ioBroker 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.
Not the right match-up?
ioBroker
Integration platform for the Internet of Things
VS
Z-Wave JS UI
Full-featured Z-Wave control panel and MQTT gateway
| Feature | ioBroker | Z-Wave JS UI |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Shell | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,373 | ★ 1,234 |
| First released | 2014 | 2018 |
| Replaces | SmartThings, Hubitat | SmartThings |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is ioBroker or Z-Wave JS UI better?
Neither is universally better. ioBroker has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ioBroker and Z-Wave JS UI free and open-source?
Yes. ioBroker is licensed under MIT and Z-Wave JS UI under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ioBroker and Z-Wave JS UI with Docker?
ioBroker: yes. Z-Wave JS UI: yes.