The best smart home firmware, according to hackers
3 smart home firmware were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended smart home firmware with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Easy YAML configuration without much code
People recommend ESPHome for building custom smart home devices with online updates, logs and simple YAML configuration; the most common caveat is slow, heavy compiles.
All 3 smart home firmware, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ESPHome | 54 | 5 | 92% | 11 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| 2 | WLED | 8 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| 3 | Tasmota firmware | 5 | 1 | 83% | 5 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same smart home firmware in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to smart home firmware that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.