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Smart Home

Gladys Assistant

Building a self-hosted smart home with the strictest possible privacy — no cloud of any kind by default

Privacy score 95 Free Technical: Intermediate
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Privacy-first open-source smart home assistant with zero cloud features and no

.

🔀

Recommended alternatives

Home Assistant
Linux Raspberry-pi Docker Web Android iOS

Who is this for?

✓ Good for you if:

  • • You want a smart home platform with zero and zero cloud features
  • • You prefer a cleaner, more focused interface than Home Assistant
  • • You are based in the EU and want a -native project
  • • You want open-source code you can inspect and trust
  • • You want optional remote access without trusting a cloud server

⚠ Think twice if:

  • • You need the widest possible device integration ecosystem (Home Assistant covers more brands)
  • • You rely on integrations not yet supported by Gladys plugins
  • • You want a very large community with extensive guides and forums

Overview

Gladys Assistant is a privacy-focused, open-source smart home platform built around a strict no-cloud philosophy. Unlike most smart home platforms, Gladys has deliberately removed all optional cloud features — there is no sync service, no telemetry

, and no account creation required. Everything runs on your own hardware on your local network. Gladys supports Zigbee, Matter, MQTT, and dozens of device integrations through its plugin system. It is developed primarily by Pierre-Gilles Leymarie and a community of contributors, and is funded through GitHub Sponsors and a paid Gladys Plus subscription that enables encrypted remote access via a peer-to-peer tunnel — no data passes through Gladys servers. The project is based in France, giving it a GDPR-native development culture. Gladys is a good alternative to Home Assistant for users who want a simpler interface or who want the absolute maximum in privacy, with no optional cloud features at all.

Privacy highlight

Zero

. No cloud features whatsoever. Fully local, , French -native project.

Quick facts

Country:
🇫🇷 France
Pricing:
Free
Platform:
Linux, Raspberry-pi, Docker, Web, Android, iOS
Technical:
Intermediate
:
No
:
No telemetry
:
No
:
Yes
:
Yes

Key features

  • Zero cloud features — fully local by default
  • No , no account creation required
  • Zigbee, Matter, MQTT support
  • Plugin system for device integrations
  • Optional peer-to-peer encrypted remote access (Gladys Plus)
  • Mobile-first web interface
Security & encryption Click to expand
No
Encryption protocols
TLS 1.2+, Peer-to-peer encrypted tunnel (Gladys Plus remote access)
All data is stored locally. The optional Gladys Plus remote access uses a peer-to-peer encrypted tunnel — data does not pass through Gladys servers. Keys are managed locally.
Offline support
Yes
Telemetry & tracking Click to expand
No telemetry
No
Ip no
Gladys Assistant collects zero . There is no opt-in or opt-out — simply does not exist in the platform. This is a core design decision.
Jurisdiction & compliance Click to expand
Gladys Assistant is developed in France. All data runs locally on your hardware. The optional Gladys Plus remote access server infrastructure is minimal and does not store your home data.
All data is stored on your local hardware. No data ever reaches any external server unless you enable the optional Gladys Plus remote access, which uses a peer-to-peer encrypted tunnel that does not pass data through Gladys servers.
Legal frameworks
Revenue sources
Gladys Plus subscription (optional remote access), GitHub Sponsors
Editorial signals Click to expand
95
Trust score
88
Trust breakdown (0–10)
Encryption: 85, Audits: 65, Open source: 100, Telemetry: 100, Jurisdiction: 85, Transparency: 80, Trackers: 100
Editorial notes
Usability: 78, Performance: 85, Family friendly: 72
User experience Click to expand
Signup requirements
none
Onboarding difficulty (1-5)
2
Accessibility features
Web-based dashboard with standard HTML structure and keyboard navigation. Screen reader support via browser accessibility APIs. React-based frontend with ARIA attributes. Self-hosted deployment.
Backup & portability Click to expand
Yes
Migration tools
Manual config export
Local backup restore

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