Smart thermostats can make sure it's the right temperature indoors and can help reduce your energy bill, too. That’s because these devices can monitor temperature and humidity inside and outside your home, your comings, and goings, and tailor heating and cooling cycles accordingly. And, because they're connected to your home Wi-Fi network, you can monitor, program, and control smart thermostats using your smartphone.
See all of our top picks for the best smart thermostats below.
The best smart thermostat overall, the 5th-generation Ecobee looks and acts much like the Ecobee4, but with a few big improvements. It's among the best Alexa compatible devices because it offers all of Alexa's features, including calling, messaging, and Drop-In.
The new Ecobee also has a much better speaker and Spotify support, so it's now good for playing tunes if you're looking for a device to provide some background music. Most importantly, the new Ecobee has redesigned remote sensors that have much better range and battery life.
The third version of this Google-owned thermostat has a larger and sharper display than its predecessor. Like before, the Nest Learning Thermostat can talk to hundreds of other smart home devices—from the Logitech Harmony remote to the Amazon Echo to the Nest Cam—so it can automatically change the temperature when someone comes home, or if you’re about to watch a movie.
While it has a retro-style circular design, its brushed stainless steel finish and turning mechanism all feel premium. This thermostat combines the best of the past with the future, and is one of the best smart thermostats that's Google Home compatible.
This is the best smart thermostat for those on a budget. The Honeywell RTH6580WF Wi-Fi Thermostat offers much of the same functionality as the Nest and Ecobee, but for less than half the price.
While it looks like a run-of-the-mill thermostat on the outside, a Wi-Fi link lets you control this thermostat from your smartphone, just like the more expensive models. Plus, it can link to other smart home gadgets, such as smart locks, and can be controlled via voice. In all, it's a great bargain.
The Ecobee3 Lite is the best smart thermostat for those with less-involved heating and cooling systems. Still, it has many of the same functions as the Ecobee 5th gen, including a color touchscreen, intuitive interface and deep smart home integration. Ecobee also updated the Lite model to work with remote sensors (as with the full-price Ecobee4), so you can set it to keep the heat on until a room in a far corner of your house reaches a certain temperature.
The Nest Thermostat E is another excellent smart thermostat for a much lower price than its cousins. It's easier to set up than the pricier Nest Learning Thermostat, but still has many of the same features. However, it doesn't support as many HVAC systems, such as two-stage heating and cooling, and its all-white display can be hard to read from a distance.
The Honeywell T9 incorporates what we think is one of the best features for smart thermostats: Remote sensors that can measure the temperature and see if there's a person present, so that the thermostat can better adjust your HVAC system to make sure all rooms are comfortable. However, the Honeywell app could be easier to use, and this smart thermostat doesn't support Apple HomeKit.
Chill out
After testing a dozen models, the best smart thermostat is the 5th-generation Ecobee for one main reason: It comes with a wireless sensor you can place in a remote room in your house—such as one that doesn't heat or cool as fast—and lets you set the Ecobee to keep the system on until that room comes up to the temperature you want. Plus, the Ecobee has Alexa built-in, so you can interact with Amazon's voice assistant without purchasing an Echo or an Echo Dot.
Ecobee has also just added a new Family Accounts feature to its app. Owners can now let up to 15 family members to control their thermostat via the Ecobee app, without giving them access to things such as administrative privileges.
If you're looking for something less than, we recommend the Honeywell RTH6580WF 7-Day Wi-Fi Programmable Thermostat. It's not as fancy as the Ecobee, but it's still one of the best smart thermostats and works with many smart home systems.
