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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Authelia vs Home Assistant

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Authelia and Home Assistant — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:open-sourceself-hosted

Authelia vs Home Assistant: at a glance

FeatureAutheliaHome Assistant
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesauthentication, open-source, self-hosted, securityhome-automation, iot, self-hosted, automation-ux
Last editorial update7h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Authelia?

Authelia patches two security advisories in May while steady maintenance continues

Authelia is a widely-deployed open-source authentication and authorization proxy operating in stable maintenance mode on the 4.39.x branch. The release window shows a concentrated batch of backport releases in May 2026 (v4.39.11–17 all published the same day) followed by two security advisories and routine bug-fix releases. Contributor counts are healthy — 13 new contributors in 4.39.21 alone — suggesting active community uptake even without major feature work.

Read the full Authelia trajectory →

What is Home Assistant?

Home Assistant is systematically dismantling its YAML walls, one device category per month.

Home Assistant ships monthly releases on a reliable cadence, each tackling a specific technical friction point. The 2026.x series has focused on making previously expert-only features — Modbus configuration, infrared control, complex automation triggers — accessible through UI and intent-based interfaces rather than YAML hand-coding. With 2026.7, purpose-specific automation triggers graduated from Labs to become the default for all users, a genuine UX architecture shift.

Read the full Home Assistant trajectory →

Authelia vs Home Assistant: editorial side-by-side

A
Authelia
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Authelia patches two security advisories in May while steady maintenance continues

◆ Current state

Authelia is a widely-deployed open-source authentication and authorization proxy operating in stable maintenance mode on the 4.39.x branch. The release window shows a concentrated batch of backport releases in May 2026 (v4.39.11–17 all published the same day) followed by two security advisories and routine bug-fix releases. Contributor counts are healthy — 13 new contributors in 4.39.21 alone — suggesting active community uptake even without major feature work.

◆ Where it's heading

The 4.39.x branch is functioning as a stable LTS line, receiving security patches and bug fixes rather than new capabilities. Two separate security advisories (access control domain canonicalization, basic auth username canonicalization in LDAP) in a single release signal that the security surface is being actively audited. The project is in hardening and adoption mode; a major version or feature-heavy release would be a break from the current pattern.

◆ Prediction

The project has signaled future work toward a 5.x or next-generation branch in the community; until that materializes, 4.39.x will continue receiving security and bug-fix releases on a roughly monthly cadence.

H
Home Assistant
INFRA · APIS
2.5

Home Assistant is systematically dismantling its YAML walls, one device category per month.

◆ Current state

Home Assistant ships monthly releases on a reliable cadence, each tackling a specific technical friction point. The 2026.x series has focused on making previously expert-only features — Modbus configuration, infrared control, complex automation triggers — accessible through UI and intent-based interfaces rather than YAML hand-coding. With 2026.7, purpose-specific automation triggers graduated from Labs to become the default for all users, a genuine UX architecture shift.

◆ Where it's heading

The arc is consistent: reduce reliance on YAML and internal-system knowledge while broadening the hardware ecosystem. Each release chips away at a specific category of device or workflow that previously required expert configuration. The open development commitment announced at State of the Open Home 2026 adds transparency to roadmap planning, which may accelerate community contributions to hardware integrations.

◆ Prediction

The next likely move is further automation simplification — possibly natural-language rule description or voice-driven automation authoring — building on the purpose-specific trigger foundation. Hardware expansion (Matter/Thread, radio, legacy IR) will continue on the monthly release cadence.

Alternatives to Authelia and Home Assistant

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Authelia or Home Assistant.

See all Authelia alternatives → · See all Home Assistant alternatives →

Recent activity from Authelia and Home Assistant

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1d agoAutheliaAuthelia 4.39.22: access token JWT storage fix
  2. 1d agoAutheliaAuthelia 4.39.21: 23 bug fixes across auth and OIDC
  3. 2d agoHome Assistant2026.9: Modbus Connection Sharing and UI Device Selection
  4. 1mo agoHome Assistant2026.8: Approachability Improvements and ESPHome Starter Kit
  5. 2mo agoHome Assistant2026.7: Automations that speak your language
  6. 3mo agoHome Assistant2026.6: Dashboard Card Picker Redesign
  7. 3mo agoAutheliaAuthelia 4.39.20: two security advisories patched
  8. 3mo agoAutheliaAuthelia 4.39.17: LDAP and OIDC rate limit fixes
  9. 3mo agoAutheliaAuthelia 4.39.16: security fix GHSA-gmfg-3v4q-9qr4
  10. 3mo agoAutheliaAuthelia 4.39.15: LDAP health and authz defaults fixes
  11. 4mo agoHome Assistant2026.5: Radio Frequency Integration and Open Home Commitment
  12. 5mo agoHome Assistant2026.4: Infrared Support for Legacy Devices

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Authelia and Home Assistant?

Both compete on the same themes — open-source, self-hosted — within Infra & APIs. Authelia is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Authelia better than Home Assistant?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Authelia is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Authelia?

Top Authelia alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Authelia alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/authelia for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Home Assistant?

Top Home Assistant alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Home Assistant alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/home-assistant for the full list with editorial commentary on each.