Home Assistant Supervisor vs Z-Wave JS UI
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Z-Wave JS UI
Full-featured Z-Wave control panel and MQTT gateway
| Feature | Home Assistant Supervisor | Z-Wave JS UI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,226 | ★ 1,239 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
What are Home Assistant Supervisor and Z-Wave JS UI?
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
Z-Wave JS UI
Z-Wave JS UI is a web interface and MQTT gateway built on the Z-Wave JS driver for managing Z-Wave networks. It exposes devices to home automation platforms and provides a control panel for configuration.
- Z-Wave network management
- MQTT gateway
- Web control panel
- Firmware update support
Home Assistant Supervisor vs Z-Wave JS UI: key differences
Home Assistant Supervisor is written in Python, while Z-Wave JS UI is built with Vue. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Home Assistant Supervisor versus MIT for Z-Wave JS UI. Z-Wave JS UI is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Home Assistant Supervisor.
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 Z-Wave JS UI if…
- Excellent Z-Wave support
- Integrates with Home Assistant
Watch out for
- Requires a Z-Wave controller
- Z-Wave only
Frequently asked questions
Is Home Assistant Supervisor or Z-Wave JS UI 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 Z-Wave JS UI free and open-source?
Yes. Home Assistant Supervisor is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Z-Wave JS UI under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Home Assistant Supervisor and Z-Wave JS UI with Docker?
Home Assistant Supervisor: yes. Z-Wave JS UI: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Home Assistant Supervisor or Z-Wave JS UI?
Z-Wave JS UI 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.