The Ecobee SmartThermostat is the best thermostat option for most people, with built-in Alexa support, HomeKit support and better external sensors. HomeKit support helps you fill in some of the automation gaps between ecobee SmartThermostat and Nest, and also gives you more options when setting up your smart home.

However, if you want a smart thermostat that teaches your behaviors, Nest is great. As it stands, Nest creates an automatic program and you can still make temperature adjustments, either on the thermostat itself or with Alexa or Google Assistant.

Key differences

There are a significant number of similarities between the SmartThermostat and Nest ecobee thermostats, and both are great choices. There are also crucial differences that it is essential to be aware of. For starters, Nest is a learning thermostat. Learn how you like to feel at home over time. In addition, it can be automatically set to Eco Temperature when you are away from home (with location data provided by the Nest app on your phone) to save energy.

The Nest Learning thermostat will also provide suggestions for energy-saving settings that could help you save money on heating and cooling bills.

The most important advantages of the ecobee SmartThermostat appear under its available options. Like the nest, ecobee SmartThermostat works with both Google Assistant and Alexa. Alexa is even built into the ecobee SmartThermostat, which has multiple microphones so you can hear your commands. In addition to these two assistants, ecobee SmartThermostat also works with Siri thanks to the support provided for HomeKit. HomeKit support allows you to integrate ecobee SmartThermostat with other HomeKit accessories and scenes, something you can't do with Nest.

The Ecobee SmartThermostat also has better external sensors than the Nest. These sensors detect not only the temperature of each room in which they are located, but also whether or not there is someone in those rooms, allowing you to provide heating or cooling in those rooms as needed. With HomeKit, you can even use the motion / occupancy sensor to turn lights on and off when activity is detected by automation.

The truth is that no matter what thermostats you choose, you will get a quality product. And while the two are quite similar in many ways, their differences will attract different people. Do you want a thermostat you don't have to think about? Take the nest. Want something with a built-in virtual assistant? Get the SmartThermostat ecobee.

However, I would recommend the SmartThermostat ecobee for most people. It has built-in Alexa, which is great for direct control, while working directly with HomeKit, allowing you to add it to scenes with other HomeKit accessories or control the SmartThermostat ecobee with Siri. External sensors, located in each room, also tell you if people are in that room, allowing your heating or cooling systems to provide what is needed more efficiently. In addition, a sensor is included in the box, which is not the case with the nest.