Best Home Automation Platforms in 2026
Updated
In short: openHAB is ranked #1 of 25 as of 3 October 2026, ahead of Google Home and Homey. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Google Home. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Homey at $2.99/mo.
Choosing a home automation platform starts with the devices and control features you need to connect. Compare camera integration, Matter support, and voice assistant support, then check Zigbee and Z-Wave support against your setup. Local control and energy monitoring offer other ways to assess fit; free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost context. The ranking opens with openHAB, Google Home, and Homey, followed by Apple Home and ioBroker. Consider which connections matter in your home and whether local control or energy monitoring is important to you.
25 home automation platforms ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | App | Score | From | Free plan | Paid from | Local control | Matter support | Zigbee support | Z-Wave support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  openHAB | 8.2 | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | View |
| 2 |  Google Home | 8.1 | $10/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | — | — | View |
| 3 |  Homey | 8.1 | $2.99/mo | Yes | $2.99/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | View |
| 4 |  Apple Home | 7.7 | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | — | — | View |
| 5 |  ioBroker | 7.6 | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | View |
| 6 |  eWeLink | 7.4 | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | View |
| 7 | Bosch Smart Home | 7.3 | €4.17/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | View |
| 8 |  Aqara Home | 7.2 | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | View |
| 9 |  SwitchBot | 7.1 | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 10 | Tuya Smart | 7.0 | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | View |
| 11 |  Xiaomi Home | 7.0 | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | Yes | — | View |
| 12 |  IKEA Home smart | 6.7 | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | View |
| 13 |  Hubitat Elevation | 6.3 | — | No | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | View |
| 14 |  Amazon Alexa | 6.2 | — | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 15 |  Jeedom | 6.2 | — | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | View |
| 16 |  FHEM | 6.1 | — | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | View |
| 17 |  Calaos | 6.0 | — | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes | — | View |
| 18 |  HomeSeer HS4 | 5.9 | $149.95/mo | No | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | View |
| 19 |  WebThings Gateway | 5.9 | — | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | View |
| 20 |  HomeGenie | 5.8 | — | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | View |
| 21 |  Control4 | 5.3 | — | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | View |
| 22 |  Savant | 5.1 | — | No | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 23 |  Loxone | 5.0 | — | No | — | Yes | Yes | — | — | View |
| 24 |  URC Total Control | 5.0 | — | No | — | Yes | — | — | — | View |
| 25 | Josh.ai | 4.7 | — | No | — | — | — | — | — | View |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which home automation platform is ranked first on Freedom251?
openHAB is ranked #1 of 25 with a score of 8.2. Google Home is second and Homey third.
How many of these have a free plan?
5 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Homey has the lowest first paid tier we found: $2.99/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.