Apple Home
The strata apartment. Tidy, private and well run, with a strict body corporate: HomeKit data is end-to-end encrypted and much of Siri runs on the device.
Best for: households where everyone has an iPhone.
Smart home guides
Alexa, Google, Apple or Home Assistant?
Who runs your smart home matters more than which speaker you buy. Compare privacy, lock-in and what works for mixed iPhone and Android homes.
The short version: Apple, Google and Amazon are like landlords: you own the furniture, but they set the building rules, hold the keys and can renovate under you. Apple is the most private but iPhone-only. Google has the smartest assistant but keeps the most history. Amazon is the cheapest but sends every request to the cloud. Home Assistant makes you the home owner: more to look after, but nobody else holds the keys, and you can still keep Siri, Google or Alexa as the voice.
Three landlords, three sets of rules
Google Home
The share house with a brilliant, nosy landlord. Gemini is the smartest assistant of the three, but your history lives in your Google account and products get discontinued.
Best for: Android households who want the best voice assistant.
Amazon Alexa
The cheap flat above the shop. The widest device choice and low prices, but every voice request goes to Amazon, and Ring cameras are cloud-only.
Best for: getting started cheaply, if you’re comfortable with the cloud.
Side by side
How the four big platforms and Home Assistant compare. Australian prices as at October 2026.
| Apple Home | Google Home | Amazon Alexa | Samsung SmartThings | Home Assistant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | All-iPhone households that value privacy | Android households who want the smartest assistant | The cheapest way into a smart home | Homes with Samsung phones, TVs and appliances | Anyone who wants to own their home and mix every brand |
| Phones | iPhone only | Android first, iPhone works | Android and iPhone | Android and iPhone | Android and iPhone |
| Where your data lives | Mostly on your devices, encrypted in iCloud | Your Google account | Your Amazon account | Your Samsung account | On your hub, at home |
| Voice | Siri, much of it on device | Gemini for Home, in the cloud | Alexa and Alexa+, in the cloud, every request | Bixby, or Alexa and Google | Use any of the others, or private local voice |
| Paid tier | iCloud+ for HomeKit Secure Video | Google Home Premium from AU$15 a month | Alexa+ free with Prime, otherwise AU$29.99 a month | Free for the basics | Free software, optional cloud subscription |
| Works without internet? | Partly | Mostly not | Mostly not | Partly | Yes |
| Biggest risk | Narrower device choice and iPhone lock-in | Products discontinued under you | Privacy and cloud-dependent everything | Tied to Samsung’s cloud and app | More to look after, unless someone sets it up for you |
Which suits your home?
Start with who lives there and which phones they use. That decides more than any feature list.
Everyone on iPhone
Choose: Apple Home.
Why: it’s the most private and the simplest to live with when the whole household is on Apple.
Add later: a hub if you want brands Apple doesn’t support, or automations Apple can’t do.
Mixed iPhone and Android
Choose: Home Assistant, with Siri and Google as the voices.
Why: no single landlord serves both phones well. A hub gives everyone the same house in their own app.
Read: Owning the place.
Privacy first, or no subscriptions
Choose: Home Assistant on a local hub.
Why: your home keeps working without the internet, and nothing about your routines leaves the house.
Add: the AI Hub for a private voice assistant.
Already locked in?
You don't have to start again. Each guide moves you to Home Assistant step by step, without losing devices.
Leaving Google Home
Copy your Thread network from an Android phone first, share your Matter devices, and bring Nest gear across as a halfway step.
Leaving Alexa and Ring
List your skills and routines, re-pair Echo Zigbee devices mains-powered first, and replace Ring before you cancel it.
Leaving Apple Home
Copy your Thread network before the last iPhone leaves, gather your HomeKit codes, and keep Siri for the iPhone users who stay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Doesn't Matter mean it no longer matters which one I choose?
Half true. Matter means a compatible device can join Apple, Google and Amazon at the same time and talk to them locally, which is why we recommend Matter devices wherever there’s a choice. What Matter doesn’t move is everything above the device: your automations, scenes, camera history, voice assistant and subscriptions. Those still live with the landlord.
Can I use more than one?
Yes, and many homes do. Matter devices can belong to several ecosystems at once. The cleanest setup is one hub running the house, with Siri, Google or Alexa added as voices on top, so everyone uses the assistant they like and the automations live in one place.
Do I have to pay a subscription?
Not for the basics. Each platform’s paid tier adds extras: iCloud+ for Apple’s secure camera recording, Google Home Premium for Gemini features and camera history, and Alexa+ unless you have Prime. Home Assistant is free software, with an optional subscription that makes remote access and the Google and Alexa connections easier to set up.
What happens if a company discontinues my device?
It can stop working or lose features, and it happens more often than people expect. Google ended the Nest Protect and Nest x Yale lock in 2025 and dropped support for early Nest thermostats. Devices running locally on your own hub aren’t affected by a company changing its mind.
Can Home Assistant work with Siri, Google and Alexa?
Yes. Home Assistant can present your devices to Apple Home through the HomeKit Bridge, which runs locally with no subscription, and to Google and Alexa through Home Assistant Cloud. You choose exactly which devices each assistant can see. See Owning the place.
Where should smart speakers sit on my network?
With your smart devices, not with your phones and laptops. HomePods, Nest speakers and Echos are always-on microphones, and they’re usually Thread border routers and Matter controllers too, so they need to be on the same network as the devices they control. We put them in the smart device zone and keep them away from your personal devices. See Planning a smart home network.
Stuck between Apple, Google and Amazon?
Tell us which phones are in the house and what you want your home to do. We’ll recommend a setup that works for everyone, now and when the next phone upgrade comes around.