Honeywell vs Nest: Smart Thermostat Showdown

Is your home too hot in the summer but too cold in the winter? Do your energy bills keep on skyrocketing each day? Well, it's probably time for a thermostat upgrade. 

We compare the Nest Learning Thermostat with Honeywell's T9 across the following criteria; installation, scheduling, geo-fencing, learning capabilities, app features, and smart home integrations. Read on!

Honeywell vs Nest: The Result

8.9

Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation

WinnerLearns your schedule and adjusts accordingly

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8.8

Honeywell Home T9 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat

Regulates the temperature in specific rooms of the house

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Both Nest and Honeywell thermostats have a “Home” and “Away” setting that automatically adjusts the warmth depending on whether you are home or not. You can also adjust the temperatures in your house from any location in the world!

Apart from those few similarities, these two thermostats are quite different. Below is a head to head review of Honeywell vs Nest.

Google Nest Learning Thermo…

Score: 8.9

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Honeywell Home T9 Wi-Fi Sma…

Score: 8.8

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Honeywell has a significant history in the home heating industry and have been making thermostats for over 50 years.

Google, on the other hand, acquired Nest who massively disrupted the market in 2011.

Both of these brands have heavily invested in their product range and it shows with some impressive features on offer. As you will see, both devices work perfectly and reliably in controlling your home's heat levels for optimum energy efficiency.

Installation

One of the main factors to consider when replacing your old thermostat with the best thermostat is the C-wire. Most modern thermostats need a C-wire (or common wire) for them to work well. But most old homes do not have that. 

The Google Nest 3^rd generation smart thermostat is easier to install. You can DIY within just 30 minutes. In most cases, you do not need a C-wire for the thermostat to work. 

On the other hand, installing the Honeywell Home is more time-consuming. That's because you'll have to install a C-wire for the thermostat to work well.

But if you don't have a C-wire, there's a C-wire provided in the package. If that seems like too much work, consider hiring a professional HVAC contractor to help with the installation. 

With both options, you can easily mount these thermostats in the same location as your old one. However, you may need to transfer your thermostat to your home's room or section with the highest traffic for the best performance and heat control. 

Both the Google Nest and Honeywell's smart thermostats are compatible with almost all HVAC systems. And the manufacturers have provided easy to follow installation videos to make the process a breeze.

Style, Design, and Price

The 3^rd Generation Nest smart thermostat measures 3.3 x 3.3 x 1.21 inches and comes in 6 attractive colors. It is sleek and will match well with any interior.  The digital display, too, is bright with a high resolution that lights up to show the current weather, temperature, or time. 

The Honeywell T9, unlike the Google Nest thermostat, is more compact and measures just 2.6 x 2.6 x 0.77 inches. It also has a touch-screen display but is only available in white. 

However, due to the super compact size of the Honeywell Home T9 thermostat, you may need to do some touch-ups of your décor after replacing the old thermostat. 

Both of these smart Wi-Fi thermostats are battery-operated and rechargeable. The Honeywell Home T9 has alkaline batteries, while the Google Nest Learning Thermostat has a lithium-ion battery.

Both the Honeywell Home T9 and the Google T3007ES Nest learning thermostats are in the same price range. Nonetheless, Google's Nest comes in at a slightly higher cost.

Programming, Climate Scheduling and Learning Capabilities

To use either of these Wi-Fi thermostats, you will, of course, need a Wi-Fi connection, an Android or iOS device or PC, and the appropriate app. Using the app, you'll need to answer a few prompts to help your thermostat learn your schedules.

Both thermostats have a Home/Away setting that detects whether you are in or out of the house and adjusts the temperatures accordingly. The Google Nest third generation smart thermostat detects any movement in the room.

If there is no movement, it automatically adjusts itself to an Eco temperature to save energy consumption. The disadvantage of this is that you'll most likely wake up in a cold room if you fall asleep on the couch.

The Honeywell Home T9, on the other hand, has a fantastic sensor range of up to 200 feet. And the manual override lets you adjust the temperatures of a particular cycle without interfering with the existing settings.

On top of that, both of these thermostats intelligently study your heating and cooling patterns. And your thermostat adjusts accordingly to deliver accurate temperatures exactly how you need them.

Smartphone App, Smart Features & Integrations

The best part about smart thermostats is that you can control them from any location in the world. Simply download and register to the Nest or Honeywell app on your smartphone or tablet.

Both apps are easy to use and will give you remote access to your Wi-Fi thermostat. However, Google Nest's app is a bit more user-friendly and gives better control.

The apps also give you regular energy consumption reports and histories to track your energy usage. With both thermostats, you can install smart room sensors that allow you to control the temperatures of only the rooms that matter.

The Honeywell Home T9 thermostat also uses geofencing to control your home's temperatures, depending on your location. The thermostat will sense your phone's location to determine whether you are home or not. And you won't have to heat any unoccupied rooms.

Finally, both apps work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for hands-free control.

Technical Comparison (Honeywell vs Nest)