Smart Home · alternatives
Alternatives to Ecobee
22 smart home tools sit alongside Ecobee in this directory. Below is what separates each from Ecobee on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 22
- With a free tier
- 9
- Cheaper to start
- 5
- Ecobee starts at
- $139.99/one-time
Why people look past Ecobee
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Ecobee entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
It costs more than the category median
Ecobee starts at $139.99/one-time. Across the 7 smart home tools listed beside it that publish a price, the median entry point is $29.99/month.
There is no free tier
The record for Ecobee carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 9 of the 22 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Google's smart home hardware and software ecosystem
Priced and rated the same as Ecobee on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Amazon's voice-controlled smart home ecosystem
- Can be used without paying; Ecobee cannot.
- 2 tiers to Ecobee's 3.
Integrated building and energy management system
Priced and rated the same as Ecobee on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Affordable smart home devices with easy setup
- Can be used without paying; Ecobee cannot.
- Starts $136.99 a month cheaper, at $3/month.
Cloud-based IoT platform with visualization and workflow automation
- Can be used without paying; Ecobee cannot.
- 2 tiers to Ecobee's 3.
Custom firmware for ESP8266/ESP32 smart home devices
- Can be used without paying; Ecobee cannot.
- 1 tier to Ecobee's 3.
Every Ecobee alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecobee (this page) | $139.99/one-time | - | 3 | |
| NestGoogle's Learning Thermostat automatically learns your schedule and adjusts temperature without programming, offering similar energy savings with cloud-based controls. | On request | One-time | - | vs Ecobee |
| Amazon AlexaSmart home platform enabling voice control and automation of connected devices including smart thermostats and HVAC systems. | Free | Free | 2 | vs Ecobee |
| Honeywell Building ManagementProfessional HVAC building management and control system for complex heating, cooling, and comfort management in residential and commercial spaces. | On request | Quote | - | vs Ecobee |
| TP-Link KasaSmart home device ecosystem offering connected thermostats and environmental controls as part of broader home automation suite. | Free, then $3/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Ecobee |
| Losant | Free | Subscription | 2 | vs Ecobee |
| ESPHome | Free | Open-source | 1 | vs Ecobee |
| Apple HomeKit | Free | - | 3 | vs Ecobee |
| Eufy Security | Free | One-time | 3 | vs Ecobee |
| Google Home | Free | - | - | vs Ecobee |
| Arduino Cloud | Free | Subscription | 2 | vs Ecobee |
| Blynk | Free, then $29/month | Freemium | 5 | vs Ecobee |
| Rachio Pro | $10/month | One-time controller purchase with optional cellular subscription | 3 | vs Ecobee |
| Arlo | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs Ecobee |
| Hubitat Elevation | $189.95/one-time | - | 3 | vs Ecobee |
| Crestron | On request | Quote | 2 | vs Ecobee |
| Lutron Caseta | On request | One-time | 2 | vs Ecobee |
| August Smart Lock | $29.99/month | One-time | 5 | vs Ecobee |
| Homey | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs Ecobee |
| Control4 | $1000/project | - | - | vs Ecobee |
| LIFX | On request | One-time | 1 | vs Ecobee |
| Govee | $30/one-time | One-time | 3 | vs Ecobee |
| Aqara | On request | One-time | 3 | vs Ecobee |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Ecobee badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (9)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Amazon Alexa , Free
- TP-Link Kasa , Free, then $3/month
- Losant , Free
- ESPHome , Free
- Apple HomeKit , Free
- Eufy Security , Free
- Google Home , Free
- Arduino Cloud , Free
Cheaper than Ecobee (5)
Entry price under Ecobee's $139.99/one-time. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- TP-Link Kasa , Free, then $3/month
- Blynk , Free, then $29/month
- Rachio Pro , $10/month
- August Smart Lock , $29.99/month
- Govee , $30/one-time
What you would be giving up
Ecobee is most often brought in for energy savings, multi-room comfort, hvac optimization, remote climate control. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Ecobee is broadly right and the question is cost, the Ecobee pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Smart Home category lists everything the directory holds, and best smart home tools ranks them.
Ecobee runs on web, ios, android. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Ecobee alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Ecobee?
- 22 other smart home tools are listed in this directory, led by Nest, Amazon Alexa, Honeywell Building Management, TP-Link Kasa. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Ecobee?
- 9 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Amazon Alexa, TP-Link Kasa, Losant, ESPHome, Apple HomeKit.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Ecobee?
- Yes. 5 of the alternatives below start under Ecobee's $139.99/one-time: TP-Link Kasa at Free, then $3/month, Blynk at Free, then $29/month, Rachio Pro at $10/month, August Smart Lock at $29.99/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Ecobee?
- On the figures on record, 2 things stand out: it costs more than the category median; there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Ecobee?
- Ecobee is most often brought in for energy savings, multi-room comfort, hvac optimization, remote climate control. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Ecobee?
- ESPHome is recorded with an open-source licence model.
- How were these Ecobee alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Smart Home, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Ecobee against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Ecobee covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every smart home tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Smart Home category, 22 tools beside Ecobee. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.