Is Matter or Shelly better?

Neither clearly leads. Matter starts at Free and Shelly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Matter or Shelly?

Matter starts at Free and Shelly at Free.

Does Matter or Shelly run on more platforms?

Matter runs on Matter-enabled devices, All major hubs, Cloud, Local control. Shelly runs on Web, Mobile app, Cloud, Local network.

Can I use Matter for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Matter best used for?

Matter is most often used for cross-ecosystem compatibility, future-proof devices, simplified setup, local control. Of those, cross-ecosystem compatibility and future-proof devices are not what Shelly is typically brought in for.

What can Matter do that Shelly cannot?

Matter covers Unified Standard, Multi-Admin, Secure Communication, Interoperable. Shelly covers Local Control, Open API, MQTT Support, Energy Monitoring. Both handle Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings.

IoT & Smart Home · head to head

Matter vs Shelly

Matter

IoT & Smart Home

Unified smart home connectivity standard

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Shelly

IoT & Smart Home

Powerful WiFi smart home devices with local control

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Matter the Internet Archive's capture of the Connectivity Standards Alliance's Matter page on 1 January 2023 confirmed Matter itself is a free, open IP-based connectivity standard with no license fee to implement; manufacturers instead pay a separate certification fee to certify individual devices.; Shelly premium features limited to cloud-based functionality; local control requires separate setup
They diverge on capability: Matter covers Unified Standard, Shelly covers Local Control.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Matter and Shelly actually diverge.

Attributes where Matter and Shelly differ
Attribute	Matter	Shelly
Pricing model	open-source	Unknown
Platforms	Matter-enabled devices, All major hubs, Cloud, Local control	Web, Mobile app, Cloud, Local network
Founded	2021	2016

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Matter

Unified Standard
Multi-Admin
Secure Communication
Interoperable
All major ecosystems
HomeKit
Matter-enabled devices support
All major hubs support

Only in Shelly

Local Control
Open API
MQTT Support
Energy Monitoring
Home Assistant
IOS support
Android support
Web support

Both cover

Google Home
Alexa
SmartThings

What people use each for

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

Matter

Cross-ecosystem compatibilitynot Shelly
Future-proof devicesnot Shelly
Simplified setupnot Shelly
Local controlnot Shelly

Shelly

Smart home automation and controlnot Matter
Energy monitoring and managementnot Matter
WiFi/Bluetooth/Matter device integrationnot Matter

Where each one falls short

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

Matter

The Internet Archive's capture of the Connectivity Standards Alliance's Matter page on 1 January 2023 confirmed Matter itself is a free, open IP-based connectivity standard with no license fee to implement; manufacturers instead pay a separate certification fee to certify individual devices.

Shelly

Premium features limited to cloud-based functionality; local control requires separate setup
Device-specific capabilities vary; not all features available across entire product range

Pricing, plan by plan

Matter

Free

Open StandardFree
- Unified connectivity
- Cross-platform
- Local control

Shelly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Shelly review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Matter if

You need unified standard.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Matter-enabled devices, All major hubs, Cloud, Local control.
You also want multi-admin.

Matter review

Choose Shelly if

You need local control.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Mobile app, Cloud, Local network.
You also want open api.

Shelly review

Questions people ask

Is Matter or Shelly better?: Neither clearly leads. Matter starts at Free and Shelly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Matter or Shelly?: Matter starts at Free and Shelly at Free.
Does Matter or Shelly run on more platforms?: Matter runs on Matter-enabled devices, All major hubs, Cloud, Local control. Shelly runs on Web, Mobile app, Cloud, Local network.
Can I use Matter for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Matter best used for?: Matter is most often used for cross-ecosystem compatibility, future-proof devices, simplified setup, local control. Of those, cross-ecosystem compatibility and future-proof devices are not what Shelly is typically brought in for.
What can Matter do that Shelly cannot?: Matter covers Unified Standard, Multi-Admin, Secure Communication, Interoperable. Shelly covers Local Control, Open API, MQTT Support, Energy Monitoring. Both handle Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings.

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Matter vs Shelly

Matter

Shelly

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Matter

Only in Shelly

Both cover

What people use each for

Matter

Shelly

Where each one falls short

Matter

Shelly

Pricing, plan by plan

Matter

Shelly

Which should you pick?

Choose Matter if

Choose Shelly if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on Matter

More on Shelly

Keep looking

Other head to heads