Aqara Hub M3 vs BroadLink RM4 Mini

Aqara Hub M3 wins with its multi-protocol hardware (Zigbee, Thread, Matter, Bluetooth, dual-band Wi-Fi, Ethernet) and HomeKit plus SmartThings support. BroadLink RM4 Mini is much cheaper and slightly better rated, but it is an IR blaster only, with no hub functions.

Scope. The Aqara Hub M3 is a smart home hub that coordinates Zigbee and Thread devices, bridges them to Matter and includes IR control as one feature. The BroadLink RM4 Mini does exactly one thing, blasting infrared commands over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, and does it well for the price.

Only the Aqara Hub M3, which bridges into HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant. The BroadLink RM4 Mini covers Google Home, Alexa and Home Assistant, with no HomeKit or SmartThings support and a default reliance on BroadLink's cloud.

For pure IR value, the BroadLink RM4 Mini: owners praise its wide, powerful emission that covers a room from almost any orientation, its brand library and its smart learning. The Aqara Hub M3's IR blaster works well but occasional quirks are reported, and you pay for much more than IR.

Choose Aqara Hub M3 if you are building an Aqara-based smart home: it unifies Zigbee, Thread, Matter and IR in one box with local automations, PoE power and every major platform. Note that over Zigbee it only pairs Aqara devices.

Choose BroadLink RM4 Mini if you just want your TV, AC or set-top box voice-controllable for the least money. It is tiny, easy to hide, quick to set up and near-instant with Alexa and Google, though it is IR-only with no RF.