Gladys Assistant vs Zigbee2MQTT
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Zigbee2MQTT
Bridge Zigbee devices to MQTT without vendor hubs
| Feature | Gladys Assistant | Zigbee2MQTT |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,201 | ★ 15,661 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | SmartThings, Google Home | SmartThings |
What are Gladys Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT?
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
Zigbee2MQTT
Zigbee2MQTT bridges Zigbee devices to MQTT, allowing them to be used without proprietary vendor hubs or bridges. It targets smart home users wanting vendor-neutral Zigbee control. It is deployed via Docker.
- Supports thousands of Zigbee devices
- No vendor hub required
- MQTT integration
- Web-based control panel
Gladys Assistant vs Zigbee2MQTT: key differences
Gladys Assistant is written in JavaScript, while Zigbee2MQTT is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Gladys Assistant versus GPL-3.0 for Zigbee2MQTT. Zigbee2MQTT is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Gladys Assistant. Zigbee2MQTT has the considerably larger community, at 15,661 GitHub stars versus 3,201.
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 Zigbee2MQTT if…
- Frees devices from vendor hubs
- Wide device support
- Local control
Watch out for
- Needs a Zigbee coordinator
- Pairing can be finicky
Frequently asked questions
Is Gladys Assistant or Zigbee2MQTT better?
Neither is universally better. Zigbee2MQTT has the larger community, while Gladys Assistant is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Gladys Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT free and open-source?
Yes. Gladys Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Zigbee2MQTT under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gladys Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT with Docker?
Gladys Assistant: yes. Zigbee2MQTT: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gladys Assistant or Zigbee2MQTT?
Zigbee2MQTT has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Gladys Assistant. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.