evcc vs ioBroker
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
evcc
Solar-aware electric vehicle charging controller
VS
ioBroker
Integration platform for the Internet of Things
| Feature | evcc | ioBroker |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,283 | ★ 1,377 |
| First released | 2019 | 2014 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings, Hubitat |
What are evcc and ioBroker?
evcc
evcc is an open-source EV charging controller that optimizes charging around solar production and electricity prices. It targets EV owners with solar or dynamic tariffs. It is deployed via Docker or a binary.
- Solar-optimized EV charging
- Dynamic tariff support
- Many wallbox integrations
- Home Assistant integration
ioBroker
ioBroker is an open-source IoT integration platform that connects and automates devices across many protocols and vendors. It uses adapters to bring smart home systems together under one logic engine.
- Hundreds of adapters
- JavaScript automation engine
- Multi-protocol device support
- Flexible visualization
evcc vs ioBroker: key differences
Evcc is written in Go, while ioBroker is built with Shell. Evcc is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for ioBroker. IoBroker is the more established project (first released 2014), while evcc arrived in 2019. Evcc has the considerably larger community, at 7,283 GitHub stars versus 1,377.
Why pick each one
Choose evcc if…
- Maximizes solar self-use
- Wide hardware support
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Niche use case
- Requires compatible hardware
Choose ioBroker if…
- Extremely flexible
- Huge adapter ecosystem
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Setup can be complex
Frequently asked questions
Is evcc or ioBroker better?
Neither is universally better. evcc has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are evcc and ioBroker free and open-source?
Yes. evcc is licensed under MIT and ioBroker under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run evcc and ioBroker with Docker?
evcc: yes. ioBroker: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, evcc or ioBroker?
evcc has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for ioBroker. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.