Gladys Assistant vs Z-Wave JS UI
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Z-Wave JS UI
Full-featured Z-Wave control panel and MQTT gateway
| Feature | Gladys Assistant | Z-Wave JS UI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,201 | ★ 1,239 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | SmartThings, Google Home | SmartThings |
What are Gladys Assistant and Z-Wave JS UI?
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
Z-Wave JS UI
Z-Wave JS UI is a web interface and MQTT gateway built on the Z-Wave JS driver for managing Z-Wave networks. It exposes devices to home automation platforms and provides a control panel for configuration.
- Z-Wave network management
- MQTT gateway
- Web control panel
- Firmware update support
Gladys Assistant vs Z-Wave JS UI: key differences
Gladys Assistant is written in JavaScript, while Z-Wave JS UI is built with Vue. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Gladys Assistant versus MIT for Z-Wave JS UI. Z-Wave JS UI is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Gladys Assistant. Gladys Assistant has the considerably larger community, at 3,201 GitHub stars versus 1,239.
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 Z-Wave JS UI if…
- Excellent Z-Wave support
- Integrates with Home Assistant
Watch out for
- Requires a Z-Wave controller
- Z-Wave only
Frequently asked questions
Is Gladys Assistant or Z-Wave JS UI better?
Gladys Assistant is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Z-Wave JS UI if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Gladys Assistant and Z-Wave JS UI free and open-source?
Yes. Gladys Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Z-Wave JS UI under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gladys Assistant and Z-Wave JS UI with Docker?
Gladys Assistant: yes. Z-Wave JS UI: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gladys Assistant or Z-Wave JS UI?
Z-Wave JS UI 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.