mytesla.io vs TeslaMate
How mytesla.io compares with TeslaMate and hosted MyTeslaMate: a data logger you study versus an AI assistant that acts on your car. What each does best, and why many owners run both.
TeslaMate is the beloved open-source Tesla data logger: it records every drive and charge, graphs efficiency and battery health in Grafana, and costs nothing but a server to run it on. MyTeslaMate is the best-known hosted version (from about EUR 4.99/month per vehicle) for people who want TeslaMate without running Docker themselves. mytesla.io is a different kind of product: an AI assistant for your Tesla, not a logger. One records what your car did; the other lets your AI do things with your car. The real question isn't which is better, it's which job you're hiring for.
mytesla.io is not affiliated with TeslaMate, MyTeslaMate, or Tesla, Inc. This comparison is our own summary of publicly documented features; check each product's site for current details.
The one-line difference
- TeslaMate watches your car and writes everything down. It's a rearview mirror: drives, charges, efficiency, and battery health, beautifully graphed.
- mytesla.io puts your AI's hands on the car. You describe an outcome, "make sure it's charged for my 7am drive", and Claude or ChatGPT issues the real commands.
Side by side
| TeslaMate / MyTeslaMate | mytesla.io | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Data logger + Grafana dashboards | MCP server your AI operates the car through |
| Primary interface | Dashboards you study | Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP client |
| Commands & automations | TeslaMate logs only; MyTeslaMate adds an API proxy you script against | Plain-English requests your AI turns into real commands, no scripting |
| Drive & charge history | The core strength: everything, kept forever | Not stored, by design: live status only |
| Setup | Docker on your own hardware, or MyTeslaMate hosts it | Nothing to install or run: sign up, connect, done |
| Credentials | Onboarding asks you to supply Tesla API tokens | Tesla's own sign-in page (OAuth); no tokens to extract or paste |
| Background connection | Stays connected to record (with careful sleep logic) | Touches the car only when you ask something |
| Smart home | MQTT + Home Assistant integration | Composes with whatever your AI is connected to |
| Price | Free self-hosted; MyTeslaMate from EUR 4.99/mo per vehicle | $4.99/mo (Driver), $9.99/mo (Driver Max) |
When TeslaMate (or MyTeslaMate) is the better pick
- You want a complete record of every drive and charge, for expense tracking, resale evidence, or plain curiosity.
- You care about long-term battery-health and efficiency trends, graphed properly.
- You enjoy dashboards, MQTT, and Home Assistant wiring, or you want MyTeslaMate to host all of that for you.
If a lifetime logbook of your Tesla is what you want, run TeslaMate. It is excellent at being exactly that.
When mytesla.io is the better pick
- You want the car to do things: precondition before a meeting, hit 100% by 7am on off-peak rates, lock up and arm Sentry at night.
- You already live in Claude or ChatGPT and want your car in that surface.
- You want requests composed with your calendar and the weather without writing rules or scripts.
- You want nothing to host and a credential story where you never handle an API token: you sign in on Tesla's own page, and access is revocable from your Tesla account.
- You'd rather nothing keep a record: we don't store your drives, charges, or location history.
Can I use both?
Yes, and it's a genuinely good pairing, arguably better than either alone. TeslaMate writes the history; mytesla.io handles the "do it now" and the routines. They don't conflict: nothing about connecting one prevents the other, and plenty of owners will want both a logbook and a driver's seat for their AI.
FAQ
Is mytesla.io a replacement for TeslaMate? No. They do different jobs: TeslaMate is a logger you study, mytesla.io is an assistant that acts. If you're choosing exactly one, choose by job: records or actions.
Does mytesla.io log my drives and charges like TeslaMate? No. We deliberately don't store your drive or charge history; that's a privacy choice. If detailed logging is your priority, TeslaMate is the better fit.
Do I have to paste Tesla API tokens into mytesla.io? No. You connect on Tesla's own sign-in page through official OAuth. We never see your Tesla password, there are no tokens to extract or paste, and you can revoke access anytime from your Tesla account.
Will mytesla.io keep my car awake? No. It contacts the car only when you, or a routine you asked for, request something. There is no background polling, and waking a sleeping car is an explicit, deliberately priced action rather than something that happens quietly in the background.