Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SmartThings VS Home-Assistant.io

Compare SmartThings VS Home-Assistant.io and see what are their differences

SmartThings logo SmartThings

SmartThings makes it easy to turn your home into a smart home.

Home-Assistant.io logo Home-Assistant.io

Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform running on Python 3.
  • SmartThings Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-21
  • Home-Assistant.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-18

SmartThings features and specs

  • Wide Compatibility
    SmartThings supports a wide range of devices from different manufacturers, allowing users to integrate and control various smart home devices in one platform.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The app provides an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible even for users who are new to smart home technology.
  • Automation Capabilities
    SmartThings offers robust automation features, enabling users to create custom routines and automate their devices based on triggers like time of day or device interactions.
  • Cloud Connectivity
    SmartThings leverages cloud connectivity to allow for control and monitoring of devices remotely from anywhere, as long as the user has an internet connection.
  • Developer-Friendly
    The platform provides tools and resources for developers to create custom integrations and expand the functionality of SmartThings through its API.

Possible disadvantages of SmartThings

  • Reliance on Cloud
    SmartThings' dependence on cloud services for certain functionalities can lead to potential issues like latency or outages if there's a problem with the internet connection.
  • Privacy Concerns
    With cloud-based operations, there's always a concern regarding data privacy and the potential for unauthorized access to personal information.
  • Limited Local Control
    Some users may find the limited options for local device control a drawback, especially if internet connectivity is unreliable in their area.
  • Complex Setup for Advanced Features
    While it is user-friendly, setting up advanced features and custom automations may require a learning curve or deeper technical understanding.
  • Dependency on Third-Party Devices
    The integration of third-party devices might lead to compatibility issues, varying performance, or less seamless experiences if updates or changes occur in those devices.

Home-Assistant.io features and specs

  • Open Source
    Home-Assistant.io is open-source, which means it's free to use and has a large community of contributors continuously improving it.
  • Local Control
    It allows for local control, giving users data privacy and reducing dependence on external servers.
  • Customization
    Highly customizable through add-ons and integrations, enabling users to tailor their setup to their specific needs.
  • Wide Range of Integrations
    Supports a vast number of integrations with different smart home devices and services, enhancing compatibility.
  • Active Community
    A very active user community that provides support, shares configurations, and contributes to the platform's development.

Possible disadvantages of Home-Assistant.io

  • Complex Setup
    Initial setup can be complicated and intimidating for beginners, requiring some technical knowledge.
  • Frequent Updates
    Frequent updates can sometimes introduce bugs, requiring users to troubleshoot and possibly roll back versions.
  • Limited Official Support
    Primarily community-driven support, which can be a drawback for users who prefer official customer service.
  • Hardware Requirements
    Optimal performance often requires dedicated hardware like a Raspberry Pi or a Home Assistant Blue device.
  • Learning Curve
    There's a significant learning curve involved to fully leverage the platform's features, which can be time-consuming.

SmartThings videos

SmartThings v3 Review & New Sensors - Comparing v3 vs v2

More videos:

  • Review - Samsung SmartThings Updates and New Features For April 26, 2020
  • Review - What I wish I knew when I started with SmartThings

Home-Assistant.io videos

Home Assistant Beginners Guide 2020

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SmartThings and Home-Assistant.io)
Home
8 8%
92% 92
Smarthome
15 15%
85% 85
Data Dashboard
10 10%
90% 90
Home Intelligence
10 10%
90% 90

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare SmartThings and Home-Assistant.io

SmartThings Reviews

We have no reviews of SmartThings yet.
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Home-Assistant.io Reviews

10 n8n.io Alternatives
Home-Assistant.io makes it effortless to get and stay on top of work efficiency and control local stuff while ensuring privacy. This open-source home automation is powered by the worldwide community of DIY enthusiasts and technical tinkerers. You can either get started, view a demo, or browse thousands of its integrations from its super-friendly user interface. Through...
9 Best home assistant apps for Android & iOS
For proper functioning, of course, you need access to the Home Assistant instance. The control must be local, which means that you can only control your own home while you are inside. In any case, if you value privacy and would like to try remote management, the Home Assistant is a great option.
List of Open Source Home Automation Software
Home assistant is relatively new software, but in this short time, it has gained a lot of popularity. As it has a large community, the developers in the community are also working on improving the platform. It is not a cloud-based home automation software like other similar platforms. It was developed keeping in mind security and privacy, so everything is done locally.
Source: linuxhint.com
16 Open Source Home Automation Platforms To Use In 2020
Home Assistant is another strong player in the open source home automation community, and it offers a platform that's catered to local control and privacy before anything else. In many ways, Home Assistant is comparable to openHAB in the sense that it shares a similar vision, integrating as many devices as possible into one free-to-use platform. On the developer side, Home...
Source: ubidots.com
OpenHab vs Home Assistant vs Domoticz – Let’s get down to Business
I haven´t really found any significant advantage of Domoticz over Home Assistant or OpenHab. I think it was a great platform at some point, however, the community is not as strong as it used to be. The is an exodus of users moving to OpenHab or Home Assistant. Compared to the other two it lacks flexibility and supported devices. At this point, I don´t think Domoticz is the...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Home-Assistant.io seems to be a lot more popular than SmartThings. While we know about 67 links to Home-Assistant.io, we've tracked only 1 mention of SmartThings. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

SmartThings mentions (1)

  • Senville (Midea?) Mini Split System Possible Problems/Questions - Southern New Mexico
    However, I've been doing a lot more reading and came across a forum on smartthings.com regarding a Carrier system. One member said he installed a Senville ducted system and what he did to make his ducted system wireless. He got rid of the very basic thermostat that came with the unit for an upgraded programmable thermostat and tied it in with the Wi-Fi kit. Source: over 2 years ago

Home-Assistant.io mentions (67)

  • Raspberry Pi Ltd.: Potential IPO on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange
    * Home Assistant (https://home-assistant.io/) - with USB passthrough of USB stick to read out my digital electricity/gas meters, Zigbee and Z-Wave. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Working on a custom smart home app..
    HA is Home Assistant. You should check it out. Mushroom is an add on to HA’s interface that adds sone different style “cards” than what it comes with. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • standalone systems?
    Yes, there's Home Assistant that can work completely off-line. You can find multitude tutorials on youtube on how to set it up, even using cheap solutions like Raspberry PI. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Turned my old 10-year-old android tablet into a wall clock/weather station
    I'm going to suggest- you ever heard of Home Assistant? It's a really useful home automation tool you could integrate with weather and clock on a dashboard. As well, you could use it to control smart devices. Source: about 2 years ago
  • has anyone done the big move from Spotify or other to Plex?
    As for the "what is playing" detection on my google minis. This is done with "https://home-assistant.io/". Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing SmartThings and Home-Assistant.io, you can also consider the following products

Google Home - Set up, manage, and control your Chromecast, Chromecast Audio and Google Home devices.

Home - Securely control all your HomeKit accessories from your favorite iOS device.

openHAB - "empowering the smart home" - vendor and technology agnostic open source home automation

ioBroker - flexible and modular application for the IoT and Smarthome

Homeway.io - Free, private, and secure Home Assistant remote access, Alexa and Google Assistant integration, and official Home Assistant iOS and Android remote access. Get started now! Now with Sage AI - ChatGPT powered Home Assistant AI!

Domoticz - Domoticz is a lightweight Home Automation System