Home Assistant Supervisor vs Pimatic
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Home Assistant Supervisor | Pimatic |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 11 · At risk |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | CoffeeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,226 | ★ 598 |
| First released | 2017 | 2013 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
What are Home Assistant Supervisor and Pimatic?
Home Assistant Supervisor
Home Assistant Supervisor is the component that manages the Home Assistant Core installation, add-ons, backups, and updates. It enables the add-on store that extends a Home Assistant system.
- Add-on store management
- Automated backups
- Update orchestration
- System health checks
Pimatic
Pimatic is an open-source home automation framework built on Node.js that runs on low-power devices such as the Raspberry Pi. Plugins add device support, and a rule engine plus a mobile-friendly web UI handle control and automation.
- Plugin-based device support
- Rule engine
- Mobile-friendly web UI
- Runs on Raspberry Pi
Home Assistant Supervisor vs Pimatic: key differences
Home Assistant Supervisor is written in Python, while Pimatic is built with CoffeeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Home Assistant Supervisor versus GPL-2.0 for Pimatic. Pimatic is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Home Assistant Supervisor. Pimatic is the more established project (first released 2013), while Home Assistant Supervisor arrived in 2017. Home Assistant Supervisor has the considerably larger community, at 2,226 GitHub stars versus 598. Home Assistant Supervisor lists first-class Docker deployment; Pimatic does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Home Assistant Supervisor if…
- Enables one-click add-ons
- Simplifies maintenance
Watch out for
- Tied to supervised installs
- Not standalone
Choose Pimatic if…
- Lightweight
- Simple rule system
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant Supervisor or Pimatic better?
Neither is universally better. Home Assistant Supervisor has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Home Assistant Supervisor and Pimatic free and open-source?
Yes. Home Assistant Supervisor is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Pimatic under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Home Assistant Supervisor and Pimatic with Docker?
Home Assistant Supervisor: yes. Pimatic: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Home Assistant Supervisor or Pimatic?
Pimatic has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Home Assistant Supervisor. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.