openHAB vs OpenRemote vs Thingsboard

openHAB, OpenRemote, and ThingsBoard are all open-source, self-hostable automation platforms with rule engines and broad device-protocol support, but they…

openHAB

Open Source · From Free

Best for: DIY smart-home enthusiasts and privacy-conscious homeowners who want the largest library of device integrations and a vendor-neutral, foundation-governed platform for a single home or small property.

OpenRemote

Open Source · From Free (self-hosted); managed hosting and professional services quoted on request

Best for: System integrators and enterprises building custom smart-building, energy, or industrial IoT solutions who want a fully open-source stack with no paywalled features, backed by professional services.

Thingsboard

freemium · From Free (Community Edition, self-hosted)

Best for: Teams that want an enterprise IoT platform with a genuinely free, unlimited-device Community Edition plus a clear, published upgrade path to paid Professional or Cloud tiers as they scale.

At a Glance

	openHAB	OpenRemote	Thingsboard
Primary category	Internet of Things (IoT) & Home Automation	Internet of Things (IoT) & Home Automation	Internet of Things (IoT) & Home Automation
Rating	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
Pricing model	Open Source	Open Source	freemium
Starting price	Free	Free (self-hosted); managed hosting and professional services quoted on request	Free (Community Edition, self-hosted)
Free plan	Not documented	Not documented	Yes
Free trial	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
Platforms	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
Team collaboration	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
AI features	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
Public API	Yes	Yes	Yes

Standout Differences

Home vs. enterprise IoT scale

openHAB is built around single-property home automation, while OpenRemote and ThingsBoard are designed for multi-site, multi-tenant enterprise deployments like smart buildings and industrial IoT.

openHAB, OpenRemote, Thingsboard

Pricing transparency

ThingsBoard is the only one of the three with published paid pricing tiers, from ten dollars a month up to a Cloud Business plan at 749 dollars a month, while openHAB has no paid tiers at all and OpenRemote's paid services are quoted per project.

openHAB, OpenRemote, Thingsboard

Device integration breadth

openHAB leads with more than 400 pluggable bindings covering both consumer and commercial ecosystems, while OpenRemote and ThingsBoard focus on a smaller, more industrial set of protocols like MQTT, ModBus, and LoRaWAN.

openHAB, OpenRemote, Thingsboard

Fully open-source stack

OpenRemote publishes its entire stack, including its most advanced features, as open source with no proprietary fork, distinguishing it from ThingsBoard, which reserves features like white-labeling and Trendz Analytics for paid editions.

OpenRemote, Thingsboard

Governance and backing

openHAB is stewarded by a non-profit foundation, OpenRemote is a bootstrapped private company funded by client contracts, and ThingsBoard is a company offering both an open-source edition and commercial cloud products.

openHAB, OpenRemote, Thingsboard

Feature-by-Feature

Platform Scope

Feature	openHAB	OpenRemote	Thingsboard
Asset-centric data model	Not documented	Available	Available
Multi-tenant / multi-site management	Unavailable	Available	Available

Automation and Rules

Feature	openHAB	OpenRemote	Thingsboard
Visual rule engine	Available	Available	Available
Scripting for advanced logic	Available	Available	Not documented

Device Connectivity and Visualization

Feature	openHAB	OpenRemote	Thingsboard
Breadth of supported protocols and integrations	Available	Available	Available
Prebuilt dashboard widgets	Limited	Available	Available

Pricing and Licensing

Feature	openHAB	OpenRemote	Thingsboard
Free self-hosted tier	Available	Available	Available
Published paid pricing tiers	Unavailable	Unavailable	Available

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

openHAB

Open Source — Free N/A

OpenRemote

Open Source Self-Hosted — Free N/A

Managed Hosting and Professional Services — Custom, quoted per project Contract-based

Thingsboard

Community Edition — Free N/A

Professional Edition (Maker) — $10/month monthly

Professional Edition (Business) — $499/month monthly

ThingsBoard Cloud (Free) — $0 monthly

ThingsBoard Cloud (Business) — $749/month monthly

Private Cloud (Enterprise) — Custom custom

Pros & Cons

openHAB

Pros

Completely free and open source with no paid tiers
Runs locally with no mandatory cloud dependency, protecting privacy
One of the largest device and protocol integration libraries available
Governed by a non-profit foundation, avoiding vendor lock-in
Active, long-running community with 200-plus contributors

Cons

Steeper learning curve than consumer-friendly smart-home apps
User interface is less polished than some commercial competitors
Many bindings require manual configuration rather than plug-and-play setup
Documentation quality varies across the large add-on ecosystem
Requires ongoing self-hosting and maintenance effort

OpenRemote

Pros

Fully open source with no paywalled enterprise features
Broad native protocol support reduces custom integration work
No per-device licensing fees for self-hosted deployments
Flexible automation options, from simple rules to full scripting
Bootstrapped, stable company focused on long-term open-source commitment

Cons

No published SaaS pricing; managed hosting and support are quoted per project
Requires self-hosting or a paid managed instance to run in production
Smaller company means slower feature velocity than venture-funded IoT platforms
Steeper learning curve for teams new to asset-based IoT modeling
Smaller community and ecosystem than some larger IoT platforms

Thingsboard

Pros

Genuinely free, unlimited-device open-source Community Edition
Clear published pricing for Professional Edition and Cloud tiers
Large library of prebuilt dashboard widgets
Supports self-hosted, managed cloud and private cloud deployment models
Apache 2.0 license allows commercial use without licensing fees

Cons

Community Edition lacks white-labeling, advanced role management and Trendz Analytics
Self-hosting requires infrastructure and DevOps expertise
Cloud pricing can escalate quickly at high device or data-point volumes
Professional Edition still requires manual server management, unlike full SaaS
Some enterprise features are only available on Private Cloud or Enterprise plans

Use Cases

Choose openHAB: DIY smart-home enthusiasts and privacy-conscious homeowners who want the largest library of device integrations and a vendor-neutral, foundation-governed platform for a single home or small property.

Choose OpenRemote: System integrators and enterprises building custom smart-building, energy, or industrial IoT solutions who want a fully open-source stack with no paywalled features, backed by professional services.

Choose Thingsboard: Teams that want an enterprise IoT platform with a genuinely free, unlimited-device Community Edition plus a clear, published upgrade path to paid Professional or Cloud tiers as they scale.

openHAB

DIY smart home automation — Hobbyists build custom automation setups that unify devices from many vendors under one local control system.
Privacy-conscious home automation — Households wanting to avoid sending smart-home data to third-party clouds run openHAB entirely on local hardware.
Custom integration projects — System integrators use openHAB's binding architecture to build tailored automation solutions across mixed-vendor device fleets.

OpenRemote

Smart building energy management — Facilities teams use OpenRemote to monitor and automate energy usage across building systems.
Industrial IoT asset monitoring — Industrial integrators use OpenRemote to track machine and sensor data across a manufacturing site.
Smart city infrastructure monitoring — Municipalities use OpenRemote to monitor and manage connected city infrastructure like lighting and sensors.

Thingsboard

Self-Hosted IoT Backend — A hardware startup self-hosts the free Community Edition as the backend for its connected device fleet.
White-Labeled Enterprise Dashboards — An enterprise uses the Professional Edition to deliver white-labeled IoT dashboards to internal teams or customers.
Fully Managed IoT SaaS — A company avoids managing infrastructure by running its IoT solution entirely on ThingsBoard Cloud.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which of these three is best for a home rather than a commercial building?

openHAB, since it is purpose-built for home automation with the widest range of consumer device integrations, whereas OpenRemote and ThingsBoard are oriented toward enterprise and multi-site deployments.

Is ThingsBoard's Community Edition really free?

Yes, ThingsBoard offers a genuinely free, unlimited-device, Apache 2.0-licensed Community Edition for self-hosting, with paid Professional Edition and Cloud tiers reserved for features like white-labeling and advanced role management.

Does OpenRemote have any paid plans?

OpenRemote's core software is entirely free and open source with no paywalled features. The company generates revenue through professional services and managed hosting quoted per project rather than published subscription tiers.

Can openHAB handle enterprise or multi-building deployments?

openHAB is architected around a single installation for one property and does not offer the multi-tenant realm isolation that OpenRemote and ThingsBoard provide for managing multiple sites or organizations.

Which platform has the largest device integration library?

openHAB, with more than 400 pluggable bindings covering consumer and commercial device ecosystems, compared to the smaller, more industrially-focused protocol lists of OpenRemote and ThingsBoard.

Read the full openHAB review · Read the full OpenRemote review · Read the full Thingsboard review

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