We’re not living the Jetsons’ life yet, but I’m a firm believer that we’re headed that way. With so many home automation systems and brands selling smart home devices, creating a smart home ecosystem can feel overwhelming. There are thousands of products in stores that even I, as a smart home reviewer, haven’t tried.
I have tested dozens of home automation platforms from different manufacturers and can help you decide which products are worth your money.
What’s the best home automation system of 2025?
ZDNET set out to find the best home automation system for your needs. Our team of home tech experts personally tested these options to learn about each system’s ins and outs. Based on features, installation, and price, we found Home Assistant to be the best overall, but that’s not your only option.
Read on for more on the best home automation systems you can buy today.
Also: The best smart home devices
The best home automation systems
Why we like it: Home Assistant is an open source smart home platform for connected devices. It runs locally, with minimal reliance on the cloud, so it can keep your smart home devices connected even if your internet connection fails. It works with over a thousand integrations, including Matter, which makes this the most versatile smart home automation system
Who it’s for: Home Assistant (HA) used to be reserved for tech-savvy users and tinkerers, but it’s also accessible enough for entry-level smart home users to integrate it into their homes.
If you’re not a tech wiz, you can get the Home Assistant Green, a hub for the smart home platform that makes it easy to set up and use. If you like to tinker with your connected devices, you can run HA on a Raspberry Pi, an Odroid, or an x86-64 machine. Either way, you’ll have complete control of your smart home devices.
Who should look elsewhere: While setting up HA is easier than ever, there are other simpler, plug-and-play solutions that are natively built into Android and iOS devices. These include Google Home and Apple HomeKit, respectively. If you’d rather stick with a simpler solution than HA, you should read on about our options below.
Home Assistant features: Doesn’t require a hub to control all devices | Works with over 1,000 APIs | Simplified user interface
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Why we like it: Apple HomeKit is perfect for iPhone users who want to expand their smart home. It runs on the HomePod mini smart speaker or the Apple TV 4K streaming device, so you get two uses out of one hub. The Home mobile app on iPhone and iPad is simple, clean, and intuitive. It also features strong automation options and a privacy-first approach.
Who it’s for: The Apple Home ecosystem is built for Apple device users, especially those who value privacy in their smart home. If you’re already invested in the Apple ecosystem with an iPhone, iPad, or another Apple device, HomeKit is a seamless option. Apple’s strict data and privacy controls make it one of the most secure smart home systems.
Who should look elsewhere: HomeKit only works with Matter and HomeKit-certified devices. If you have many mixed-brand devices, you may be limited in options. Platforms like Amazon Alexa and Google Home support many more brands of devices than HomeKit, at least natively.
Apple HomeKit features: Simple design and easy-to-use features | Control smart home features from your Apple device | Matter support
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Why we like it: Amazon Alexa offers top-of-the-line voice control, as the popular virtual assistant is widely considered to be the most accurate and responsive. It works with thousands of smart home products across different connectivity requirements, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Matter. It also allows rich automation through Routines and Skills.
Who it’s for: Alexa is perfect for voice-first smart home users, people building a broad smart home with different brands of devices, and busy households with kids. Alexa’s Routines can help simplify everyday life, from automating bedtime to creating grocery lists. It also supports fun and useful commands like kids profiles for Echo devices and turning off the lights when it detects snoring.
Who should look elsewhere: While Alexa is the most popular smart home assistant, the mobile app is cluttered and unintuitive. Privacy-focused users are often deterred by Amazon’s voice assistant due to Alexa’s always-listening functionality and data usage. The app and Echo devices, especially those with a display, often push features, suggestions, and skills, which can annoy some users.
Amazon Alexa features: Intuitive voice controls | Fantastic automation power through the Alexa app | Easy-to-use interface
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Why we like it: Google Home offers a great app experience, similar to Apple Home. It’s one of the easiest and most intuitive to navigate. The automations are easy to set up, and the voice control is nearly on par with Alexa’s. Google Home is also one of the most widely compatible systems available, with thousands of devices offering integrations natively, but it also supports Matter.
Who it’s for: This is perfect for fans of the Google ecosystem, but Google Home has become the most popular among Android users in general. It’s also a great option for beginners, requiring no knowledge of smart home functionalities because the app makes everything easy to set up.
Who should look elsewhere: Like Alexa, Google Home isn’t one of the most popular systems among privacy-focused users, at least not over alternatives like Home Assistant. You have options to opt out of data sharing. Google Home also isn’t the best option for Apple-first homes, so if you have iPhones, iPads, and HomePots, Apple Home will be the best fit.
Google Home features: Powerful automation | Highly intuitive and easy to use | Growing number of compatible devices
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What are the tariffs in the U.S.?
The recent U.S. tariffs on imports from countries like China, Vietnam, and India aim to boost domestic manufacturing but are likely to drive up prices on consumer electronics. Products like smartphones, laptops, and TVs may become more expensive as companies rethink global supply chains and weigh the cost of shifting production.
CNET: Tariff Pricing Tracker: We’re Watching 11 Products You Might Need to Buy
Consumers may also experience notable price increases on robot vacuums and smart home products. Manufacturers are exploring options such as relocating production to countries with lower tariffs, but such transitions are complex and may not provide immediate relief. In the short term, shoppers should anticipate higher costs for robot vacuums due to these trade policies.
Right now, it looks like some tech may be exempt from the issued tariffs, but since it’s always changing and developing, we are keeping an eye on it and will update you on the latest.
Also: Tariff exemptions for electronics offer a break for tech – but not for long
Home Assistant takes the top spot as the best automation system. It’s a complete, highly compatible system that will help you intuitively run your smart home to its full potential. It’s a great system for users who want to be able to choose their smart devices and appliances with few limitations.
| Automation system | ZDNET’s take | Hub required? | Voice control | Zigbee | Z-Wave | Ease of use | Most reliable | Compatibility |
| Home Assistant | Best overall | – | ✔ | ✔ | With dongle/hub | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Apple HomeKit | Best for Apple users | ✔ | ✔ | – | – | ✔ | – | – |
| Amazon Alexa | Best for voice control | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Google Home | Best for Android users | ✔ | ✔ | – | – | ✔ | – | ✔ |
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Choosing the perfect home automation system will certainly depend on your smart home needs and where you see it in the future. For example, if you consider yourself somewhat tech-savvy or have a Raspberry Pi lying around, trying out Home Assistant could be a great way to get started.
Or if you already have an Amazon ecosystem in the works with an Echo Dot here or there, you can continue down that line. Do you mind paying for a subscription? Buying a hub? These are all things that affect the choices you make in automation systems.
| Choose this automation system… | if you want… |
| Home Assistant | An easy-to-set up and use system with the most compatibility from smart devices. |
| Apple HomeKit | An Apple smart home ecosystem with data privacy and security at the forefront. |
| Amazon Alexa | To control your smart home with your voice with one of the best voice assistants. |
| Google Home | A Google ecosystem to control your devices that is easy to integrate with Android devices. |
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We combined our expertise in the Internet of Things and experience with smart home devices and automation systems to test these platforms and choose the best ones. It’s crucial to choose the right smart home system because it’s an investment in your everyday life. You want that investment to make sense to how you or your family will use it.
Before researching systems, evaluate your goals for home automation. Are there specific rooms, tasks, or features that are most important to you? What is your budget? After determining your specific goals, finding the right system is much easier.
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A home automation system is the motor for your smart home. It’s the software your hub runs to connect all of your devices so you can interact with them, set automations, scenes, routines, schedules, and control them all.
The home automation system you choose could determine what your smart home looks like and how it runs, down to the brand of lightbulbs you’ll be able to buy. With relevant differences in user interface and capabilities, it’s important to choose the right one for your needs.
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Having a smart home typically means you have set up your devices with a wireless protocol so that they run either with voice control, automatically, with routines or schedules, or with you controlling them remotely with a mobile device or computer.
Automations are set when your devices react to a trigger without your involvement at the time it happens. This trigger can be an action from you or someone else, or a schedule, temperature, or weather changes, motion, or a device status. Automations can be simple or intricate. You can set several devices to work together, like turning on the dehumidifier and a ceiling fan when the humidity reaches 70%, for example.
You can have a smart home without automation, but it’d be hard to have automations without a smart home.
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When considering the costs involved in setting up a home automation system, you can divide them into two main categories — the startup cost and the ongoing costs. When you consider the startup amount, you’re willing to put into your smart home, you’re really talking about what will get you going. That will likely determine what smart devices you can add down the line.
Startup cost
To start, think of the cost of a hub or server, typically $50 to $200, plus what the basics you want to start your home on. Do you want a video doorbell, some smart lights, a security system, or cameras? The startup cost will be determined by these variants.
When I decided to make my home smarter, I started with a $100 HomePod Mini, a security system, a video doorbell, a smart lock, a couple of smart bulbs, and three cameras. This startup cost was about $900 total, which isn’t cheap but definitely isn’t as expensive as what all those items would have cost me just 5-10 years ago.
Cost of additions
After you determine the basics of your smart home automation system, you should picture what you’ll probably add down the line, in one to three years’ time, so you can see if the cost matches your budget.
Let’s say you choose Home Assistant for your home automation system and buy a Raspberry Pi or HA Green to run it on. Choosing Home Assistant means you’ll have pretty much your pick of the litter in what smart devices you can buy down the line, since you can add anything from Philips Hue to Ecobee to IKEA and Lutron. Being able to choose from expensive or inexpensive devices means your cost of additions down the line won’t be as high as with other systems.
Matter has made this even easier than ever before. Now, you don’t have to be locked down into a set of brands for your smart home, you can just have a Matter controller, a hub, and Works with Matter devices.
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A Raspberry Pi is a great resource to add to your home automation system if you are willing to tinker. I have one running in my home with Home Assistant, and it eliminates the need to buy a separate hub.
If you have a Raspberry Pi lying around and decide to try the smart home life, definitely consider playing around with Home Assistant and see how you like it.
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DIYers rejoice: Most home automation systems are marketed for consumers to install and set up themselves. Security systems are no longer something you have someone come install and charge you hundreds of dollars a month in subscriptions. Smart lights and many other devices are available for sale at major retail stores and online stores.
Doing some research to choose the right home automation system for your home and needs is all you need to make your home smart. After that, each smart device comes with easy-to-follow instructions to set up and add to your network, maybe some simple work with a screwdriver or drill if you want to mount it. This high level of customization and ability to do it yourself gives you complete control of your smart home.
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Are there alternative home automation systems to consider?
These six are the best you can buy. However, here are some worthy alternatives:
Smartphones
Smartwatches
Other Tech Resources
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Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
