SHSelfHostIndex

Home Assistant vs Home Assistant Supervisor

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?
HO Home Assistant Open-source home automation that puts privacy first VS HO Home Assistant Supervisor Manages the Home Assistant add-on ecosystem
FeatureHome AssistantHome Assistant Supervisor
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguagePythonPython
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, one-clickdocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 89,795★ 2,200
First released20132017
ReplacesSmartThings, Google HomeSmartThings

Why pick each one

Choose Home Assistant if…

  • Huge device support
  • Local control and privacy
  • Very active community
Home Assistant details

Choose Home Assistant Supervisor if…

  • Enables one-click add-ons
  • Simplifies maintenance
Home Assistant Supervisor details

Frequently asked questions

Is Home Assistant or Home Assistant Supervisor better?

Neither is universally better. Home Assistant has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Home Assistant and Home Assistant Supervisor free and open-source?

Yes. Home Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Home Assistant Supervisor under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Home Assistant and Home Assistant Supervisor with Docker?

Home Assistant: yes. Home Assistant Supervisor: yes.

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