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Reviewed / Google / Honeywell / Amazon / Ecobee / Sensi
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Reviewed / Google / Honeywell / Amazon / Ecobee / Sensi
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The Nest Learning Thermostat is easy to install, simple to control from anywhere, and works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Read More
An intuitive touchscreen, great temperature accuracy, and remote sensing make this a solid smart thermostat pick. Read More
The Nest Thermostat offers several of the same features as the more robust Nest Learning Thermostat but at a fraction of the cost. Read More
Lavishly smart, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium can control a wider than average amount of HVAC systems and smart home features. Read More
This smart thermostat connects to Wi-Fi and heeds to voice commands if paired with a smart hub. It also has high temperature sensing accuracy. Read More
There are plenty of options when it comes to great smart home devices, but few have the potential to impact your overall comfort more than a programmable thermostat.
If you want to remotely control the temperature in your home, save energy and money on utility bills with more efficient heating/cooling, or just want to engage in the longstanding thermostat war with your significant other from anywhere in the world, a programmable Wi-Fi thermostat is for you.
With so many options available, it’s hard to know where to start. That’s why our smart home experts have done extensive testing to find the best smart thermostats on the market right now.
We can confidently say that the Nest Learning Thermostat (available at Amazon) is the best of them all, with an easy setup, intuitive controls, and voice commands. Looking for something cheaper? The regular Nest Thermostat offers great value.
The Nest Learning Thermostat can be controlled by dial or by smart app, and it is our best overall smart thermostat.
The Sensi Touch 2 smart thermostat looks and operates much like a traditional programmable thermostat, but it offers excellent smart features.
The Nest Thermostat's display shows information about the date, time, and weather. It also shows the current temperature inside of your home, as well as humidity levels.
This smart thermostat is equipped to control lots of systems in your home, beyond the HVAC basics.
The Ecobee Enhanced is a new mid-level thermostat from Ecobee, featuring a temperature sensor, plus humidity and motion sensors, voice control, and more.
Works with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, and Google
Straightforward set up process
Easy to control remotely
Some connectivity issues
Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings
Option to prevent rapid AC system switching
Intuitive interface
You can't program a schedule on the unit itself
No push-in connectors
Needs batteries to operate
Intuitive features
Works flawlessly with Alexa
Sleek design
No support for Google Home and Apple HomeKit
No remote temperature sensors
Works with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, and Google
Simple setup process
No built-in Amazon Alexa
No extra temperature sensor
Works with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, and Google
Easy to use
Connectivity issues
Requires a 2.4 GHz connection
We’ve had a variety of our smart home experts test smart thermostats for this guide, including Whitson Gordon, a freelance tech writer and former editor-in-chief of Lifehacker and How-To Geek, as well as Rachel Murphy, Reviewed's Home editor, and Dave Ellerby, Reviewed’s chief scientist.
Here's a look at the rig we used for testing smart thermostats. When cool air comes on, the blue button lights up. When the heat is on, the red button lights up.
We test smart thermostats in a real home using a standard HVAC system, which includes a C-wire. We also test some of the thermostats using a powered stand-alone circuit with a five-wire setup common in many HVAC systems. This replicates outputs for cooling, heating and fan control circuits, indicating when they became active.
Our test circuit allows us to test how easy it is to set up the system, as well as the sensor accuracy. We can also tell whether the thermostat responds to temperature changes with appropriate heating and cooling outputs. We have noted each unit’s compatibility with non-C-wire-equipped systems where applicable.
For each thermostat, we safely switch off the HVAC circuit breaker, install the backplate, mount the front of the thermostat, and configure it with the smartphone app on both an iPhone and Android phone.
Once we successfully install and program the thermostat, we let it run while we test out the app, the thermostat's responsiveness, and any voice assistant functionality. Using Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, we put these programmable thermostats through their paces.
We also try out the extra features on each thermostat to make sure that they are actually useful. This primarily includes scheduling and geofencing, but can also include other features like room sensors.
We became intimately familiar with the circuit breakers while testing smart thermostats.
If you're shopping for a smart programmable thermostat, be sure to answer these questions before you buy anything:
What kind of cooling and heating system do you have? Make sure you know your system before you buy a thermostat designed for central air.
Will your current HVAC setup work with a smart thermostat? (You may want to consult a professional before continuing.)
Do you have a C-wire? Most smart thermostats require a C-wire. Some thermostats will work without it or may require a separate conversion kit or adapter.
How much smart functionality do you want? Do you need geofencing (location-based) or "learning" features, or do you just need basic remote access from your phone?
Do you use smart assistants like Amazon Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant? Are they compatible with the smart thermostat you're investigating?
Will you want to install the smart thermostat yourself, or will you want a contractor to do it? Keep in mind that contractors may favor smart thermostats not available for resale.
Finally—and perhaps most importantly—who will use this thermostat, and what is their level of tech-savviness? Just because you're comfortable using complex smart devices doesn't mean your spouse, roommate, or kids are, which may impact the thermostat you choose to buy.
Don’t forget the C-wire: most smart thermostats need a constant power supply.
A C-wire, or common wire, is a steady power source. It keeps your thermostat’s screen bright and ensures a steady connection to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
This Wi-Fi connection gives you control of heating and cooling systems from your smartphone. It also enables more advanced features like geofencing, or voice assistants that let you turn the heat on by chatting to your smart speaker while you dice scallions in the kitchen.
If your brand new home still smells of fresh paint and sawdust, then you might already have a thermostat C-wire installed.
Many older homes only have four wires: W-wire (heating), Y-wire (air conditioning), G-wire (fan), and any of a slew of other HVAC possibilities, including an R-wire for power to your heating and cooling system. (Even older homes are often rigged with only two wires, one for heating and one for cooling.)
The C-wire usually appears as a fifth wire. However, depending on your home’s HVAC, and whether you have systems like heat pumps or dual stage heaters installed, you could have more than five wires.
Some Wi-Fi thermostats come with systems that can power the thermostat using four wires. Often, these will pull power from a fan wire or another system.
However, this option can have downsides. Certain HVAC systems, such as the compressors on air conditioners, can be degraded when repeatedly turned on and off. As a rule, smart thermostats run best with a proper C-wire.
Most smart thermostat C-wires will be blue, though they can also be brown, purple, or black.
It’s important to remember that you can’t connect just any wire over to your C-wire connection as a power source. If you’re setting up an HVAC system for the first time, be very careful when identifying and connecting your home’s wire types.
Smart thermostat installation can be complex. If you find yourself in doubt, remember that it’s likely a good idea to stop and bring in an HVAC professional. Mistakes with wiring can be damaging and costly.
Any Wi-Fi connected devices at home present an element of privacy risk. While smart thermostats don’t typically record audio or video of homeowners, the geofencing features may store location data the same way that your phone does. The good news is that there are steps you can take to help protect your smart home, if you’re worried about privacy.
As with any device, look for two-factor authentication. This safety feature sends a code to your mobile device before letting you log in. That way, if someone tries to hack into your account, you’ll get the code instead of them. You get a heads-up to change your password, and they get nothing but frustration.
You can also set up email or push notifications to let you know when somebody logs in to your system.
Finally, make a strong password with multiple letters, numbers, and characters for every one of your different accounts. With data breaches being such a routine part of everyday life, having different passwords is important.
If you use one password for your banking, email, and all your devices, having that password exposed in a breach can be disastrous. Using different passwords protects you.
Finally, when using smart assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, consider regularly deleting your voice recordings and muting the speaker’s mic when it’s not in use.
Looking for more privacy tips? Read our guide to securing your smart home.
Rachel Murphy is Reviewed's home editor. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Central Florida. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a freelance writer for publications like Insider and Mashable, and as an associate editorial producer for Good Morning America. Aside from smart home tech, her interests include food, travel, parenting, and home renovation. You can usually find her sipping on coffee at any time of the day.
Whitson Gordon
Freelance Writer
Whitson Gordon is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.
Dr. Dave Ellerby
Chief Scientist
Dave Ellerby has a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds and a B.Sc. from the University of Manchester. He has 25+ years of experience designing tests and analyzing data.
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