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Hubs · Head to head

Aqara Hub M3 vs Home Assistant Green

Full Smart Hubs comparison in 2026

Updated October 2026
Data from Amazon and official Aqara and Nabu Casa sites.
2026 verdict
Between these two smart home hubs, most homes are better served by the Aqara Hub M3, which ships with the radios Home Assistant Green needs a dongle for.
Aqara Hub M3
Winner
Aqara Hub M3
$139.99$159.9913% OFFPrime exclusive deal
Buy on Amazon USACheck price
The M3 has a Zigbee coordinator, a Thread border router, Bluetooth, an IR blaster and dual-band Wi-Fi next to Ethernet with PoE, and it bridges its devices to Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant, all for less money. Home Assistant Green is the better reviewed of the pair and a different kind of product: a local automation server open to devices from almost any brand, with ONVIF, RTSP, Node-RED and Tailscale support, a quad-core processor with 4GB of memory and 32GB of storage, but Ethernet only. Pick the Aqara Hub M3 for a ready-made Aqara home, and Home Assistant Green if you want to unify many brands and do not mind learning the software.
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FeatureAqara Hub M3Home Assistant GreenWinner
Price$139.99$219.00Aqara Hub M3
Rating4.14.4Home Assistant Green
Connectivity2.4 GHz WiFi, 5 GHz WiFi, EthernetEthernetAqara Hub M3
ProtocolsBluetooth, Zigbee Coordinator, Thread Border Router, Matter Bridge, Third-Party Devices, IRZigbee Coordinator, Thread Border Router, Third-Party DevicesAqara Hub M3
IntegrationsGoogle Home, Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, Home AssistantGoogle Home, Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, Home AssistantTie

What the differences mean

Radios out of the box

The Aqara Hub M3 has Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth and IR built in. Home Assistant Green has none of them on board: Zigbee and Thread need a separate dongle, which adds cost and a USB port to plan for.

Openness to other brands

Home Assistant Green is fully open to third-party devices and is where many brands meet. The Aqara Hub M3 is marked as partially open, and its owners say its Zigbee side only pairs Aqara products.

Power-user features

Home Assistant Green supports ONVIF and RTSP cameras, Node-RED and Tailscale, which the Aqara Hub M3 does not. That is what makes it a platform to build on rather than a hub to set and forget.

Placement

The Aqara Hub M3 joins over 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi or Ethernet and can run from PoE. Home Assistant Green is Ethernet only, so it lives near a network port.

Setup effort

The Aqara Hub M3 pairs its own accessories in well under an hour, its owners say. Home Assistant Green is plug-and-play on the hardware side, but its software rewards reading the docs.

Which one to buy if

Winner
Aqara

Aqara Hub M3

13% OFF
Prime exclusive deal
$139.99
$159.99
Buy on Amazon USACheck price
  • + Price: $139.99
  • + Connectivity: 2.4 GHz WiFi, 5 GHz WiFi, Ethernet
  • + Protocols: Bluetooth, Zigbee Coordinator, Thread Border Router, Matter Bridge, Third-Party Devices, IR
  • - Rating: 4.1 vs 4.4

What owners say

Owners of both boxes praise automations that run locally and feel instant. Aqara Hub M3 owners single out how many protocols fit in one unit, feeding Aqara locks and sensors into Home Assistant, HomeKit and Alexa over Matter, and helpful support, while they complain about Zigbee pairing limited to Aqara devices, pricey accessories and a confusing phone-only app. Home Assistant Green owners talk about finally getting Lutron, Hue, Shelly and cameras into one dashboard and a box that is up within minutes of plugging in, and their warnings are a real software learning curve, the separate dongle needed for Zigbee and Thread and a cloud subscription for easy remote access and voice.

Price history compared

Every price change of both, in the same store, so the gap between the two lines is what one costs more than the other.

  • Aqara Hub M3
  • Home Assistant Green

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Frequently Asked Questions

Aqara Hub M3 vs Home Assistant Green: which is better?

The Aqara Hub M3 for most buyers, since it includes Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth and IR radios and costs less. Home Assistant Green is the better choice for mixed-brand homes and tinkerers who want a fully open local platform.

Does the Aqara Hub M3 work with Home Assistant?

Yes. The Aqara Hub M3 works with Home Assistant, and its owners describe feeding Aqara devices into Home Assistant Green through the M3's Matter bridge.

Do I need a dongle for Zigbee on Home Assistant Green?

Yes. Home Assistant Green has no Zigbee or Thread radio on board, so both need a separate dongle. The Aqara Hub M3 has a Zigbee coordinator and a Thread border router built in.

Which one connects over Wi-Fi?

Only the Aqara Hub M3, which supports 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi as well as Ethernet and PoE. Home Assistant Green connects by Ethernet only.

Who should buy the Aqara Hub M3?

Buyers creating an Aqara smart home who want one box for Zigbee, Thread, Matter and IR, with fast local automations and support for every major platform.

Who should buy Home Assistant Green?

Privacy-minded owners of devices from many brands who want local control, camera and Node-RED support, and are willing to learn the Home Assistant software.

Full comparison table

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