ESPHome vs HACS
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?
ESPHome
Configure ESP devices with simple YAML
VS
HACS
Community store for custom Home Assistant integrations and themes
| Feature | ESPHome | HACS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,505 | ★ 7,603 |
| First released | 2018 | 2019 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings community add-ons |
Why pick each one
Choose HACS if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 7.6k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is ESPHome or HACS better?
Neither is universally better. ESPHome has the larger community, while HACS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ESPHome and HACS free and open-source?
Yes. ESPHome is licensed under GPL-3.0 and HACS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ESPHome and HACS with Docker?
ESPHome: yes. HACS: check the project docs for container support.