# Best open source AI tools for smart home > For a smart home, the core of a private AI stack is Frigate for camera object detection, Home Assistant for the assistant and whisper-asr-webservice for voice transcription, all running on your own servers so camera footage and voice can stay on your infrastructure. Each pick was chosen by hand for its job and is shown with GitHub data from October 2026. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Question | What are the best open source AI tools for a smart home? | | Picks | 12 | | Top pick | Frigate (36,390 stars) | | Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 | | Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-smart-home | Local AI fits the smart home well: camera object detection, a voice assistant and a chat model can all run on a home server, so camera footage and voice never leave the house. ## Local camera AI - [Frigate](https://appsgit.com/apps/frigate) (36,390 stars, MIT, Python, Docker, AI features): Frigate has 36,390 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,445 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring. - [Viseron](https://appsgit.com/apps/viseron) (3,569 stars, MIT, Python, Docker, AI features): Viseron has 3,569 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,095 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring. ## Assistant and automation hub - [Home Assistant](https://appsgit.com/apps/home-assistant) (91,266 stars, Apache-2.0, Python, Docker): Home Assistant has 91,266 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,497 commits in the last year; it replaces IFTTT and Nest / SmartThings. - [Leon](https://appsgit.com/apps/leon) (17,555 stars, MIT, TypeScript, AI features): Leon has 17,555 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 824 commits in the last year. - [Node RED](https://appsgit.com/apps/node-red) (23,716 stars, Apache-2.0, JavaScript, Docker): Node RED has 23,716 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 684 commits in the last year; it replaces Zapier and IFTTT. ## Speech to text - [whisper-asr-webservice](https://appsgit.com/apps/whisper-asr-webservice) (3,352 stars, MIT, Python, Docker, AI features): whisper-asr-webservice has 3,352 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 31 commits in the last year. ## Run models on your own hardware Model runners that serve open-weight LLMs on your own CPU or GPU, with an OpenAI-compatible API the other tools can call. - [Ollama](https://appsgit.com/apps/ollama) (182,289 stars, MIT, Go, Docker, AI features): Ollama has 182,289 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,083 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT. - [LocalAI](https://appsgit.com/apps/localai) (49,405 stars, MIT, Go, Docker, AI features): LocalAI has 49,405 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 3,438 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT. - [LLM Harbor](https://appsgit.com/apps/llm-harbor) (3,237 stars, Apache-2.0, Python, Docker, AI features): LLM Harbor has 3,237 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,288 commits in the last year. ## Private chat interface Chat front ends for your team. Point them at a local model and prompts never leave your network. - [Open-WebUI](https://appsgit.com/apps/open-webui) (154,037 stars, Open WebUI License, source-available, Python, Docker, AI features): Open-WebUI has 154,037 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Open WebUI License (BSD-3-Clause plus branding clause) (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 4,746 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT and Lovable. - [LibreChat](https://appsgit.com/apps/librechat) (45,318 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): LibreChat has 45,318 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,074 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT and Lovable. - [LobeHub](https://appsgit.com/apps/lobehub) (83,008 stars, LobeHub Community License, source-available, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): LobeHub has 83,008 GitHub stars, is source-available under the LobeHub Community License (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 7,488 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT and Lovable. ## How this list was made - Apps were picked by hand from the appsgit catalog for each job, then checked against the snapshot: unknown or archived projects and projects with no commit in two years are dropped automatically. - Inside each section the curated order is kept, most broadly useful first; an app appears only once on the page. - Stars, license, Docker and activity facts come from the GitHub API as of October 2026. - Source-available apps are labelled; they are not open source, so read their licenses before commercial use. ## FAQ ### Can Frigate detect objects without the cloud? Yes, Frigate describes itself as monitoring security cameras with locally processed AI. Detection runs on your hardware, and an accelerator such as a Google Coral or a GPU makes it faster. ### What hardware do I need to run AI models myself? Small open models run on a modern CPU with 16 GB of RAM, but a GPU with enough video memory for the model you pick makes answers much faster. Start with a small model in Ollama, measure the speed on your own hardware, then size up. ### Is Frigate free? Yes. Frigate is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan. ### Can I run this stack with Docker? 11 of the 12 apps here publish Docker images, including Frigate, Viseron and Home Assistant, so most of the stack can run side by side with Docker Compose on one server. Size the server for the heaviest app and add off-site backups. ## Related questions - [What is the best open source software for a smart home?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-smart-home) - [What are the best open source apps for planning and tracking travel?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-apps-for-travel) - [What is the best open source event management software?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-events) - [What is the best open source budget management app?](https://appsgit.com/best/budget-management) - [What is the best open source software for crypto and web3 projects?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-crypto) - [What are the best open source AI tools for crypto and web3 teams?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-crypto) - [What is the best open source software for banks and fintech companies?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-fintech) - [What open source AI tools can banks and fintech companies self-host?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-for-banking) ## See also - [All video surveillance apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/video-surveillance) - [All home automation & IoT apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/home-automation) - [All automation & workflows apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/automation) - [All AI & LLM tools apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/ai-tools) - [Open-source alternatives to Ring](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/ring) - [Open-source alternatives to IFTTT](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/ifttt) - [Open-source alternatives to Nest / SmartThings](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/smartthings) - [Open-source alternatives to Google Home](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/google-home) - [Open-source alternatives to Zapier](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/zapier) - [Open-source alternatives to ChatGPT](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/chatgpt) - [Ollama vs LocalAI](https://appsgit.com/compare/ollama-vs-localai) - [Open WebUI vs LibreChat](https://appsgit.com/compare/open-webui-vs-librechat) - [Frigate vs ZoneMinder](https://appsgit.com/compare/frigate-vs-zoneminder) - [Home Assistant vs openHAB](https://appsgit.com/compare/home-assistant-vs-openhab) - [n8n vs Node-RED](https://appsgit.com/compare/n8n-vs-node-red) - [How to self-host Home Assistant with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/home-assistant) - [How to self-host Ollama with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/ollama) - [How to self-host Open WebUI with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/open-webui) --- Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-smart-home Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly. Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.