Compare / Home Assistant vs openHAB
Home Assistant vs openHAB
Pick Home Assistant if you want the common homelab automations box (Raspberry Pi or a local server — the catalog summary). Pick openHAB if you want an Eclipse Public License 2.0 Java runtime with that binding catalog.
Facts checked 18 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Home Assistant in the catalog openHAB in the catalogStart on Railway
How they compare
| Home Assistant | openHAB | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 (home-assistant/core) source | EPL-2.0 (openhab/openhab-core) source |
| Language | Python (catalog) | Java (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 91,587 stars in the catalog source | 1,157 stars on openhab-core in the catalog source |
| Self-host | Pi or a local server. Integrations in the HA ecosystem. | Java runtime plus bindings. Heavier ops than a Pi appliance image. |
| Best for | The common local-control dashboard. | A Java/Eclipse automation runtime. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Home Assistant is Apache-2.0 Python (home-assistant/core). openHAB core is EPL-2.0 Java (openhab/openhab-core). Both want a box on the LAN, not a tiny public PaaS. Cameras and an NVR are a different job — /stacks/frigate-nvr (often a neighbor, not required). c17 has no dedicated Home Assistant stack; the Railway CTA starts a project.
FAQ
- Is this Ring or Nest?
- Those camera vaults are /stacks/frigate-nvr. Home Assistant/openHAB is the house automation runtime. You can run both.
- Do I need Homebridge too?
- Homebridge is a separate catalog row for HomeKit bridges. This pair is the automation runtime.
- Are these free?
- Home Assistant core is Apache-2.0. openHAB core is EPL-2.0. You pay hardware and electricity. Some vendor clouds stay behind.
- Can I deploy this on Railway?
- A LAN box is the honest path. USB sticks, Zigbee dongles, and mDNS do not belong on a random container.
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