SmartThings vs Home Assistant vs Hubitat — which hub rules them all? We tested all three so you don't have to.
April 8, 2026 | 12 min readA smart home hub is the brain of your connected home — it communicates with your devices, runs automations, and keeps everything working even when your internet goes down. Without one, you're stuck with a collection of apps that don't talk to each other.
The most popular consumer hub. Works with Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, and Thread. Samsung's acquisition by Samsung means deep integration with Galaxy devices. The new 2025 app brought massive improvements but some users miss the classic interface.
Best for: Beginners who want plug-and-play with wide compatibility.
The open-source powerhouse. Runs on dedicated hardware or as a VM. Local control means no cloud dependency and blazing fast responses. The 2024 overhaul made it much more accessible, though YAML configuration still intimidates newcomers.
Best for: Tech enthusiasts who want maximum control and privacy.
The underrated champion. Built for speed and local processing. No cloud required — ever. The interface is dated but rock-solid. Rule engine is incredibly powerful for complex automations.
Best for: Power users who want reliability over pretty UIs.
| Feature | SmartThings | Home Assistant | Hubitat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protocols | Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Thread | Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Thread, BLE | Zigbee, Z-Wave |
| Local Processing | Partial | Full | Full |
| Cloud Required | Yes (limited) | No | No |
| Setup Difficulty | Easy | Medium-Hard | Medium |
| Device Support | Very Wide | Very Wide | Wide |
| Automation Power | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Price | $99 | $85 (Green) | $95 |
The SmartThings Hub v4 is the easiest entry point. Download the SmartThings app, plug in the hub, and within minutes you're adding devices. The new 2.0 app organizes devices by Rooms and offers Scenes for quick control.
Where SmartThings shines is breadth. It supports 100+ certified devices across every major brand. Philips Hue? Check. Ring? Check. Nest? Check. SmartThings acts as a Matter bridge, so your Matter devices work seamlessly.
Home Assistant is what you get when you want absolute control. Every device, every automation, every sensor — all accessible in a single dashboard. The Entities panel shows real-time state of everything.
The latest Home Assistant 2025 release simplified onboarding with a guided setup wizard. Blueprints let you share automation templates with the community. And with the Home Assistant Yellow or Green hardware, you get a dedicated machine that never goes to sleep.
Don't try to DIY with a Raspberry Pi unless you enjoy debugging. The Home Assistant Green ($85) is plug-and-play with everything pre-configured. Add a SkyConnect dongle for Zigbee/Matter support.
Hubitat is the hub for people who want things to work and forget about them. The Rule Machine is legitimately the most powerful automation engine in consumer smart home gear. You can create triggers on virtually any device attribute, not just state changes.
Setup is more hands-on than SmartThings, but once configured, Hubitat systems run for years without intervention. The dashboard isn't pretty, but it's fast and rock-solid stable.
Easiest setup, widest compatibility, great for beginners
Maximum flexibility, local control, endless customization
Fast, stable, incredible automation engine
| SmartThings Hub v4 | Amazon |
| Home Assistant Green | Amazon |
| Home Assistant SkyConnect | Amazon |
| Hubitat Elevation | Amazon |