evcc vs Pimatic
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
Pimatic
Node.js home automation framework for the Raspberry Pi
| Feature | evcc | Pimatic |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 11 · At risk |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | CoffeeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,280 | ★ 598 |
| First released | 2019 | 2013 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
What are evcc and Pimatic?
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
Pimatic
Pimatic is an open-source home automation framework built on Node.js that runs on low-power devices such as the Raspberry Pi. Plugins add device support, and a rule engine plus a mobile-friendly web UI handle control and automation.
- Plugin-based device support
- Rule engine
- Mobile-friendly web UI
- Runs on Raspberry Pi
evcc vs Pimatic: key differences
Evcc is written in Go, while Pimatic is built with CoffeeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for evcc versus GPL-2.0 for Pimatic. Pimatic is the more established project (first released 2013), while evcc arrived in 2019. Evcc has the considerably larger community, at 7,280 GitHub stars versus 598. Evcc lists first-class Docker deployment; Pimatic does not.
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 Pimatic if…
- Lightweight
- Simple rule system
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is evcc or Pimatic 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 Pimatic free and open-source?
Yes. evcc is licensed under MIT and Pimatic under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run evcc and Pimatic with Docker?
evcc: yes. Pimatic: check the project docs for container support.