FHEM vs OpenRemote

FHEM is free, GPL version 2 software for automating household devices from a self-hosted Perl server. It can control lamps, shutters, heating, and other compatible equipment while recording temperature, humidity, and power events. Control is available through web or smartphone frontends, telnet, or TCP/IP. FHEM can create devices and logs when new device data arrives, write events to files or databases with regular-expression filters, notify external programs or scripts, and run timed commands. Its text, JSON, and XML interfaces work over plain TCP/IP, SSL, or HTTP. The modular system lists more than 430 modules and supports devices and services including HomeMatic, Z-Wave, EnOcean, Philips Hue, FRITZ!Dect, Alexa, HomeKit, HomeBridge, and MQTT. Media examples include major television brands, Bose, Sonos, Kodi, Plex, and Apple TV. It offers local control, energy monitoring, voice-assistant support, installation guidance, packages, containers, documentation, and a forum.

OpenRemote is an open-source IoT platform for bringing different protocols and data sources into one management system. Users define asset types and the attributes they want to track, then create automations with When-Then rules, a visual Flow Editor, or Groovy scripting. Its dashboard builder supports live monitoring, historical trend analysis, and alerts when attributes pass thresholds. Built-in protocol agents include HTTP, SNMP, ModBus, MQTT, Bluetooth, LoRaWAN, Serial, TCP, UDP, KNX, Velbus, and openWeather. Assets and attributes are accessible through a unified REST API and WebSockets. Keycloak provides OAuth2/OpenID Connect and role-based access control; Realms logically isolate users and data. Through Hawkbit integration, the platform supports edge-device firmware updates and security patch rollouts. OpenRemote is designed for professional integrators, including manufacturers, system integrators, and governments. It uses a container-first approach and offers Docker Compose deployment for its manager, database, identity service, and map server. The code is licensed under AGPLv3, with commercial licenses available for organizations seeking an exemption from the stated source-sharing obligation. Community support is included with the free option.