Smart Home · alternatives
Alternatives to Google Home
21 smart home tools sit alongside Google Home in this directory. Below is what separates each from Google Home on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 21
- With a free tier
- 8
- Cheaper to start
- -
- Google Home starts at
- Free
Why people look past Google Home
Nothing on the record flags a reason to move. Google Home has a free tier. People still switch over fit and workflow, and those are not things a catalogue entry can measure, which is what the comparisons below are for.
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.
Amazon's voice-controlled smart home ecosystem
Priced and rated the same as Google Home on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Apple's secure smart home platform integrated with Siri
Priced and rated the same as Google Home on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first
Priced and rated the same as Google Home on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Google's smart home hardware and software ecosystem
- No free tier, where Google Home has one.
Cloud-based IoT platform with visualization and workflow automation
Priced and rated the same as Google Home on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Custom firmware for ESP8266/ESP32 smart home devices
Priced and rated the same as Google Home on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Every Google Home 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Home (this page) | Free | - | - | |
| Amazon AlexaAmazon's voice-controlled smart home ecosystem | Free | Free | 2 | vs Google Home |
| Apple HomeKitApple's secure smart home platform integrated with Siri | Free | - | 3 | vs Google Home |
| Home AssistantOpen source home automation that puts local control and privacy first | Free | Open-source | 1 | vs Google Home |
| NestGoogle's smart home hardware and software ecosystem | On request | One-time | - | vs Google Home |
| Losant | Free | Subscription | 2 | vs Google Home |
| ESPHome | Free | Open-source | 1 | vs Google Home |
| Eufy Security | Free | One-time | 3 | vs Google Home |
| Arduino Cloud | Free | Subscription | 2 | vs Google Home |
| Blynk | Free, then $29/month | Freemium | 5 | vs Google Home |
| Rachio Pro | $10/month | One-time controller purchase with optional cellular subscription | 3 | vs Google Home |
| Arlo | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs Google Home |
| Hubitat Elevation | $189.95/one-time | - | 3 | vs Google Home |
| Crestron | On request | Quote | 2 | vs Google Home |
| Lutron Caseta | On request | One-time | 2 | vs Google Home |
| August Smart Lock | $29.99/month | One-time | 5 | vs Google Home |
| Homey | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs Google Home |
| Control4 | $1000/project | - | - | vs Google Home |
| LIFX | On request | One-time | 1 | vs Google Home |
| Govee | $30/one-time | One-time | 3 | vs Google Home |
| Ecobee | $139.99/one-time | - | 3 | vs Google Home |
| Aqara | On request | One-time | 3 | vs Google Home |
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 Google Home badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (8)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Amazon Alexa , Free
- Apple HomeKit , Free
- Home Assistant , Free
- Losant , Free
- ESPHome , Free
- Eufy Security , Free
- Arduino Cloud , Free
- Blynk , Free, then $29/month
What you would be giving up
Google Home is most often brought in for controlling and automating smart home devices, viewing nest camera feeds, creating automation routines, managing household device settings, voice control via google assistant. 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 Google Home is broadly right and the question is cost, the Google Home 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.
Google Home runs on ios, android, web, chromeos. 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 Google Home alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Google Home?
- 21 other smart home tools are listed in this directory, led by Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Home Assistant, Nest. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Google Home?
- 8 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Home Assistant, Losant, ESPHome.
- Is there a reason to switch away from Google Home?
- Nothing in the data flags one. Google Home has a free tier. Fit and workflow are the usual reasons to move, and those are not things this record can measure.
- What would I give up by switching from Google Home?
- Google Home is most often brought in for controlling and automating smart home devices, viewing nest camera feeds, creating automation routines, managing household device settings, voice control via google assistant. 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 Google Home?
- Home Assistant, ESPHome are recorded with an open-source licence model.
- How were these Google Home 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 Google Home against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Google Home 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, 21 tools beside Google Home. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.