SHSelfHostIndex

Gladys Assistant 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?
GL Gladys Assistant Privacy-first home automation platform for everyone VS ZI Zigbee2MQTT Bridge Zigbee devices to MQTT without vendor hubs
FeatureGladys AssistantZigbee2MQTT
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseApache-2.0GPL-3.0
LanguageJavaScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 3,098★ 15,477
First released20172018
ReplacesSmartThings, Google HomeSmartThings

Why pick each one

Choose Gladys Assistant if…

  • Strong privacy focus
  • Beginner-friendly
Gladys Assistant details

Choose Zigbee2MQTT if…

  • Frees devices from vendor hubs
  • Wide device support
  • Local control
Zigbee2MQTT details

Frequently asked questions

Is Gladys Assistant or Zigbee2MQTT better?

Neither is universally better. Zigbee2MQTT has the larger community, while Gladys Assistant is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Gladys Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT free and open-source?

Yes. Gladys Assistant is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Zigbee2MQTT under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Gladys Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT with Docker?

Gladys Assistant: yes. Zigbee2MQTT: yes.

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