SHSelfHostIndex

WLED vs Bubble Card

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?
WL WLED Firmware for controlling addressable LED strips VS BU Bubble Card Minimalist mobile-first card pack for Home Assistant
FeatureWLEDBubble Card
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageC++JavaScript
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM16 MB64 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcebare-metal
GitHub stars★ 18,518★ 4,481
First released20162023
ReplacesPhilips HueSmartThings app

Why pick each one

Choose WLED if…

  • Easy to flash and use
  • Vibrant effects
WLED details

Choose Bubble Card if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Active community (4.5k GitHub stars)
  • Written in JavaScript
Bubble Card details

Frequently asked questions

Is WLED or Bubble Card better?

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

Are WLED and Bubble Card free and open-source?

Yes. WLED is licensed under MIT and Bubble Card under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run WLED and Bubble Card with Docker?

WLED: check the project docs for container support. Bubble Card: check the project docs for container support.

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