Home Assistant vs OpenHAB Cloud
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Home Assistant
Open-source home automation that puts privacy first
VS
OpenHAB Cloud
Companion cloud service for remote openHAB access
| Feature | Home Assistant | OpenHAB Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 75 · Good |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | Apache-2.0 | EPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, one-click | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 91,123 | ★ 306 |
| First released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Replaces | SmartThings, Google Home | SmartThings |
What are Home Assistant and OpenHAB Cloud?
Home Assistant
Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform that integrates thousands of smart devices and runs automations locally. It targets anyone wanting private, vendor-neutral smart home control. It is deployed as an OS image, Docker, or supervised install.
- Integrates thousands of devices
- Local-first automations
- Add-on ecosystem
- Powerful dashboards
OpenHAB Cloud
openHAB Cloud is the self-hostable companion service that provides remote access, notifications, and integrations for openHAB installations. It bridges local openHAB instances to external services securely.
- Remote openHAB access
- Push notifications
- IFTTT and voice integrations
- Self-hostable backend
Home Assistant vs OpenHAB Cloud: key differences
Home Assistant is written in Python, while OpenHAB Cloud is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Home Assistant versus EPL-2.0 for OpenHAB Cloud. OpenHAB Cloud is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Home Assistant. Home Assistant has the considerably larger community, at 91,123 GitHub stars versus 306.
Why pick each one
Choose Home Assistant if…
- Huge device support
- Local control and privacy
- Very active community
Watch out for
- Learning curve for automations
- Occasional breaking updates
Choose OpenHAB Cloud if…
- Keeps data under your control
- Enables remote control
Watch out for
- Requires MongoDB
- Setup is involved
Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant or OpenHAB Cloud better?
Home Assistant is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenHAB Cloud if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Home Assistant and OpenHAB Cloud free and open-source?
Yes. Home Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenHAB Cloud under EPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Home Assistant and OpenHAB Cloud with Docker?
Home Assistant: yes. OpenHAB Cloud: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Home Assistant or OpenHAB Cloud?
OpenHAB Cloud has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Home Assistant. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.