OpenHABvs
Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa: Amazon's voice-controlled smart home ecosystem
OpenHAB
Open source automation software for your home
As of 30 August 2026, OpenHAB is free to use. OpenHAB is an open-source home automation software that integrates different smart home systems and technologies into one single solution. Softwr lists it under Smart Home. OpenHAB is made by openHAB Foundation, launched in 2010, available on Linux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted.
Overview
What OpenHAB does
OpenHAB is an open-source home automation software that integrates different smart home systems and technologies into one single solution. It is vendor and technology agnostic with a large community of contributors.
What people use it for
- Self-hosted vendor neutral home automation hub
- Bridging smart home devices from different manufacturers under one set of rules
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about OpenHAB.
- Requires a 64-bit Java 21 JVM to be installed and maintained separately
- Oracle Java is explicitly not recommended by the project because of potential licensing restrictions
- The recommended hardware is a dedicated Raspberry Pi 4 or newer rather than shared hardware
- Some version upgrades require additional manual steps run through a separate upgrade tool
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of OpenHAB
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- OpenHABvsGoogle Home
Google Home: Google's smart home platform with Google Assistant
- OpenHABvsApple HomeKit
Apple HomeKit: Apple's secure smart home platform integrated with Siri
- OpenHABvsHome Assistant
Home Assistant: Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first
Pricing
What OpenHAB costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Community Edition
Free
- Unlimited devices
- 200+ bindings
- Local control
Capabilities
Features
Vendor Agnostic
Rule Engine
200+ Bindings
Local Processing
Z-Wave
Integration with Z-Wave
Zigbee
Integration with Zigbee
MQTT
Integration with MQTT
REST API
Integration with REST API
Linux support
Available on Linux
Windows support
Available on Windows
MacOS support
Available on macOS
Docker support
Available on Docker
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
How much does openHAB cost?
openHAB is 100% open source and completely free to download, install, and use across all supported platforms.
SourceAre there any subscription fees for openHAB?
No, openHAB has no subscription fees. The software is free and released under an open source license for unlimited use.
SourceHow can I support openHAB?
While openHAB is free to use, the project accepts voluntary donations through the openHAB Foundation to support development and maintenance.
SourceBehind it
Who makes OpenHAB
- Company
- openHAB Foundation
- Based in
- International Community
Keep looking
Where to go from OpenHAB
- OpenHAB alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- OpenHAB pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- OpenHAB badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Smart Home softwareThe full category
- Best Smart Home softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Smart Home software for
Compare OpenHAB with
- Home Assistant
- Google Home
- Amazon Alexa
- Apple HomeKit
- Tasmota
- ESPHome
- Control4
- Node-RED
- Matter
- Savant
- Ring
- Shelly
- Blynk
- Ecobee
- Eufy Security
- Govee
- Losant
- Lutron Caseta
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for OpenHAB, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on OpenHAB
OpenHAB alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
OpenHAB pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare OpenHAB
Put it head to head with anything we hold
OpenHAB badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best Smart Home software alternatives
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