Best HomeKit devices in 2024

HomeKit — Apple's home automation platform is still one of the best ways to control different smart devices around your living space. There are loads of devices too, such as cameras, light bulbs, thermostats, and more that can be controlled with your voice or a tap on your iPhone. Even better, they're created in such a way that protects your privacy and ensures security for your network - and in some cases, your home itself.

The biggest problem with HomeKit perhaps is that it can be tricky to find the best HomeKit devices for you. Which ones fit your use case, with the features you need, at a price that suits you. We know our HomeKit devices here at iMore, and we've put together some of our favorites so that you can get the perfect starting point to a HomeKit setup in your home. Remember to budget for additions like the best smart plugs for HomeKit too. While you're researching, keep an eye on what comes of Matter too -- the new era of smart home that hasn't emerged yet.

These are the best HomeKit devices you can buy

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Make your home truly smart with the best HomeKit devices

Having a HomeKit setup in your home allows you to completely automate almost everything within your home. Want to have the fan in the dining room at three o'clock every Sunday afternoon? You can do that. Got a plant in the back garden that needs watering every three hours or so? You can do that too. There's not much that HomeKit can't do.

You're going to need a couple of things to get set up though, the first of which is a decent center to use the voice command section of HomeKit through Siri. A HomePod Mini is the perfect start, and it can even make timers and the like without any other external gadgets. Link it to an Apple Music subscription and it'll play whatever tracks you might ask of it too. Once you've got your other HomeKit devices hooked up to HomeKit and the Home app on your iPhone or iPad, you can command them through the HomePod with Siri. Want to turn the lights on in the study? "Hey Siri, turn on the study lights". Pop a couple around the house so that Siri can hear you wherever you are.

Nanoleaf Esssentials A19 Light Bulb leaning on a Space Gray HomePod mini

(Image credit: Christopher Close / iMore)

Lights are another great thing to add to your HomeKit setup. There are numerous roots you can take, but we find that Nanoleaf options tend to blend good prices with great products. You can get HomeKit-enabled standalone lamps, bulbs that go into your current fittings, and lightstrips you can put in different places around the house. These can all be controlled through HomeKit and Siri, and you can use the 'if this then that' to create scenes that you can activate.

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip in use behind a TV in a living room setting.

(Image credit: Nanoleaf)

There are other things you can control through HomeKit as well, such as garage door openers, thermostats, and tap controllers. Most of these will fit on already existing hardware, so you needn't worry about fitting loads of new appliances around the house. Thermostats are a great next step, letting you control the temperature of the house with your voice or a tap on your iPhone. Some will even let you control different heating elements in different rooms separately, so you can really control every little part of the system.

ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium with Siri on display installed on a wall

(Image credit: ecobee)

Of course, if you want to know more about how to get started with HomeKit, then make sure you check out the ultimate HomeKit guide where you'll learn all about how to get the perfect setup in your home. It's easier than you might think, and it'll really make automating your home that much more convenient.

How do I enable HomeKit?

It depends entirely on the product that you're connecting up. One of the first things you'll want to get sorted however is the Apple Home app that you'll find preinstalled on your iPhone or iPad. This is the nerve center of any HomeKit setup, so make sure that its all sorted first. From there you can add different products as you put them around the house, but make sure you're reading through the instructions to get them properly connected.

What devices can be used with HomeKit?

First of all, all of the devices on this page are HomeKit enabled, so you're all good with these. Otherwise, look out for the HomeKit-enabled badge that you'll find on products that you can use with Apple's automation system. Also, look for HomeKit in the name of the product. With the introduction of the Matter standard this will start to matter less, but for now make sure you're checking for HomeKit in the name - if it doesn't say anything about HomeKit in the product description, it's very likely that it won't work with your system.

If you don't want to spend a small fortune on new HomeKit smart devices, one workaround is to buy one of the best smart plugs for HomeKit. This is a good option for smart home beginners and allows you to try smart features with regular, "dumb" devices.

Is Apple Home the same as HomeKit?

Yes, but also no. It's a part of HomeKit - a very big part in fact. In order to create a HomeKit system you're going to have to use the Home app to connect everything together. That means that the Home app effectively becomes the nerve center of the HomeKit system in your house, collating everything together in one app.

Christopher Close

Christopher spends most of his time writing and dreaming about all things HomeKit and the Home app. Whether it is installing smart light switches, testing the latest door locks, or automating his households daily routines, Christopher has done it all.

With contributions from