Ecobee Vs Nest: The Honest Showdown
Do you find yourself frustrated by the cold temperatures inside your house during the winter months? Smart thermostats make your life easier by letting you have control over your heating and cooling preferences. But which thermostat is better? Find out as we dissect the ecobee vs Nest round off!
Challenger #1
ecobee Smart Thermostat
It was the first one to be released, but how does it fair up compared to the new and improved version?
 Amazon.com | $219.00 5 new from $179.99 15 used from $174.79 | Buy Now |
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 Walmart.com | $376.88 out of stock | Buy Now |
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VS
Challenger #2
Nest Learning Thermostat
The 1st Gen left little to be desired, but has the the newer model made up for their mistakes?
| Amazon.com | $197.95 55 new from $193.00 7 used from $169.99 | Buy Now |
| Bestbuy.com | $249.99 | Buy Now |
| Walmart.com | $307.99 out of stock | Buy Now |
| Ebay.com | $199.99 out of stock | Buy Now |
Table of Contents
| ecobee Smart Thermostat | Nest Learning Thermostat | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions (Inches) | 4.29″ x 4.29″ x 1″ | 3.3” x 3.3” x 1.21” |
| Color | Black | Brass, Copper, Stainless Steel, White |
| Screen Size | 2.5″ x 3.5″ | 3.25″ |
| Screen | LCD Touchscreen | Color |
| Compatibility | Most 24V heating and cooling systems | Most 24V heating and cooling systems |
| Heating Stages | 2 | 3 |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Zone Control | Yes | Yes |
| Temperture Sensors | Yes | Yes |
| Humidity Sensors | Yes | Yes |
| App | Yes | Yes |
| Farsight | No | Yes |
| C-Wire Required | Yes | No |
| Smart Scheduling | No | Yes |
| Warranty | 3-Year | 2-Year |
| Buy | Find Best Price | Find Best Price |
#1 – ecobee Smart Thermostat (ecobee5)
Challenger #1
| Amazon.com | $219.00 5 new from $179.99 15 used from $174.79 | Buy Now |
| Bestbuy.com | $238.99 | Buy Now |
| Walmart.com | $376.88 out of stock | Buy Now |
| Ebay.com | $112.99 out of stock | Buy Now |
The new and improved ecobee smart thermostat comes with a sleek black plastic design with a glass finish similar to the ecobee4.
Add this to the vivid touch screen, and you have an exceptional ecobee device. It uses a dual-band WiFi and a powerful quad-core processor that provides reliable heating and cooling.
The kit includes an ecobee the sensors, which can be used to keep the most important rooms at a comfortable temperature.
Ecobee also provides you with everything you need to get the smart thermostat up and running, including the install guide, wire labels, and a large trim plate.
Installation takes around 45 minutes; this time can be shortened if you follow the step by step guide on the ecobee App.
Ecobee claims to be able to save you 23% on your energy bills, which means over a year or two, the thermostat will pay for itself.
In this version, ecobee have upgraded the built-in Amazon Alexa by giving the speaker a massive boost. You can now perform precise functions and commands from further away. It also supports Spotify Connect and Bluetooth streaming so you can use it as an entertainment device.
Key Features
- Dual-Band WiFi
- Alexa Built-In
- Compatible with Google Assistant, HomeKit SmartThins, IFTTT
- PowerFul App
- Three-year Warranty
- Geofencing
What Other People Say
They had done a lot of previous research before eventually deciding to go for the ecobee Smart Thermostat. They didn’t install the device, so they couldn’t comment on how easy it was. But, as the thermostat goes, it works very well; after registering online, everything was perfect
Another customer had owned three different generations now, including the ecobee4; they couldn’t believe they could improve further. The sensors were quick to adapt and work with Alexa. They also mentioned the thermostat was fast as lightning at performing the tasks.
Final Verdict
The new ecobee provides us with significant upgrades from ecobee4. It’s great to see they addressed the issue with the Alexa with the addition of a better speaker. It also sees the addition of redesigned temperature sensors that work in conjunction with the App and thermostat.
One downside is the geofencing feature, it only works from one phone, unless you play around with multiple apps. Overall it’s much more powerful than the ecobee4 with dual-band WiFi and other enhanced capacities.
What We Liked
- Simple installation
- Excellent performance and feature set
- Easy to configur day-to-day
- Great speaker
- Numerous voice control and communication features
What We Didn’t Like
- Poor Hardware Design
- No on-screen Alexa
#2 – Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen
Challenger #2
| Amazon.com | $197.95 55 new from $193.00 7 used from $169.99 | Buy Now |
| Bestbuy.com | $249.99 | Buy Now |
| Walmart.com | $307.99 out of stock | Buy Now |
| Ebay.com | $199.99 out of stock | Buy Now |
The Nest Learning thermostat learns how you like to keep the temperature of your house, and will build a schedule around that.
Since 2011 Nest claims to have saved their users billions of kWh. Their users can expect 10-12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling, not too bad, right?
The small size of the Nest Learning thermostat makes it means you can place it anywhere in your house, without it taking up too much space.
It has dimensions of 3.3″ x 3.3″ x 1.21″ and weighs 8.6 Oz. It’s made using a stainless steel outer ring with a 24-bit color LCD screen.
The kit includes everything you need to get your smart thermostat running; it even comes with the screwdriver.
All you need to do is take out your existing thermostat and wire your new and improved Nest unit into the wall.
You can also add remote sensors for more advanced temperature control.
It comes with farsight, which is used for a couple of reasons, one, it powers up the LCD screen when someone is 5 meters from the device.
The second reason is to allow your furnace to know if anyone’s in the house. Nest Supports voice control from Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Key Features
- Geofencing & Farsight
- Alexa and Google Assistant Integration
- Heating and hot water support
- Control with App, Voice, or thermostat
- Mains Powered heat link
- 2-year warranty
What Other People Say
Everything they needed was in the box, which made setting up the Nest thermostat easy. It shocked them that is was a simple case of removing their old thermostat and installing the Nest straight into the hole. They didn’t even need to drill holes for the trim plate.
Another customer had a basic programable thermostat for a few years now. The installation went well, they had to perform a factory reset, but this was due to them purchasing a used product. Once all the remote sensors were set up, everything worked flawlessly.
Final Verdict
The device was incredibly efficient; it picks up routines with ease; by far, the Nest thermostat has the most advanced auto-scheduling feature on the market. I loved how easy it was to control the temperature; you could use the App or the manual controls on the devices itself.
It might not be the cheapest device on the market, but it is the most intelligent, which makes up for the price. Another thing to note is, you don’t need to use a C-Wire, which makes the installation easier. That said, most plumbers would suggest using it to protect the system.
What We Liked
- Clear display
- Self-learning
- Easy to install
- Looks great
- Works in conjunction with smart home devices
What We Didn’t Like
- No radiator control
- Not compatible with HomeKit
Things They Have In Common
Both smart thermostats use an LCD screen to display information regarding the performance of the thermostat.
The LCD screen is protected by glass, which gives the thermostats a sleek finish.
They also both use geofencing within the App, but they do work slightly differently, so we’ll get into that later.
You can also add both the devices to several third-party products, including Amazon and Google. But how exactly does ecobee work with Google Home?
I have to say ecobee does provide a few more integrations than the Nest thermostat. Most importantly, both thermostats will save money in energy bills.
Head To Head
This is where we compare the two smart thermostats against each other in carefully selected categories.
So, let ‘s find out who wins in the Nest vs ecobee thermostat battle:
Price
When it comes down to the price, there isn’t a significant difference, ecobee smart thermostats are about $30 more expensive. But, it does offer a few more integrations like the built-in speaker, which would justify the price increase. The thing is, we’re not judging this round on features.
So, due to the Nest learning thermostat being slightly cheaper, I have to give this round to them.
Winner: Nest
Design
Nest comes with a modernized feel to it; the small circular shape is 3.3″ x 3.3″ x 1.21″ and a 1.8″ LCD screen. The screen has a glass finish, while the outer ring has a stainless steel finish. This allows the smart thermostat to blend into the surroundings no matter what decor you own.
Ecobee, on the other hand, is the shape of a square with rounded-off corners. Its dimensions are 4.29″ x 4.29″ x 1″, which is slightly larger than the Nest thermostat. The screen is also fronted with glass and offers a 320 x 480 resolution.
For me, it’s a very close round, but Nest thermostats look the best. There smaller design and metallic finish allow it to blend into rooms.
Winner: Nest
Energy Saving
It’s always hard to measure how much energy a thermostat can save; there are just too many variable factors, for instance, the area you live, the insulation your house uses, and how big your home is. Which means we have to rely on the data provided by the company.
So, according to Nest, their thermostat can save you up to 10-12% on your heating bills and up to 15% on cooling, which Nest feels this will relate to a saving of $130-$150 each year.
Ecobee, on the other hand, claims saving of up to 23% on your energy bill. I’m not quite sure what that will relate to in real money, but I guess it will be about the same as Nest.
Winner: Tie
Scheduling
From the minute you install your Nest thermostat, it starts working by making assumptions based on typical human habits.
At some point in time, you’ll either get too hot or cold, and as you begin making adjustments using the App or the thermostat, it will start to learn these patterns and make new schedules for you.
Ecobee has a more generic process; you can store weekly schedules for the thermostats to stick to. And of course, they can be overridden by using the App at any time.
Nest edges this one again due to the intelligence with temperature control; you can pretty much plug it in and forget about it after a few weeks.
Winner: Nest
Geofencing
I mentioned earlier that both thermostats offered geofencing abilities, but they work slightly differently. So, Nest has it built into the App. You can set multiple users, so it works on different phones, this is great if you don’t want to leave your family shivering at home when the heating turns off.
Ecobee also uses geofencing through their App, but it only supports one user, which as you imagine can become a real pain. Luckily there is a way around this; the bad news is, it requires a couple more apps like IFTTT and Life360, which is why Nest products have to win this round.
Winner: Nest
Third-Party Integration
Both thermostats offer third-party integrations, but ecobee is superior. It’s compatible with several apps and devices, including Alexa, HomeKit, Google, IFTTT, SmartThings, and Spotify Connect. It even comes with a built-in speaker to use the thermostat as an Amazon Echo product.
The Nest learning thermostat is a little more limited as yet it only works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Although, there is now a third-party App working at linking the smart thermostat to Wink and SmartThings hubs. As yet there is no confirmation of HomeKit becoming available.
Winner: ecobee
Installation
Installing both products is relatively straightforward and doesn’t take a lot of time at all. The difference comes when you haven’t already got a C-Wire installed. In this case, the Nest will come in handy; you don’t need it for the thermostat to function.
Ecobee, on the other hand, does need a C-Wire to complete the installation, But it does have a PEK (power extender kit) system. Without the C-wire, you’ll have to use this piece of equipment.
The Nest learning thermostat wins this round, for simplicity. But, I have to mention it’s not recommended running the system without a C-Wire.
Winner: Nest
Final Verdict: ecobee Vs Nest
So, by now, I’m sure you’ll have a good idea of what the best smart thermostat, but just to clarify, it has to be the Nest Learning Thermostat.
It performs excellently at controlling the temperature of the house. It was also super intelligent. After only a few weeks, it had already learned my schedule.
You can add several remote sensors for a relatively low price, which grants you more control over the temperature of the house.
If Nest doesn’t tickle your fancy, then ecobee smart thermostat is still an excellent thermostat, and far superior to the ecobee4. You may have heard of Honeywell, so why not check out this Nest vs Honeywell article?
