Home Assistant vs SmartThings

Technical comparison · Smart home platforms

In brief

Home Assistant and SmartThings differ in where automations run and platform cost; on the measurable specs neither model is ahead: the differences are of design, not of level.

Text composed automatically from the data of the two product pages, not reviewed by a person. The criteria are stated and the calculation is reproducible. Data as of
Parameter
Home Assistant Home Assistant Home Assistant F2 · Intermediate
SmartThings SmartThings SmartThings F2 · Intermediate
Identity
Use tier F2 — Intermediate F2 — Intermediate
Category specs
Open source Yes No
Licence Apache 2.0 —
Where automations run At home, on the hub Partly at home, partly in the cloud
Matter controller Yes Yes
Usable without an account Yes No
Platform cost Free, with an optional subscription Free
Public developer API Yes Yes

The differences that matter

  • Where automations run: Home Assistant At home, on the hub · SmartThings Partly at home, partly in the cloud
  • Platform cost: Home Assistant Free, with an optional subscription · SmartThings Free

In short

Home Assistant

Design differences: where automations run: at home, on the hub; platform cost: free, with an optional subscription.

See the Home Assistant sheet →

SmartThings

Design differences: where automations run: partly at home, partly in the cloud; platform cost: free.

See the SmartThings sheet →

This comparison points to the two product pages, where you'll find the complete data and the official links.