Alternatives guide: LED displays
AWTRIX alternatives: what to run now that AWTRIX 3 is archived
AWTRIX 3 is archived: no releases or support. Its successor, AWTRIX NG, is a rewrite: incompatible API, manual updates, noncommercial licence. If AWTRIX 3 runs on your Ulanzi TC001 or DIY matrix, you have 3 paths: migrate, switch firmware, or move to a display that keeps the AWTRIX 3 API, like Perchi Matrix (₹4,499) from MyPerchi.
Why are people looking for an AWTRIX alternative?
AWTRIX 3 is the free community firmware that made the Ulanzi TC001 famous: custom apps pushed over HTTP or MQTT without recompiling, Home Assistant discovery, an online flasher, 2,400 GitHub stars and a Discord of more than 5,000 members. On 18 September 2026 its README said development had ended and the repository was an archive, and pointed everyone to AWTRIX NG.
AWTRIX NG is a different animal. The HTTP paths, MQTT topics and payload keys all changed, and a key NG does not know is no longer ignored: 'the rule is all or nothing', so every AWTRIX 3 flow has to be rewritten. HTTP Basic auth exists but the shipping default is no auth at all, updates are a manual .bin upload, and the licence is PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0, which is why no commercial product can ship it.
Checklist
What to look for in AWTRIX alternatives
Five things the options below are judged on. Decide which two matter to you before reading the list.
- 01Does it keep the AWTRIX 3 API, so your notify and custom-app calls survive?
- 02Does it need flashing, and how are updates delivered (signed, or a manual .bin)?
- 03Is the local API authenticated by default?
- 04Does it keep Home Assistant discovery over MQTT?
- 05What does the licence allow, and who answers when it breaks?
The ranked list
5 AWTRIX alternatives, ranked by what you asked for
Ranked by the need in the search: something to run instead of AWTRIX 3. AWTRIX NG comes first because it is the free path for hardware you already own; Perchi Matrix (ours) is second because it is the only option that keeps the AWTRIX 3 API with authentication on, no flashing and a company behind it.
- 01
AWTRIX NG
- Price
- Free (PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0)
- Best for
- Staying on your TC001 or DIY panel with actively developed firmware
Where it wins
- Runs on ESP32 and ESP32-S3 with any WS2812 panel 8 high and 32 to 128 wide, single or chained, from one firmware image
- User apps written in Berry and edited in the browser; pushed apps over HTTP API v1 and MQTT
- Home Assistant MQTT auto-discovery; the AWTRIX Hub for community flows and icons
Where it falls short
- API paths, MQTT topics and payload keys all changed from AWTRIX 3; unknown keys reject the whole payload
- Authentication is off by default; updates are a manual, unsigned .bin upload
- PolyForm Noncommercial: not for commercial use without a separate agreement; 277 GitHub stars on 18 September 2026
- 02
Perchi Matrix
Ours- Price
- ₹4,499 incl. GST in India
- Best for
- Keeping your AWTRIX 3 flows without flashing, with authentication on and signed updates
Where it wins
- Implements an authenticated subset of the AWTRIX 3 local API (notify, custom apps, switch, settings, indicators, power) with a token, HTTP Basic or HMAC-signed requests
- MQTT with Home Assistant discovery out of the box; the token is scoped to one display and can be rotated any time
- No flashing: pairs from a browser; signed firmware updates with automatic rollback
- 70+ maintained apps and a no-code builder, so most things need no script at all
- Sold in India with a GST invoice and a 12-month warranty
Where it falls short
- A subset, not every AWTRIX 3 key; AWTRIX assumes 32x8, so those layouts are cropped on the 24x8 launch size until the 32x8 size opens
- No AWTRIX NG API and no Berry scripting
- No battery, no buzzer, no sensors
- A new product with no customer reviews yet; delivery is estimated 2 to 3 weeks from the day you reserve
- 03
ESPHome
- Price
- Free
- Best for
- Home Assistant users who would rather write YAML than learn a new API
Where it wins
- Home Assistant's own device firmware framework, entirely local
- Ulanzi lists an ESPHome modification for the TC001 officially
- You describe the panel and every sensor in one YAML file
Where it falls short
- You write and maintain the configuration yourself
- No app catalogue and no AWTRIX-style push API
- A build, not a product: no support line
- 04
WLED (2D matrix mode)
- Price
- Free
- Best for
- Effects and simple text on a matrix you already own
Where it wins
- A widely used LED firmware with a 2D matrix mode for effects and text
- One of the firmwares the TC001 is known to accept
- Runs on the same ESP32 boards
Where it falls short
- Effects and simple text, not data apps
- No AWTRIX API, so existing flows do not carry over
- Counters and notifications need your own glue
- 05
Keep AWTRIX 3 as it is
- Price
- Free
- Best for
- Anyone whose setup works today and who does not need new features
Where it wins
- Your automations keep running; nothing breaks on its own
- The archive, documentation and icons stay online
Where it falls short
- No releases and no issue support
- Security fixes will not come
- The hosted flasher and hub could go away at any time
Also on the shortlist, in one line each
- PixelIt: An older community firmware for the same hardware class. We did not check it on 18 September 2026, so it is not ranked here.
- Tasmota: Also flashable onto a TC001, according to owner write-ups; a general-purpose firmware rather than a display one, so not ranked here.
Side by side
How the options compare at a glance
The same options as a table. Yes and no marks are only used where the answer is unambiguous; everything else is spelled out.
| Feature | AWTRIX NG | Perchi Matrix ours | ESPHome | WLED 2D | AWTRIX 3 as it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | ₹4,499 incl. GST | Free | Free | Free |
| Flashing needed | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Already done |
| Keeps the AWTRIX 3 API | No | Subset, authenticated | No | No | Yes |
| Home Assistant discovery | Yes | Yes | Native | — | Yes |
| Auth on by default | No | Yes | n/a | — | Optional |
| Updates | Manual .bin | Signed OTA, rollback | You build | You flash | None |
| Licence | PolyForm Noncommercial | Commercial product | — | — | Archived |
| Support | Community | Company | Community | Community | None |
If you already run AWTRIX 3
Nothing breaks today. Your Home Assistant automations, ioBroker flows and Node-RED calls keep working on the firmware you have; what you lose is the future: no fixes, no new icons from upstream, and a flasher that may vanish. If you migrate to AWTRIX NG, plan to rewrite every payload, because NG rejects a message that contains a key it does not know.
If you move to Perchi Matrix, the calls you wrote for AWTRIX 3 (notify, custom apps, switch, settings, power) keep working once you add the display's token, and MQTT discovery puts it in Home Assistant without a rewrite. The endpoint-by-endpoint list lives on the Home Assistant app page, and the AWTRIX comparison page covers what we do not support.
AWTRIX alternatives: your questions, answered
Do AWTRIX 3 flows work on AWTRIX NG?
No. AWTRIX NG's migration guide says the API paths, MQTT topics and payload keys all changed, and that a key NG does not know is no longer ignored: the whole payload is rejected, 'all or nothing'. Every AWTRIX 3 integration has to be reworked for NG.
Which displays are AWTRIX-compatible out of the box?
Perchi Matrix implements an authenticated subset of the AWTRIX 3 local API and MQTT with Home Assistant discovery without any flashing. Every other AWTRIX-capable display we found, including the Ulanzi TC001, needs you to flash AWTRIX 3 or AWTRIX NG yourself; the Ulanzi TC002 does not support AWTRIX at all.
What is the best AWTRIX alternative that does not need flashing?
Perchi Matrix (₹4,499 in India). It pairs from a browser, keeps the AWTRIX 3 notify, custom-app, switch, settings and power calls behind a token, adds MQTT discovery for Home Assistant, and gets signed firmware updates with rollback. The trade-off is that it is a subset of AWTRIX 3, not a full clone, and it does not speak the AWTRIX NG API.
What is an 'AWTRIX simulator'?
It is a mode in the Ulanzi TC001's stock firmware that imitates part of the AWTRIX interface without flashing; Ulanzi prints it in the Amazon listing title. Owners describe it as laggy or prone to freezing. It is not needed on Perchi Matrix, where the AWTRIX 3 subset is built into the firmware.
Can I still flash AWTRIX on a TC001, and is it worth it in 2026?
Yes. AWTRIX 3 still flashes and still works, and AWTRIX NG is actively developed for the TC001 and any 8-high WS2812 panel. It is worth it if you enjoy maintaining firmware and scripting your own apps; it is not worth it if you want authentication on, signed updates, or someone to call when it breaks.
Which AWTRIX alternative keeps Home Assistant discovery?
AWTRIX NG and Perchi Matrix both publish MQTT discovery so the display appears in Home Assistant on its own; ESPHome is native to Home Assistant, and WLED has a core integration. On Perchi Matrix, Home Assistant runs in bearer-token mode, because Home Assistant cannot sign HMAC requests.
Keep reading
Related comparisons and guides
- Perchi Matrix vs AWTRIX
- AWTRIX 3 is archived: what it means
- What is an AWTRIX-compatible display?
- Home Assistant on Perchi Matrix
- Ulanzi TC001 alternatives
- Developers: local API, MQTT, REST
Other guides in this group: Tidbyt alternatives, Ulanzi TC001 alternatives, LaMetric TIME alternatives, Divoom Pixoo alternatives. All ten are on the alternatives hub.
Sources
- github.com/Blueforcer/awtrix3 (archived README)
- AWTRIX NG: HTTP reference (auth default)
- AWTRIX NG: updating guide
- AWTRIX NG: migrating from AWTRIX 3
- esphome.io
- kno.wled.ge
Competitor names and prices are quoted for comparison only; none of the companies named is affiliated with MyPerchi.
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