{ "caption": "Smart home platform comparison, United States, September 2026. Local score is the Local Control Index total from our published rubric.", "version": "2026.09", "updated": "2026-09-07", "license": "CC BY 4.0, Smart Living Web", "columns": [ { "key": "name", "label": "Platform" }, { "key": "matter", "label": "Matter support" }, { "key": "thread_br", "label": "Thread border router" }, { "key": "radios", "label": "Radios" }, { "key": "local_score", "label": "Local Control Index" }, { "key": "hub_hardware", "label": "Hub hardware" }, { "key": "subscription", "label": "Subscription" }, { "key": "best_for", "label": "Best for" }, { "key": "weak_for", "label": "Wrong for" }, { "key": "one_liner", "label": "In one line" } ], "rows": [ { "key": "apple", "name": "Apple Home", "url": "/platforms/apple-home/", "one_liner": "The easiest good answer if everyone in the house carries an iPhone, with automations that run on your hub rather than someone's server.", "hub_hardware": "HomePod mini ($129), HomePod 2, Apple TV 4K 2nd gen, Apple TV 4K 3rd gen 128 GB Wi-Fi plus Ethernet ($249)", "hub_price_usd": 129, "hub_price_label": "$129 for a HomePod mini", "matter": "Apple does not publish a version. Behavior matches roughly Matter 1.2 to 1.4 device types.", "thread_br": "Yes", "thread_note": "Border router duty falls to a HomePod mini, HomePod 2, Apple TV 4K 2nd gen, or the 128 GB Wi-Fi plus Ethernet Apple TV 4K 3rd gen. The 64 GB Wi-Fi only Apple TV has no Thread radio.", "radios": "Wi-Fi, Thread, Bluetooth LE", "local_score": 60, "local_voice": "no", "effort": 1, "voice": "Siri", "voice_key": "siri", "subscription": "No subscription for core use. iCloud+ is needed for HomeKit Secure Video.", "best_for": "All-iPhone households that want reliable local automation without maintaining anything.", "weak_for": "Android users, Zigbee or Z-Wave owners, energy monitoring, and anyone who wants complex automation logic." }, { "key": "google", "name": "Google Home", "url": "/platforms/google-home/", "one_liner": "Best voice understanding of the mainstream three, and the most cloud-dependent of them by a wide margin.", "hub_hardware": "Google Home Speaker 2026 ($99.99), Nest Hub 2nd gen, Nest Hub Max, Nest Wifi Pro, Google TV Streamer", "hub_price_usd": 100, "hub_price_label": "$99.99 for a Google Home Speaker", "matter": "Documented device types top out at Matter 1.3, and Matter 1.2 types were still being added through late 2025.", "thread_br": "Yes", "thread_note": "Nest Hub 2nd gen, Nest Hub Max, Nest Wifi Pro, Google TV Streamer and the 2026 Google Home Speaker. The Streamer and Nest Wifi Pro are the ones on Thread 1.4.", "radios": "Wi-Fi, Thread, Bluetooth LE", "local_score": 15, "local_voice": "no", "effort": 1, "voice": "Gemini for Home", "voice_key": "google", "subscription": "Google Home Premium at $10 or $20 a month for camera history and the advanced Gemini features.", "best_for": "Households already invested in Nest hardware that mainly want voice control.", "weak_for": "Anything that has to keep working during an outage, and any protocol other than Wi-Fi and Thread." }, { "key": "alexa", "name": "Amazon Alexa", "url": "/platforms/amazon-alexa/", "one_liner": "The widest device compatibility and the cheapest hardware, built on a design that assumes the internet is always there.", "hub_hardware": "Echo Dot Max ($99.99), Echo Hub, Echo Show 8 and up, Echo Studio, Echo 4th gen, eero 6 and 7 routers", "hub_price_usd": 100, "hub_price_label": "$99.99 for an Echo Dot Max", "matter": "Echo devices run the Matter 1.5 SDK and expose a subset of 1.5 and earlier device types.", "thread_br": "Yes", "thread_note": "The widest border router hardware list of any ecosystem, including most eero 6 and 7 routers, but Amazon exposes almost no Thread diagnostics when something goes wrong.", "radios": "Wi-Fi, Thread, Zigbee on selected models, Bluetooth LE, Sidewalk", "local_score": 5, "local_voice": "no", "effort": 1, "voice": "Alexa", "voice_key": "alexa", "subscription": "Alexa+ is included with Prime, otherwise $19.99 a month.", "best_for": "Getting a lot of devices working cheaply, and voice control in every room.", "weak_for": "Local control, privacy, Z-Wave, and any automation you would miss during an outage." }, { "key": "smartthings", "name": "Samsung SmartThings", "url": "/platforms/samsung-smartthings/", "one_liner": "The broadest protocol support of the mainstream platforms, and the fastest to adopt new Matter versions, with a cloud you cannot avoid.", "hub_hardware": "SmartThings Station, Aeotec Smart Home Hub, or the hub built into 2022 and later Samsung TVs and Family Hub refrigerators", "hub_price_usd": 120, "hub_price_label": "nothing extra if you own a recent Samsung TV, otherwise a Station or Aeotec hub", "matter": "Matter 1.5, shipped about a month after the specification and ahead of every other consumer platform.", "thread_br": "Yes", "thread_note": "SmartThings Station and Aeotec Smart Home Hub 2 are the documented border routers. Vendor lists disagree on older hubs, so check the current spec sheet.", "radios": "Wi-Fi, Thread, Zigbee, Z-Wave on Aeotec hubs, Bluetooth LE", "local_score": 30, "local_voice": "no", "effort": 2, "voice": "Bixby, or Alexa and Google as guests", "voice_key": "none", "subscription": "No subscription for normal use. API access moves to a paid Personal Plan from October 2026, which affects integrations rather than the app.", "best_for": "Mixed protocol homes, and anyone who wants Matter features first.", "weak_for": "Outage resilience, and anyone relying on the free API through another platform." }, { "key": "home-assistant", "name": "Home Assistant", "url": "/platforms/home-assistant/", "one_liner": "The only platform where the cloud is genuinely optional, in exchange for being the one you have to maintain.", "hub_hardware": "Home Assistant Green ($199) plus a Connect ZBT-2 radio ($49) or ZWA-2 for Z-Wave ($69), or your own hardware", "hub_price_usd": 248, "hub_price_label": "$199 for a Green plus $49 for a ZBT-2 radio", "matter": "Matter 1.6 in the current Matter Server, the most current implementation of any platform, though not yet re-certified by the alliance.", "thread_br": "Yes", "thread_note": "Runs the OpenThread Border Router add-on on Home Assistant Yellow, Connect ZBT-1 or Connect ZBT-2. The ZBT-2 does Zigbee or Thread, not both at once, so plan for two radios.", "radios": "Zigbee, Thread, Z-Wave 800 and Long Range, Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, infrared and 433 MHz through ESPHome", "local_score": 100, "local_voice": "yes", "effort": 5, "voice": "Assist, fully local if you want it", "voice_key": "none", "subscription": "None required. Home Assistant Cloud is $6.50 a month for remote access and voice services.", "best_for": "People who want everything local, every protocol, and no vendor able to switch a feature off.", "weak_for": "Households where nobody wants to be the administrator." }, { "key": "hubitat", "name": "Hubitat Elevation", "url": "/platforms/hubitat/", "one_liner": "A local automation appliance for people who want Home Assistant reliability without running a server, and will accept a dated interface for it.", "hub_hardware": "Hubitat Elevation C-8 Pro ($184.95), or the Thread Special Edition ($249.95) which swaps the Zigbee radio for Thread", "hub_price_usd": 185, "hub_price_label": "$184.95 for a C-8 Pro", "matter": "Hubitat states Matter 1.5 on current hubs. That is a vendor claim we could not confirm in a certification record.", "thread_br": "Model dependent", "thread_note": "The standard C-8 Pro has no Thread radio at all. A Thread Special Edition replaces the Zigbee radio with a Thread one, so you choose between the two rather than getting both.", "radios": "Zigbee 3.0 or Thread depending on model, Z-Wave 800 and Long Range, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth", "local_score": 88, "local_voice": "no", "effort": 4, "voice": "None built in, works as a back end for Alexa or Google", "voice_key": "none", "subscription": "None required. Hub Protect is optional for cloud backup and remote access.", "best_for": "Z-Wave and Zigbee heavy homes that want rules to run locally with no maintenance culture.", "weak_for": "Beginners, and anyone who wants Zigbee and Thread in the same box." }, { "key": "homey", "name": "Homey Pro", "url": "/platforms/homey/", "one_liner": "Every radio in one box, including infrared and 433 MHz, at a price that only makes sense if you need most of them.", "hub_hardware": "Homey Pro 2026 ($449), Homey Pro mini ($249) which needs a $69 Bridge for anything beyond Wi-Fi and Zigbee", "hub_price_usd": 449, "hub_price_label": "$449 for a Homey Pro 2026", "matter": "Matter 1.5, certified in June 2026. Cameras are not included and are deferred to a later release.", "thread_br": "Yes", "thread_note": "A border router is built into both Homey Pro models, but the 2026 model forms its own Thread network rather than joining an existing one, which limits where you can place devices.", "radios": "Wi-Fi, Thread, Zigbee 3.0, Z-Wave 700, Bluetooth LE, infrared, 433 MHz where permitted", "local_score": 63, "local_voice": "no", "effort": 3, "voice": "None built in, works with Siri, Alexa and Google", "voice_key": "none", "subscription": "None required for Pro. Cloud backup is $10 a year.", "best_for": "Homes full of legacy hardware that needs bridging into Matter, especially infrared and 433 MHz gear.", "weak_for": "Budget buyers, and anyone who needs their hub to join an existing Thread network." } ] }