Sonoff DIY Tools 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?
Sonoff DIY Tools
Local control toolkit for Sonoff smart switches
VS
ThingsBoard
Open-source IoT platform for device management and data
| Feature | Sonoff DIY Tools | ThingsBoard |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | source, docker | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,290 | ★ 22,200 |
| First released | 2019 | 2017 |
| Replaces | eWeLink Cloud | AWS IoT, Azure IoT |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Sonoff DIY Tools or ThingsBoard better?
Neither is universally better. ThingsBoard has the larger community, while Sonoff DIY Tools is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Sonoff DIY Tools and ThingsBoard free and open-source?
Yes. Sonoff DIY Tools is licensed under MIT and ThingsBoard under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Sonoff DIY Tools and ThingsBoard with Docker?
Sonoff DIY Tools: yes. ThingsBoard: yes.