openHAB
Smart HomeA vendor-neutral home automation server that connects many smart home technologies and runs on your own hardware.
Open-source alternative to:
What the free edition leaves out
Scroll sideways to view all columns →The official pages do not say enough about the free edition to give a verdict. “Not confirmed” means the official pages we read did not say, so we do not guess.
| Feature | Free edition | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSO / SAML | Not confirmed | No official page states whether the free edition includes this. | – |
| Role-based access control | Not confirmed | No official page states whether the free edition includes this. | – |
| Audit logs | Not confirmed | No official page states whether the free edition includes this. | – |
| Multi-user / teams | Free | The REST API docs describe admin and user accounts; every user account has equal access to the user APIs. This is two account types, not custom roles. | Source ↗ |
| Backups and restore | Free | The installation docs list a backup command in the openhab-cli tool that stores the current configuration. | Source ↗ |
| API access | Free | The docs describe a REST API with basic authentication, OAuth and API tokens managed in the profile settings. | Source ↗ |
| Support SLA | Not confirmed | No official page states whether the free edition includes this. | – |
Best for
People who want a local, vendor-neutral automation server with a rules engine and a wide range of supported devices.
Why choose it over SmartThings
The homepage says it runs on your hardware, needs no cloud service and keeps your data at home. It supports more than 400 technologies and runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Raspberry Pi, Docker and Synology. The code uses the Eclipse Public License 2.0.
Where it falls short
It runs on a Java Virtual Machine, so it needs a Java runtime and more setup than a ready-made hub. Cloud assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant work through the openHAB Cloud connector with the myopenhab.org service or your own host. Configuration involves several concepts (things, items, rules).
Open-source alternative to
- SmartThings — openHAB controls and automates smart home devices, which overlaps with SmartThings.
Java
Apache Maven
JUnit
Dependabot
GitHub Actions
