Is Homey or OpenHAB better?

Neither clearly leads. Homey starts at On request and OpenHAB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Homey or OpenHAB?

OpenHAB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Homey and Free for OpenHAB.

Does Homey or OpenHAB run on more platforms?

Homey runs on IOS, Android, Web. OpenHAB runs on Linux, Windows, MacOS, Docker, Raspberry Pi.

Can I use OpenHAB for free?

Yes. OpenHAB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Homey starts at On request.

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 OpenHAB is typically brought in for.

What can Homey do that OpenHAB cannot?

Homey covers Multi-protocol support, Advanced flows, Voice control, Energy insights. OpenHAB covers Vendor Agnostic, Rule Engine, 200+ Bindings, Local Processing.

Smart Home · head to head

Homey vs OpenHAB

Homey

Smart Home

Connect all your smart home devices in one app

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

OpenHAB

Smart Home

Open source automation software for your home

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only OpenHAB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Homey homey Cloud without a subscription connects at most 5 devices; OpenHAB requires a 64-bit Java 21 JVM to be installed and maintained separately
They diverge on capability: Homey covers Multi-protocol support, OpenHAB covers Vendor Agnostic.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Homey and OpenHAB actually diverge.

Attributes where Homey and OpenHAB differ
Attribute	Homey	OpenHAB
Starting price	On request	Free
Pricing model	subscription	open-source
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	IOS, Android, Web	Linux, Windows, MacOS, Docker, Raspberry Pi
Founded	2014	2010

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

Vendor Agnostic
Rule Engine
200+ Bindings
Local Processing
Z-Wave
Zigbee
MQTT
REST API

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 OpenHAB
Building home automations visually with Flownot OpenHAB
Charting device and sensor history through Insightsnot OpenHAB

OpenHAB

Self-hosted vendor neutral home automation hubnot Homey
Bridging smart home devices from different manufacturers under one set of rulesnot 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

OpenHAB

Requires a 64-bit Java 21 JVM to be installed and maintained separately
Oracle Java is explicitly not recommended by the project because of potential licensing restrictions
The recommended hardware is a dedicated Raspberry Pi 4 or newer rather than shared hardware
Some version upgrades require additional manual steps run through a separate upgrade tool

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

OpenHAB

Free

Community EditionFree
- Unlimited devices
- 200+ bindings
- Local control

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 OpenHAB if

You need vendor agnostic.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Linux, Windows, MacOS, Docker, Raspberry Pi.
You also want rule engine.

OpenHAB review

Questions people ask

Is Homey or OpenHAB better?: Neither clearly leads. Homey starts at On request and OpenHAB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Homey or OpenHAB?: OpenHAB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Homey and Free for OpenHAB.
Does Homey or OpenHAB run on more platforms?: Homey runs on IOS, Android, Web. OpenHAB runs on Linux, Windows, MacOS, Docker, Raspberry Pi.
Can I use OpenHAB for free?: Yes. OpenHAB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Homey starts at On request.
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 OpenHAB is typically brought in for.
What can Homey do that OpenHAB cannot?: Homey covers Multi-protocol support, Advanced flows, Voice control, Energy insights. OpenHAB covers Vendor Agnostic, Rule Engine, 200+ Bindings, Local Processing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Homey: Is there a monthly subscription for Homey Pro or just a one-time payment?

Homey Pro costs 449 euros as a one-time purchase with no recurring monthly fees. The only optional recurring cost is 10 euros per year for cloud backups.

Source

OpenHAB: How much does openHAB cost?

openHAB is 100% open source and completely free to download, install, and use across all supported platforms.

Source

Homey: What are the limits for Homey Cloud's free tier?

The free tier of Homey Cloud supports up to 5 connected devices. To add more devices, you need to upgrade to the paid subscription at 2.99 euros per month.

Source

OpenHAB: Are there any subscription fees for openHAB?

No, openHAB has no subscription fees. The software is free and released under an open source license for unlimited use.

Source

Homey: What's the cost difference between Homey Cloud and Homey Pro over a year?

Homey Cloud costs 35.88 euros per year (2.99 euros per month). Homey Pro costs 449 euros upfront with no monthly fees, but includes all features and is a one-time purchase.

Source

OpenHAB: How can I support openHAB?

While openHAB is free to use, the project accepts voluntary donations through the openHAB Foundation to support development and maintenance.

Source

Homey: How long will Homey Pro receive software updates?

Homey Pro will receive software updates until at least June 2031, ensuring continued improvements and security patches.

Source

Homey vs OpenHAB

Homey

OpenHAB

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Homey

Only in OpenHAB

What people use each for

Homey

OpenHAB

Where each one falls short

Homey

OpenHAB

Pricing, plan by plan

Homey

OpenHAB

Which should you pick?

Choose Homey if

Choose OpenHAB if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Homey

More on OpenHAB

Keep looking

Other head to heads