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Smart Home · head to head

Home Assistant vs Make

Home Assistant logo

Home Assistant

Smart Home

Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Make logo

Make

Remote Work

The platform for the new way of working

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; Make free tier limited to 1,000 credits per month
  • They diverge on capability: Home Assistant covers Local Control, Make covers Visual workflow builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Home Assistant and Make differ
AttributeHome AssistantMake
Pricing modelopen-sourcefreemium
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Raspberry Pi, MacOS, WindowsWeb
CategorySmart HomeRemote Work

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), founded (2013).

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 Make

  • Visual workflow builder
  • Webhooks
  • API connectors
  • Conditional logic
  • Data transformation
  • Error handling
  • Scheduling
  • Team collaboration

What people use each for

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

Home Assistant

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

Make

  • Automating integrations between 3,000+ pre-built applicationsnot Home Assistant
  • Building AI agents and workflow automation without extensive codingnot Home Assistant
  • Enterprise automation with GDPR, SOC 2 Type II compliancenot Home Assistant
  • Rapid deployment of automations from concept to livenot 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

Make

  • Free tier limited to 1,000 credits per month
  • Free tier restricted to 2 active scenarios maximum
  • Free tier enforces 15-minute minimum scheduling interval
  • Credit-based model means costs scale with usage volume, not just features

Pricing, plan by plan

Home Assistant

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

Make

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Make review.

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 Make if

  • You need visual workflow builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want webhooks.
Make review

Questions people ask

Is Home Assistant or Make better?
Neither clearly leads. Home Assistant starts at Free and Make at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Home Assistant or Make?
Home Assistant starts at Free and Make at Free.
Does Home Assistant or Make run on more platforms?
Home Assistant runs on Linux, Docker, Raspberry Pi, MacOS, Windows. Make runs on Web.
Can I use Home Assistant for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Make is typically brought in for.
What can Home Assistant do that Make cannot?
Home Assistant covers Local Control, Privacy First, Automation Engine, Custom Integrations. Make covers Visual workflow builder, Webhooks, API connectors, Conditional logic.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Home Assistant: Does Home Assistant software cost anything?

Home Assistant core software is completely free and open source. It is operated by the Open Home Foundation as a non-profit, which means it cannot be sold or acquired. Commercial products like Home Assistant hardware are sold separately.

Source
Make: How is Make priced and does the free plan expire?

Make offers a free plan with 1,000 credits per month at no cost and no time limit. The free plan includes the no-code workflow builder, access to 3,000+ apps, and customer support. Paid tiers (Core, Pro, Teams) are $9-$29/month with 10,000+ credits included.

Source
Home Assistant: Are there paid products from Home Assistant?

Home Assistant offers official hardware products including Home Assistant Green, Connect ZBT-2, Connect ZWA-2, and Voice Preview Edition, which have separate pricing. Nabu Casa provides commercial services as an official partner.

Source
Make: What happens if I exceed my monthly credits?

Extra credits beyond the monthly allowance can be purchased in bundles of 1,000 or 10,000. Auto-purchasing is available for Core, Pro, and Teams plans to automatically buy additional credits when needed.

Source
Make: Can I save money by switching to annual billing?

Yes, annual plans offer 15% or more savings compared to monthly billing. Monthly subscriptions continue until the end of the billing month, while annual plans run for 12 months.

Source
Make: What happens to unused credits if I cancel?

Unused monthly credits expire at the end of each billing cycle. With annual subscriptions on Pro and Teams plans, credits are maintained for the full 12-month term. Users can cancel at any time and the organization converts to the free plan after the current billing cycle ends.

Source
Make: How many active scenarios can I create on the free plan versus paid plans?

The free plan is limited to 2 active scenarios and has a 15-minute minimum interval between runs. Paid plans (Core and above) offer unlimited active scenarios with the ability to schedule runs down to the minute.

Source
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