HACS vs Home 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?
HACS
Community store for custom Home Assistant integrations and themes
VS
Home Assistant
Open-source home automation that puts privacy first
| Feature | HACS | Home Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,603 | ★ 89,795 |
| First released | 2019 | 2013 |
| Replaces | SmartThings community add-ons | SmartThings, Google Home |
Why pick each one
Choose HACS if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 7.6k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Choose Home Assistant if…
- Huge device support
- Local control and privacy
- Very active community
Frequently asked questions
Is HACS or Home Assistant better?
Neither is universally better. Home Assistant has the larger community, while HACS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are HACS and Home Assistant free and open-source?
Yes. HACS is licensed under MIT and Home Assistant under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run HACS and Home Assistant with Docker?
HACS: check the project docs for container support. Home Assistant: yes.