SHSelfHostIndex

ioBroker 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?
IO ioBroker Integration platform for the Internet of Things VS ZW Zwave-JS Server Small server wrapping the Z-Wave JS driver over WebSocket
FeatureioBrokerZwave-JS Server
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseMITApache-2.0
LanguageShellTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 1,373★ 162
First released20142021
ReplacesSmartThings, HubitatSmartThings

Why pick each one

Choose ioBroker if…

  • Extremely flexible
  • Huge adapter ecosystem
ioBroker details

Choose Zwave-JS Server if…

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

Frequently asked questions

Is ioBroker or Zwave-JS Server 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 Zwave-JS Server free and open-source?

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

Can I run ioBroker and Zwave-JS Server with Docker?

ioBroker: yes. Zwave-JS Server: yes.

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