SHSelfHostIndex

Frigate 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?
FR Frigate Local NVR with real-time AI object detection VS HO Home Assistant Operating System Embedded operating system optimized for Home Assistant
FeatureFrigateHome Assistant Operating System
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseMITApache-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptPython
Setup difficultyHardEasy
Min. RAM2,048 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdockerone-click, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 34,903★ 7,390
First released20202019
ReplacesGoogle HomeSmartThings, Hubitat

Why pick each one

Choose Frigate if…

  • Smart local NVR
  • Great with Home Assistant
  • Privacy-friendly
Frigate details

Choose Home Assistant Operating System if…

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

Frequently asked questions

Is Frigate or Home Assistant Operating System better?

Neither is universally better. Frigate has the larger community, while Home Assistant Operating System is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

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

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

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

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

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