Spending money on smart home gadgets can save you money in the long run. For example, the use of a smart plug to turn off the power to devices like your TV rather than leaving them on standby can help reduce your energy bills. However, if you're looking to keep money in your wallet and your energy bill low, one of the most effective tools is a smart thermostat.

These clever devices can save you significant amounts on your heating and cooling costs by ensuring that you're only heating or cooling your home when you're actually in it. Some can even learn your schedule and adjust the heating or cooling to match. It's also incredibly satisfying to turn up the heat just by asking your voice assistant.

There are plenty of smart thermostats to choose from, with a wide variety of prices to match. Choosing the best option for your needs can be a challenge, but to help you make your decision, here's our rundown of the best smart thermostats in 2024.

Best smart thermostat overall

First and foremost, this top-of-the-range Ecobee smart thermostat can save you money. The company estimates that you can save as much as 26% of your energy bills by using the device. There's presence detection built-in, to ensure the device only heats your home when you're in it, and the included smart sensor can monitor temperature and occupancy in a different room.

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium isn't just a smart thermostat, however. It's an air quality monitor, home security device, and smart speaker too. With Alexa or Siri built-in, you can control the temperature with your voice without the need for a separate smart speaker, and even use other smart speaker functions such as playing music or asking about the weather. Additionally, this thermostat monitors your air quality, and sends you an alert if it detects motion or smoke alarm activity when you're not home.

Best Alexa-compatible smart thermostat

Amazon's own smart thermostat has been designed using tech from Honeywell, so despite the low price, you can be certain of the quality. It has a simple design, but where it really shines is when you combine it with Alexa.

Using the Alexa app, you can set up heating schedules and monitor your energy usage. With an Echo smart speaker such as an Echo Dot or Echo Show, you can also control your heating with your voice. When you leave the house, just tell Alexa you're leaving, and the heating will automatically be turned off until you return.

Best Google Nest smart thermostat

You may think that this smart thermostat from Google Nest looks familiar and has been around for a while, and that's because it has. Despite this model having been around for many years now, it's still one of the best smart thermostats on the market.

The key to its success is the clever technology that learns your habits over time and adjusts your heating schedule accordingly. If you're always out of the house for an hour on a Sunday afternoon, your thermostat will learn this, and make sure that the heating stays off when you're out, but is back on in time for your return. And if you decide to stay home one Sunday, just ask Google Assistant or Alexa to turn the heating up.

Best value smart thermostat

If you love the stylish design and simple interface of the Google Nest Learning Thermostat but are looking for something more affordable, the Google Nest Thermostat can do the job. You still get manual controls, as well as remote control through the app or voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Alexa. You don't get the smarts that can learn your habits, however.

The circular design is instantly recognizable as a Google Nest thermostat, but instead of rotating the bezel, you use touch control on the side of the device to swipe up or down to your desired temperature. It can take a little getting used to, but soon becomes second nature.

Best Ring-compatible smart thermostat

A major issue with smart home gadgets is that each comes with its own apps and control systems. You might end up with twenty different apps to control all your various devices. Smart home hubs can help, but even then, some products may not be compatible with your hub of choice.

The Honeywell T5 Smart Thermostat and its bigger brother, the Honeywell T9, are products that are part of the Works with Ring system that allows you to control compatible smart home devices directly from within the Ring app. This means you have one less smart home app to worry about if you already have Ring products such as Ring video doorbells.

If you don't have the Ring app, you can still control the Honeywell T5 using the touch screen, or with voice commands using Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant.

Best smart thermostats: The bottom line

If you're looking for a smart thermostat that can do pretty much anything you could ever want, then it's hard to look beyond the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium. It can control your heating, monitor your air quality, tell you the weather, alert you if your smoke alarm goes off when you're away from home, let you know if motion is detected in your home when you're away, and ultimately save you a lot of money on your energy bills. If you're looking for a low-cost alternative, the Amazon Smart Thermostat is a smart choice.

How I chose the best smart thermostats

When selecting the smart thermostats for this list, I wanted to cover a fairly wide price range, from top-of-the-range models such as the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium to low-cost alternatives such as the Amazon Smart Thermostat. I also wanted to include options that worked with all the major virtual assistants; whilst most models work with Alexa, for example, there are many that aren't HomeKit-compatible.

How to pick a smart thermostat for your home

When you're choosing a smart thermostat for your home, there are some important questions you'll need to ask before you bite the bullet.

Is the smart thermostat compatible with my home?

This is a very important consideration before you make a purchase. Some smart thermostats require connection to what is known as a C-wire. This is a wire that can provide constant power to your smart thermostat, but not every home will have one. You'll need to check whether you have a C-wire in your home; if you don't, some thermostats offer power extender kits that can be used instead.

What virtual assistants are compatible with my smart thermostat?

Although almost all smart thermostats will work with one of Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, it's not always the case that they're compatible with all three. If you have a lot of smart speakers in your home, it's worth checking that the smart thermostat you buy supports that particular virtual assistant. If it's not mentioned in the description or shown on the packaging, it's probably not supported.

How much should I spend on a smart thermostat?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question; it all depends on what you want from your smart thermostat, and how much you have available to spend. A low-cost smart thermostat such as the models from Amazon will do a great job and can save you money on your energy bills. If you want an all-singing, all-dancing smart thermostat like the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, then you'll need to pay a premium price.