OpenHAB Cloud vs SmartApp Bridge
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | OpenHAB Cloud | SmartApp Bridge |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 75 · Good | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | EPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 306 | ★ 2,066 |
| First released | 2014 | 2014 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
What are OpenHAB Cloud and SmartApp Bridge?
OpenHAB Cloud
openHAB Cloud is the self-hostable companion service that provides remote access, notifications, and integrations for openHAB installations. It bridges local openHAB instances to external services securely.
- Remote openHAB access
- Push notifications
- IFTTT and voice integrations
- Self-hostable backend
SmartApp Bridge
A self-hosted automation engine that connects IoT devices and runs event-driven rules across protocols. It targets users who want a lightweight alternative to large home automation hubs.
- Event-driven rules
- Multi-protocol IoT
- Lightweight runtime
- Large add-on catalog
OpenHAB Cloud vs SmartApp Bridge: key differences
OpenHAB Cloud is written in TypeScript, while SmartApp Bridge is built with Java. Licensing differs — EPL-2.0 for OpenHAB Cloud versus Apache-2.0 for SmartApp Bridge. SmartApp Bridge has the considerably larger community, at 2,066 GitHub stars versus 306.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenHAB Cloud if…
- Keeps data under your control
- Enables remote control
Watch out for
- Requires MongoDB
- Setup is involved
Choose SmartApp Bridge if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenHAB Cloud or SmartApp Bridge better?
SmartApp Bridge is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenHAB Cloud if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OpenHAB Cloud and SmartApp Bridge free and open-source?
Yes. OpenHAB Cloud is licensed under EPL-2.0 and SmartApp Bridge under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenHAB Cloud and SmartApp Bridge with Docker?
OpenHAB Cloud: yes. SmartApp Bridge: yes.