SHSelfHostIndex

WLED vs ESPEasy

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 ES ESPEasy Multifunctional firmware for ESP8266 and ESP32 sensors
FeatureWLEDESPEasy
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseMITGPL-3.0
LanguageC++C++
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM16 MB64 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcebare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 18,518★ 3,536
First released20162015
ReplacesPhilips HueTuya

Why pick each one

Choose WLED if…

  • Easy to flash and use
  • Vibrant effects
WLED details

Choose ESPEasy if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Active community (3.5k GitHub stars)
  • Written in C++
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
ESPEasy details

Frequently asked questions

Is WLED or ESPEasy better?

WLED is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ESPEasy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are WLED and ESPEasy free and open-source?

Yes. WLED is licensed under MIT and ESPEasy under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run WLED and ESPEasy with Docker?

WLED: check the project docs for container support. ESPEasy: check the project docs for container support.

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