Home Assistant Cloud: What Is It and Should You Use It?
Home Assistant Cloud is an optional subscription service that connects your Home Assistant installation to the cloud, enabling extra features like remote access, integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and privacy-focused voice services. It's run by Nabu Casa, the company founded by the creators of Home Assistant, and is designed to make certain tasks easier and more secure – without forcing you to use the cloud for your day-to-day automations. Is Home Assistant Cloud Required?
No – Home Assistant Cloud is entirely optional. You can use almost all of Home Assistant's features for free and completely locally, without any cloud account or subscription. The cloud service simply adds convenience and some advanced capabilities. If you prefer to keep everything local, you never have to sign up.
Why Might You Want Home Assistant Cloud?
- Easy Voice Assistant Integration: Effortlessly connect your Home Assistant to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can control your devices by voice with minimal setup. No need for complex configuration or exposing your network to the internet.
- Secure Remote Access: Get encrypted remote access to your Home Assistant from anywhere, without needing to set up VPNs, dynamic DNS, or manually opening firewall ports.
- Privacy-Focused Voice: Use the "Assist" voice assistant in Home Assistant with optional cloud-based speech recognition and natural language processing – all with strong privacy guarantees.
- Supports Home Assistant Development: Your subscription helps fund development and support for Home Assistant and related open source projects.
What Does It Cost?
Home Assistant Cloud is a paid subscription, with a free 30-day trial for new users. After the trial, it costs about €5/month or $6.50/month (check the latest pricing in your region on the Home Assistant website).
How to Get and Set Up Home Assistant Cloud
- Go to Settings: In your Home Assistant UI, open Settings > Home Assistant Cloud.
- Start Free Trial: Click the option to start your free trial and create a Nabu Casa account. You'll only be charged if you continue after the trial ends.
- Connect Services: Once signed up, you can enable Google Assistant, Alexa, or remote access with a few clicks. Detailed guides are provided within Home Assistant for each integration.
- Configure Access: Choose which devices or entities you want to expose to each service. You stay in control of what's shared.
You can cancel anytime – and if you stop your subscription, your Home Assistant will keep working locally as before.
What Can You Do With Home Assistant Cloud?
- Control Your Home Remotely: Access your dashboard and control devices securely, even when you're away from home.
- Use Alexa or Google Assistant with Home Assistant: Ask your voice assistant to turn lights on or off, check sensors, run automations, and more, using your Home Assistant setup.
- Voice Commands to "Assist": Use natural language commands with Home Assistant's built-in voice assistant, using cloud speech recognition for better accuracy (optional – you can use offline too).
- Receive Notifications: Some integrations allow sending notifications directly to your mobile device through the cloud.
- Easy Sharing with Family: Share access to your Home Assistant securely without advanced network configuration.
All integrations are designed with privacy in mind – only the data needed to enable features is sent through the cloud, and you control what's shared.
Do You Need Home Assistant Cloud?
Some Home Assistant users are happy running entirely local and never use the cloud service. But if you want remote access, reliable voice assistant integration, or simply want to support the project, Home Assistant Cloud is the easiest and safest way to do it.
You can try it risk-free for 30 days and cancel anytime, so it's worth experimenting to see if the features are useful to you.