Every European smart home platforms and hub reviewed
Baar, Switzerland
Founded 2013
Software free; Home Assistant Green hub listed at EUR 179
Demo on request
Best for: Tinkerers and privacy-minded households that want one hub for many brands
Home Assistant is the open-source smart home software that most self-hosters reach for first. It runs on your own hardware, lists more than 1500 integrations and includes dashboards, automations, energy management and a local voice assistant called Assist, while Zigbee, Thread, Matter and Z-Wave arrive through adapters. The sheer breadth is why it appears as the main answer for people leaving Samsung SmartThings.
The Open Home Foundation in Baar, Switzerland, governs the project, started in 2013 and licensed under Apache-2.0 for the core, and states that it cannot be sold. The software is free, and the Green hub is listed at €179. Remote access is a paid service sold by Nabu Casa, Inc., which has a California address, and there is no single vendor to call for support.
What Home Assistant does well
- Runs entirely on your own hardware
- Apache-2.0 licensed core
- More than 1500 integrations
- Governed by a Swiss foundation that says it cannot be sold
- Free software with an optional hub
Where Home Assistant falls short
- Learning curve for non-technical users
- Radios for Zigbee, Thread and Z-Wave cost extra
- Paid remote access comes from a US-addressed company
- No single vendor to call for support
Standout feature. Home Assistant pairs more than 1500 integrations with a local-first design that keeps working without any vendor service.
Enschede, Netherlands
Homey Cloud free for 5 devices, Premium EUR 2.99/month; Pro mini EUR 279; Pro EUR 449; Self-Hosted Server EUR 149 or EUR 4.99/month
Demo on request
Best for: Households that want an app-led hub without writing configuration files
Homey is a hub and app from Athom B.V. in Enschede, the Netherlands, built around Flow and Advanced Flow automations. Homey Cloud is free for 5 devices, with Premium at €2.99 per month, and the local Homey Pro costs €449, with a Pro mini at €279 and a Self-Hosted Server at €149 or €4.99 per month. It supports Matter, Thread, Zigbee and Z-Wave, with apps for many brands.
Athom's chamber of commerce number is KvK 61036498, so the contracting company is easy to verify. Homey is closed source, and the cloud tier is limited to official apps, which narrows device coverage compared with Home Assistant. The legal documents on its site render client-side, so the data location could not be read and is not claimed here.
What Homey does well
- Free cloud start with no hub
- Local Homey Pro with many radios built in
- Clear one-time hub prices
- Dutch company with a stated KvK number
- Self-hosted option
Where Homey falls short
- Closed source
- Cloud tier limited to 5 free devices
- Cloud tier uses official apps only
- Hub hardware costs EUR 279 to EUR 449
Standout feature. Homey lets a household start on a free cloud tier and later move to a local Homey Pro without changing the app.
Sofia, Bulgaria
Per device, see shelly.com
Demo on request
Best for: Retrofitting an existing switch or circuit with a small controllable device
Shelly is a device maker, and its relays, plugs, dimmers, energy meters, sensors, thermostats and wall displays are designed to sit behind switches you already own. Shelly Europe Ltd. in Sofia, Bulgaria, lists Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Matter, Zigbee, Z-Wave and KNXnet/IP across the range, and publishes API documentation for local use.
Because Shelly is not a full automation platform, serious automation usually moves into Home Assistant, openHAB or Homey. Fitting a relay behind a switch means mains wiring. The Bulgarian registry number is 202320104 and the site states ISO 27001, while cloud data location was not stated on the pages read, and checkout is handled with a third party named Global-e.
What Shelly does well
- Wide protocol range including Matter and KNXnet/IP
- Fits behind existing switches
- Documented API
- Bulgarian company with a stated registry number
- ISO 27001 stated
Where Shelly falls short
- Devices, not a full platform
- Mains wiring needed for relays
- Data location not stated on pages read
- Checkout handled with a third party
Standout feature. Shelly is the only maker here whose range spans Wi-Fi, Matter, Zigbee, Z-Wave and KNXnet/IP behind existing switches.
Ober-Ramstadt, Germany
Free, donations accepted
Demo on request
Best for: People who want a long-lived open-source engine with a pluggable architecture
openHAB is a vendor-neutral home automation engine run by the openHAB Foundation e.V. in Ober-Ramstadt, Germany. It supports more than 400 technologies and systems through add-ons, works with rules, can run offline, and has a cloud companion called myopenHAB. The core is licensed under EPL-2.0 and the software is free, with donations accepted.
The project is a Java runtime for people who are comfortable editing configuration, and its interface is less polished than the commercial hubs. There is no ready-made hub from the project, and no commercial support line was found on the pages read, so help comes from the community. In return, no company owns it, and the German association publishes an imprint.
What openHAB does well
- Foundation-governed, not owned by a company
- More than 400 technologies
- EPL-2.0 core
- Free
- German association with a public imprint
Where openHAB falls short
- Configuration-heavy
- No ready-made hub from the project
- Interface less polished
- Support is community-based
Standout feature. openHAB combines more than 400 supported technologies with ownership by a German foundation instead of a company.
Stuttgart, Germany
Devices bought separately; Home+ EUR 4.99/month or EUR 49.99/year
Demo on request
Best for: Households that want one German manufacturer for heating control, alarms and plugs
Bosch Smart Home is a closed system from Robert Bosch Smart Home GmbH in Stuttgart, centred on the Smart Home Controller II. The range covers radiator thermostats, door and window contacts, smoke detectors and plugs, plus Matter devices, and connects to Alexa, HomeKit and Google Assistant. Bosch states that data is held locally on the controller.
Devices are bought separately and the Home+ subscription costs €4.99 per month or €49.99 per year for some extras. The system is built around Bosch's own devices, so mixing many brands is harder than on Home Assistant or Homey, and custom automation depth was not verified. The commercial register entry is Stuttgart HRB 754585, and the shop pages read were in German.
What Bosch Smart Home does well
- Data stored on the controller, per Bosch
- Large manufacturer behind the product
- Matter-capable devices
- Wide partner compatibility
- Clear Home+ price
Where Bosch Smart Home falls short
- Closed ecosystem
- Controller and devices must be bought
- Some features need Home+
- Less flexible than hub software
Standout feature. Bosch Smart Home covers heating, door contacts and smoke detectors from one German manufacturer, with data kept on the controller according to Bosch.
Paris, France
Free locally; Gladys Plus EUR 6.99/month in Europe with 1-month trial
Demo on request
Best for: People who want a friendlier open-source hub than a configuration-file system
Gladys Assistant is an open-source smart home system from Gladys Assistant SAS in Paris, licensed under Apache-2.0 and installed with Docker on common hardware. It supports Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter and MQTT and offers one-click integrations for Tuya, Netatmo, Shelly, Sonos and Philips Hue, plus scenes. Everything runs locally for free.
Remote access, voice assistants and AI features need Gladys Plus, which costs €6.99 per month in Europe with a one-month trial. Gladys is smaller than Home Assistant, so expect fewer integrations, and the project sells no hub, so you run the server yourself. The company is registered as RCS Paris 947 826 814.
What Gladys Assistant does well
- Apache-2.0 open source
- One-click integrations
- Installs with Docker on common hardware
- Clear EUR price for remote access
- French company with RCS number
Where Gladys Assistant falls short
- Smaller ecosystem
- You maintain the server
- Remote access needs a subscription
- No project-made hub
Standout feature. Gladys Assistant installs with Docker and wires up brands such as Tuya, Netatmo and Philips Hue in one click.
Munich, Germany
Founded 2011
Devices sold in the tado shop; subscription pricing not verified
Demo on request
Best for: Retrofitting room-by-room heating control in a rented or owned home
tado is a heating and cooling specialist from tado GmbH in Munich, active since 2011. Its range covers a smart thermostat, radiator thermostats, AC control, a Heat Pump Optimizer, an energy tariff and smart EV charging, controllable through its app and Siri. It is designed for DIY installation and works with many European heating brands.
tado handles heating only, not lights, locks or cameras, so a hub such as Homey or Home Assistant is still needed for the rest of the home. Subscription and device prices and the data location were not stated on the pages read, and the savings claim on its homepage rests on tado's own data. The Munich register entry is HRB 194769.
What tado does well
- Specialised in heating and cooling
- DIY installation
- German company with public register entry
- Works with many European heating brands
- Voice assistant support
Where tado falls short
- Heating only
- Prices not verified
- Third-party integrations share usage data back
- Closed source
Standout feature. tado is the only specialist in this list built for heating and cooling, including a Heat Pump Optimizer for heat pumps.
Munich, Germany
Per accessory, see evehome.com
Demo on request
Best for: Privacy-minded households building a Matter and Thread setup without accounts
Eve is the brand of Eve Systems GmbH in Munich and sells accessories rather than a platform: smart plugs with a power meter, a radiator valve, thermostats, temperature sensors and a blinds motor. They use Matter and Thread, and according to Eve no account is needed and no cloud is involved.
Eve has no hub or automation engine, so you need a Matter controller such as Home Assistant or Homey, or an Apple home hub. The range is narrower than a full ecosystem, and without a cloud there is no remote access service from Eve itself. The Munich court register entry is HRB 108591, and prices were not verified.
What Eve does well
- No cloud and no account
- Matter and Thread
- Energy and heating accessories
- Munich company with court register entry
Where Eve falls short
- No hub or automation platform
- Narrow product range
- Needs a separate controller
- Prices not verified
Standout feature. Eve accessories need no account and no cloud and work through Matter over Thread.
Rillieux-la-Pape, France
Core free; some plugins paid (for example Mobile EUR 4, JeeZigbee EUR 6)
Demo on request
Best for: French-speaking tinkerers who want a plugin-based open-source system
Jeedom is an open-source home automation framework published by Domadoo SAS in Rillieux-la-Pape, France, with a GPL-licensed core. It needs no cloud, offers a Jeedom Box gateway and a plugin market, and covers Z-Wave JS, JeeZigbee and MQTT Manager along with Smart Home and Smart Building products.
Much of the site and community is in French, and the English pages are thinner than Home Assistant's. Plugins can be paid, for example Mobile at €4 and JeeZigbee at €6, and they vary by author. The company is registered as RCS Lyon 482 106 606, and Jeedom Box and Hypervision prices were not verified.
What Jeedom does well
- GPL-licensed open core
- No cloud needed to work
- Plugin market
- Integrator-oriented products
- Company with RCS entry
Where Jeedom falls short
- Documentation largely in French
- Paid plugins add up
- Smaller community than the leaders
- Pricing for hardware not verified
Standout feature. Jeedom runs without a cloud and sells paid plugins from a market, such as JeeZigbee at €6.
Radevormwald, Germany
Pricing on request via the trade
Demo on request
Best for: New builds and renovations that put control into the wall switches
Gira is a building-installation system from Gira, Giersiepen GmbH & Co. KG in Radevormwald, Germany. Gira One, the Gira KNX system and the retrofit Gira KNX RF Multi put lighting, blinds and heating control into wall switches, with the Gira G1 as a control unit. It is meant for a permanent installation, not a weekend hub.
Prices are on request via the trade, wired KNX normally means planning during building or renovation, and there is no open-source layer. Data location was not stated on the pages read. Compared with Homey or Bosch Smart Home, Gira trades the app-first experience for switches that keep working as switches.
What Gira does well
- Wall switches and control in one system
- KNX standard
- Retrofit variant exists
- Established German manufacturer
Where Gira falls short
- Prices not published
- Wired KNX needs planning
- Not a DIY hub
- Closed system
Standout feature. Gira builds control into wall switches on the KNX standard, with a retrofit variant for existing homes.
