Zigbee2MQTT vs deCONZ
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?
Zigbee2MQTT
Bridge Zigbee devices to MQTT without vendor hubs
VS
deCONZ
Zigbee gateway software for ConBee and RaspBee
| Feature | Zigbee2MQTT | deCONZ |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,477 | ★ 1,910 |
| First released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | Philips Hue Bridge |
Why pick each one
Choose Zigbee2MQTT if…
- Frees devices from vendor hubs
- Wide device support
- Local control
Frequently asked questions
Is Zigbee2MQTT or deCONZ better?
Neither is universally better. Zigbee2MQTT has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Zigbee2MQTT and deCONZ free and open-source?
Yes. Zigbee2MQTT is licensed under GPL-3.0 and deCONZ under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Zigbee2MQTT and deCONZ with Docker?
Zigbee2MQTT: yes. deCONZ: yes.