2026 verdict
Shelly or Sonoff? Of these two relays, the
Shelly 1 Gen3 is the one to buy for switching real loads, thanks to a 16A rating and a 3 year warranty.
It handles 110-240 V AC loads up to 16A and DC loads up to 10A, has overheating protection, adds Bluetooth for setup and keeps its dry and wet contact modes, all backed by three years of cover against one. The
Sonoff MINI Dry Wi-Fi Smart Switch is the more affordable and better reviewed, and it is built for a narrower job: a 2A dry contact to trigger a garage door or gate motor, with a physical on/off button and overcurrent protection. Both work with Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant and Matter. Choose the
Shelly 1 Gen3 for lights, pumps and anything with real current, and the
Sonoff MINI Dry Wi-Fi Smart Switch for a low-cost gate or garage trigger.
What owners say
Owners of both relays reach for them to automate garage doors and gates through the dry contact, and both groups describe setup as easy once the wiring is understood. Shelly 1 Gen3 owners go much further: pumps, irrigation, pool filtration and driving larger relays, with praise for local control that keeps working without the cloud and for on-device scripting. Their complaints are a tight fit in crowded boxes, no energy monitoring, no push notifications on state changes and the electrical knowledge that complex installs demand. Sonoff MINI Dry Wi-Fi Smart Switch owners like voice control of their gate through Alexa or Apple Home and the physical button as a manual fallback, but say the eWeLink instructions for pulse mode are thin, so the first setup takes trial and error.
