SmartThings
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you are a Samsung-device household wanting one easy app and hub for Matter/Zigbee/Z-Wave gear.
New check
Comparison
SmartThings vs Hubitat
SmartThings and Hubitat both land on Depends.
Hubitat
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're a tinkerer with Zigbee/Z-Wave devices who wants fast local automations and accepts a learning curve.
| Compare | SmartThings | Hubitat |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Samsung appliance and TV households | Tech enthusiasts and tinkerers |
| Who it's not for | Privacy-first users wanting local control | Casual users wanting plug-and-play smart home |
| Privacy | Recurring CVEs from 2016-2026 including a 2025 auth bypass; Samsung patches disclosed flaws, but cloud exposure remains a consideration.10 | One known CVE: authorization bypass (CVE-2026-1201) in Hubitat Elevation, disclosed Jan 2026 and fixed in Aug 2025 platform update; community debate over hub security continues.16 |
| Support quality | No direct support evidence reviewed | Active forums; Hub Protect billing disputes reported |
| Public sentiment | Sentiment is split: the ecosystem still works well for many, but a visible wave of users is leaving over cloud dependence and new API fees.⁵ | Enthusiasts praise local speed, broad device support, and painless migrations from older hubs, while casual users and security-minded buyers are more divided. |
| Biggest gotcha | New ~$5/month API fee (from October 2026) hits Home Assistant and third-party integrations⁷ | Used hubs reportedly can't be re-registered; buy new or verify transfer policy first |
Pick SmartThings when
- Samsung appliance and TV households
- Mixed-brand Matter/Zigbee/Z-Wave homes
- DIY home security starters
- Users wanting one app for everything
When SmartThings is not a fit
- Privacy-first users wanting local control
- Home Assistant/API power users facing new fees
- Buyers wary of platform deprecations
- Set-and-forget owners who won't tinker
Pick Hubitat when
- Tech enthusiasts and tinkerers
- Privacy-focused, local-first automations
- Homes with many Zigbee/Z-Wave devices
- Migrants from Wink, SmartThings, or ISY
When Hubitat is not a fit
- Casual users wanting plug-and-play smart home
- Anyone relying on it as a burglar alarm
- Buyers of used hubs (registration restrictions reported)
- People unwilling to pay for remote access
Sources
review
- Samsung SmartThings Station review . PCWorldpcworld.comreview
- Samsung SmartThings Review . SafeWisesafewise.comreview
review
review
- Samsung SmartThings API Pricing: New Fees and Who They Affectsamsung.gadgethacks.comnews
- Leaving SmartThings before the October API fees . Home Assistant communitycommunity.home-assistant.ioreview
- SmartThings . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgnews
- Multiple Vulnerabilities in Samsung SmartThings Hub . Cisco Talosblog.talosintelligence.comsecurity
- CVE-2025-2233: Samsung SmartThings Auth Bypass Flawsentinelone.comsecurity
- Samsung SmartThings official sitesamsung.comofficial
- SmartThings Pro Building Managementsamsung-climatesolutions.comofficial
- Hubitat Elevation official sitehubitat.comofficial
- Buy Hubitat Productshubitat.comofficial
- How to use Matter on Hubitat Elevationdocs2.hubitat.comofficial
- CVE-2026-1201 Detail . NVDnvd.nist.govsecurity