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Home Assistant is changing the name of its paid Home Assistant Cloud service to Home Assistant Link, while keeping its core features and pricing. Founder Paulus Schoutsen says the rename reflects the project’s preference for local smart-home control, as the team also works to make Home Assistant easier for new users.
Home Assistant is renaming its paid remote-access service from Home Assistant Cloud to Home Assistant Link, founder Paulus Schoutsen told The Verge ahead of the announcement. The service’s core features and prices are staying the same; the change underscores the open-source platform’s emphasis on local smart-home control and its criticism of products that depend on company-run cloud servers.
Schoutsen said the new name is intended in part to clear up a misunderstanding: Home Assistant itself runs on users’ local hardware, rather than requiring their smart-home setup to be hosted in the cloud. When users are away from their home network, however, local control alone does not provide remote access. Link offers a convenient connection to a user’s Home Assistant instance from outside the home.
According to the report, Link costs $6.50 per month or $65 per year. It also provides access to internet-dependent options such as Alexa and Google voice-control integrations, text-to-speech, speech-to-text and encrypted backups. The name change brings some back-end improvements intended to improve speed and reliability, but does not otherwise change the service’s features. Link remains optional: the report says users can reproduce its functions through other methods.
The service is operated by Nabu Casa, Home Assistant’s commercial partner. Schoutsen said traffic is encrypted and the service does not have access to users’ data. The subscription also supports development: the report says 60 percent of profit goes to the Open Home Foundation, the nonprofit that runs Home Assistant.
A Paid Link Without Cloud Dependence
The rename addresses a tension in Home Assistant’s public message: the project criticizes dependence on proprietary cloud platforms while selling a product that had “Cloud” in its name. The distinction Schoutsen draws is between using online services as an optional convenience and making a product stop working when a company’s servers are unavailable or discontinued.
That issue can affect whether connected devices remain useful after a manufacturer ends support. Schoutsen cited discontinued services for older Nest thermostats and the June Oven as examples of products whose functions were affected by server shutdowns. Those examples reflect his argument; the announcement does not establish that all cloud-connected devices will fail or that Link eliminates every risk associated with internet services.
For users, the practical change is modest: the service’s name changes, but its stated price and main functions remain. The larger question is whether Home Assistant can pair its local-control approach with a simpler experience for people who find the platform difficult to set up.
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Local Control and the Usability Push
Home Assistant is an open-source smart-home platform that runs on local hardware and supports a wide range of devices and integrations. Its breadth is also a source of complexity. Schoutsen told The Verge that many people discover the platform after reaching the limits of mainstream products such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Apple Home, but that Home Assistant’s learning curve can deter newcomers.
The team says it wants to make setup and dashboards easier without removing advanced options. Schoutsen described that goal as “lower the floor without lowering the ceiling.” The report says Home Assistant plans to integrate its HACS community store into the platform, making community-built integrations easier to find and install. It also reports plans for a more user-friendly successor to the Home Assistant Green hub next year, though further product details were not provided.
Schoutsen estimated that Home Assistant is installed in 2.7 million homes. The report offers no measurement method or comparison period for that estimate, and it remains far smaller in reach than major consumer smart-home platforms, according to the article. The project’s growth plans include simpler onboarding and the use of generative AI to reduce complexity. The report also describes a “No Device Left Behind” effort to make it easier to connect existing analog or legacy equipment, but provides limited detail about what devices it will cover.
“Big tech ruined the cloud, so we’re out.”
— Paulus Schoutsen, Home Assistant founder, speaking to The Verge
Details Still Missing on New Devices
The announcement does not spell out the technical changes behind Link’s promised improvements to speed and reliability, or provide performance measures for them. It also does not detail how users who rely on existing Home Assistant Cloud connections will be migrated, beyond the report’s statement that core features and pricing remain the same.
The planned successor to the Home Assistant Green hub is described as a project for next year, but its launch date, price, specifications and exact setup process are not given. The “No Device Left Behind” program is also still under development in the report; which products it will support, and when, remain unclear. Schoutsen’s statements about encryption and data access are attributable claims, and the source provides no independent technical audit.
Upcoming Hub and Integration Changes
The next described software step is the planned integration of the HACS community store into Home Assistant, which the report says is expected next month. The team also plans continued work on easier setup and dashboards, alongside its development of a more user-friendly hub successor for next year. No specific release dates are given for the hub or the “No Device Left Behind” program.
For current users, the immediate change is the service’s name, with the stated functions and subscription rates retained. The broader test will be whether Home Assistant can reduce the effort needed to get started while preserving the flexibility that draws experienced smart-home users to it.
Key Questions
What is Home Assistant Link?
Home Assistant Link is the renamed version of Home Assistant Cloud, a paid service for remotely accessing a Home Assistant setup and using selected internet-dependent features.
Is Home Assistant moving its smart-home system to the cloud?
No. The report says Home Assistant continues to run on a user’s local hardware. Link is an optional service that provides remote access and other online features.
How much does Link cost?
The reported price is $6.50 per month or $65 per year. The announcement does not describe a price change alongside the rename.
What changes for existing subscribers?
The report says the name is changing and back-end improvements are planned for speed and reliability, while the service’s core features and pricing stay the same. Specific migration steps for existing subscribers were not provided.
When will Home Assistant’s new hub be available?
Schoutsen said the team plans to launch a more user-friendly successor to the Home Assistant Green hub next year. The report gives no exact release date, price or product specifications.
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