FHEM vs Mosquitto
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?
| Feature | FHEM | Mosquitto |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | GPL-2.0 | EPL-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22 | ★ 11,101 |
| First released | 2005 | 2009 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
Why pick each one
Choose Mosquitto if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Rock-solid reliability
- Ubiquitous in smart homes
Frequently asked questions
Is FHEM or Mosquitto better?
Mosquitto 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 Mosquitto free and open-source?
Yes. FHEM is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Mosquitto under EPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run FHEM and Mosquitto with Docker?
FHEM: yes. Mosquitto: yes.