Tody alternatives: 6 open-source picks
Tody costs $4.99/mo — $59.88 a year. These 6 alternatives replace it for $0, led by Grocy, Donetick and Home Assistant. All 6 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-29. No trials, no crippled tiers.
Recurring chores with due dates and history, bundled inside a tiny home ERP.
Tody with shared assignments, flexible recurrence, and a history nobody can quietly rewrite.
The de-facto open-source home automation hub — thousands of integrations, fully local control.
licenseApache-2.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Local NVR with real-time AI object detection for security cameras — no cloud subscription.
licenseMIT
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Recipe manager and meal planner with one-click URL import and shopping lists.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Powerful recipe manager with meal planning, shopping lists, and multi-user support.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
What each one is, in full: Home Assistant · Frigate · Mealie · Tandoor Recipes
last updated 2026-08-29 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
the usual suspects · recommended everywhere, rejected here
Family Tools BasicShared chores work, but flexible condition-based recurrence and neutral history are thinner than Tody.
how to choose a Tody alternative
Easiest to get running
Mealie — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
Most proven
Home Assistant, with 78,000 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 6, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
Needs real ops to self-host
Frigate is capable but expects someone to run a server, updates and backups. Budget for that before choosing it.
what you give up by leaving Tody
- mobile polish, household sync, reminders, and motivating interaction design
- frictionless family sync
- retailer and smart-home integrations
- large recipe or product database
- mobile polish
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
Tody alternatives at a glance
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grocy | open source | docker to self-host | web, windows, self-hosted | 9,358 | 2026-07 |
| Donetick | open source | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 2,400 | 2026-08 |
| Home Assistant | Apache-2.0 | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 78,000 | 2026-08 |
| Frigate | MIT | self-host, real ops | self-hosted, web | 22,000 | 2026-08 |
| Mealie | AGPL-3.0 | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 9,000 | 2026-08 |
| Tandoor Recipes | AGPL-3.0 | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 6,000 | 2026-08 |
why people still pay for Tody
People still pay for Tody because household apps survive when every family member actually uses them and the data stays current across devices. The recurring cost buys multi-user conflicts, reminders, notifications, imports, barcode data, smart-home APIs, backups, and long-term maintenance, not just the visible interface. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $59.88 a year.
questions about switching from Tody
Is there an open-source alternative to Tody?
Yes: Grocy, Donetick, Home Assistant and 3 more. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace Tody?
Our verdict is YES. Home Assistant (78k stars), Frigate (22k stars), Grocy (9k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Tody — self-host with docker and stop paying $4.99/mo. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/tody.
What is the easiest open-source Tody alternative to set up?
Mealie — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
What is the most popular open-source Tody alternative?
By GitHub stars, Home Assistant (78,000). Frigate is next with 22,000.
