Apple HomeKit is the polished, curated experience. Home Assistant is the open, anything-goes powerhouse. Both keep your data local. Both work without a monthly fee. But they take very different approaches to smart home control, and the right choice depends on what you actually need. Here is an honest, side-by-side breakdown.
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Before diving into the details, here is how the two platforms compare across the categories that matter most.
| Category | Home Assistant | Apple HomeKit |
|---|---|---|
| Device Support | 2,800+ integrations | ~800 certified accessories |
| Protocols | Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, BLE, Matter, Thread | Wi-Fi, BLE, Matter, Thread |
| Automations | Extremely powerful, unlimited triggers | Basic, limited conditions |
| Setup Difficulty | Moderate learning curve | Scan code, done |
| Privacy | 100% local, you own everything | Local + E2E encrypted iCloud |
| Voice Control | Assist (local, improving) or Alexa/Google | Siri (built in, reliable) |
| Mobile App | Good (iOS + Android) | Excellent (native Apple UX) |
| Hardware Required | Pi, mini PC, or old laptop (~$50+) | Apple TV or HomePod (~$100+) |
| Monthly Cost | Free (Nabu Casa $6.50/mo optional) | Free |
| Energy Monitoring | Built-in energy dashboard | Not available |
This is where the gap is widest. Home Assistant supports over 2,800 integrations. That includes Zigbee sensors from Aqara, Wi-Fi relays from Shelly, Z-Wave locks from Yale, Bluetooth trackers, IP cameras, weather APIs, your car, your washing machine, and more. If a device has an API or talks any common protocol, someone has probably built an integration for it.
HomeKit supports around 800 certified accessories. Every product must go through Apple's certification process, which guarantees quality but limits selection. Popular brands like Sonoff, most Tuya devices, and cheap Zigbee sensors simply are not available in HomeKit. You pay more per device, and you have fewer options.
The good news: Matter is closing this gap. As more devices adopt Matter, both platforms gain access to the same hardware. But that shift will take years, and Home Assistant already supports Matter alongside everything else.
If automations are the reason you want a smart home, Home Assistant wins by a mile. It offers triggers based on time, state changes, sun position, device attributes, templates, webhooks, MQTT messages, zones, and more. You can chain conditions, use variables, call services, send notifications with camera snapshots, and build logic that would make a programmer smile.
HomeKit automations are simple. You pick a trigger (someone arrives, time of day, a sensor changes), optionally add a condition, and set an action. That covers the basics well, but it falls apart when you want something like "turn on the hallway light when motion is detected, but only after sunset, only if nobody is watching TV, and only at 30% brightness on weekdays." Home Assistant handles that in a single automation. In HomeKit, you would need workarounds or it simply is not possible.
For most households, a mix of 10 to 20 automations covers the essentials: lights that follow motion, heating that adjusts to your schedule, and alerts when something is wrong. HomeKit can handle maybe half of those. Home Assistant can handle all of them and thousands more. Check out our automation ideas guide for inspiration.
This is one area where both platforms shine compared to Google and Amazon. Neither HomeKit nor Home Assistant requires sending your data to a cloud server for basic operation.
Runs on hardware you own. All data stays on your local network by default. No account required. No telemetry. You can inspect every connection the system makes. If you want remote access, you choose how: VPN, Cloudflare Tunnel, or Nabu Casa (the only option that routes through a third party). You are in complete control.
Automations run locally on your Apple TV or HomePod. Data synced to iCloud is end-to-end encrypted, meaning even Apple cannot read it. HomeKit Secure Video processes camera footage locally before encrypting and uploading. Apple's track record on privacy is strong, but you are still trusting a corporation with your home data.
The key difference: Home Assistant gives you verifiable privacy (you own the hardware, you can audit the code). HomeKit gives you promised privacy (Apple says it is encrypted, and their track record supports that). For most people, both are excellent. For the truly privacy-conscious who want zero trust in any company, Home Assistant is the only option. Learn more in our cloud-free smart home guide.
Neither platform charges a subscription for core features. The cost differences come from hardware and device selection.
Home Assistant tends to be cheaper overall because it supports inexpensive Zigbee and Wi-Fi devices. HomeKit-certified accessories carry a premium because of Apple's certification process. That said, if you already have an Apple TV and a few HomeKit devices, HomeKit costs nothing extra to get started. The real cost difference shows up as you scale beyond 10 to 15 devices.
Here is the secret that the "vs" framing misses: Home Assistant and HomeKit work beautifully together. Home Assistant includes a HomeKit Bridge integration that exposes your HA devices to Apple Home. This gives you the best of both worlds.
Expose any Home Assistant entity to Apple Home. Your Zigbee sensors, Shelly relays, and Tasmota devices all show up in the Home app. Control them with Siri, use them in HomeKit automations.
Use Siri for quick commands ("Hey Siri, turn off the lights") while Home Assistant handles the complex automations behind the scenes. You get Apple's polished voice experience with HA's powerful backend.
Your family can use the Apple Home app they already know. You manage the complex stuff in Home Assistant. Everyone is happy. No one needs to learn a new app.
Bridged devices appear in iOS Control Center for quick toggles. Swipe down on your iPhone, tap a light, done. No need to open any app.
This "both" approach is actually the most popular setup among Apple households that adopt Home Assistant. You migrate to HA for the brains and keep HomeKit as the family-friendly interface. Check out our HomeKit migration guide for step-by-step instructions.
HomeKit wins on simplicity. You scan a code, the device appears, you drag it into a room. The Home app is clean, intuitive, and works exactly like every other Apple product. If you have ever set up an iPhone, you can set up HomeKit.
Home Assistant is more like setting up a Linux server (because it literally is one). The initial installation takes 30 minutes to an hour. Adding devices involves browsing integrations, sometimes editing configuration files, and occasionally debugging why a sensor is not reporting correctly. The UI has gotten much better over the years, but it is still a project, not an appliance.
That said, the learning curve pays dividends. Once Home Assistant is set up, it does things HomeKit simply cannot. And the community is enormous. Every question you have, someone has already answered it on the forums or Reddit.
If you want a smart home that "just works" with minimal tinkering, and you are fine with a smaller device selection, HomeKit is the better choice. If you enjoy learning, want maximum flexibility, and plan to grow your system over time, Home Assistant is worth the initial effort. Many people start with HomeKit and move to Home Assistant when they hit its limits.
Our free scan checks your current smart home devices and tells you exactly what works with Home Assistant, what needs replacing, and what your migration path looks like.
Run a Free Smart Home ScanStep-by-step guide to moving your Apple devices to Home Assistant.
How Matter bridges the gap between Home Assistant and HomeKit.
Local voice assistant as an alternative to Siri.
Compare all major platforms side by side.
Everything you need for your first Home Assistant setup.
Practical automations that show what Home Assistant can do.
Yes. Home Assistant has a built-in HomeKit Bridge integration that exposes your HA devices to Apple Home. This means you can control everything through Home Assistant while still using Siri, the Apple Home app, and HomeKit automations for the things that work better there. Many people run both systems side by side.
HomeKit is easier to get started with. You scan a code, the device appears in the Home app, and you are done. Home Assistant has a steeper learning curve, especially if you want to customize automations or use YAML configuration. However, the UI-based setup has improved dramatically, and most integrations now work with a few clicks. The initial effort pays off with far more flexibility and device support.
Both are strong on privacy compared to Google and Amazon. HomeKit processes automations locally on your Apple TV or HomePod and encrypts all data end to end. Home Assistant runs entirely on your local network by default, with no data sent anywhere unless you explicitly enable cloud features. Home Assistant gives you more control since you own the hardware and can inspect every connection. HomeKit requires trusting Apple.
Not even close. Home Assistant supports over 2,800 integrations covering thousands of devices across every protocol (Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Matter, Thread). HomeKit supports around 800 certified accessories, and many popular brands like Sonoff, Tuya, and most Zigbee sensors are not natively compatible. You can bridge some devices through Home Assistant, but native HomeKit support is much more limited.
If you are happy with HomeKit and only use Apple-certified accessories, there is no urgent reason to switch. Consider Home Assistant if you want to add non-HomeKit devices, build complex automations, use energy monitoring, integrate cameras with local AI processing, or reduce your dependence on any single company. Many people start with HomeKit and add Home Assistant later as their needs grow, keeping both running together.