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Home Assistant vs Node-RED Dashboard 2.0

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 NO Node-RED Dashboard 2.0 Modern data-driven dashboard for Node-RED flows
FeatureHome AssistantNode-RED Dashboard 2.0
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguagePythonHTML
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM1,024 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, one-clickdocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 89,795★ 351
First released20132023
ReplacesSmartThings, Google HomeHome Assistant Lovelace

Why pick each one

Choose Home Assistant if…

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

Choose Node-RED Dashboard 2.0 if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in HTML
Node-RED Dashboard 2.0 details

Frequently asked questions

Is Home Assistant or Node-RED Dashboard 2.0 better?

Neither is universally better. Home Assistant has the larger community, while Node-RED Dashboard 2.0 is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Home Assistant and Node-RED Dashboard 2.0 free and open-source?

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

Can I run Home Assistant and Node-RED Dashboard 2.0 with Docker?

Home Assistant: yes. Node-RED Dashboard 2.0: yes.

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