What openHAB does

openHAB is an open source, vendor-agnostic home automation platform distributed under the Eclipse Public License and stewarded by the openHAB Foundation e.V., a registered non-profit organization headquartered in Ober-Ramstadt, Germany. The core runtime is written in Java and built on the Apache Karaf OSGi framework, providing a pluggable architecture that integrates more than 400 different smart home technologies and over 3,000 device types through community-contributed bindings covering protocols such as Zigbee, Z-Wave, and MQTT, as well as cloud voice platforms including Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit. The platform is offered at no cost across Linux, macOS, Windows, Raspberry Pi (via the openHABian image), Docker, and Synology NAS, with companion iOS, Android, and web clients.

The user base is concentrated in DIY smart-home enthusiasts and hobbyists who self-host locally for privacy and vendor independence, with a smaller subset of professional integrators deploying openHAB for residential clients. The Foundation funds operations through voluntary donations and optional memberships starting at €2 per month, and operates the free myopenHAB.org cloud service (20,000+ registered users) for remote access, notifications, and cloud integrations. Distribution is community-led via direct downloads, mobile app stores, GitHub, conferences (FOSDEM, FrOSCon), and word-of-mouth across a forum of 22,000+ members and 240,000+ posts.

Revenue mechanics are entirely donation- and membership-based with no commercial license fees or paid tiers, by design preserving the project's vendor-neutral positioning. The product cadence includes openHAB 3.0 (2021, introducing the semantic model and MainUI), 4.x (2024), and 5.x (2025), alongside emerging LLM-based natural-language interpreter support alongside the long-standing rule-based engine.

Name

openHAB

Legal name

openHAB Foundation e.V.

Website

https://openhab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

openHAB is a free, open source, vendor-agnostic smart home automation platform built on Java and Apache Karaf/OSGi, integrating 400+ technologies and 3,000+ devices. It is stewarded by the openHAB Foundation e.V. (Germany), funded by donations, and serves DIY enthusiasts and professional integrators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smart Home Automation Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

API-First Backend Platforms (BaaS/mBaaS & Serverless Backends) (HDAEAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Platform Engineering & Internal Developer Platforms (IDP) (BPAEAKAC), Kubernetes & Container Platform Management (Private Cloud) (HDABABAC)

Keywords

• Smart home automation
• Home automation software
• IoT platform
• Open source automation
• Home integration platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Ober-ramstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: openHAB is 100% free and open source software supported by the openHAB Foundation e.V., a non-profit organization. Revenue comes from voluntary donations via PayPal and membership fees starting at 2 euros per month. The foundation uses these funds to maintain build servers, hosting services, community forums, and app store publications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

openHAB provides a vendor- and technology-agnostic open source home automation platform that integrates 400+ technologies and 3,000+ devices into a single locally controlled system. The platform runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Raspberry Pi, Docker, and Synology NAS, and is extended through community-maintained bindings, automations, voice control, and optional cloud services. It is released under the Eclipse Public License and distributed free of charge.

Product overview

openHAB is a vendor and technology agnostic open source smart home automation software platform. The core offering consists of the openHAB runtime (Core) which supports 400+ technologies and thousands of devices. The platform is extended through openHAB Add-ons including bindings for Z-Wave, Zigbee, MQTT, and voice assistants (Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit). Installation options include native installations on Linux/macOS/Windows, the openHABian Raspberry Pi image, Docker containers, or Synology NAS. Cloud connectivity is provided via openHAB Cloud and the free myopenHAB service. Mobile access is available through native iOS and Android apps. Development is in Java on Apache Karaf/OSGi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• openHAB Core The main openHAB runtime and automation engine, a vendor and technology agnostic open source automation software for smart homes supporting 400+ technologies and thousands of devices.
• openHABian A pre-configured Raspberry Pi image that provides a hassle-free openHAB installation with conveniently pre-configured system settings and software.
• openHAB Add-ons Bindings, transformations, actions, and other extensions that add support for specific devices, services, and protocols including Z-Wave, Zigbee, MQTT, Google Assistant, Alexa, and 400+ other technologies.
• openHAB Cloud Cloud infrastructure that enables remote access to openHAB, smartphone notifications, IFTTT integration, and Amazon Alexa skill connectivity. Can be self-hosted or used via myopenHAB.org.
• myopenHAB Free cloud service hosted by the openHAB Foundation providing remote access, notifications, and cloud integrations for openHAB users with 20,000+ registered users.
• openHAB iOS App Native iOS application for controlling and monitoring openHAB smart home installations from Apple mobile devices.
• openHAB Android App (HABDroid) Native Android application (HABDroid) for controlling and monitoring openHAB smart home installations from Android devices.
• MainUI The modern web-based user interface for openHAB, providing responsive design for desktop and mobile browsers with customizable pages and widgets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports 400+ different technologies and systems
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Google AssistantcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Google Assistant allows openHAB users to control their smart home devices using voice commands through Google Home devices and the Google Assistant ecosystem.
• Amazon AlexacoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Amazon Alexa enables voice control of openHAB devices through Alexa-enabled devices. An openHAB Alexa Smart Home skill is available through the myopenhab.org service.
• Apple HomeKitcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Apple HomeKit allows openHAB devices to be controlled through the Apple Home app and Siri voice commands on iOS devices.
• Apache KarafcoreTechnology or IntegrationopenHAB is built on Apache Karaf, an industry-grade OSGi runtime that provides the modular framework underlying the platform's plug-in architecture.
• Java (Oracle)coreTechnology or IntegrationopenHAB is developed in Java and requires Java 21 (JDK 21) as the runtime environment for development and deployment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Samsung SmartThings: SmartThings is a broad incumbent in the smart home space, originally open source itself but now a Samsung subsidiary. While overlapping with openHAB on device integration and automation, it is a closed ecosystem and represents exactly the kind of walled-garden platform openHAB positions against.
• Apple HomeKit: Apple HomeKit is a broader smart home incumbent that openHAB integrates with rather than competes with directly. It represents the closed, cloud/Apple-ID-tied model that openHAB's local-first positioning contrasts against.
• Google Home: Google Home is a broad smart home incumbent offering cloud-managed automation, voice control, and device integration through the Google ecosystem. openHAB integrates with Google Assistant but competes philosophically as the local-first alternative.

Direct peers

• Home Assistant: Home Assistant is the most direct competitor - an open source, Python-based home automation platform with a similarly large community, local-first philosophy, and thousands of device integrations. Comparable in target audience (DIY smart home enthusiasts) and philosophy (vendor-neutral, privacy-respecting).
• Hubitat Elevation: Hubitat is a local-first smart home hub competing directly with openHAB in the DIY/prosumer segment. It emphasizes on-premises automation without cloud dependency, supports Z-Wave and Zigbee, and targets users frustrated with cloud-locked platforms - the same positioning as openHAB.
• Home Assistant (Open Home Foundation) - Cloud & Voice Services: The Open Home Foundation supports Home Assistant Cloud (Nabu Casa) - a remote access and voice integration service directly comparable to openHAB's myopenHAB cloud. Both foundations offer cloud-mediated remote access and voice assistant integrations for their respective open source platforms, representing an apples-to-apples funding/service model comparison.

Emerging players

• ioBroker: ioBroker is an open source IoT automation platform based on Node.js with adapter-based architecture and broad device support. It overlaps with openHAB on smart home/IoT integration and a similar open source, community-driven model, but with different technical underpinnings (Node.js vs Java/OSGi).
• Domoticz: Domoticz is an open source home automation platform supporting Z-Wave, Zigbee, and many other protocols with a local-first design philosophy. It targets a similar DIY/hobbyist audience as openHAB, though it has a smaller integration ecosystem and community footprint.
• HomeSeer: HomeSeer offers local home automation hubs (HomeTroller) targeting tech-savvy users who want self-hosted control. It overlaps with openHAB's local-first and prosummer positioning but is a smaller niche player with commercial (paid) licensing.

Others

• Eclipse SmartHome / Eclipse IoT: Eclipse SmartHome (and the broader Eclipse IoT/Kura ecosystem) shares technical heritage with openHAB (its founder Kai Kreuzer leads both). It is an upstream related open source framework, making it an adjacent ecosystem peer rather than a direct consumer-facing competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/openhab
• GitHubgithub.com/openhab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/openhab-foundation-e-v

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about openHAB