Zigbee2MQTT 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.
Zigbee2MQTT
Bridge Zigbee devices to MQTT without vendor hubs
VS
Z-Wave JS UI
Full-featured Z-Wave control panel and MQTT gateway
| Feature | Zigbee2MQTT | Z-Wave JS UI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,661 | ★ 1,239 |
| First released | 2018 | 2018 |
| Replaces | SmartThings | SmartThings |
What are Zigbee2MQTT and Z-Wave JS UI?
Zigbee2MQTT
Zigbee2MQTT bridges Zigbee devices to MQTT, allowing them to be used without proprietary vendor hubs or bridges. It targets smart home users wanting vendor-neutral Zigbee control. It is deployed via Docker.
- Supports thousands of Zigbee devices
- No vendor hub required
- MQTT integration
- Web-based control panel
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
Zigbee2MQTT vs Z-Wave JS UI: key differences
Zigbee2MQTT is written in TypeScript, while Z-Wave JS UI is built with Vue. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Zigbee2MQTT versus MIT for Z-Wave JS UI. Zigbee2MQTT has the considerably larger community, at 15,661 GitHub stars versus 1,239.
Why pick each one
Choose Zigbee2MQTT if…
- Frees devices from vendor hubs
- Wide device support
- Local control
Watch out for
- Needs a Zigbee coordinator
- Pairing can be finicky
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 Zigbee2MQTT or Z-Wave JS UI 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 Z-Wave JS UI free and open-source?
Yes. Zigbee2MQTT is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Z-Wave JS UI under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Zigbee2MQTT and Z-Wave JS UI with Docker?
Zigbee2MQTT: yes. Z-Wave JS UI: yes.