Frigate vs Theengs Gateway
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?
Frigate
Local NVR with real-time AI object detection
VS
Theengs Gateway
BLE-to-MQTT gateway for hundreds of sensors
| Feature | Frigate | Theengs Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 34,903 | ★ 171 |
| First released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Google Home | SmartThings Hub |
Why pick each one
Choose Theengs Gateway if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Frigate or Theengs Gateway better?
Neither is universally better. Frigate has the larger community, while Theengs Gateway is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Frigate and Theengs Gateway free and open-source?
Yes. Frigate is licensed under MIT and Theengs Gateway under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Frigate and Theengs Gateway with Docker?
Frigate: yes. Theengs Gateway: yes.