ESPHome Device Builder
ESPHome Builder for Desktop
Free · Open sourceLatest versionMac
About ESPHome Device Builder
A cross-platform desktop application that bundles ESPHome with Python and runs the ESPHome Device Builder as a background daemon with system tray integration.
Status: stable and ready for production use. With the 1.0.0 release, the recovery system works the same on every platform (Windows was the last to gain it). Issues and feedback welcome; please check existing issues (opens in a new tab) first, and join the Discord channel (opens in a new tab) for live discussion.
Features
- System Tray Integration: Runs in the background with a system tray icon
- Single-Instance: Only one instance runs at a time; launching again opens the browser
- Auto-Updates: Checks for ESPHome (Python) updates and notifies you
- Self-Updating App: macOS DMG, Windows NSIS, and Linux AppImage installs can update themselves in-place from GitHub Releases
- Cross-Platform: Native installers for macOS (DMG), Windows (NSIS), and Linux (AppImage/deb)
- Bundled Python: Includes a full Python 3.14 runtime - no system Python required
Pre-built Installers
Download the latest release for your platform from desktop.esphome.io (opens in a new tab), or grab the files directly from the GitHub releases (opens in a new tab) page.
Upgrading from a 0.x pre-release
If you were running a pre-release 0.x version on Windows, do a one-time clean upgrade: uninstall the app, reboot, then install the latest release. The reboot ensures no backend process from the old install is left running (#322 (opens in a new tab)). This only affects Windows; macOS and Linux installs update in place as usual. Your ESPHome configurations in ~/esphome are not touched by the uninstaller, and the C:\esphb build data folder is also kept (see [Data Locations](#data-locations)), so builds stay warm.
First Run
On first launch, ESPHome Device Builder will:
- Install ESPHome and its dependencies
- Start the ESPHome Device Builder
- Open your browser to
http://localhost:6052
This initial setup may take a few minutes depending on your internet connection.
Usage
Starting the App
Simply launch ESPHome Device Builder. It will:
- Start the ESPHome Device Builder in the background
- Show a system tray icon
- Open your browser to the Device Builder
Tray Menu
Right-click (or left-click on some platforms) the tray icon to access:
- Open Dashboard - Open the dashboard in your browser
- Status - Shows if the daemon is running
Description adapted from the project README.
- Version
- 1.1.3
- Updated
- Aug 21, 2026
- Size
- 93 MB to 98 MB
- License
- Apache License 2.0
Open source details
- Source code
- Exact source for v1.1.3
- Released
- Aug 21, 2026
- GitHub stars
- 180
Community project. Help and bug reports go to the maintainers on GitHub; AppsXi does not provide support for this app.
License
PermissiveApache License 2.0
Use, change and share it freely, including in closed source apps, as long as the copyright notice stays. Includes a patent grant.
Read the full licenseHow this app was checked
AppsXi checks every version before it is listed.
Signed by Open Home Foundation (GUYFAK8DC6)
Apple Developer ID team GUYFAK8DC6
Notarized by Apple
Hardened Runtime on
File matches the hash GitHub published
SHA-256 48e7e7aecf6c0d7617eb7bd9a05a930448434b2648e0d62fbec39966dbbb9f3b
Part of GitHub's immutable release v1.1.3
GitHub signed that this file belongs to that release of esphome/esphome-desktop, so it cannot be swapped later.
No malware found
ClamAV 1.5.4 on Oct 14, 2026
Install and behavior test in a virtual machine: not run yet
Coming soon for all listings.
Versions
1.1.3checked
Checked Oct 14, 2026 · Mac
DMG · 93 MB, DMG · 98 MB
Questions about ESPHome Device Builder
Is ESPHome Device Builder free?
Yes. ESPHome Device Builder is free and open source under the Apache License 2.0. AppsXi lists the maintainers' official release and does not charge for it.
Is ESPHome Device Builder safe to download?
AppsXi downloads every version of ESPHome Device Builder from the maintainers' official GitHub release and checks it before it is listed. For version 1.1.3 (checked Oct 14, 2026), the Mac download is signed by its developer and notarized by Apple, each file matches the checksum GitHub publishes for the release, byte for byte and a malware scan found nothing.
Does ESPHome Device Builder run on Apple silicon Macs?
Yes. ESPHome Device Builder has a native Apple silicon build, and it runs on Intel Macs too.
What does ESPHome Device Builder need to run?
ESPHome Device Builder needs macOS 10.15 or later.
Who makes ESPHome Device Builder?
ESPHome Device Builder is an open source project by ESPHome on GitHub (esphome/esphome-desktop). Help and bug reports go to its maintainers there.
Reviews
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