ntfy vs ThingsBoard

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?
FeaturentfyThingsBoard
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageGoJava
Setup difficultyEasyHard
Min. RAM64 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarydocker, kubernetes, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 33,263★ 22,200
First released20212017
ReplacesPushover, PushbulletAWS IoT, Azure IoT

Why pick each one

Choose ntfy if…

  • Extremely easy to use
  • Cross-platform apps
ntfy details

Choose ThingsBoard if…

  • Powerful IoT platform
  • Highly customizable dashboards
ThingsBoard details

Frequently asked questions

Is ntfy or ThingsBoard better?

ntfy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ThingsBoard if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are ntfy and ThingsBoard free and open-source?

Yes. ntfy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and ThingsBoard under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run ntfy and ThingsBoard with Docker?

ntfy: yes. ThingsBoard: yes.

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