Self-hosted alternatives to Apple HomeKit
Want smart home control on Apple devices without handing your data to Apple HomeKit? These 13 self-hosted apps run on your own server. Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $3.5/month.
About Apple HomeKit: Apple's smart home framework behind the Home app.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant | Active | 92k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 2 GB | $10/mo |
| Tasmota | Active | 25k | GPL-3.0 | – | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| Node RED | Active | 23.8k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Thingsboard | Active | 22.6k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 2 GB | $10/mo |
| EMQX | Active | 16.9k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| evcc | Active | 7.5k | MIT | ✓ | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| Domoticz | Active | 3.8k | GPL-3.0 | ✓ | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| Gladys | Active | 3.3k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| ioBroker | Active | 1.4k | MIT | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| openHAB | Active | 1.2k | EPL-2.0 | – | 2 GB | $10/mo |
| FMD Server | Active | 224 | GPL-3.0 | ✓ | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| LHA | Active | 13 | MIT | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| FHEM | Unknown | – | GPL-3.0 | – | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
The options in detail
1. Home Assistant
Home automation platform.
Active Last commit 2026-11-05. Latest release 2026.11.0 (2026-11-04). Needs roughly 2 GB RAM. How to run it →
2. Tasmota
Firmware for ESP devices. Total local control with quick setup and updates. Control using MQTT, Web UI, HTTP or serial. Automate using timers, rules or scripts. Integration with home automation solutions.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. 6 releases in the past year. Latest release v16.0.0 (2026-10-16). Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
3. Node RED
Browser-based flow editor that helps you wiring hardware devices, APIs and online services to create IoT solutions.
Active Last commit 2026-10-26. Latest release 5.0.9 (2026-10-21). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
4. Thingsboard
IoT Platform - Device management, data collection, processing and visualization.
Active Last commit 2026-11-02. Latest release v4.4.0.2 (2026-10-30). Needs roughly 2 GB RAM. How to run it →
5. EMQX
Scalable MQTT broker. Connect 100M+ IoT devices in one single cluster, move and process real-time IoT data with 1M msg/s throughput at 1ms latency.
Active Last commit 2026-11-02. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release 6.3.2 (2026-10-16). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
6. evcc
Extensible Electric Vehicle Charge Controller and home energy management system.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release 0.318.2 (2026-11-01). Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
7. Domoticz
Home Automation System that lets you monitor and configure various devices like: Lights, Switches, various sensors/meters like Temperature, Rain, Wind, UV, Electra, Gas, Water and much more.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. 4 releases in the past year. Latest release 2026.4 (2026-10-01). Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
8. Gladys
Privacy-first home assistant.
Active Last commit 2026-11-02. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v5.3.1 (2026-11-02). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
9. ioBroker
Integration platform for the Internet of Things, focused on building automation, smart metering, ambient assisted living, process automation, visualization and data logging.
Active Last commit 2026-11-02. Latest release 2026-10-29 (2026-10-29). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
10. openHAB
Vendor and technology agnostic software for home automation.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Needs roughly 2 GB RAM. How to run it →
11. FMD Server
Server to communicate with the FMD (Find My Device) Android app, to locate and control your devices.
Active Last commit 2026-10-30. 8 releases in the past year. Latest release v0.17.1 (2026-10-30). Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
12. LHA
Light Home Automation application that is fully extensible using Blockly, HTML or Lua. It includes extensions such as ConBee, Philips Hue or Z-Wave JS.
Active Last commit 2026-10-18. Latest release v0.2.3 (2025-05-18). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
13. FHEM
Automate common tasks in the household like switching lamps and heating. It can also be used to log events like temperature or power consumption. You can control it via web or smartphone frontends, telnet or TCP/IP directly.
Unknown Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
Why self-host instead of Apple HomeKit?
- Own your data — it lives on a server you control, with backups you decide on.
- Predictable cost — a small VPS often replaces per-seat pricing for a whole team or family.
- No lock-in — open-source licenses let you keep running the software even if a vendor disappears.
The trade-off: you are responsible for updates, backups and security. Pick an app marked Active (a commit in the last 90 days) and with Docker support for the easiest ride.
Browse related categories
Other alternatives guides
Apple HomeKit is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.