SmartIR vs Zigbee2MQTT
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?
SmartIR
Climate, TV, and fan control via IR controllers
VS
Zigbee2MQTT
Bridge Zigbee devices to MQTT without vendor hubs
| Feature | SmartIR | Zigbee2MQTT |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 236 | ★ 15,477 |
| First released | 2018 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Sensibo | SmartThings |
Why pick each one
Choose Zigbee2MQTT if…
- Frees devices from vendor hubs
- Wide device support
- Local control
Frequently asked questions
Is SmartIR or Zigbee2MQTT better?
Neither is universally better. Zigbee2MQTT has the larger community, while SmartIR is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are SmartIR and Zigbee2MQTT free and open-source?
Yes. SmartIR is licensed under MIT and Zigbee2MQTT under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SmartIR and Zigbee2MQTT with Docker?
SmartIR: check the project docs for container support. Zigbee2MQTT: yes.