Assistant

Smart home hubs that run on your own hardware, so your lights and sensors keep working without a company’s cloud. It’s a small list we’re growing.

Our top pick is Home Assistant, open source and local first, from the non-profit Open Home Foundation, which can’t be sold or acquired. Gladys is a smaller self-hosted hub, free with an optional paid plan.

How we choose: we check every hub against the 6 principles in our manifesto, from who owns it to its staying power. Last checked on 13 October 2026.