FHEM vs Z-Wave JS UI
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
FHEM
Perl-based server for home automation tasks
VS
Z-Wave JS UI
Full-featured Z-Wave control panel and MQTT gateway
| Feature | FHEM | Z-Wave JS UI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 62 · Good | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Perl | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22 | ★ 1,239 |
| First released | 2005 | 2018 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
What are FHEM and Z-Wave JS UI?
FHEM
FHEM is a long-standing, GPL-licensed server for home automation used to control lights, heating, alarms, and many other devices. It supports a vast range of protocols through community modules.
- Vast protocol support
- Community module library
- Lightweight Perl server
- Long-term reliability
Z-Wave JS UI
Z-Wave JS UI is a web interface and MQTT gateway built on the Z-Wave JS driver for managing Z-Wave networks. It exposes devices to home automation platforms and provides a control panel for configuration.
- Z-Wave network management
- MQTT gateway
- Web control panel
- Firmware update support
FHEM vs Z-Wave JS UI: key differences
FHEM is written in Perl, while Z-Wave JS UI is built with Vue. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for FHEM versus MIT for Z-Wave JS UI. FHEM is the more established project (first released 2005), while Z-Wave JS UI arrived in 2018. Z-Wave JS UI has the considerably larger community, at 1,239 GitHub stars versus 22.
Why pick each one
Choose FHEM if…
- Extremely mature
- Runs on modest hardware
Watch out for
- Dated, technical interface
- Configuration is arcane
Choose Z-Wave JS UI if…
- Excellent Z-Wave support
- Integrates with Home Assistant
Watch out for
- Requires a Z-Wave controller
- Z-Wave only
Frequently asked questions
Is FHEM or Z-Wave JS UI better?
Z-Wave JS UI is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider FHEM if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are FHEM and Z-Wave JS UI free and open-source?
Yes. FHEM is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Z-Wave JS UI under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run FHEM and Z-Wave JS UI with Docker?
FHEM: yes. Z-Wave JS UI: yes.