Smart home privacy ratings
Home automation that runs locally.
10 smart home are rated against 4 public criteria, and 10 have enough evidence for a letter grade. Of the 8 with a known jurisdiction, 3 are based in a Five Eyes country, and 5 in the wider Fourteen Eyes.
Open-source smart home only · Criteria for this category · Suggest an addition · Markdown
| Name | Grade | Score | Data | Jurisdiction | Open source | No trackers or telemetry | No ads or data sales | Independent audit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Open source home automation system written in C++ that runs locally on Linux, Windows, Raspberry Pi or Docker, with a web interface, scripting and support for many devices and protocols. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Open source system for building custom firmware for ESP32, ESP8266 and other microcontrollers from YAML files, turning them into local smart home devices that integrate with Home Assistant. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | Switzerland Outside Eyes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Open source bridge that connects Zigbee devices to an MQTT broker through a USB or network coordinator, so they can be used locally without the manufacturers' hubs or clouds. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Open source home automation platform that runs locally on a Raspberry Pi, mini PC or server and controls thousands of device brands, with companion apps for phones and computers. |
Grade C | 65 | 100% | Switzerland Outside Eyes | Yes | Partial | Yes | No |
Self-hosted, open source smart home software that runs locally on a Raspberry Pi, mini PC or NAS, with Zigbee, Matter and MQTT support. Optional paid remote access and backups through Gladys Plus. |
Grade D | 50 | 100% | France Nine Eyes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Open source, vendor-neutral home automation platform written in Java that runs locally and connects devices and services through add-ons, with rules, a web interface and mobile apps. |
Grade D | 50 | 100% | Germany Fourteen Eyes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Apple's smart home platform built on HomeKit and Matter, controlled with the Home app and Siri on Apple devices. Automations run on a home hub such as an Apple TV or HomePod, and Home data syncs end-to-end encrypted through iCloud. |
Grade D | 45 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | Partial | Yes | Partial |
Google's smart home platform and app for setting up and controlling Nest speakers, displays, cameras and thermostats and other compatible devices, with Google Assistant or Gemini voice control. |
Grade F | 10 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | No | No | Partial |
Samsung's smart home platform and app for controlling Samsung appliances, TVs and compatible Zigbee, Z-Wave and Matter devices, with automations that run mostly in Samsung's cloud or on a SmartThings hub. |
Grade F | 10 | 100% | South Korea Outside Eyes | No | No | Partial | No |
Amazon's voice assistant and smart home platform for Echo speakers and displays, controlled through the Alexa app. Voice requests are sent to Amazon's cloud for processing. |
Grade F | 0 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | No | No | No |
Questions
What is the most private option among smart home?
No pick has been made yet. The table above is sorted by score, based on public evidence.
How are smart home rated?
Each entry answers 4 questions: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and independent audit. Answers need links to evidence. See the full criteria.
Does jurisdiction matter?
Jurisdiction decides which laws can compel a provider to hand over data. Each entry shows its country and whether it is in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes. The data a provider can hand over depends mostly on what it stores and who holds the keys. Read about jurisdictions and the CLOUD Act.