Find My Device vs ThingsBoard
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?
Find My Device
Server for saving location data send by FMD
VS
ThingsBoard
Open-source IoT platform for device management and data
| Feature | Find My Device | ThingsBoard |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 70 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 22,200 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Googles FindMyDevice | AWS IoT, Azure IoT |
Why pick each one
Choose Find My Device if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-or-later license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Tiny footprint — runs in 70 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Find My Device or ThingsBoard better?
Neither is universally better. ThingsBoard has the larger community, while Find My Device is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Find My Device and ThingsBoard free and open-source?
Yes. Find My Device is licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later and ThingsBoard under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Find My Device and ThingsBoard with Docker?
Find My Device: check the project docs for container support. ThingsBoard: yes.