Gladys Assistant vs ioBroker
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
ioBroker
Integration platform for the Internet of Things
| Feature | Gladys Assistant | ioBroker |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,201 | ★ 1,377 |
| First released | 2017 | 2014 |
| Replaces | SmartThings, Google Home | SmartThings, Hubitat |
What are Gladys Assistant and ioBroker?
Gladys Assistant
Gladys Assistant is a privacy-first, open-source home automation program that runs locally on your hardware. It controls smart devices, scenes, and schedules through a clean web and mobile interface.
- Runs fully locally
- Device, scene, and schedule control
- Clean web and mobile UI
- Energy monitoring
ioBroker
ioBroker is an open-source IoT integration platform that connects and automates devices across many protocols and vendors. It uses adapters to bring smart home systems together under one logic engine.
- Hundreds of adapters
- JavaScript automation engine
- Multi-protocol device support
- Flexible visualization
Gladys Assistant vs ioBroker: key differences
Gladys Assistant is written in JavaScript, while ioBroker is built with Shell. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Gladys Assistant versus MIT for ioBroker. Gladys Assistant is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for ioBroker. IoBroker is the more established project (first released 2014), while Gladys Assistant arrived in 2017. Gladys Assistant has the considerably larger community, at 3,201 GitHub stars versus 1,377.
Why pick each one
Choose Gladys Assistant if…
- Strong privacy focus
- Beginner-friendly
Watch out for
- Smaller integration catalog
- Less powerful automations than HA
Choose ioBroker if…
- Extremely flexible
- Huge adapter ecosystem
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Setup can be complex
Frequently asked questions
Is Gladys Assistant or ioBroker better?
Gladys Assistant is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ioBroker if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Gladys Assistant and ioBroker free and open-source?
Yes. Gladys Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and ioBroker under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gladys Assistant and ioBroker with Docker?
Gladys Assistant: yes. ioBroker: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gladys Assistant or ioBroker?
Gladys Assistant has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for ioBroker. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.