SHSelfHostIndex

Frigate vs Zigbee2MQTT Assistant

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 ZI Zigbee2MQTT Assistant Web management UI for Zigbee2MQTT networks
FeatureFrigateZigbee2MQTT Assistant
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageTypeScriptC#
Setup difficultyHardEasy
Min. RAM2,048 MB128 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker
GitHub stars★ 34,903★ 448
First released20202019
ReplacesGoogle HomeSmartThings Hub

Why pick each one

Choose Frigate if…

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

Choose Zigbee2MQTT Assistant if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in C#
Zigbee2MQTT Assistant details

Frequently asked questions

Is Frigate or Zigbee2MQTT Assistant better?

Neither is universally better. Frigate has the larger community, while Zigbee2MQTT Assistant is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Frigate and Zigbee2MQTT Assistant free and open-source?

Yes. Frigate is licensed under MIT and Zigbee2MQTT Assistant under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Frigate and Zigbee2MQTT Assistant with Docker?

Frigate: yes. Zigbee2MQTT Assistant: yes.

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