SHSelfHostIndex

Home Assistant vs Zwave-JS Server

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 ZW Zwave-JS Server Small server wrapping the Z-Wave JS driver over WebSocket
FeatureHome AssistantZwave-JS Server
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguagePythonTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, one-clickdocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 89,795★ 162
First released20132021
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 Zwave-JS Server if…

  • Decouples driver from clients
  • Reliable
Zwave-JS Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is Home Assistant or Zwave-JS Server 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 Zwave-JS Server free and open-source?

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

Can I run Home Assistant and Zwave-JS Server with Docker?

Home Assistant: yes. Zwave-JS Server: yes.

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