Full Smart Plugs comparison in 2026
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| Feature | Shelly Plug M Gen3 | YoLink Mini Plug | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | €12.90 | $19.99 | Shelly Plug M Gen3 |
| Rating | 4.5 | 4.6 | YoLink Mini Plug |
| Maximum Load Power | 3000W | 1800W | Shelly Plug M Gen3 |
| Connectivity | 2.4 GHz WiFi, Bluetooth | None | Shelly Plug M Gen3 |
| Plug Format | Type F | Type B | Different strengths |
| Weather Resistance | NO | NO | Tie |
| Overheat/Overload Protection | YES | YES | Tie |
| Energy Monitoring | YES | YES | Tie |
| Integrations | Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, Matter | Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, Matter | Tie |
| On/Off Button | YES | YES | Tie |
| Zigbee Router | NO | NO | Tie |
The Shelly Plug M Gen3 is a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi plug with Bluetooth for setup, joining a normal home network. The YoLink Mini Plug uses long-range LoRa instead and relies on the YoLink hub, which is what lets it work in a basement or a detached building where Wi-Fi drops out.
The Shelly Plug M Gen3 is a Type F Schuko plug at 220 to 240 V for continental Europe. The YoLink Mini Plug is a Type B plug at 110 to 125 V for North America. Neither fits the other region, so this comes before any feature comparison.
The Shelly Plug M Gen3 joins Wi-Fi directly with no bridge. The YoLink Mini Plug has no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave or Thread radio and works only through a YoLink hub, which is an extra purchase unless you already run YoLink sensors and valves.
The Shelly Plug M Gen3 switches up to 3000 W at 13 A, and the YoLink Mini Plug up to 1800 W at 15 A on 110 to 125 V. For a heavy heater the Shelly has more headroom, while the YoLink covers lamps, fans and pumps.
The Shelly Plug M Gen3 is Matter certified into five ecosystems and carries a three-year warranty. The YoLink Mini Plug reaches Alexa, Google Home and Home Assistant directly, with Apple Home, SmartThings and Matter only through the YoLink Local Hub, and it lists no warranty in the catalog.
The Shelly Plug M Gen3 joins the network directly, needs no hub and is the more affordable of the two.
The YoLink Mini Plug reaches that far over LoRa through the YoLink hub, where a Wi-Fi plug would lose signal.
The Shelly Plug M Gen3 is Matter certified and commissions directly into every major ecosystem.
The YoLink Mini Plug joins the same hub and app, adding outlet control to gear you already run.
The Shelly Plug M Gen3 is rated 3000 W at 13 A, above the 1800 W the YoLink Mini Plug handles.
Owners of the YoLink Mini Plug are almost all solving the same problem: an outlet somewhere Wi-Fi will not reliably reach, a basement, a barn, a shed or a building hundreds of feet from the house. They repeatedly describe a connection that just holds at that distance, which is the point of the plug's long-range LoRa radio, and they value the real-time energy monitoring and the simple pair-and-schedule setup through the YoLink hub. The drawbacks they mention are the hub the plug cannot work without, an app whose scheduling is more basic than some outdoor plugs, and no USB output or weather rating. A few also note that Apple Home, SmartThings and Matter only arrive through the newer YoLink Local Hub.
The Shelly Plug M Gen3 for a normal indoor outlet, since it needs no hub, speaks Matter into every major ecosystem, handles more load and carries a three-year warranty. The YoLink Mini Plug is the specialist pick only when the outlet sits far from Wi-Fi and you already run a YoLink hub.
The radio and the hub. The Shelly Plug M Gen3 is a direct Wi-Fi plug with Matter built in and no bridge, while the YoLink Mini Plug uses long-range LoRa and cannot work at all without the YoLink hub.
Only through the YoLink Local Hub, which bridges the plug to Matter and therefore to Apple Home and SmartThings. Without that hub it reaches Alexa, Google Home and Home Assistant, and it has no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Zigbee radio of its own.
Yes. The Shelly Plug M Gen3 has an official local integration and can also run over Matter, while the YoLink Mini Plug has a documented Home Assistant integration through its hub.
A European household that wants a metered plug joining Wi-Fi directly, speaking Matter into Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant, with local schedules and a three-year warranty.
Owners of a large or rural property who need an outlet controlled far from the router and already use YoLink, or are willing to buy the hub the plug requires to work.
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