The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium meets
the Amazon Smart Thermostat
The most complete smart thermostat, with air quality monitoring and a room sensor in the box.. We tested it head-to-head against the Amazon Smart Thermostat across 7 key dimensions.
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
“The most complete smart thermostat, with air quality monitoring and a room sensor in the box.”
Amazon Smart Thermostat
“Core smart heating and cooling for about $80, if you already live in Alexa’s world.”
Head-to-Head Breakdown
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
- Built-in air quality monitor tracks VOCs, CO2, and humidity, which Pro Picks and Consumer Betterment called a real upgrade over plain climate control.
- Ships with a remote SmartSensor and uses built-in radar to balance temperature and detect occupancy, so distant rooms actually reach their target.
- Widest ecosystem support in the group, with Alexa and Siri built into the device plus Google, HomeKit, and SmartThings, per Consumer Betterment and Royalty Consumer.
- Atlas AC measured the gentlest 4-to-5 degree temperature swing, the easiest on HVAC equipment over time.
- Atlas AC's data-logger test found the widest temperature swing of the premium models, so rooms feel less consistent than the Honeywell T9.
- Home security hub features sit behind a paid subscription, a point Shane Whatley and Anthony Olivieri both criticized.
- Anthony Olivieri found the SmartSensors max out at 45 feet and a lone sensor can trick the Eco+ software into thinking you left the house.
- At around $250 it is the most expensive pick here, roughly four times a budget model.
Amazon Smart Thermostat
- Pro Picks found this budget unit matches the core performance of models costing triple, and its Energy Star savings of roughly $50 a year pay it off within a year.
- Alexa Hunches learns when you are home, away, or asleep and adjusts on its own, so you skip manual scheduling.
- Clean, screen-free faceplate with three touch dots that Consumer Betterment and Pro Picks praised for keeping the wall uncluttered.
- Energy Star certified and eligible for many utility rebates that can drop the effective price further.
- Alexa only: Pro Picks warns there is no Apple HomeKit or Google Home support, and you really want an Echo device to get the most from it.
- No built-in display or menu, so nearly every adjustment runs through the app or voice, per Pro Picks.
- A C-wire is required and the adapter is sold separately, which Consumer Betterment flagged as a hurdle in older homes.
- No remote room sensors, so it cannot balance temperature across a multi-zone home.
The Verdict
Our Bottom Line
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium wins because it does the most for the money you spend at the top of the range. It is the only pick here that reads your indoor air, tracking VOCs, carbon dioxide, and humidity and sending real alerts, a feature Pro Picks, Consumer Betterment, and Royalty Consumer all singled out as a genuine reason to pay flagship prices. It ships with a remote SmartSensor and uses built-in radar to balance temperature across rooms and tell when you are actually home, so the system stops heating an empty house.
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium wins because it does the most for the money you spend at the top of the range. It is the only pick here that reads your indoor air, tracking VOCs, carbon dioxide, and humidity and sending real alerts, a feature Pro Picks, Consumer Betterment, and Royalty Consumer all singled out as a genuine reason to pay flagship prices. It ships with a remote SmartSensor and uses built-in radar to balance temperature across rooms and tell when you are actually home, so the system stops heating an empty house.
- Households that want an all-in-one hub with air quality monitoring
- Homes with hot and cold spots that need a room sensor
- Owners spread across Alexa, Google, or Apple ecosystems
- Buyers who value HVAC longevity over a razor-tight temperature
- Older homes without a C-wire, since the Power Extender Kit is included
Amazon Smart Thermostat
The Amazon Smart Thermostat delivers the core of smart climate control for about a quarter of the Ecobee's price. Pro Picks found this budget unit matches the everyday performance of thermostats costing three times as much, and its Energy Star savings of roughly $50 a year mean it pays for itself inside a year. Instead of manual programming, Alexa Hunches learns when you are home, away, or asleep and adjusts on its own. The screen-free faceplate with three touch dots keeps the wall clean, and utility rebates can push the effective price even lower.
- Alexa households on a strict budget
- Small homes or single-zone apartments
- Buyers who want automatic scheduling without manual programming
- People happy to control everything by app or voice
- Modern homes that already have a C-wire