Softwr

Software · head to head

Home Assistant vs Hydrow

Home Assistant logo

Home Assistant

Software

Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
H

Hydrow

Software

The live outdoor reality rower

From
$44/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Home Assistant has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Home Assistant add-ons run only on Home Assistant Operating System installations, and Container installations have no access to them; Hydrow the vendor's own homepage as captured by the Internet Archive on 31 December 2021 priced the Hydrow rowing machine starting at $56 per month via 0% APR Klarna financing with $0 down, alongside a 30 day risk-free trial and a 1 year hardware warranty
  • They diverge on capability: Home Assistant covers Local Control, Hydrow covers Live outdoor reality rowing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Home Assistant and Hydrow actually diverge.

Attributes where Home Assistant and Hydrow differ
AttributeHome AssistantHydrow
Starting priceFree$44/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Raspberry Pi, MacOS, WindowsIos, Android, Hardware
Founded20132017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Home Assistant

  • Local Control
  • Privacy First
  • Automation Engine
  • Custom Integrations
  • 150+ integrations
  • Voice Control
  • Mobile App
  • REST API

Only in Hydrow

  • Live outdoor reality rowing
  • On-water filming
  • Athlete-led workouts
  • Performance metrics
  • Community racing
  • Apple Watch
  • Bluetooth heart rate
  • Ios support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Home Assistant

  • Home automationnot Hydrow
  • Energy monitoringnot Hydrow
  • Security systemsnot Hydrow
  • Device integrationnot Hydrow

Hydrow

  • Workout trackingnot Home Assistant
  • Nutrition managementnot Home Assistant
  • Health monitoringnot Home Assistant
  • Fitness coachingnot Home Assistant
  • Wellness improvementnot Home Assistant

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Home Assistant

  • Add-ons run only on Home Assistant Operating System installations, and Container installations have no access to them
  • Thread and Z-Wave are controlled by add-ons, so a Container install has no out-of-the-box support for either
  • A Container installation means bringing your own Linux host with Docker and handling updates by hand
  • The recommended install path expects dedicated hardware such as a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with at least 2 GB of RAM, an Odroid, or an x86-64 machine
  • Every documented hardware option requires a wired Ethernet connection

Hydrow

  • The vendor's own homepage as captured by the Internet Archive on 31 December 2021 priced the Hydrow rowing machine starting at $56 per month via 0% APR Klarna financing with $0 down, alongside a 30 day risk-free trial and a 1 year hardware warranty

Pricing, plan by plan

Home Assistant

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Unlimited devices
    • Full automation
    • Local control

Hydrow

$44/month
  • All-Access$44/month
    • Live workouts
    • On-demand library
    • Family profiles

Which should you pick?

Choose Home Assistant if

  • You need local control.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Raspberry Pi, MacOS, Windows.
  • You also want privacy first.
Home Assistant review

Choose Hydrow if

  • You need live outdoor reality rowing.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Hardware.
  • You also want on-water filming.
Hydrow review

Questions people ask

Is Home Assistant or Hydrow better?
Neither clearly leads. Home Assistant starts at Free and Hydrow at $44/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Home Assistant or Hydrow?
Home Assistant has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Home Assistant and $44/month for Hydrow.
Does Home Assistant or Hydrow run on more platforms?
Home Assistant runs on Linux, Docker, Raspberry Pi, MacOS, Windows. Hydrow runs on Ios, Android, Hardware.
Can I use Home Assistant for free?
Yes. Home Assistant has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hydrow starts at $44/month.
What is Home Assistant best used for?
Home Assistant is most often used for home automation, energy monitoring, security systems, device integration. Of those, home automation and energy monitoring are not what Hydrow is typically brought in for.
What can Home Assistant do that Hydrow cannot?
Home Assistant covers Local Control, Privacy First, Automation Engine, Custom Integrations. Hydrow covers Live outdoor reality rowing, On-water filming, Athlete-led workouts, Performance metrics.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Home Assistant

More on Hydrow

Keep looking

Other head to heads