Nest Thermostat vs Honeywell: Which Is Right For You?
As the weather starts to fluctuate, your electric and gas bill go through the roof but we have used a popular smart thermostat to help control our bills. Keep reading to learn more!
Challenger #1
Nest 3rd Gen
Created by google, Nest offers an intelligent solutions to your energy bills.
 Amazon.com | $197.95 55 new from $193.00 7 used from $169.99 | Buy Now |
 Walmart.com | $199.95 out of stock | Buy Now |
 Ebay.com | $193.00 out of stock | Buy Now |
Challenger #2
Honeywell Lyric T5
The Honeywell Lyric Provide you with all the information you need to control your heating.
| Walmart.com | $161.13 | Buy Now |
| Ebay.com | $109.99 out of stock | Buy Now |
| Amazon.com | out of stock | Buy Now |
Challenger #3
Honeywell Home
Don’t let the small size fool you, this Honeywell edition is extremely powerful.
| Amazon.com | $135.00 65 new from $98.97 51 used from $91.99 | Buy Now |
| Walmart.com | $282.03 | Buy Now |
| Ebay.com | $159.99 out of stock | Buy Now |
Luckily for you, smart thermostats, like the one’s Nest and Honeywell provide, can seriously improve your energy bills. But how will the Nest vs Honeywell battle hold up?
Take a Look:
Table of Contents
| Nest Learning Thermostat | Honeywell Lyric T5 | Honeywell Home | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions (Inches) | 3.3” x 3.3” x 1.21” | 4″ x 4″ x 1.3″ | 4.5” x 3.5” x 1” |
| Colors Available | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Screen Size (Inches) | 3.25″ | 3.5″ | 4″ |
| Screen | Color | Touchcreen | Color Touchscreen |
| Compatibility | Most 24V heating and cooling systems | Most 24V heating and cooling systems | Most 24V heating and cooling systems |
| Heating Stages | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Bluetooth | Yes | No | No |
| Zone Control | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Temperature Sensors | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Humdity Sensors | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iOS/Android App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Farsight | Yes | No | No |
| C-Wire Required | No | Yes | Yes |
| Smart Scheduling | Yes | No | No |
| Warranty | 2-years | 1-Year | 1-Year |
| Buy | Find Best Price | Find Best Price | Find Best Price |
#1 – Nest Learning Thermostat
Challenger #1
| Amazon.com | $197.95 55 new from $193.00 7 used from $169.99 | Buy Now |
| Walmart.com | $199.95 out of stock | Buy Now |
| Ebay.com | $193.00 out of stock | Buy Now |
Nest thermostats are available in seven colors, including Polished Steel, Mirror Black, Brass, White, and more.
The smart thermostat is made with stainless steel and has the following dimensions: 3.3″ x 3.3″ x 1.21″ and with a weight of 8.6 Oz.
The Nest Learning thermostat learns how you like your house to feel and builds a schedule around you.
This has helped users 10-12% on heating and 15% on cooling; since the start of their production, Nest claims to have saved customers billions of kWh in energy.
The display uses a 24-bit color LCD touchscreen, which keeps you up to date with all the relevant information.
The device comes with temperature and humidity sensors to help it keep track of what’s going on in your home.
Nest’s smart thermostat is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Nest supports Amazon Alexa’s voice controls to give you a hands-free feel.
On top of that, it comes with farsight motion detectors, which allows it to power up relevant information on to the LCD screen. It also allows the device to know if people are in the house to give the furnace a heads up.
Key Features
- App and thermostat control
- Android and iOS support
- Geolocation and motion sensing
- Size: 3.3" x 3.3" x 1.21”
- Two-year limited warranty
- Alexa and Google Home integrations
- Farsight
- 24-color LCD screen
What Other People Say
It’s an excellent thermostat that you can control from anywhere with WiFi or cellular connection. One customer loved it due to their mobility limitations. It was hard for them to make it back and forth from the thermostat. Which is where the in App remote controls came in handy.
Another customer was extremely happy with the purchase. The Nest learning thermostat helped them control the temperature, and to make things better, it was straightforward to use.
Overall they found it was a great decision; they loved not having to get out of bed in the middle of the night. And after a week of using the device, they had to do very little.
Final Verdict
The smart thermostat was incredibly efficient and had the most advanced auto-scheduling system. After a week of using the device, it had already picked up my schedule, leaving me very little to worry about. Which is fantastic, obviously it’s not perfect, but it is by far the most intelligent.
Overall the smart thermostat is easy to use, and to make it better, so was the App. The price was also pretty acceptable, granted it’s not the cheapest thermostat on the market, but it is one of the best. The biggest problem for me was the lack of smart radiator valves, but knowing Nest, it won’t be far off.
What We Liked
- Looks fantastic
- Learns how you use it
- Sharp and clear display
- Newly added temperature sensors
- Nice interface
- Works with multiple smart home devices
What We Didn’t Like
- No radiator control
- Not compatible with Apple home kit
#2 – Honeywell Lyric T5
Challenger #2
| Walmart.com | $161.13 | Buy Now |
| Ebay.com | $109.99 out of stock | Buy Now |
| Amazon.com | out of stock | Buy Now |
The product requires C-wire to work, just like most smart thermostats, which is an essential thing to think about.
Now that’s out the way.
The Honeywell Lyric T5 works with Alexa voice controls and Apple HomeKit allowing you to take advantage of the voice control.
You can set up a seven-day schedule so that the thermostat will take care of your heating and cooling needs.
Another nice feature is the geofencing, which gives you location-based temperature control.
It also runs an adaptive recovery system that learns how long it takes for your house to reach the required temperature.
Take full advantage of there free to use App, which gives you smart alerts straight to your phone if there is an extreme temperature warning.
Honeywell is compatible with most single-stage and multi-stage conventional heat pump and cooling systems, but it’s worth double-checking first.
The unit is 3.2″ x 3.2″ x 0.7″, which is a lot smaller than people expect, but don’t let the small size fool you. It extremely powerful and can be integrated with third-party programs such as Google Home, IFTTT, and Stringify to give you more heating and cooling options.
Key Features
- Size: 3.2" x 3.2" x 0.7"
- LCD screen
- Geofencing technology
- Push notification
- IFTTT and stringify functions
- Smart Scheduling
- Adaptive recovery system
- Integrates with Amazon Alexa, Google Home
What Other People Say
One customer needed a thermostat that would help manage the house while they were away. In the end, they chose the Honeywell lyric T5. They were delighted with their choice; it worked fantastically and gave them great insights on where the energy was going.
Another customer was concerned about some of the reviews but was overall very happy. They wanted a smart thermostat where they could make adjustments from the bed, and it did just that and more. One of the downsides was the emergency mode kicked in when the temperature dropped below 20°F.
Final Verdict
The Honeywell thermostat might not be the most technically advanced, but it did come with a cheaper price tag. The device is a versatile yet stylish thermostat option for your home. It was also lovely to see massive improvements in the geofencing and the App over the years.
Overall it’s an excellent device with plenty of functions to get your home to the perfect temperature, and when you compare the low price, you really do get quite a lot. The main problem is the cluttered interface and lack of motion sensors.
What We Liked
- Large Touchscreen device
- Supports Geofencing
- Good value
- Simple App based controls
What We Didn’t Like
- Doesn't work with SmartThings or Wink
- Poor and cluttered interface
- No motion sensors or algorithms that learn your routine
#3 – Honeywell Home
Challenger #3
| Amazon.com | $135.00 65 new from $98.97 51 used from $91.99 | Buy Now |
| Walmart.com | $282.03 | Buy Now |
| Ebay.com | $159.99 out of stock | Buy Now |
This is our second and final Honeywell edition of the list. Just like the previous model, the Honeywell RTH9585WF1004 works with Amazon Alexa, SmartThings, and Google Home.
With this edition, they seemed to have fixed some previous bugs; for example, it auto-updates for daylight saving and can make adjustments 12/24-hour.
Honeywell also offers you flexible programming options to give you a little more freedom.
You can also take full advantage of third-party Apps like Stringify and IFTTT
Honeywell features a customizable touchscreen display, which is full color and features easy to read text and numbers.
The screen doesn’t just provide you with the indoor temperature, but it will show you what’s going on in your area.
Receive intelligent alerts like air filter changes and replacements, as well as, high/low-temperature warnings straight to your phone.
The Honeywell device is 4.5″ x 3.5″ x 0.8″ in size and comes with several different display themes to choose from.
Key Features
- Size: 4.5" x 3.5" x 0.8”
- Holiday mode
- Geofencing technology
- Color LCD screen
- Push notifications
- Optional password protection
- One-year limited warranty
- Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, SmartThings, Google Home, IFTTT
What Other People Say
The Honeywell thermostat was terrific, it looked great and got the job done, claimed one customer. They liked that you could get an outdoor temperature reading with the geolocation function. They hadn’t yet had the chance to test out vacation mode, although the function did look easy to use as well.
Another customer felt it was one of the easiest smart thermostats they had seen to setup. They said it was great to have a device that made it easy to set up schedules. It was also nice to have multiple theme options. One thing they wanted to note was, the device is a lot smaller than it looks in the picture.
Final Verdict
The design was excellent, as was the overall functionality. The device was effortless to set up. All in all, it was around 45-minutes before it was up and running. The nice thing about this device was, it done precisely what you needed it too when you needed it to.
It helped you save on your heating energy and cooling bills, which is precisely what you want from thermostats. Overall it’s capable of doing everything you require from a smart thermostat. The main problem is it’s not quite as intelligent as the Nest Learning Thermostat.
What We Liked
- Alexa and Google Home compatible
- Current weather report
- Smart response
- Touchscreen
- Independent fan control
What We Didn’t Like
- Requires a C-wire
- Internal temperature issues
Thing They Have In Common
When it comes to things the devices have in common, there are a few, but not too many.
We’ll start with; both devices are highly compatible with the majority of HVAC systems, which means you’ll have little effort in finding a compatible device.
But, it’s worth checking before you fork out some money. They also both offer mobile apps and web browser controls, which gives you a lot of connectivity options. It allows you to control the devices from anywhere in the world.
Head To Head
So there are three smart thermostats to have a look at, but how will they fare against each other in head to head battle.
Find out as we put Nest vs Honeywell to the test:
Style
It’s one of the most noticeable differences when comparing the two brands. And when judging it solely on style, the Nest Learning thermostat slightly edges it for me. The circular, smart thermostat, has a cute design, with plenty of color options to go with it.
Honeywell, on the other hand, has a small rectangular shape, and although it looks the part, Nest certainly wins this one. Mainly down to the color options and the lovely design.
Winner: Nest Learning Thermostat
Price
When it comes to price, there can only be one winner, especially when you consider the $100 price difference. Honeywell is by far the cheapest, which you’d kind of expect, Nest is a big name and has some severe intelligence in comparison.
For me, Nest offers better features, which makes the device worth every penny extra, but this round isn’t about the elements, it’s about the low price, which is why Honeywell Lyric T5 gets this round.
Winner: Honeywell Lyric T5
Programming
Both devices take a slightly different approach when it comes to programming and scheduling. Honeywell decided to take a more traditional approach. Which means setting on and off times and creating schedules. This can all be changed and adjusted using the App.
Nest’s smart thermostat took a more futuristic approach. By using their AI, the device can learn your routines and then program itself. As your routine changes, so does the thermostat, and just like Honeywell, all the changes can be manually overwritten.
Winner: Nest Learning Thermostat
Energy-saving /Performance
Both devices perform well and help you save all-important energy, and depending on your location; some users are saving 20-30% on their energy bill. Which let’s face it, with the energy costs soaring savings of any kind are much appreciated.
For me the best performance-wise was Nest, it provided the most valuable usage reports, which didn’t just show you how much you used, but how effectively it was used. Add that to the motion detectors, and you’re sure to save yourself some cash.
Winner: Nest Learning Thermostat
Final Verdict: Nest Vs Honeywell
I have to say, I’m a massive fan of the Nest Learning thermostat, so much so, I’ve got one in my house. So far, it’s saved me a few dollars.
In fact, over the next year, it should have paid for itself. Scheduling wise, you have to do very little; it has enough IQ to figure out what you require from it.
It took around a week of me playing with the thermostat before it started to pick up my schedule.
It really is quite amazing, and I regularly recommend it to any that asks.
That being said, I don’t want to take anything away from Honeywell; it’s a fantastic piece of kit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes in our personal experience the nest thermostat has helped us to reduce wasted energy by making sure we are only cooling or heating the house when it’s neccessary. It will pay for itself within a couple of years of usage.
- Alexa
- SmartThings
- Google Home
- And much more