Instead of Google Home and Nest

Smart-home control and automation from a phone.

Swap it

Home Assistant is the strongest self-hosted product on this entire list, and it is better than the commercial option by a wide margin. The trade is a weekend of setup.

You lose: Voice control that works without thinking, unless you add Assist and a decent microphone.

Start here

Home Assistant

Apache-2.0an eveningactive

A weekend to get going, then years of tinkering. The tinkering is the product.

github.com/home-assistant/core www.home-assistant.io

A compose file, a domain and a reverse proxy.

Also worth a look

HomebridgeApache-2.0an eveningactive
Bridges devices into Apple Home. It is glue, not a brain.
github.com/homebridge/homebridge homebridge.io

What the desk has written

Facts checked 8 November 2026. Licences, activity and archive status come from each project's own repository; the verdict and the cost lines are the desk's.