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IoT & Smart Home · head to head

Homey vs LIFX

Homey logo

Homey

IoT & Smart Home

Connect all your smart home devices in one app

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
LIFX logo

LIFX

IoT & Smart Home

WiFi-enabled smart lights with no hub required

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Homey homey Cloud without a subscription connects at most 5 devices; LIFX the Internet Archive's capture of LIFX's products page on 19 July 2016 priced the White 800 bulb at $39.99 USD (890 lumens) and the Color 1000 bulb at $59.99 USD (1,055 lumens); this is a 2016 capture and current prices likely differ.
  • They diverge on capability: Homey covers Multi-protocol support, LIFX covers No Hub Required.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Homey and LIFX actually diverge.

Attributes where Homey and LIFX differ
AttributeHomeyLIFX
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
PlatformsIOS, Android, WebIOS, Android, Windows, MacOS
Founded20142012

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (IoT & Smart Home).

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 Homey

  • Multi-protocol support
  • Advanced flows
  • Voice control
  • Energy insights
  • Timeline
  • Zones
  • Google Assistant
  • Amazon Alexa

Only in LIFX

  • No Hub Required
  • 16 Million Colors
  • WiFi Direct
  • High Brightness
  • HomeKit
  • Alexa
  • Google Home
  • SmartThings

Both cover

  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Homey

  • Bringing Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices from different brands into one appnot LIFX
  • Building home automations visually with Flownot LIFX
  • Charting device and sensor history through Insightsnot LIFX

LIFX

  • Ambient lightingnot Homey
  • Gaming setupnot Homey
  • Photography lightingnot Homey
  • Smart homenot Homey

Where each one falls short

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

Homey

  • Homey Cloud without a subscription connects at most 5 devices
  • Unlimited devices require the Homey Premium subscription at $2.99 per month
  • Advanced Flow, Insights, and Logic and Variables are locked behind Homey Premium
  • The free month of Premium is only offered to new subscribers signing up through iOS or Android

LIFX

  • The Internet Archive's capture of LIFX's products page on 19 July 2016 priced the White 800 bulb at $39.99 USD (890 lumens) and the Color 1000 bulb at $59.99 USD (1,055 lumens); this is a 2016 capture and current prices likely differ.

Pricing, plan by plan

Homey

On request
  • Homey Pro$399/month
    • Local processing
    • 1000+ apps
    • Advanced flows
  • Homey Bridge$69/month
    • Cloud processing
    • 500+ apps
    • Basic flows

LIFX

On request
  • LIFX Bulb$40/month
    • 16M colors
    • WiFi direct
    • No hub required

Which should you pick?

Choose Homey if

  • You need multi-protocol support.
  • You work on IOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want advanced flows.
Homey review

Choose LIFX if

  • You need no hub required.
  • You work on IOS, Android, Windows, MacOS.
  • You also want 16 million colors.
LIFX review

Questions people ask

Is Homey or LIFX better?
Neither clearly leads. Homey starts at On request and LIFX at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Homey or LIFX?
Homey starts at On request and LIFX at On request.
Does Homey or LIFX run on more platforms?
Homey runs on IOS, Android, Web. LIFX runs on IOS, Android, Windows, MacOS.
What is Homey best used for?
Homey is most often used for bringing zigbee, z-wave, wi-fi and bluetooth devices from different brands into one app, building home automations visually with flow, charting device and sensor history through insights. Of those, bringing zigbee, z-wave, wi-fi and bluetooth devices from different brands into one app and building home automations visually with flow are not what LIFX is typically brought in for.
What can Homey do that LIFX cannot?
Homey covers Multi-protocol support, Advanced flows, Voice control, Energy insights. LIFX covers No Hub Required, 16 Million Colors, WiFi Direct, High Brightness. Both handle IOS support, Android support.
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