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Mozilla WebThings Gateway 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?
MO Mozilla WebThings Gateway Open gateway for the decentralized web of things VS Zigbee2MQTT Bridge Zigbee devices to MQTT without vendor hubs
FeatureMozilla WebThings GatewayZigbee2MQTT
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score81 · Excellent95 · Excellent
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseMPL-2.0GPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB256 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, dockerdocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 2,646★ 15,661
First released20182018
ReplacesSmartThings, Google HomeSmartThings

What are Mozilla WebThings Gateway and Zigbee2MQTT?

Mozilla WebThings Gateway

WebThings Gateway is an open-source gateway for monitoring and controlling smart home devices over the web using open standards. Originating at Mozilla, it now continues as a community project.

  • Web of Things standards
  • Add-on device support
  • Rules engine
  • Local web interface

Read the full Mozilla WebThings Gateway guide →

Zigbee2MQTT

Zigbee2MQTT bridges Zigbee devices to MQTT, allowing them to be used without proprietary vendor hubs or bridges. It targets smart home users wanting vendor-neutral Zigbee control. It is deployed via Docker.

  • Supports thousands of Zigbee devices
  • No vendor hub required
  • MQTT integration
  • Web-based control panel

Read the full Zigbee2MQTT guide →

Mozilla WebThings Gateway vs Zigbee2MQTT: key differences

Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Mozilla WebThings Gateway versus GPL-3.0 for Zigbee2MQTT. Zigbee2MQTT is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Mozilla WebThings Gateway. Zigbee2MQTT has the considerably larger community, at 15,661 GitHub stars versus 2,646.

Why pick each one

Choose Mozilla WebThings Gateway if…

  • Open standards-based
  • Privacy-focused

Watch out for

  • Smaller community after Mozilla
  • Fewer integrations than HA
Mozilla WebThings Gateway details

Choose Zigbee2MQTT if…

  • Frees devices from vendor hubs
  • Wide device support
  • Local control

Watch out for

  • Needs a Zigbee coordinator
  • Pairing can be finicky
Zigbee2MQTT details

Frequently asked questions

Is Mozilla WebThings Gateway or Zigbee2MQTT better?

Neither is universally better. Zigbee2MQTT has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Mozilla WebThings Gateway and Zigbee2MQTT free and open-source?

Yes. Mozilla WebThings Gateway is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Zigbee2MQTT under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Mozilla WebThings Gateway and Zigbee2MQTT with Docker?

Mozilla WebThings Gateway: yes. Zigbee2MQTT: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, Mozilla WebThings Gateway or Zigbee2MQTT?

Zigbee2MQTT has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Mozilla WebThings Gateway. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

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