Making your home “smart” is a fun, inventive way to get more out of your space. One popular addition is a smart thermostat. There are two big companies that provide excellent thermostats: Nest and Ecobee. But which one should you go with? You’ll likely want to side with the company most compatible with your needs. We’ll review each company’s smart thermostat to help you make a decision.
Nest
Products
Nest Thermostat
Specs
- Price: $129.99, with free shipping
- Optional: $99 installation
- Dimensions: 3.3 inch diameter
- Colors: Snow, sand, fog, charcoal
- Warranty: One year standard warranty
- Languages: English, French and Spanish
The Nest Thermostat was the first generation of smart thermostats that Google sold. The Nest saves between 10-12% on your heating bills and 15% on your cooling bills. This thermostat is controlled through the thermostat itself and through the Google Home app. The thermostat will turn itself off when you’re away. It is a mirror design in a plastic housing display. The plastic is derived from 49% recycled plastic material.
Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd generation)
Specs
- Price: $249 or $10.38/over 24 months, with free shipping
- Optional: $99 installation
- Dimensions: 3.3 inch diameter
- Colors: Polished steel, stainless steel, mirror black, black, white, copper, brass
- Warranty: Two year limited warranty
- Languages: English (United Kingdom and United States), Dutch, French (France and Canada), Italian, Spanish (Americas and Spain).
The Nest Learning Thermostat is the third edition of the Nest thermostat. Similar to the Nest Thermostat, the savings are around 10-12% on heating and 15% on cooling. This is also controlled through the Nest app, and can be updated wherever. The third generation also learns your habits and schedules, giving you a more personalized experience. It uses less than 1kWh/month, giving you massive savings in every electricity bill.
This model comes in a metal ring design, with high-resolution digital display that shows the time, temperature and weather. This thermostat uses a rechargeable lithium battery
Smart Thermostat Reviews
The Nest Thermostat has an average rating of 3.8 stars out of 5, taken from only 34 reviews on the Google Store. Frequent comments on reviews said that it’s a great option for those who didn’t want to spend the extra money, easy installation, and appealing design.
The Nest Learning Thermostat has an average rating of 4.8 stars out of 5, taken from over 28,000 online reviews through the Google Store. Frequent comments on reviews include: easy installation, exceeding expectations, nice hardware, and that the investment was worth the price.
Compatible with…
You can use your Nest thermostats with Google Home or Amazon Alexa.
Ecobee
Products
Ecobee 3 Lite
Specs
- Price: $149.99 tp 169.99 with free shipping
- Optional: $99 installation
- Dimensions: 4×4 inches
- Colors: Black with white sides
- Warranty: Three years
- Languages: English
The Ecobee 3 Lite is an earlier generation of the Ecobee smart thermostats. This thermostat can save up to 23% of costs on heating and cooling. This thermostat can be controlled by your phone, iOS or android.
Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control
Specs
- Price: $199.99 to $249.99
- Optional: $99 installation
- Dimensions: 4.29 x 4.29 inches
- Colors: Black with white sides
- Warranty: Three year limited
- Languages: English
The Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control may be newer, but is also listed as savings as up to 23% on heating and cooling. The difference between the two, however, is that this model comes with sensors and a built-in Alexa. This is also made from sustainable and recycled materials, free from mercury, arsenic, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Reviews
The Ecobee 3 Lite has an average rating of 4.8 stars out of 1,735 reviews on their website. There was a toss up on installation, some users claimed it was very easy to install, while others said it took them hours. The customer service was also back and forth; some reviews raved on the customer service. Others suggested Ecobee needed help in that department. One thing the reviews can agree on is that they loved their thermostat, and were happy in their purchase.
The Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control has an average rating of 4.8 stars out of 662 reviews on Ecobee’s website. These reviews praise the touch screen, love the design, but some say that the Alexa feature can be hit or miss. The installation process was described as being easy, and users said there are helpful videos on installation to help with any confusion.
Compatible with…
You can use your Ecobee products with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and If This Then That (IFTTT).
Smart Thermostat Comparison: Nest vs. Ecobee
When doing the smart thermostat comparison between Nest and Ecobee, there were so many positives on both products that it’s hard to say which piece of equipment is better than the other. However, there are some interesting differences between the two that might help your decision.
- If you’re looking for a more customizable thermostat, go with Ecobee.
- Or if you’re looking for a thermostat that’s more self-reliant and doesn’t require manual adjustments, you’ll enjoy Nest’s product offering.
- Ecobee is compatible with more products than Nest. Nest only works with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, whereas Ecobee has those two, plus Apple, Samsung and IFTTT
- Nest can be used in five different languages, while Ecobee is only available in English.
Wanting More Information?
ONIT is here for all things home- including thermostats. If you know that you’d like to integrate more smart home technology devices in your home, but don’t know where to start, start with us! Contact us today to speak to someone from our team at 1-833-433-0331.