About Gateway
WebThings Gateway is a self-hosted web application for monitoring and controlling a building over the web. It provides a unified web interface to monitor and control all smart home devices. The software includes a rules engine for creating if-this-then-that style automations with a drag and drop interface.
Key features
- Unified web interface for monitoring and controlling smart home devices
- Rules engine with drag and drop interface for home automation
- Interactive floorplan for at-a-glance device status and control
- Logging of sensor data over time to identify trends and anomalies
- Add-on system for compatibility with more devices and protocols
Gateway: questions and answers
- What is Gateway?
- Gateway is a software distribution for smart home hubs focused on privacy, security and interoperability.
- Is Gateway open source?
- Yes. Gateway is open source under the MPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at WebThingsIO/gateway and is written mainly in TypeScript.
- Is Gateway free?
- Yes. Gateway is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
- Can I self-host Gateway?
- Yes. Gateway can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
- What is Gateway an alternative to?
- Gateway is an open-source alternative to Apple Home, PubNub, Google Home and Amazon Alexa. Other open-source alternatives to Apple Home include Home Assistant, Domoticz and Gladys Assistant.
- Is Gateway actively maintained?
- Yes. The most recent commit to Gateway was on 23 September 2026, and the latest release is 2.0.0, published on 18 December 2025. The project has 2.6k stars on GitHub.
Open-source alternatives to Gateway
See all
Home Assistant
Home Automation & IoT
:house_with_garden: Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first.
Apache-2.0vs SmartThings★ 92k
Domoticz
Home Automation & IoT
Free open source home automation system for Linux, Windows, Raspberry Pi. Supports Z-Wave,
GPL-3.0vs Apple Home★ 3.8k
Gladys Assistant
Home Automation & IoT
A privacy-first, open-source home assistant
Apache-2.0vs Apple Home★ 3.2k
openHAB
Home Automation & IoT
Core framework of openHAB
EPL-2.0vs SmartThings★ 1.2k
Node-RED
Workflow Automation
Low-code programming for event-driven applications
Apache-2.0vs Microsoft Power Automate★ 24k
Tasmota
Home Automation & IoT
Alternative firmware for ESP8266 and ESP32 based devices with easy configuration using web
GPL-3.0vs Tuya Smart★ 25k
SaaS alternatives to Gateway
See all
Apple Home
Home Automation & IoT
Apple app for controlling HomeKit and Matter smart home devices
SaaS
PubNub
Backend as a Service
Realtime messaging and presence APIs for chat, IoT and live apps
SaaS
Google Home
Home Automation & IoT
Google app and platform for controlling smart speakers, cameras and connected devices
SaaS
Amazon Alexa
Home Automation & IoT
Amazon voice assistant and smart home platform for Echo and compatible devices
SaaS
Homey
Home Automation & IoT
Smart home hub and app that connects devices across many protocols
SaaSIndigo
Home Automation & IoT
Mac-based home automation server software
SaaS

