I Tested Nest vs Ecobee vs Honeywell - Which One Actually Won

I'm weirdly obsessed with thermostats now. Never thought I'd be that person but here we are.

Started with a Nest in my house. Then helped my parents get an Ecobee. Then my sister got a Honeywell. And I got to compare all three side by side for months.

Here's what I actually learned instead of what the marketing wants you to believe.

Why I Even Care About Thermostats

A year ago I didn't think about thermostats at all. It was just the thing on the wall that made the house warmer or cooler.

Then I saw my summer electric bill. $220.

Started researching ways to save money on cooling/heating. Every article said the same thing: "Get a smart thermostat, save 10-23% on your bill."

That's $22-50/month. $264-600/year. For a $200-250 device.

Seemed worth trying.

Round 1: Nest Learning Thermostat ($249)

Bought the Nest first because it's the most famous one. Apple Store had them on display and they looked really nice.

Came in this very Apple-ish packaging. Felt premium. I was excited.

Installation - The C-Wire Problem (Again)

If you've read my other posts you know I have C-wire issues with every thermostat.

Nest has this compatibility checker on their website. Typed in my wire colors. It said "compatible!"

Narrator: It was not compatible.

Turned off the breaker. Removed old thermostat. Looked at the wires. Red, white, green, yellow. No blue (C-wire).

Nest TECHNICALLY works without a C-wire but it can cause problems. It trickle-charges the battery through the other wires and sometimes that makes the furnace act weird.

Decided to install the C-wire adapter that comes with Nest. This means going down to the furnace and wiring this little box to the control board.

Took me like an hour. The instructions were okay but I had to YouTube it to actually understand what I was doing.

Got it working. Nest powered on. Connected to wifi. Walked me through the setup.

Total install time: 2 hours (Nest says 30 minutes - they are liars)

The "Learning" Thing

Nest's whole thing is that it learns your schedule and adjusts automatically.

For the first week you're supposed to adjust it manually when you want it warmer/cooler. Nest watches what you do and learns.

This actually works pretty well. After about 10 days it figured out:

• We like it cool at night (68°F)

• Nobody's home 9am-5pm on weekdays (set it to 76°F to save energy)

• We get home around 5:30pm and want it cool by then (starts cooling at 5pm)

• Weekends we're home more so it keeps it comfortable all day

Pretty clever. I didn't have to program any of this. It just watched and learned.

But here's the problem - we're not that consistent.

Some days I work from home. Some days my wife gets home at 4pm. Some days we're out until 8pm.

Nest tried to learn this but couldn't figure out the pattern (because there isn't one). So it would sometimes pre-cool the house when nobody was home, or leave it hot when we came home early.

I ended up manually adjusting it a lot, which kind of defeats the purpose of "learning."

The App

Nest app is really nice. Clean design. Easy to use.

Can control temperature from anywhere. Check energy usage. See history of when heating/cooling ran.

The energy history is actually useful - shows you how much you ran the system each day and gives you a "Leaf" when you saved energy. Very gamified.

I got weirdly competitive with myself trying to get more Leafs.

Living With It

Used the Nest for about 6 months before my parents asked for help with their thermostat.

Things I liked:

• Looks really nice on the wall (way better than the old beige thing)

• The learning mostly works if your schedule is consistent

• App is great

• The "away" detection uses your phone location which is cool

Things that annoyed me:

• Learning got confused by our inconsistent schedule

• No remote sensors (whole-house temp based on one location)

• Farsight feature (screen lights up when you walk by) is cool but drains battery faster

• Sometimes the battery would randomly die and I'd have to recharge it via USB (wtf)

Overall: 7.5/10. Good but not perfect.

Round 2: Ecobee SmartThermostat ($249)

My parents' thermostat died. They asked what to get. I said "let me research."

Fell into a Reddit hole reading about Ecobee vs Nest. Ecobee kept getting recommended for one reason: remote sensors.

Ordered an Ecobee SmartThermostat to install at their house.

Installation At My Parents' House

Same C-wire drama. Their house is from 1987 and definitely doesn't have one.

But Ecobee ALSO comes with a C-wire adapter (they call it PEK - Power Extender Kit). Similar process to Nest.

Installed the PEK at the furnace. Ran the wires. Mounted the Ecobee.

It's bigger than Nest. More like a tiny screen than just a thermostat. Some people don't like the look - I think it's fine.

Took about 90 minutes total. Getting faster at this.

The Remote Sensors (Game Changer)

Here's where Ecobee is different: It comes with a remote temperature sensor.

You put this little sensor in another room. It reads the temperature there AND detects occupancy.

Then Ecobee averages the temperatures from multiple rooms instead of just reading from one location.

My parents have a problem where their bedroom is always warmer than the rest of the house (heat rises, bedroom is upstairs). This causes fights because my dad wants the house cooler and my mom is fine with it but then the bedroom is too hot at night.

Put the remote sensor in their bedroom. Set Ecobee to prioritize the bedroom at night.

SOLVED THE PROBLEM.

Now at night it cools based on bedroom temp. During the day it uses the hallway (where the main thermostat is). Everyone's happy.

This one feature made Ecobee worth it for them.

Scheduling vs Learning

Ecobee doesn't "learn" like Nest. You have to set a schedule manually.

At first I thought this was a downside. But honestly? It's better for inconsistent schedules.

Set up a basic schedule:

• Sleep mode: 10pm-6am, cool to 68°F using bedroom sensor

• Away mode: 9am-5pm weekdays, set to 76°F to save energy

• Home mode: 6am-10pm, comfortable temp using average of all sensors

But then you can override it anytime. Working from home? Just change the schedule for today. Going on vacation? Set it to "away" for a week.

More control, less guessing what the thermostat "learned."

The Alexa Thing

Ecobee has Alexa built in. You can talk to it like an Echo.

My parents thought this was cool for about 2 days then never used it.

"Alexa, set temperature to 70."
"Alexa, what's the weather?"

It works fine but they already have an Echo in the kitchen so this felt redundant.

I turned off the microphone after a week because it kept randomly responding to the TV.

Living With It (At My Parents' House)

It's been 8 months. My parents love it.

Things they like:

• Remote sensor solved their bedroom temperature fights

• Schedule is easy to understand and adjust

• Energy reports in the app (my dad is weirdly into this)

• Can control it from their phones when they're out

Things that don't matter to them:

• Alexa built-in (they turned it off)

• The touchscreen is bigger but they mostly use the app anyway

Overall: 8.5/10 for their use case. The remote sensor is clutch.

Round 3: Honeywell Home T9 ($199)

My sister was remodeling her house and wanted a smart thermostat. Asked which one to get.

I said Nest or Ecobee. She said "those are expensive, what about this Honeywell one?"

It was $199 (often on sale for $150). Also has remote sensors. Good reviews.

She bought it before I could research it. So I helped her install it and got to see how it compares.

Installation At My Sister's House

Her house is newer (2015) and ACTUALLY HAS A C-WIRE.

This was the easiest install yet. Turn off power. Remove old thermostat. Match wire colors to the new one. Screw it to the wall. Turn power back on.

15 minutes. No adapter needed. It was beautiful.

This is how thermostats should be installed but most older houses screw you with the C-wire thing.

The Honeywell Experience

Honeywell T9 is... fine. It's the "good enough" option.

Comes with one remote sensor (you can buy more for $40 each). Has scheduling. Has an app. Works with Alexa/Google.

It's not as pretty as Nest. Not as feature-rich as Ecobee. But it's cheaper and it works.

The app is honestly really good. Maybe even better than Nest/Ecobee because it's simpler. No gamification or extra features. Just "here's the temp, here's the schedule, adjust it."

My sister loves it because she's not a tech person and the app makes sense immediately.

Living With It (At My Sister's House)

She's had it for 6 months. Zero complaints.

Things she likes:

• Cheap ($150 on sale)

• Remote sensor works great (she put it in the nursery for the baby's room)

• App is simple

• Saved money on electric bill (about $30/month)

Things she doesn't care about:

• It's not as pretty (she doesn't care what the thermostat looks like)

• No fancy learning features (she set a schedule and it works)

• No built-in voice assistant (she has Google Home anyway)

Overall: 8/10 for value. Does everything you need for way less money.

Head-To-Head Comparison

Okay so after living with all three, here's the breakdown:

Nest Learning Thermostat - $249

Best for: People with consistent schedules who want something that "just works" automatically

Pros:

• Looks the best on the wall (really nice design)

• Learning actually works if your schedule is predictable

• Great app with energy tracking

• Auto-away using phone location is clever

Cons:

• No remote sensors (deal-breaker for multi-floor homes)

• Learning gets confused by irregular schedules

• Battery issues (why does a wired thermostat need charging?)

• Most expensive option

Rating: 7.5/10

Ecobee SmartThermostat - $249

Best for: People with multi-floor homes or rooms with temperature differences

Pros:

• Remote sensors are amazing (solves uneven heating/cooling)

• Scheduling is flexible and easy to understand

• Great app with detailed energy reports

• Alexa built-in if you want it

• Room sensors also detect occupancy

Cons:

• Bigger/bulkier than Nest (some people don't like the look)

• No automatic learning (have to set schedule manually)

Rating: 8.5/10

Honeywell Home T9 - $199 (often $150 on sale)

Best for: People who want smart features without paying Nest/Ecobee prices

Pros:

• Cheapest option (especially on sale)

• Comes with remote sensor

• App is simple and intuitive

• Does everything you actually need

• Reliable (Honeywell has been making thermostats forever)

Cons:

• Not as pretty as Nest

• Fewer "smart" features (no learning, no built-in voice assistant)

• App is basic (but that's also a pro depending on what you want)

Rating: 8/10

The $80 Amazon Thermostat Nobody Talks About

There's also cheap smart thermostats on Amazon for like $80-100. Brands like Emerson, GoControl, Lux.

My neighbor (different neighbor, not Jerry) has one. I asked him about it.

"It works fine. Changes the temperature. Has an app. Saved me like $150."

Fair enough. But here's the thing - no remote sensors, basic app, unknown longevity.

If you're really budget-conscious and your house has even temperatures, maybe it's fine.

But I'd spend the extra $70 and get the Honeywell T9 for the remote sensor alone.

Which One Should YOU Buy?

Depends on your situation:

Get the Nest if:

• You have a very consistent schedule

• You want the best-looking thermostat

• Your house has even temperatures (no hot/cold rooms)

• You like the idea of it learning automatically

Get the Ecobee if:

• You have a multi-floor home

• Some rooms are way hotter/colder than others

• You want detailed energy tracking

• You like having control over the schedule

Get the Honeywell if:

• You want to save $50-100

• You want something simple that just works

• You don't care about fancy features

• You still want a remote sensor without paying Ecobee prices

My Personal Pick

If I was buying today for MY house? Ecobee.

The remote sensors solve the biggest problem with single-location thermostats. My upstairs is always warmer than downstairs. Having sensors in both places and averaging them makes a huge difference.

But if I was on a budget? Honeywell T9 without question. It's 80% of the Ecobee for 60% of the price.

Nest is pretty but I wouldn't buy it again. The lack of remote sensors is a dealbreaker for me now that I've experienced them.

Do They Actually Save Money?

This is the real question.

My electric bill before Nest: ~$200/month in summer
After Nest: ~$165/month

That's $35/month savings, $420/year.

Nest cost $249. Payback period: 7 months.

My parents' bill before Ecobee: ~$180/month
After Ecobee: ~$145/month

$35/month savings for them too. Almost the same.

My sister's bill before Honeywell: ~$140/month
After Honeywell: ~$110/month

$30/month savings. She paid $150 for the thermostat so payback was 5 months.

So yes, they save money. The 10-23% savings claim is real.

Whether you get Nest, Ecobee, or Honeywell, you'll probably save about the same amount. The differences are in features and price, not efficiency.

Things I Wish I'd Known Before

The C-wire problem is universal

If your house was built before 2000, you probably don't have a C-wire. Every smart thermostat will require the adapter. Factor in an extra hour of installation time.

Remote sensors are worth it

I didn't think I needed them with Nest. Then I saw how much better it works with Ecobee/Honeywell. If you have a multi-story house, get a thermostat with remote sensors.

More expensive ≠ more savings

Nest costs the same as Ecobee but doesn't save more money. Honeywell costs less and saves about the same. Buy for features, not efficiency claims.

Voice control is overrated

Both Nest (via Google Home) and Ecobee (built-in Alexa) have voice control. We barely use it. The app is just as fast.

Scheduling beats learning

Nest's learning is cool in theory but manual scheduling (Ecobee/Honeywell) is more reliable if your schedule varies.

Final Thoughts

A year ago I didn't care about thermostats. Now I've installed three different ones and have Opinions™.

All three work. All three save money. The differences are features and price.

Ecobee is the best overall. Honeywell is the best value. Nest is the prettiest but missing key features.

Pick based on your house (multi-floor? get sensors) and budget (cheap? Honeywell. Don't care? Ecobee).

Any of them will pay for themselves in under a year and save you money for the next 10+ years.

Just prepare for the C-wire installation headache and you'll be fine.