OpenBeken vs Tasmota
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | OpenBeken | Tasmota |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 97 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 16 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,298 | ★ 24,772 |
| First released | 2021 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Tuya Cloud | Tuya Cloud |
What are OpenBeken and Tasmota?
OpenBeken
OpenBeken is open-source firmware that brings Tasmota-style local control to smart devices built on Beken, Realtek, and similar chips. It frees cloud-dependent gadgets for local home automation.
- Local device control
- MQTT support
- Cloud-free operation
- Many supported chips
Tasmota
Tasmota is alternative open-source firmware for ESP8266 and ESP32-based smart home devices. It frees devices from the cloud, enabling local control via MQTT, HTTP, and a web interface.
- Cloud-free device firmware
- MQTT and HTTP control
- Web configuration UI
- Supports hundreds of devices
OpenBeken vs Tasmota: key differences
Both projects are written in C. Licensing differs — MIT for OpenBeken versus GPL-3.0 for Tasmota. Tasmota is the lighter option, starting around 16 MB of RAM against 64 MB for OpenBeken. Tasmota is the more established project (first released 2016), while OpenBeken arrived in 2021. Tasmota has the considerably larger community, at 24,772 GitHub stars versus 2,298.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenBeken if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Tasmota if…
- Total local control
- Huge device support
Watch out for
- Requires flashing hardware
- Not for non-tinkerers
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenBeken or Tasmota better?
Neither is universally better. Tasmota has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OpenBeken and Tasmota free and open-source?
Yes. OpenBeken is licensed under MIT and Tasmota under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenBeken and Tasmota with Docker?
OpenBeken: check the project docs for container support. Tasmota: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenBeken or Tasmota?
Tasmota has the smaller minimum footprint at 16 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for OpenBeken. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.