Bubble Card vs Zigbee2MQTT
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?
Bubble Card
Minimalist mobile-first card pack for Home Assistant
VS
Zigbee2MQTT
Bridge Zigbee devices to MQTT without vendor hubs
| Feature | Bubble Card | Zigbee2MQTT |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,481 | ★ 15,477 |
| First released | 2023 | 2018 |
| Replaces | SmartThings app | SmartThings |
Why pick each one
Choose Bubble Card if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (4.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Zigbee2MQTT if…
- Frees devices from vendor hubs
- Wide device support
- Local control
Frequently asked questions
Is Bubble Card or Zigbee2MQTT better?
Neither is universally better. Zigbee2MQTT has the larger community, while Bubble Card is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Bubble Card and Zigbee2MQTT free and open-source?
Yes. Bubble Card is licensed under MIT and Zigbee2MQTT under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bubble Card and Zigbee2MQTT with Docker?
Bubble Card: check the project docs for container support. Zigbee2MQTT: yes.