SHSelfHostIndex

FHEM vs Home Assistant Operating System

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?
FH FHEM Perl-based server for home automation tasks VS HO Home Assistant Operating System Embedded operating system optimized for Home Assistant
FeatureFHEMHome Assistant Operating System
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseGPL-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguagePerlPython
Setup difficultyHardEasy
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metalone-click, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 22★ 7,390
First released20052019
ReplacesSmartThingsSmartThings, Hubitat

Why pick each one

Choose FHEM if…

  • Extremely mature
  • Runs on modest hardware
FHEM details

Choose Home Assistant Operating System if…

  • Easiest full-featured HA install
  • Managed add-ons
Home Assistant Operating System details

Frequently asked questions

Is FHEM or Home Assistant Operating System better?

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

Are FHEM and Home Assistant Operating System free and open-source?

Yes. FHEM is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Home Assistant Operating System under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run FHEM and Home Assistant Operating System with Docker?

FHEM: yes. Home Assistant Operating System: check the project docs for container support.

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