Comparison · Hubs & platforms
Home Assistant vs SmartThings vs Hubitat: which smart home hub in 2026?
The three systems for people who outgrew Alexa and Google — power, polish, and who fixes it when it breaks at 11 p.m.
Our pick: Home Assistant if you want ownership, Hubitat if you want local without the project
Nabu Casa
Home Assistant (Green + Connect ZBT-2)
9.1About $165 all-in
Maximum power and zero lock-in, at the cost of being your own IT department.
Pros
- • Local by default, thousands of integrations
- • No feature paywall
- • Bridges to Alexa and Google
Cons
- • Updates and backups are yours
- • Radios bought separately
- • Steepest learning curve
Hubitat
Hubitat Elevation C-8 Pro
8.4$175-$199
Local processing with a rules engine deep enough for serious automations and no cloud requirement.
Pros
- • Zigbee, Z-Wave 800, Matter, Thread
- • Fully local automation
- • No subscription required
Cons
- • Interface feels like a 2015 web app
- • Smaller driver library
- • Optional cloud costs about $3/mo
Samsung
SmartThings (Station or Aeotec hub)
8.0From $60
The friendly middle: real protocol support and a mainstream app, with the cloud in the loop.
Pros
- • Four protocols, one polished app
- • Cheapest way in
- • No subscription
Cons
- • Automations lean on Samsung's cloud
- • Shallower rule engine
- • Vendor roadmap risk
There is a specific moment when people leave Alexa and Google behind: the first automation that needs a condition the app will not express, or the first cloud outage that turns the lights into furniture. Home Assistant, SmartThings, and Hubitat are the three exits — and they disagree about nearly everything except wanting your routines to run on hardware in your house.
We compared them on local control, protocol support, automation depth, real cost, and the amount of weekend each one demands.
| Home Assistant | Hubitat C-8 Pro | SmartThings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs when the internet dies | Fully | Fully | Devices yes, many automations no |
| Radios | Add-on dongles (Zigbee, Thread, Z-Wave) | Zigbee, Z-Wave 800, Matter, Thread | Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Thread (hub-dependent) |
| Automation depth | Unlimited | Very deep | Good, mainstream |
| Subscription | None; cloud add-on about $6.50/mo | Optional cloud about $3/mo | None |
| Setup effort | A project | An afternoon | Twenty minutes |
Local control: what survives an outage
This is the headline difference and the reason most people start this search. Home Assistant runs automations, dashboards, and device control entirely on your hardware; the optional cloud service is only for remote access and voice-assistant bridging. Hubitat processes everything on the hub as well, including its rule engine. SmartThings controls paired devices locally on current hubs, but plenty of automations and integrations still route through Samsung's cloud — fine until the WAN drops at the worst possible hour.
Protocols and device support
Hubitat ships the radios most households need in the box: Zigbee, Z-Wave 800 with long range, plus Matter and Thread. SmartThings hubs cover the same four protocols with a much friendlier pairing flow. Home Assistant is modular — the Green box is a small computer with Ethernet and no radios at all, so you add a Connect ZBT-2 or similar for Zigbee and Thread, and a Z-Wave stick if your house runs on it. That modularity is a feature when a radio dies and a chore on day one.
| Route | Ballpark cost | You get | You still need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant Green + Connect ZBT-2 | About $165 | Local server, Zigbee, Thread, Matter over Wi-Fi | Z-Wave stick if you own Z-Wave gear |
| Hubitat Elevation C-8 Pro | $175-$199 | Local hub with Zigbee, Z-Wave 800, Matter, Thread | Nothing for most homes |
| SmartThings Station | About $60 | Matter, Thread, and a phone charger | Aeotec-class hub if you need Zigbee and Z-Wave |
Automation power
Home Assistant's automations are effectively unlimited: conditions on anything, scripts, blueprints from the community, and add-ons that turn the box into a video NVR or a voice assistant. Hubitat's rule engine is its crown jewel — deep, fast, and fully local — with community drivers extending the device library. SmartThings has improved sharply, and its routines cover most household logic, but the ceiling arrives sooner, and crossing into custom code is less pleasant than either alternative.
What each one costs
All three undercut the subscription platforms decisively. Home Assistant software is free forever with no feature paywall; the optional cloud service — recently rebranded to Home Assistant Link — runs about $6.50 a month or $65 a year and funds development. Hubitat needs no subscription at all, with an optional $3-a-month cloud for remote access and backups. SmartThings has no published paid tier. Compare that to Alexa+ or Google Home Premium and the economics of owning your automations get very clear.
Setup effort and who fixes it
SmartThings takes twenty minutes and a phone. Hubitat takes an afternoon with a browser tab and a dated but functional interface. Home Assistant takes a weekend, and then a few hours each year for updates, backups, and the occasional integration that changed its API. None of that is disqualifying — it is simply the price of the power. The question is who you want on call when something breaks, and the honest answer for Home Assistant is: you.
SmartThings is an appliance. Hubitat is a tool. Home Assistant is a workshop that happens to run your lights.
Lab notes, hub round 2026
The verdict
Buy Home Assistant when ownership, privacy, and ceiling matter more than setup speed. Buy Hubitat when you want local processing and deep rules without taking on a server project. Buy SmartThings when the household wants one polished app today and the protocols to grow tomorrow. And if none of your automations have ever annoyed you, you may not need any of these yet — our guide to choosing a smart home platform covers the honest starting points.
Questions we get
Is Home Assistant better than SmartThings?
At capability and privacy, yes: Home Assistant runs everything locally with thousands of integrations and no paywall. SmartThings is better if you want a polished app, guided setup, and no maintenance. Pick Home Assistant when control matters more than convenience; pick SmartThings when the opposite is true.
Does Hubitat require a subscription?
No. Everything runs locally on the hub, including automations and device control. Hubitat sells an optional cloud service at roughly $3 a month for remote access and cloud backups. That is the lightest ongoing cost of any serious hub.
Can Home Assistant replace SmartThings entirely?
Yes, and many households migrate gradually. Home Assistant can take over your automations and even bridge devices to Alexa and Google. The realistic cost is weekends: expect to rebuild routines, re-pair radios, and learn how your automations actually worked.
Do I need a dedicated hub if my devices support Matter?
Matter still needs a controller — a hub, speaker, or platform that commissions devices and runs automations. What Matter removes is the radio lock-in: your devices can join several platforms at once. A dedicated hub earns its shelf when you want local execution, deeper rules, or protocols like Z-Wave that Matter does not replace.