evcc vs Mozilla WebThings Gateway
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
Mozilla WebThings Gateway
Open gateway for the decentralized web of things
| Feature | evcc | Mozilla WebThings Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 81 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,283 | ★ 2,646 |
| First released | 2019 | 2018 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings, Google Home |
What are evcc and Mozilla WebThings Gateway?
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
Mozilla WebThings Gateway
WebThings Gateway is an open-source gateway for monitoring and controlling smart home devices over the web using open standards. Originating at Mozilla, it now continues as a community project.
- Web of Things standards
- Add-on device support
- Rules engine
- Local web interface
evcc vs Mozilla WebThings Gateway: key differences
Evcc is written in Go, while Mozilla WebThings Gateway is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for evcc versus MPL-2.0 for Mozilla WebThings Gateway. Evcc is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Mozilla WebThings Gateway. Evcc has the considerably larger community, at 7,283 GitHub stars versus 2,646.
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 Mozilla WebThings Gateway if…
- Open standards-based
- Privacy-focused
Watch out for
- Smaller community after Mozilla
- Fewer integrations than HA
Frequently asked questions
Is evcc or Mozilla WebThings Gateway 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 Mozilla WebThings Gateway free and open-source?
Yes. evcc is licensed under MIT and Mozilla WebThings Gateway under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run evcc and Mozilla WebThings Gateway with Docker?
evcc: yes. Mozilla WebThings Gateway: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, evcc or Mozilla WebThings Gateway?
evcc has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Mozilla WebThings Gateway. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.