SHSelfHostIndex

ESPHome vs Gladys 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?
ES ESPHome Configure ESP devices with simple YAML VS GL Gladys Assistant Privacy-first home automation platform for everyone
FeatureESPHomeGladys Assistant
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseGPL-3.0Apache-2.0
LanguageC++JavaScript
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 11,505★ 3,098
First released20182017
ReplacesSmartThingsSmartThings, Google Home

Why pick each one

Choose ESPHome if…

  • No coding needed for devices
  • Great with Home Assistant
  • OTA updates
ESPHome details

Choose Gladys Assistant if…

  • Strong privacy focus
  • Beginner-friendly
Gladys Assistant details

Frequently asked questions

Is ESPHome or Gladys Assistant better?

Neither is universally better. ESPHome has the larger community, while Gladys Assistant is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are ESPHome and Gladys Assistant free and open-source?

Yes. ESPHome is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Gladys Assistant under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run ESPHome and Gladys Assistant with Docker?

ESPHome: yes. Gladys Assistant: yes.

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