Home Assistant, Jeedom, Homey or voice hubs: which brain for your smart home?
Home Assistant, Jeedom, Homey Pro, Google Home, Alexa or Apple Home: local vs cloud, protocols, difficulty and who each suits. Comparison table for beginners.
Also available in French.
A connected home needs a brain—software or a box that reads sensors and runs automations. That choice fixes everything else: protocols, offline behaviour and day-to-day effort. Here are the main options from their official docs (Home Assistant, Jeedom, Homey Pro).
At a glance
| System | Type | Works without internet | Native protocols | Difficulty | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant | Open source (Apache 2.0) on Pi, mini-PC or official box | Yes | Wi-Fi, Matter; Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread with a radio stick | Medium | Full local control |
| Jeedom | French stack, GPL core, official boxes | Yes | Via plugins (some paid) | Medium | French community, plugin ecosystem |
| Homey Pro | All-in-one box | Yes for local devices | Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread, Matter, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 433 MHz, IR | Low | Ready-made box, minimal config |
| Google Home / Alexa / Apple Home | Voice ecosystems | Partly | Wi-Fi, Matter, Thread (device-dependent) | Very low | A few plugs and bulbs, voice |
Our pick: Home Assistant on Home Assistant Green or Raspberry Pi 5. Free, local, huge integration list—the stack we use in our guides.
Home Assistant: the open option
Backed by Nabu Casa, Home Assistant installs on a Raspberry Pi 5, a mini-PC or a Green box. The project lists 1,500+ integrations—from Philips Hue to robot vacuums. A USB stick adds Zigbee or Thread (dongle guide).
Trade-offs: you will touch configuration sometimes, and monthly updates deserve a quick check. Remote access is DIY or optional Home Assistant Cloud.
Jeedom: francophone alternative
Developed in France with French docs and community. GPL core on Raspberry Pi or official hardware. Features arrive as plugins—many free, some paid on the Jeedom Market. A solid fit if you want a French-first plugin world.
Homey Pro: radios in one box
Homey Pro bundles Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread, Matter, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 433 MHz and IR for legacy kit. Flows are visual; setup is the least technical of the local options. You depend on Homey-published apps for some brands.
We started testing the compact unit: Homey Pro mini unboxing and setup.
Google Home, Alexa, Apple Home: easy but limited
Voice hubs handle a few plugs, bulbs and thermostats well and are opening to Matter (protocol guide). Advanced automations and full offline use hit limits quickly. They still complement Home Assistant—HA can expose devices for voice control.
How to decide
- Voice-only for a few lamps: a voice assistant is enough.
- Local home, no subscription: Home Assistant.
- Local but no tinkering: Homey Pro.
- French community and plugins: Jeedom.
Next: getting started and smart home for renters.
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