# ESPHome vs NodeBB

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | ESPHome | NodeBB |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 ✓ | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #4 of 104 in Home Automation | #4 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 11 980 | 15 244 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +258 ✓ | +19 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 46 ✓ | 31 |
| Latest release | 2026.10.1 · 27 Oct 2026 | v4.16.5 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | C | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

ESPHome scores 78/100 against 73/100 for NodeBB, so it is the safer default.

ESPHome ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 31 for NodeBB.

ESPHome is growing faster right now (+258 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [ESPHome](https://selfhost.directory/project/esphome) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/esphome.md)
- [NodeBB](https://selfhost.directory/project/nodebb) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nodebb.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/esphome-vs-nodebb