SmartHomeNG 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?
SmartHomeNG
Modular home automation framework with KNX focus
VS
ThingsBoard
Open-source IoT platform for device management and data
| Feature | SmartHomeNG | ThingsBoard |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 127 | ★ 22,200 |
| First released | 2013 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Loxone | AWS IoT, Azure IoT |
Why pick each one
Choose SmartHomeNG if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is SmartHomeNG or ThingsBoard better?
Neither is universally better. ThingsBoard has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are SmartHomeNG and ThingsBoard free and open-source?
Yes. SmartHomeNG is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ThingsBoard under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SmartHomeNG and ThingsBoard with Docker?
SmartHomeNG: yes. ThingsBoard: yes.