Is ten-vad or xiaozhi-esp32-server better?

Neither is universally better. ten-vad is the stronger fit for teams working primarily in C; xiaozhi-esp32-server for the more widely-adopted project (10k stars). Use the side-by-side specs to decide by your own constraints.

Is ten-vad or xiaozhi-esp32-server free?

ten-vad is free to run and self-host; xiaozhi-esp32-server is free to run and self-host. Both are free to self-host — you only pay for the infrastructure and any model or API usage.

Which is more popular, ten-vad or xiaozhi-esp32-server?

By GitHub stars — a proxy for open-source adoption — xiaozhi-esp32-server is ahead (10k vs 2.2k). Stars measure attention, not necessarily the better fit for you.

Voice Agents · Head-to-head

ten-vad vs xiaozhi-esp32-server

ten-vad and xiaozhi-esp32-server are both voice agents. ten-vad is Voice Activity Detector (VAD): low-latency, high-performance and lightweight, while xiaozhi-esp32-server is 本项目为xiaozhi-esp32提供后端服务，帮助您快速搭建ESP32设备控制服务器。Backend service for xiaozhi-esp32, helps you quickly build an ESP32 device control server. Here's an independent, side-by-side look at how they compare — and which fits.

ten-vad

SDK / library· Open source

Voice Activity Detector (VAD): low-latency, high-performance and lightweight

Visit ten-vad →

xiaozhi-esp32-server

Infrastructure· Open source

本项目为xiaozhi-esp32提供后端服务，帮助您快速搭建ESP32设备控制服务器。Backend service for xiaozhi-esp32, helps you quickly build an ESP32 device control server.

Visit xiaozhi-esp32-server →

Bottom line

ten-vad and xiaozhi-esp32-server are both open-source voice agents you can self-host for free. xiaozhi-esp32-server has wider GitHub adoption — 10k stars vs 2.2k. Neither is universally better — pick by fit.

Side by side

Spec	ten-vad	xiaozhi-esp32-server
Type	SDK / library	Infrastructure
Model	Open source	Open source
Pricing	Open source	Open source
GitHub stars	2,185	10,016
Language	C	JavaScript
License	—	MIT
Last activity	Feb 2026	Jul 2026

Key differences

xiaozhi-esp32-server has wider GitHub adoption — 10k stars vs 2.2k.
ten-vad is written primarily in C; xiaozhi-esp32-server in JavaScript.

Choose ten-vad if

your team works primarily in C.

Choose xiaozhi-esp32-server if

you want the more widely-adopted project (10k GitHub stars).

About ten-vad

Voice Activity Detector (VAD): low-latency, high-performance and lightweight

Full ten-vad profile →

About xiaozhi-esp32-server

本项目为xiaozhi-esp32提供后端服务，帮助您快速搭建ESP32设备控制服务器。Backend service for xiaozhi-esp32, helps you quickly build an ESP32 device control server.

Full xiaozhi-esp32-server profile →

Frequently asked

What's the main difference between ten-vad and xiaozhi-esp32-server?: xiaozhi-esp32-server has wider GitHub adoption — 10k stars vs 2.2k.
Is ten-vad or xiaozhi-esp32-server better?: Neither is universally better. ten-vad is the stronger fit for teams working primarily in C; xiaozhi-esp32-server for the more widely-adopted project (10k stars). Use the side-by-side specs to decide by your own constraints.
Is ten-vad or xiaozhi-esp32-server free?: ten-vad is free to run and self-host; xiaozhi-esp32-server is free to run and self-host. Both are free to self-host — you only pay for the infrastructure and any model or API usage.
Which is more popular, ten-vad or xiaozhi-esp32-server?: By GitHub stars — a proxy for open-source adoption — xiaozhi-esp32-server is ahead (10k vs 2.2k). Stars measure attention, not necessarily the better fit for you.

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More voice agents comparisons

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