Alternatives to Home Assistant
The open source smart home hub
Home Assistant ranks #2 of 8 in Home automation, with an Alt Score of 100. It is licensed under Apache-2.0, free from Free and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
DIY enthusiasts, tinkerers, and privacy-conscious homeowners who want to control their smart home devices locally without relying on manufacturer clouds. Suits anyone comfortable running self-hosted software, from casual users to advanced automation experts.
An open-source home automation platform that unifies over 1,000 brands and thousands of device integrations into a single system. Data and processing stay on your local network by default, with cloud services used only when necessary. You get customizable dashboards, trigger-based automations, and Assist, a local voice assistant, plus official mobile apps for remote control and presence detection.
You install Home Assistant on compatible hardware (such as a Raspberry Pi or a dedicated device), and it scans your network to discover and set up supported devices as integrations. From there you build dashboards to monitor and control devices and create automations that trigger actions based on conditions like time, sensors, or device state.
Why people leave Home Assistant
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How Home Assistant compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Home automation checklist | Home Assistant | Domoticz | ESPHome | SmartThings | Homebridge | openHAB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Local-first (no cloud required) | ||||||
| Device / integration count | ||||||
| Automation engine | ||||||
| Voice assistant integration | ||||||
| Matter / Thread support | ||||||
| Energy monitoring | ||||||
| Dashboards | ||||||
| Mobile app | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| Runs on Raspberry Pi |
Every fact and feature listed for Home Assistant is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License Apache-2.0 verified 2026-07-10
Apache License, Version 2.0, January 2004
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/home-assistant/core/dev/LICENSE.md -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-10
There are no servers in the cloud and no hidden subscriptions: Home Assistant runs on your own hardware, in your own home, and your data stays with you.
https://www.home-assistant.io/getting-started/ -
Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-10
The software is free/open source; Home Assistant Cloud (Nabu Casa) is an optional paid add-on for remote access and voice.
There are no servers in the cloud and no hidden subscriptions: Home Assistant runs on your own hardware, in your own home, and your data stays with you.
https://www.home-assistant.io/getting-started/ -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android verified 2026-07-10
iOS/Android via the official companion apps.
Install Home Assistant on Linux; Install Home Assistant on macOS; Install Home Assistant on Windows
https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/ -
Status active verified 2026-07-10
A new stable version of Home Assistant is released on the first Wednesday of every month.
https://www.home-assistant.io/faq/release/ -
Local-first (no cloud required) Yes verified 2026-07-10
There are no servers in the cloud and no hidden subscriptions: Home Assistant runs on your own hardware, in your own home, and your data stays with you.
https://www.home-assistant.io/getting-started/ -
Device / integration count Yes verified 2026-07-10
Home Assistant supports thousands of brands across more than a hundred categories, including Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter, and Thread.
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/ -
Automation engine Yes verified 2026-07-10
Automations are how you make your home work for you. They let Home Assistant automatically respond to things that happen, such as turning the lights on at sunset or pausing the music when you receive
https://www.home-assistant.io/docs/automation/ -
Voice assistant integration Yes verified 2026-07-10
Assist is the voice assistant built into Home Assistant. It lets you control your smart home with natural language, and it can run fully on your own hardware, so your voice commands stay private.
https://www.home-assistant.io/voice_control/ -
Matter / Thread support Yes verified 2026-07-10
The Matter integration allows you to control Matter devices on your local Wi-Fi or Thread network.
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/matter/ -
Energy monitoring Yes verified 2026-07-10
Home Assistant helps you monitor your energy usage, transition to sustainable energy and save money.
https://www.home-assistant.io/home-energy-management/ -
Dashboards Yes verified 2026-07-10
From there, you can build your own dashboards visually, with drag and drop, no coding required.
https://www.home-assistant.io/dashboards/ -
Mobile app Yes verified 2026-07-10
All the ways you can integrate Home Assistant into Android and iOS.
https://companion.home-assistant.io/#the-companion-apps -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-10
Apache License, Version 2.0, January 2004
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/home-assistant/core/dev/LICENSE.md -
Runs on Raspberry Pi Yes verified 2026-07-10
Install Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi
https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi
FAQ
Yes. Domoticz, ESPHome and Homebridge have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Domoticz, ESPHome and Homebridge — every license claim links its source.