Gladys Assistant vs openHAB
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
openHAB
Vendor-neutral open-source home automation
| Feature | Gladys Assistant | openHAB |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | Apache-2.0 | EPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,201 | ★ 1,142 |
| First released | 2017 | 2010 |
| Replaces | SmartThings, Google Home | SmartThings, Google Home |
What are Gladys Assistant and openHAB?
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
openHAB
openHAB is a vendor-neutral, open-source home automation platform that integrates many devices and technologies behind one system. It targets smart home enthusiasts wanting deep configurability. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Hundreds of device bindings
- Powerful rule engine
- Runs fully offline
- Cross-platform
Gladys Assistant vs openHAB: key differences
Gladys Assistant is written in JavaScript, while openHAB is built with Java. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Gladys Assistant versus EPL-2.0 for openHAB. Gladys Assistant is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for openHAB. OpenHAB is the more established project (first released 2010), while Gladys Assistant arrived in 2017. Gladys Assistant has the considerably larger community, at 3,201 GitHub stars versus 1,142.
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 openHAB if…
- Very flexible
- Vendor neutral
- Mature project
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Heavier Java runtime
Frequently asked questions
Is Gladys Assistant or openHAB better?
Gladys Assistant is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider openHAB if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Gladys Assistant and openHAB free and open-source?
Yes. Gladys Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and openHAB under EPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gladys Assistant and openHAB with Docker?
Gladys Assistant: yes. openHAB: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gladys Assistant or openHAB?
Gladys Assistant has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for openHAB. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.