The best Google Home compatible devices, from smart lights and thermostats to smart switches and Chromecast.
We developed a guide on how to set up a Google Home routine for more ways you can make the best Google Home compatible devices work with each other. Check out the best Google Assistant commands and best Google Home commands for using your smart home’s powers to your advantage, too.
See all of the best Google Home compatible devices below.
What are the best Google Home compatible devices?
Before buying one or more of the best Google Home compatible devices, you’ll want to consider getting a smart speaker with a microphone to maximize the capabilities of your smart home. Any of the best Google Home speakers will do, but a good place to start is Google’s own Google Nest Hub Max.
The Google Nest Hub Max is the standout among the best Google Home compatible devices we’ve reviewed. As an all-in-one smart home hub, you can use it to play your music, check in on your security camera feeds, video chat with family and friends, and control all your other smart home devices. It sits nicely on a kitchen counter or living room side table, and its modern design fits in with most home decor. It also just gained the ability to support group video calls with Duo.
The best Google Home compatible devices with more specialized purposes are the August W-Fi Smart Lock and the $249 5th-generation Ecobee smart thermostat. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is the most user-friendly smart lock we’ve tested, while the latest Ecobee thermostat has advanced remote sensors to keep every room in your house comfortably cool. Both gadgets are among our favorites in their respective categories, too.
One of the best cheap smart home devices and best smart home devices overall on this list is the WeMo Mini smart plug. This compact, clever gadget makes any dumb appliance smart for just $35 (and often less). Simply connect directly the WeMo Mini to your Wi-Fi network and plug in an LED lamp or coffee maker to integrate it into your smart home system.
The best Google Home compatible devices
Google Nest Hub Max
Though it has taken Google longer than Amazon to come out with a 10-inch smart home display, the Google Nest Hub Max is a solid Echo Show competitor and one of the best Google Home compatible devices for Google Assistant-enabled smart homes. With a display three inches larger than its Google Nest Hub predecessor, the Nest Hub Max features a camera with both video call and security cam capabilities, as well as facial recognition and neat pause/play hand gestures.
You can use the Google Nest Hub Max display as an entertainment device or as a means to operate all of your smart home gadgets. Change the temperature of your smart thermostat while catching up on Bon Appétit videos on YouTube. Plus the Nest Hub Max supports Thread, an IoT communications protocol for low-power smart home devices.
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock
Ever lie awake at night trying to remember if you locked the front door? Google Home can bring you peace of mind with its support for the August Smart Wi-Fi Smart Lock. Just ask Google if your door is locked, and it’ll tell you — and you can lock or unlock it using your voice. The August Smart Wi-Fi Smart Lock also helps you keep track of guests coming to your home, letting you open the door remotely for a dog walker or delivery when you’re not home.
The August Smart Wi-Fi Smart Locks sits atop our list of best smart locks and is one of the best Google Home compatible devices. It’s also a nice upgrade to its predecessor the August Smart Lock Pro. Everything we liked about the August Pro is available in the new model: A simple installation process, features such as DoorSense (which lets you know if your door has been left ajar), and interoperability with a huge range of other smart home systems, from Alexa to Google Assistant to Xfinity. And, the August Wi-Fi lets you keep the keys from your existing deadbolt.
Ecobee (5th Gen)
The Ecobee (5th Gen) might have an Alexa speaker built-in, but it’s also one of the best Google Home compatible devices and is our favorite smart thermostat. You can use your voice assistant to keep each room in your house at the right temperature and benefit from Ecobee’s improved remote sensors. The sensors are able to detect both temperature and occupancy, meaning your thermostat can to make sure the coldest parts of your house get warm, but only if there are people currently in that area.
The latest Ecobee also has a much better speaker than its predecessor and also offers Spotify support. Yes, this thermostat is able to play your tunes if you’re looking for some background music. It’s not a true smart speaker replacement, but its sound is powerful enough for smaller spaces.
WeMo Mini
The WeMo Mini’s design might be wide, but it’s thin enough so that you can fit two of these clever smart plugs per outlet without blocking electrical access. It also sports a simple on/off switch that lets you control any appliance connected to it, no smartphone needed. The manual control offers a useful flexibility that some smart home companies haven’t caught up to yet.
Though the WeMo Mini doesn’t have energy monitoring information, it does work with HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, and more. As our top pick among the best smart plugs, the WeMo Mini is what we’d recommend for most people. It costs $35 at full price, though you can often find it for less. If you’re on a tighter budget, the Kasa Smart WiFi Plug Lite by TP-Link is reliable and just $13 per plug.
Chromecast
One of the coolest features of Google Home is the ability to play video and control videos on certain devices using your voice. The easiest way to facilitate this integration with a TV you already own is with the third-generation Google Chromecast, a $35 puck-size device that supports 1080p streaming.
Connect a Google Chromecast to your HDTV via an HDMI cable and pair your home network via Wi-Fi. Once you’ve hooked it up, you can ask Google Home to play your favorite Netflix show on your Chromecast and it’ll start it right up for you. If you’re willing to pay more for 4K HDR streaming, the Chromecast Ultra costs $70 and has the same Google Home features. We still recommend the flagship Chromecast because of how easy it is to set up, though.
How to choose the best Google Home compatible devices for you
Choosing the best Google Home compatible devices for you might seem daunting, as there are hundreds of smart home companies and gadgets to pick from. Most people will want to start with a Google Assistant-enabled smart speaker, while smart lights or a smart plug are sensible second purchases.
Take your own living space and budget into account when shopping. If you live in a small apartment with limited counter space, you might want to get the Google Nest Hub instead of the Google Nest Hub Max. Similarly, you might find it more affordable to illuminate a larger home with Sengled’s smart lights rather than Philips Hue’s. And if you need just one smart light for your bedroom, forgo a starter kit and get one of Lifx’s Wi-Fi lights.
How we test the best Google Home compatible devices
When we conduct reviews of the best Google Home compatible devices on our list, we consider how each compares to products within their respective categories. For example, we weighed the Google Nest Hub Max against the Lenovo Smart Display and other Google Assistant smart home speakers. We found it sounded the best and provided the most features of the competition.
In addition, we consider factors like ease of setup, aesthetic appeal, cost value, and the performance of smart features. All the devices on this list satisfy most, if not all, of these criteria. We included links to full reviews above so you can get a comprehensive look at what we like and dislike about the devices on this list.