evcc vs Mosquitto
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | evcc | Mosquitto |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | EPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,280 | ★ 11,218 |
| First released | 2019 | 2009 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
What are evcc and Mosquitto?
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
Mosquitto
Eclipse Mosquitto is a lightweight, open-source MQTT broker widely used as the messaging backbone for smart home setups. It targets users connecting IoT devices and automation tools. It is deployed via Docker or packages.
- Standards-compliant MQTT broker
- Tiny resource footprint
- TLS and authentication
- Bridges between brokers
evcc vs Mosquitto: key differences
Evcc is written in Go, while Mosquitto is built with C. Licensing differs — MIT for evcc versus EPL-2.0 for Mosquitto. Mosquitto is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for evcc. Mosquitto is the more established project (first released 2009), while evcc arrived in 2019.
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 Mosquitto if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Rock-solid reliability
- Ubiquitous in smart homes
Watch out for
- Just a broker, not automation
- Minimal management UI
Frequently asked questions
Is evcc or Mosquitto better?
Mosquitto is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider evcc if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are evcc and Mosquitto free and open-source?
Yes. evcc is licensed under MIT and Mosquitto under EPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run evcc and Mosquitto with Docker?
evcc: yes. Mosquitto: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, evcc or Mosquitto?
Mosquitto has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for evcc. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.