  • Reliable
Zwave-JS Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is EMQX or Zwave-JS Server better?

Neither is universally better. EMQX has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are EMQX and Zwave-JS Server free and open-source?

Yes. EMQX is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Zwave-JS Server under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run EMQX and Zwave-JS Server with Docker?

EMQX: yes. Zwave-JS Server: yes.

Related comparisons