XiaoZhi vs 小智 (Xiaozhi)
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Open-source firmware that turns ESP32 boards into a voice chatbot controllable through MCP.
Open source · MIT
Self-hosted backend server that lets ESP32 voice-assistant devices talk to AI models.
The short answer
Choose XiaoZhi if you need…
- Hobbyists who want a voice assistant on a supported ESP32 development board
- Developers building a custom voice device or adding MCP-controlled hardware
- Makers who want to experiment with the xiaozhi.me cloud service and its free Qwen real-time model
- Students learning embedded C++ on real hardware with audio and display peripherals
Choose 小智 (Xiaozhi) if you need…
- Owners of ESP32 voice-assistant hardware who want their own backend
- Hobbyists who already connected a device to the official xiaozhi backend and want to self-host
- Developers experimenting with voice AI pipelines on low-cost hardware
- Users who want a local-only short-term memory and can run speech recognition on their own machine
Side-by-side
| XiaoZhi | 小智 (Xiaozhi) | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 32.5k | 11.1k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Advanced |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Run with Docker |
| Main language | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
XiaoZhi
XiaoZhi is open-source firmware for small ESP32-family microcontroller boards that makes them into a voice assistant. It combines speech recognition, a large language model and speech output, and uses the MCP protocol so the assistant can also control devices and connect to outside tools. The README says it is mainly a voice interaction entry point that works with large models such as Qwen and DeepSeek.
小智 (Xiaozhi)
This is the server side for the open-source xiaozhi-esp32 hardware project, which runs voice assistants on ESP32 chips. It handles speech recognition, large language model replies, speech synthesis, and device control, so you can run your own instance instead of relying on someone else's. The README says it is written in Python, Java and Vue and supports MQTT+UDP, WebSocket, and MCP access points.
Best for
XiaoZhi
- Hobbyists who want a voice assistant on a supported ESP32 development board
- Developers building a custom voice device or adding MCP-controlled hardware
- Makers who want to experiment with the xiaozhi.me cloud service and its free Qwen real-time model
- Students learning embedded C++ on real hardware with audio and display peripherals
小智 (Xiaozhi)
- Owners of ESP32 voice-assistant hardware who want their own backend
- Hobbyists who already connected a device to the official xiaozhi backend and want to self-host
- Developers experimenting with voice AI pipelines on low-cost hardware
- Users who want a local-only short-term memory and can run speech recognition on their own machine
Strengths
XiaoZhi
- Large hardware support list, with 138 board directories and 171 release variants per the README
- Supports multiple connection options, including Wi-Fi, Ethernet and 4G, plus WebSocket and MQTT+UDP transports
- Documented developer guides for custom boards, MCP usage and the communication protocols
小智 (Xiaozhi)
- Broad feature list in the README: streaming speech, voiceprint recognition, memory, knowledge base and multiple tool-calling options
- Offers a free starter configuration and a streaming configuration, with a documented performance-testing method
- MIT license, with a web admin console and multi-language UI support according to the README
Not ideal for
XiaoZhi
- People without an ESP32-compatible board, since the firmware runs only on that hardware
- Users who need a finished consumer product with no setup, because the README points beginners to a flashing guide and the build path requires ESP-IDF
- Teams requiring a specific SDK version below ESP-IDF v6.0.1, since the README says 5.x is no longer supported
小智 (Xiaozhi)
- Production or public-internet use: the README says the project has not passed a network security review and should not be used in production
- People without ESP32 hardware, since the server is built to serve that device project
- Anyone who wants a turnkey, no-configuration setup, since it needs API keys and component configuration
Trade-offs
XiaoZhi
- Building from source requires ESP-IDF v6.0.1 or later and the README warns about specific tag and submodule pitfalls
- Default setup relies on the official xiaozhi.me server, and the README does not detail self-hosting beyond linking third-party server projects
- Much of the setup documentation and tutorials are hosted on external sites and in Chinese, so the README alone may not cover every step
小智 (Xiaozhi)
- The README explicitly warns it is not production-ready and has not passed security testing
- Running local FunASR speech recognition is memory-heavy; full-module setup also needs a database
- Depends on third-party API services whose quality and terms are outside the project's control
Getting started
XiaoZhi
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/78/xiaozhi-esp32Update ESP-IDF submodules after switching SDK revision
git submodule update --init --recursive小智 (Xiaozhi)
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/xinnan-tech/xiaozhi-esp32-serverFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between XiaoZhi and 小智 (Xiaozhi)?
XiaoZhi: Open-source firmware that turns ESP32 boards into a voice chatbot controllable through MCP. 小智 (Xiaozhi): Self-hosted backend server that lets ESP32 voice-assistant devices talk to AI models. XiaoZhi suits hobbyists who want a voice assistant on a supported esp32 development board, while 小智 (Xiaozhi) suits owners of esp32 voice-assistant hardware who want their own backend.
Are XiaoZhi and 小智 (Xiaozhi) free?
XiaoZhi: Free and open source. 小智 (Xiaozhi): Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, XiaoZhi or 小智 (Xiaozhi)?
XiaoZhi is easier to get started with (rated intermediate); 小智 (Xiaozhi) is rated advanced and usually needs more setup.
Is XiaoZhi or 小智 (Xiaozhi) more popular?
XiaoZhi has more GitHub stars (32.5k) than 小智 (Xiaozhi) (11.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to XiaoZhi and 小智 (Xiaozhi)?
Other options people compare them with include nanobot.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.