Pimatic 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 | Pimatic | Z-Wave JS UI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 11 · At risk | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | CoffeeScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 598 | ★ 1,239 |
| First released | 2013 | 2018 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
What are Pimatic and Z-Wave JS UI?
Pimatic
Pimatic is an open-source home automation framework built on Node.js that runs on low-power devices such as the Raspberry Pi. Plugins add device support, and a rule engine plus a mobile-friendly web UI handle control and automation.
- Plugin-based device support
- Rule engine
- Mobile-friendly web UI
- Runs on Raspberry Pi
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
Pimatic vs Z-Wave JS UI: key differences
Pimatic is written in CoffeeScript, while Z-Wave JS UI is built with Vue. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Pimatic versus MIT for Z-Wave JS UI. Pimatic is the more established project (first released 2013), while Z-Wave JS UI arrived in 2018. Z-Wave JS UI has the considerably larger community, at 1,239 GitHub stars versus 598. Z-Wave JS UI lists first-class Docker deployment; Pimatic does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Pimatic if…
- Lightweight
- Simple rule system
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Smaller community
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 Pimatic or Z-Wave JS UI better?
Neither is universally better. Z-Wave JS UI has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pimatic and Z-Wave JS UI free and open-source?
Yes. Pimatic is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Z-Wave JS UI under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pimatic and Z-Wave JS UI with Docker?
Pimatic: check the project docs for container support. Z-Wave JS UI: yes.