Shelly i4 Gen3 vs Sonoff MINI Dry Wi-Fi Smart Switch

The Sonoff MINI Dry Wi-Fi Smart Switch wins overall. It is cheaper, better rated, has an actual relay with dry and wet contact modes, adds a physical on/off button and overcurrent protection, and supports Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, Home Assistant, IFTTT and Matter. The Shelly i4 Gen3 cannot switch a load.

The relay and its dry contact. The Sonoff MINI Dry Wi-Fi Smart Switch can close a volt-free contact, which is exactly what gate and garage door controllers expect, or switch a powered load in wet contact mode. The Shelly i4 Gen3 has four inputs, no relay and no output of any kind.

The Sonoff MINI Dry Wi-Fi Smart Switch, without question. Its dry contact mode mimics a wall button press on the opener, and its physical on/off button gives you a manual fallback. The Shelly i4 Gen3 could read the existing wall button, but it cannot trigger the opener itself.

Yes, both do. The Sonoff MINI Dry Wi-Fi Smart Switch also adds SmartThings and IFTTT to the list, giving it the broader integration set. Neither module supports Zigbee, Z-Wave or Thread, and both are limited to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi.

Buy the Sonoff MINI Dry Wi-Fi Smart Switch for gate, garage door and doorbell-style automation where a dry contact is required, or for a light or fan in wet contact mode. It is small, cheap, has a manual button, supports Matter and HomeKit, and is rated for 2A loads.

Buy the Shelly i4 Gen3 if you want to reuse existing wall switches, buttons or dry-contact sensors as triggers for scenes and automations. It handles four inputs at once, supports Matter and HomeKit, and works as a Bluetooth gateway, but it must be paired with a relay to switch anything.