OpenHAB Cloud vs Z-Wave JS UI
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Z-Wave JS UI
Full-featured Z-Wave control panel and MQTT gateway
| Feature | OpenHAB Cloud | Z-Wave JS UI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 75 · Good | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | EPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 306 | ★ 1,239 |
| First released | 2014 | 2018 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
What are OpenHAB Cloud and Z-Wave JS UI?
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
Z-Wave JS UI
Z-Wave JS UI is a web interface and MQTT gateway built on the Z-Wave JS driver for managing Z-Wave networks. It exposes devices to home automation platforms and provides a control panel for configuration.
- Z-Wave network management
- MQTT gateway
- Web control panel
- Firmware update support
OpenHAB Cloud vs Z-Wave JS UI: key differences
OpenHAB Cloud is written in TypeScript, while Z-Wave JS UI is built with Vue. Licensing differs — EPL-2.0 for OpenHAB Cloud versus MIT for Z-Wave JS UI. Z-Wave JS UI is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for OpenHAB Cloud. OpenHAB Cloud is the more established project (first released 2014), while Z-Wave JS UI arrived in 2018. Z-Wave JS UI has the considerably larger community, at 1,239 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 Z-Wave JS UI if…
- Excellent Z-Wave support
- Integrates with Home Assistant
Watch out for
- Requires a Z-Wave controller
- Z-Wave only
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenHAB Cloud or Z-Wave JS UI better?
Z-Wave JS UI 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 Z-Wave JS UI free and open-source?
Yes. OpenHAB Cloud is licensed under EPL-2.0 and Z-Wave JS UI under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenHAB Cloud and Z-Wave JS UI with Docker?
OpenHAB Cloud: yes. Z-Wave JS UI: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenHAB Cloud or Z-Wave JS UI?
Z-Wave JS UI has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for OpenHAB Cloud. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.