{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "apple-home",
            "name": "Apple Home",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.apple.com/home-app/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/apple-home",
            "tagline": "Built-in Apple app for HomeKit and Matter accessories",
            "summary": "Apple Home is the built-in app on iPhone, iPad and Mac for controlling HomeKit and Matter smart home accessories. Automations and remote access need an Apple TV or HomePod set up as a home hub, and the app is made by Apple.",
            "developer": "Apple",
            "platforms": [
                "ios",
                "ipados",
                "macos"
            ],
            "pricing": "free",
            "price_note": "Included with Apple devices; needs a home hub for automations",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Built into iPhone, iPad and Mac",
                "Matter support for accessories from other brands",
                "Guest access for locks and garage doors"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Automations away from home need an Apple TV or HomePod",
                "Only runs on Apple devices"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "The Home app groups accessories by room and category, shows up to four camera feeds at once and lets people grant guest access to door locks, garage doors and alarm systems. Accessories are added by scanning their code, and Matter support lets devices from other brands work with the app. Siri can control the same accessories by voice.\n\nAutomations, remote control and some features, such as robot vacuum room cleaning, depend on a HomePod, HomePod mini or Apple TV acting as a home hub. The app only runs on Apple devices, so households with Android phones need another app for control. Apple describes the app as secure and says it protects personal data."
        },
        {
            "slug": "home-assistant",
            "name": "Home Assistant",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.home-assistant.io/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/home-assistant",
            "tagline": "Open-source home automation that runs on your own hardware",
            "summary": "Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform that runs on hardware you own, with local control of devices and automations. It works with more than 1,000 brands and is developed by the Open Home Foundation, a non-profit.",
            "developer": "Open Home Foundation",
            "platforms": [
                "self-hosted",
                "linux",
                "macos",
                "windows",
                "web",
                "ios",
                "android"
            ],
            "pricing": "open-source",
            "price_note": "Free; optional Home Assistant Cloud subscription for remote access",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": true,
            "license": "Apache-2.0",
            "source": "https://github.com/home-assistant/core",
            "strengths": [
                "Local control that keeps working without internet",
                "Over 1,000 brands supported through integrations",
                "Free open-source core with a large community"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Setup and upkeep take more effort than a phone app",
                "Remote access needs the paid Cloud service or extra setup"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Home Assistant runs as a server on Home Assistant Green, a Raspberry Pi, an x86 computer or a virtual machine, and it keeps working when the internet is down. Devices are discovered on the local network, and automations can be built in the visual editor or in YAML files. Voice control runs through Assist, a local voice assistant, and Alexa and Google Assistant can also control it.\n\nThe core is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license, and its code is on GitHub. The trade-off is setup effort: a new user has to choose hardware, learn the configuration model and keep the system updated. Home Assistant Cloud is an optional paid subscription, run by the partner company Nabu Casa, that adds secure remote access from outside the home."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [
        "Only Home Assistant runs on Windows.",
        "Only Home Assistant runs on Linux.",
        "Only Home Assistant runs on Android.",
        "Only Home Assistant runs on Web.",
        "Home Assistant is open source; Apple Home is not.",
        "Apple Home: free. Home Assistant: free and open source."
    ],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "home-automation-platforms",
            "name": "Home automation platforms",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/home-automation-platforms",
            "of": 11,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "apple-home",
                    "rank": 6,
                    "score": 86.5,
                    "verdict": "Built into iPhone, iPad and Mac, with Matter support, camera views and guest access for locks. Automations away from home need an Apple TV or HomePod, and the app only runs on Apple devices.",
                    "best_for": "Smart home control for Apple households",
                    "spec": {
                        "runs_on": "Apple devices, with a home hub for automations",
                        "hub": "HomePod, HomePod mini or Apple TV",
                        "matter": "Yes, Matter accessories supported"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "home-assistant",
                    "rank": 1,
                    "score": 95,
                    "verdict": "Free and open source, with local automations, Matter support and more than 1,000 brands through integrations. Setup takes more effort than Apple Home or Alexa, and remote access needs the optional paid Cloud service or your own setup.",
                    "best_for": "Local, open-source automation for tinkerers",
                    "spec": {
                        "runs_on": "Your own hardware, works offline",
                        "hub": "Home Assistant Green, or your own Pi or PC",
                        "matter": "Yes, documented Matter integration"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "home-assistant",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/apple-home-vs-home-assistant",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/apple-home-vs-home-assistant.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}