2026 verdict
Which relay actually gives you protocol choice?

The
Shelly 1 Gen4 does, and that is the deciding factor against the
Sonoff ZBMINIR2 Extreme Zigbee Smart Switch: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, Zigbee and Matter all live in the Shelly, while the Sonoff speaks Zigbee only and needs a compatible bridge to do anything at all. The
Shelly 1 Gen4 also holds a fuller integrations list (Apple HomeKit and Matter alongside Alexa, Google, SmartThings and Home Assistant), confirmed overheating protection, dry-contact wiring for garage doors and pumps, and a 3-year warranty against the Sonoff's 1-year term. The
Sonoff ZBMINIR2 Extreme Zigbee Smart Switch is not without its own case: it typically costs less, keeps its last switch state through a power outage, and is a perfectly capable single-channel option for a home already built around Zigbee. Both models require a neutral wire and skip energy monitoring entirely. For flexibility across ecosystems, take the
Shelly 1 Gen4; for a no-frills Zigbee node at a lower cost, the Sonoff still gets the job done.