Onloc 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?
Onloc
Track and share your location in real time
VS
ThingsBoard
Open-source IoT platform for device management and data
| Feature | Onloc | ThingsBoard |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10 | ★ 22,200 |
| First released | 2026 | 2017 |
| Replaces | — | AWS IoT, Azure IoT |
Why pick each one
Choose Onloc if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Onloc or ThingsBoard better?
Neither is universally better. ThingsBoard has the larger community, while Onloc is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Onloc and ThingsBoard free and open-source?
Yes. Onloc is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ThingsBoard under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Onloc and ThingsBoard with Docker?
Onloc: yes. ThingsBoard: yes.