Apple Home Needs an iPhone; Google and Alexa Run on Both

Apple Home needs an iPhone or iPad; Google Home and Alexa run on Android and iPhone alike. All three now add Matter devices over Wi-Fi and Thread, and each wants one of its own devices in the house to do it: a HomePod or Apple TV, a Google speaker, display, router or TV streamer, or an Echo. They part ways on which assistant answers and what camera video history costs.

The three, by what each company requires

	Apple Home	Google Home	Alexa
Phone or app	Home app; Apple’s hubs list an iPhone or iPad as a requirement	Google Home app on Android 9.0+ or iOS 17.0+; not on a computer	Alexa app on Android and iOS
Hub for Matter	Required: HomePod, HomePod mini or Apple TV; HomeView from 13 Nov	Required: Google speakers, Nest Hubs, Nest Wifi Pro, Google TV Streamer, select TVs	A compatible Echo is the “Matter administrator”; no separate hub
Thread border routers	HomePod mini, HomePod (2nd gen) (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), Apple TV 4K (2nd gen, and 3rd gen Wi-Fi + Ethernet); the 13 Oct models have Thread	Google Home Speaker (2026), Nest Hub (2nd gen) (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), Nest Hub Max, Nest Wifi Pro (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), Google TV Streamer	Echo Hub, Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), several Echo Show models, Echo (4th Gen), many eero routers
Zigbee	Not on Apple’s pages	Not on Google’s hub pages	Hub built into the same Echo and eero models
Voice assistant	Siri; Siri AI on HomeView and, by a later update, HomePod mini 2	Gemini for Home, replacing Google Assistant	Alexa; Alexa+ free with Prime, $19.99 a month without
Camera video plan (US, 14 Oct 2026)	iCloud+: $0.99 (1 camera), $2.99 (5), $9.99 (unlimited) a month	Google Home Premium: $10 or $20 a month	Ring Protect for Ring devices: $4.99, $9.99 or $19.99 a month

Every cell is from the company’s own support, developer, spec or store pages, read on 14 October 2026. The Zigbee row says only what each company’s pages say; neither Apple’s nor Google’s hub pages we read mention it.

Apple Home: an Apple phone, an Apple hub

Apple’s HomePod mini 2 spec page lists “iPhone or iPad with the latest iOS or iPadOS” under system requirements, and HomeView asks for iOS 27.2 or iPadOS 27.2. Apple’s support pages tie remote control, automations, sharing and Matter to a home hub: “You must set up a home hub to add Matter accessories to the Home app.” An iPad no longer counts as one. What works without a hub, and what does not, is in our guide to Apple’s home hub rules.

Apple renewed most of its hub line-up on 13 October. HomePod mini 2 is $149 and on pre-order for 30 October; it was the cheapest hub on Apple’s US store when we read it. The Apple TV 4K (4th generation) is $299, and a new device, Apple HomeView, a screen with speakers and Siri AI, is $299 too; both ship on 13 November. Apple’s store listed one Apple TV, the $299 model. All three have Thread, per their spec pages and Apple’s release, though Apple’s Thread support page, published in January, still lists the older models only.

Camera recording is HomeKit Secure Video, which needs iCloud+ and a HomePod or Apple TV as the hub. Apple’s iCloud+ page prices it by camera count: one camera on the $0.99-a-month 50GB plan, five on the $2.99 200GB plan, unlimited from the $9.99 2TB plan.

Google Home: any phone, a Google hub for Matter

Google’s Home app needs a Google Account, home Wi-Fi and either an Android phone on Android 9.0 or later or an iPhone on iOS 17.0 or later; Google says you cannot set up devices from a computer. Matter needs a hub: “Before you can add Matter-enabled devices to Google Home, you need a Matter-enabled hub device”. Older Nest speakers and the first Nest Hub cover Matter over Wi-Fi; Thread devices need one of the five models in the table. The Google Home Speaker was $99.99 on Google’s US store on 14 October.

Which Google devices need no hub at all, and where Google’s own Thread lists disagree, is in what needs a Google Home hub.

The assistant is moving to Gemini for Home. Google says basic features — smart home control, media, timers, lists — are free, and that a home switched to Gemini “can’t switch back to Google Assistant.” Video history is a Google Home Premium feature: Standard at $10 a month or $100 a year with 30 days of event-based history, Advanced at $20 a month or $200 a year with 60 days.

Alexa: any phone, the Echo is the hub

Amazon’s developer page puts it plainly: “After a customer sets up a compatible Echo, they can add a Matter device using the Alexa app. The Echo device is the Matter administrator.” Amazon’s list of Matter Echos runs from the Echo Pop and Echo Show 5 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) to the Echo Hub, plus eero routers. Amazon says its Echos support Matter over Wi-Fi and Thread from the Matter 1.5 SDK, for “a subset” of device types.

Amazon’s Thread border routers run Thread 1.1 (Echo 4th Gen) or 1.3 (the rest), and the same Echo and eero models have a Zigbee hub built in. Apple’s and Google’s hub pages we read, which name Wi-Fi and Thread, do not mention Zigbee. How Zigbee, Thread and Matter fit together is in our explainer on the three.

Alexa+ is free with Prime in the US and $19.99 a month without. Camera video history on Amazon’s side is sold for its Ring cameras: Ring Protect runs from $4.99 a month for one device (Ring Solo) to $9.99 (Multi) and $19.99 (Pro).

Pick by what you already own

• Pick Apple Home if everyone who will control the house uses an iPhone or iPad. Its hubs list one as a requirement, and a HomePod mini 2 at $149 covers hub and Thread.
• Pick Google Home if the household mixes Android phones and iPhones and you want Gemini on the speakers; budget $99.99 for a Thread-capable hub and a Premium plan if you want camera history.
• Pick Alexa if you have Zigbee devices, or already own a recent Echo or eero, since Amazon builds Zigbee and Thread into the same models; Alexa+ costs nothing extra if you already pay for Prime.

Matter makes the choice less binding for the devices themselves: all three platforms add Matter devices, so a Matter accessory bought for one is not certified to that one alone. Each platform supports its own set of Matter device types, though, as Amazon’s “subset” shows, so check the device type before you switch.

Questions people ask

Which smart home system works with Android?

Google Home and Alexa. Google says its Home app runs on Android 9.0 or later as well as iPhone and iPad on iOS 17.0 or later, and Amazon’s developer pages say the Alexa app runs on iOS and Android. Apple’s hubs list an iPhone or iPad as a system requirement.

Do I need a hub for Apple Home, Google Home or Alexa?

For Matter devices, all three want one of their own devices. Apple needs a HomePod or Apple TV as a home hub, Google a Matter-enabled hub such as a Nest Hub or Google Home Speaker, and Alexa a compatible Echo, which Amazon calls the Matter administrator.

Does Alexa work with Matter and Thread?

Yes. Amazon says Matter-compatible Echos support Matter over Wi-Fi and Thread, using the Matter 1.5 SDK for a subset of device types. Its Thread border routers include the Echo Hub, several Echo Show models and many eero routers, running Thread 1.1 or 1.3.

How much does HomeKit Secure Video cost?

It comes with iCloud+. On Apple’s US prices, read 14 October 2026, the 50GB plan at $0.99 a month records one camera, 200GB at $2.99 records five, and 2TB at $9.99 records unlimited cameras. It also needs a HomePod or Apple TV as the home hub.

Is Google Home Premium required for Nest cameras?

For video history, yes. Google’s US store lists Premium Standard at $10 a month or $100 a year with 30 days of event-based video history, and Advanced at $20 a month or $200 a year with 60 days. Basic Gemini for Home voice features are free.

Is Alexa+ free?

With Prime. Amazon says Alexa+ is included for Prime members in the US and costs $19.99 a month without Prime, and non-Prime customers can try a limited text chat at Alexa.com and in the Alexa app.

What is the cheapest Apple Home hub now?

On Apple’s US store on 14 October 2026, the HomePod mini 2 at $149, on pre-order for 30 October. Apple TV 4K (4th generation) and Apple HomeView are $299 each, shipping 13 November. All three have Thread.