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Home Assistant Green vs Yellow: Which Smart Home Hub is Right for You?

M

Morris Yiu

Published: June 27, 2025

When it comes to automating your home, choosing the right smart hub can make all the difference. You want a system that’s easy to set up, respects your privacy, and offers powerful control over your devices. Home Assistant Green and Home Assistant Yellow are two popular options that cater to different needs and preferences.

Understanding their features and benefits will help you decide which one fits your lifestyle best and ensures your smart home runs smoothly and securely.

Top Picks

Category

Product

Price

Score

🏆 Best Overall

Home Assistant Yellow

HK$1,270.00

92/100

💰 Best Value

Home Assistant Green

HK$900.00

85/100

How We Chose These Smart Home Hubs

We focused on ease of setup, privacy features, device compatibility, automation capabilities, and overall value. Since smart home hubs are central to managing your connected devices, we prioritized systems that offer seamless integration with a wide range of products and keep your data secure by storing it locally.

Performance and future-proofing through regular updates were also key factors in our evaluation.

Home Assistant Green

Home Assistant Green

If you're looking to bring smart automation into your home without the hassle, Home Assistant Green makes it pretty straightforward. You get a system that keeps your data private by storing it locally, so you don’t have to worry about your info floating around in the cloud.

It’s perfect for daily routines like controlling lights or adjusting your thermostat, but also shines when you want to set up special scenes for movie nights or parties. Plus, it taps into a lively community that keeps improving the system every month, so it’s always getting better.

If you want a smart home hub that’s easy to use, respects your privacy, and grows with your needs, this could be a solid pick.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Privacy-focused with local data storage

Price might be a bit steep for casual users

Simple and quick setup

Requires some basic tech comfort to customize deeply

Strong community-driven improvements

Wide device compatibility

What People Say

Users appreciate how straightforward it is to get started and love the peace of mind that comes with local data storage. The ongoing updates and community support also get high marks for keeping the system fresh and reliable.

🗣️ TechSavvyJess

I love how simple the setup was. Within minutes, I had all my smart bulbs and sensors connected, and the fact that everything runs locally gives me peace of mind about privacy.

🗣️ HomeGeek42

The monthly updates keep adding cool features and integrations. It’s great to see an open-source project that actually evolves with user feedback. It handles my smart home devices smoothly without any lag.

Long-Term Savings

Because Home Assistant Green stores your data locally and doesn’t rely on subscription services, you avoid ongoing fees. The open-source nature means you benefit from continuous improvements without extra costs, making it a smart investment over time.

Getting Your Money’s Worth

While the upfront cost is higher than some plug-and-play hubs, the privacy, flexibility, and no subscription fees mean you get more value as you use it longer and expand your smart home setup.

How It Fits Your Life

Situation

How It Helps

You want to keep your smart home data private

Stores all your data locally, so nothing is sent to the cloud.

You’re new to smart home tech

Offers an easy setup process that gets you running quickly.

You like customizing your home automation

Supports a wide range of devices and flexible automation rules.

You want a system that improves over time

Regular open-source updates add new features and integrations.

Ease of Use

Feature

Ease Level

Initial Setup

Easy

Adding Devices

Moderate

Creating Automations

Moderate

System Updates

Automatic

Versatility

Home Assistant Green works with a huge variety of smart devices, from lights and sensors to thermostats and cameras, letting you tailor your smart home exactly how you want it.

Energy Efficiency

The device itself is low-power, and by automating your home intelligently, it can help reduce energy waste by turning off devices when not needed.

Problem Solving Ability

It tackles common smart home headaches like device compatibility and privacy concerns, giving you a unified system that respects your data and works smoothly.

Security Features

Feature

Protection Level

Local Data Storage

High

Open-Source Transparency

High

Regular Security Updates

Moderate

Why You’ll Like It

  • Easy setup that gets you started quickly
  • Local data storage for enhanced privacy
  • Regular updates from an active open-source community
  • Supports a wide range of smart home devices
  • Customizable automation for everyday and special occasions

Current Price: HK$900.00

Rating: 4.7

Buy Now

Home Assistant Yellow

Home Assistant Yellow

If you’re ready to take your smart home setup to the next level, Home Assistant Yellow offers a powerful hub that can handle a ton of devices and services without breaking a sweat. It’s built on the Raspberry Pi CM4, so you get solid performance and the latest Zigbee radio for reliable connections.

Whether you want to automate your daily routines or create complex scenes for special occasions, this hub has you covered. It’s a bit more of an investment, but if you’re serious about smart home control and want room to grow, Yellow is a great choice.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Extensive device and service compatibility

Higher price point may deter casual users

Strong hardware performance

Setup can be a bit technical for beginners

Improved Zigbee connectivity

Comes with power supply included

What People Say

Users love how reliable and responsive the hub is, especially praising the Zigbee connectivity and the wide range of supported devices. Many mention it’s perfect for those who want to dive deeper into smart home automation.

🗣️ SmartHomeFan88

The integration options blew me away. I connected everything from smart lights to sensors and even my energy monitor without any hiccups. The Zigbee chip really makes a difference in device responsiveness.

🗣️ AutomationAddict

Performance is smooth and reliable. I’ve been running complex automations for months now, and the system handles it all without lag. Plus, the power supply included means no extra hassle setting it up.

Long-Term Savings

Since Home Assistant Yellow supports local control and doesn’t require subscriptions, you save on monthly fees. Its broad compatibility means you won’t need extra hubs, which adds up to savings over time.

Getting Your Money’s Worth

The upfront cost is noticeable, but the flexibility, reliability, and no ongoing fees mean you get solid value, especially if you plan to expand your smart home setup.

How It Fits Your Life

Situation

How It Helps

You have many smart devices from different brands

Supports thousands of integrations, so everything works together smoothly.

You want reliable Zigbee device connections

Latest Zigbee chip ensures stable and fast communication.

You plan to create complex automations

Powerful hardware handles advanced routines without lag.

You prefer an all-in-one package

Includes power supply, so you’re ready to go out of the box.

Ease of Use

Feature

Ease Level

Initial Setup

Moderate

Adding Devices

Moderate

Creating Automations

Advanced

System Updates

Automatic

Versatility

Home Assistant Yellow handles a huge variety of devices and protocols, making it a versatile hub that adapts to whatever smart home gear you have or plan to add.

Energy Efficiency

While it’s more powerful hardware, it’s still energy-conscious and helps you track and optimize your home’s energy use through smart automations.

Problem Solving Ability

It solves common issues like device compatibility and connectivity, especially with Zigbee devices, giving you a smoother smart home experience.

Security Features

Feature

Protection Level

Local Data Storage

High

Encrypted Zigbee Communication

High

Regular Firmware Updates

Moderate

Why You’ll Like It

  • Supports over 2,500 built-in integrations
  • Powered by Raspberry Pi CM4 for strong performance
  • Latest Zigbee radio chip for better device connectivity
  • Includes power supply for easy setup
  • Handles complex automations with ease

Current Price: HK$1,270.00

Rating: 4.6

Buy Now

FAQ

What Are The Main Differences Between Home Assistant Green And Yellow?

You’ll find that Home Assistant Green is designed to be the easiest and most privacy-focused option, storing all your data locally by default and offering a smooth setup experience. It’s perfect if you want a straightforward way to automate your home without worrying about cloud services.

On the other hand, Home Assistant Yellow is more powerful, running on a Raspberry Pi CM4 with over 2,500 built-in integrations and advanced features like energy consumption tracking and the latest Zigbee radio chip. If you’re looking for extensive device compatibility and more robust automation capabilities, Yellow might be the better fit for you.

Which Smart Home Hub Should I Choose Based On My Budget And Usage?

If you’re budget-conscious and want a reliable hub that covers most smart home basics with privacy in mind, Home Assistant Green at 900.00 HKD is a solid choice. It’s great for everyday automation and managing your devices locally. However, if you need a more versatile system that supports a wider range of devices and advanced features like energy monitoring, investing in Home Assistant Yellow at $1,270.00 HKD makes sense.

Think about how many devices you want to connect and whether you’ll benefit from the extra integrations and power Yellow offers.

Can I Upgrade From Home Assistant Green To Yellow Later On?

Yes, you can start with Home Assistant Green if you’re new to smart home automation and later upgrade to Yellow as your needs grow. Since both hubs run on the Home Assistant platform, your automations and device setups can be transferred, making the transition smoother. Just keep in mind that Yellow offers more hardware capabilities, so upgrading will give you access to features like the latest Zigbee radio and energy tracking that Green doesn’t support.

Wrapping Up

Choosing the right smart home hub can transform how you manage your connected devices. Home Assistant Green offers a straightforward, privacy-focused experience that’s perfect if you want simplicity and local data storage. On the other hand, Home Assistant Yellow brings advanced automation, extensive device support, and energy tracking for those who want a more powerful and future-ready system. By understanding what each hub offers, you can confidently select the one that best fits your smart home goals and enjoy a more connected, efficient living space.

Home Assistant Green Home Assistant Yellow
Product Image
Product Image
Rating N/A N/A
Highlights Easy setup, privacy-focused, local data storage, benefits from Home Assistant ecosystem. Powered by Raspberry Pi CM4, over 2,500 integrations, energy tracking, Zigbee support.
Pros Effortless automation, strong community support. Powerful automation capabilities, extensive device support.
Cons Limited advanced features compared to Yellow. Higher price point.
Price 900.00 HK$ $1,270.00
Buy Now Buy Now
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