Homey and Home Assistant are both popular choices in the smart home hub market, each with its unique set of features and benefits.
If you're on the fence about which one to go with, you're not alone.
Both platforms have their own advantages and considerations, and your choice will likely come down to your specific needs, technical expertise, and preference for a DIY vs. a more out-of-the-box solution.
Homey is an easy-to-use consumer smart home platform compatible with hubs such as the the Homey Pro. Browse the Homey Pro here.
What are Homey and Home Assistant?
Homey, created by Athom, is more of a full-featured smart home ecosystem complete with its own stand-alone hub hardware. It comes with built-in support for a plethora of connectivity protocols like Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, Infrared, Wi-Fi, and more. This wide-ranging support provides compatibility with an extensive array of smart devices straight out of the box, offering a convenient and user-friendly experience for setting up and managing a smart home.
On the contrary, Home Assistant is an open-source software platform that you can install on your hardware of choice. (Check out our Vesternet Home Assistant Hub "Homix") Originating from the Home Assistant Community, it is a highly flexible and customizable platform.
While it offers the advantage of being able to tailor your smart home setup to your specific needs, it does require more technical knowledge and hands-on setup compared to Homey. The compatibility with smart devices depends largely on the hardware you choose to run Home Assistant on, which can make it a more versatile but also potentially more complex option.
A smart home platform, like Homey and Home Assistant, is a centralized system that allows various smart home devices and technologies to interact with each other. These platforms can control a variety of devices, regardless of their manufacturer, offering a unified control system for devices like lights, thermostats, locks, and more.
Through a smart home platform, users can set routines or automations, for instance, to have your lights turn on when your smart camera detects motion, or to lock your smart locks when you leave a geofenced area around your house. Smart home platforms can also include or integrate with voice assistants to enable voice-activated control of devices.
The purpose of a smart home platform is to provide a seamless, integrated experience where all your smart home devices can work together harmoniously. The choice of platform can greatly affect your smart home experience, as different platforms offer different levels of compatibility, ease of use, and customization.
Homey
Homey is a smart home hub designed by Athom, a company based in the Netherlands. It provides a user-friendly, intuitive platform for integrating and automating a wide variety of smart home devices.
One of Homey's standout features is its compatibility. The system supports a wide range of protocols such as Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Infrared, and even 433 MHz, covering most smart home devices in the market.
The Homey app provides a visually pleasing and easy-to-use interface, offering users an out-of-the-box solution that doesn't require coding knowledge.
You can create automation rules (referred to as "Flows") with a simple drag-and-drop interface. Homey also has a strong emphasis on voice control, supporting not only Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa but also its own voice control system.
Home Assistant
Home Assistant, on the other hand, is an open-source home automation platform running on Python 3. It supports a multitude of smart devices and services, and because it's open-source, it's continuously updated and improved by a dedicated community of developers.
With Home Assistant, you can expect a high level of customization and flexibility. However, it comes with a steeper learning curve. It's well-suited for tech-savvy users who enjoy having complete control over their smart home setup and are comfortable navigating through code.
Home Assistant's automation system is highly powerful and adaptable but does require a certain level of technical understanding.
What's the difference between Homey and Home Assistant?
While Homey and Home Assistant both serve as smart home hubs, their approaches are quite different.
Homey offers a user-friendly, all-in-one solution that works right out of the box, with support for a wide array of devices and protocols.
It's designed for ease-of-use and simplicity, and its intuitive interface makes it a great choice for those new to smart home automation.
On the other hand, Home Assistant is an open-source platform geared towards more tech-savvy users.
It offers a high level of customization and flexibility, but this comes with a steeper learning curve and may require more hands-on management.
Pros & Cons
Homey
Pros
- Supports a wide range of protocols and devices.
- User-friendly, intuitive interface.
- Easy to set up and use, with no coding knowledge required.
Cons
- More expensive than a DIY solution like Home Assistant.
- Less flexible and customizable compared to open-source solutions.
Home Assistant
Pros
- Open-source platform with high customizability.
- Continually updated and improved by a community of developers.
- More cost-effective, particularly if you have existing hardware to use.
Cons
- Steeper learning curve, may require familiarity with code.
- Setup and maintenance can be more involved.
Comparison Table
| Homey | Home Assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| Created by | Athom | Home Assistant Community |
| Installation | Stand-alone device | Software installed on user-provided hardware |
| Connectivity | Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, Infrared, Wi-Fi, and more | Depends on installed hardware |
| Device Support | Wide range of brands and devices | Wide range of brands and devices |
| Automation | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud Required | No, but offers additional cloud-based features | No |
| Open Source | No | Yes |
| Price | Depends on hardware | Free, optional paid subscription for additional features |
Conclusion
The choice between Homey and Home Assistant largely depends on your comfort level with technology and how much time and effort you're willing to put into setting up and maintaining your smart home system.
If you prefer a simple, straightforward, and easy-to-use system, Homey might be the right choice for you.
However, if you're tech-savvy and enjoy tinkering with your devices, or if you're looking for a more budget-friendly, highly customizable solution, you might prefer Home Assistant.
Buy the Homey Pro for the Homey system here.
