Homey

Homey is a smart-home platform for bringing compatible devices, services and household controls together. It is best suited to households mixing brands and wanting flexible automations or shared access. Its broad compatibility is the main draw; the choice is whether to accept a monthly cloud fee or pay more upfront for a Pro hub.

Overview

Homey works with over 70,000 devices from more than 2,000 brands, and its App Store includes integrations for services such as Spotify, Slack, Twitter and Discord. That reach makes it a credible central platform for a varied smart home, though households should still check compatibility with their particular devices.

Control options span smartphone, tablet, desktop web app, Apple Watch, and iOS and Android widgets. Family members and friends can be assigned manager, user or guest roles, while Flows can grant temporary access for visitors such as cleaners. Those access controls are useful in shared homes; they matter less to a single user managing everything alone.

Key features

Devices and automations

Support for Matter, Zigbee, Z-Wave, cameras, energy monitoring, voice assistants and local control gives Homey scope across different kinds of smart-home setups. Flow handles simpler automations, while Advanced Flow supports more complex routines. That makes Homey a better fit for people who want to build beyond basic switching, though the added flexibility is unnecessary for a home that needs only a few straightforward controls.

Homey integrates with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Siri Shortcuts. Its privacy position is also clear: Homey says it does not sell user data or serve ads, and that users own their data. Security measures include sandboxed apps, penetration tests and bug bounties. No security certification is stated.

Support

Help is available through a knowledge base, support requests, community help and a system-status page. Homey is associated with Athom B.V. and says it is present in more than 200,000 homes.

Pricing

Homey Cloud Free costs $0.00 per free and covers up to five devices. It is a useful way to begin, but the cap is restrictive for a home with more than a small handful of connected devices.

Homey Cloud Premium costs $2.99 per month, billed monthly, after the free five-device allowance. It includes cloud smart-home control, automation and monitoring. The monthly plan lowers the cost of entry compared with buying hardware, but the recurring charge is the trade-off for extending Cloud beyond five devices. Homey Cloud can start for free; no trial duration or refund policy is stated.

Homey Pro costs $449.00 per once as a one-time purchase for a local smart-home hub, with no subscription stated. It suits buyers who prefer a hardware purchase over an ongoing Cloud fee, but requires substantially more upfront. Homey Pro mini costs $249.00 per once as a one-time hardware purchase for a smart-home hub, also with no subscription stated. Homey Bridge is sold separately at $69.00 per once as an extension for Homey Cloud, not a replacement for its monthly plan.

Platforms

Homey is available on iOS, Android and the web, with control also supported through tablet, desktop web app, Apple Watch and iOS and Android widgets. The mix accommodates different household devices without limiting control to a phone.

Who it's for

Homey fits households combining devices from multiple brands or standards, users who want both simple and advanced automation options, and homes that need separate roles or temporary guest access. Its free Cloud tier is most practical for a small setup of up to five devices. Larger Cloud households should budget for the monthly plan, while buyers who want local control without a subscription may prefer a Pro hardware purchase.

Pros and cons

Pros: Compatibility with over 70,000 devices from more than 2,000 brands gives mixed-device households broad scope.

Pros: Flow and Advanced Flow cover both simple routines and more complex automations.

Pros: Local control and one-time Pro hardware purchases offer an alternative to a continuing Cloud subscription.

Pros: Manager, user and guest roles, plus temporary guest access through Flows, help accommodate shared households.

Cons: Homey Cloud Free stops at five devices, making the free tier a limited fit for expanding setups.

Cons: Cloud Premium adds a monthly charge, while Pro requires a much larger upfront hardware purchase.

Cons: Device breadth does not guarantee that a specific household's equipment is compatible, so checking individual devices remains important.

Alternatives

openHAB is a better fit for readers who want a free platform across desktop operating systems, web and self-hosting; its myopenhab.org cloud service for the openHAB Cloud connector is also free. Google Home suits readers seeking a free app on Android, iOS or web, though compatible devices are required and some products or features may not be available in all regions. ioBroker is another free option for readers who want an open-source platform with basic functions and web, desktop or self-hosted availability.

eWeLink is worth considering for readers who want a freemium smart-home option with a free trial and broad platform availability. Apple Home is a free alternative for households with Apple devices and compatible accessories. Hubitat Elevation is a paid, one-time hub option, with its North America Model C-8 Pro priced at $184.95 per once. Bosch Smart Home offers a free tier and Home+ at €4.99 per month for up to three systems, with camera clip and storage allowances. HomeSeer HS4 is another paid smart-home software option.

For more choices, see Home automation platforms.

Verdict

Choose Homey if your home mixes brands and you want broad device support, flexible automations and a choice between Cloud and local-control hardware. Its main limitation is the cost trade-off: Cloud beyond five devices is recurring, while Pro moves the expense upfront. Readers with only a few devices can start free; those seeking a larger setup without monthly Cloud costs should weigh the Pro purchase against their budget.