Gadronics Homey Pro 2026 and Homey Pro mini are two takes on the same smart home hub idea, but they’re aimed at very different kinds of buyer. The Pro 2026 is built for serious smart home enthusiasts who want local processing muscle, broad protocol support, and the flexibility to run a complex, multi-room setup without compromise. The Pro mini, by contrast, is a more affordable, compact option that doesn’t strip out the essentials, making it a genuinely tempting pick for anyone who’s just getting started or keeping things simple. We’ve tested both hands-on, so here’s how they actually compare.
Design
- Homey Pro 2026 has dual-band Wi-Fi 5 built in; Homey Pro mini has no Wi-Fi at all.
- Homey Pro mini includes a built-in Ethernet port; the Pro 2026 requires an optional paid adaptor for wired connectivity.
- Homey Pro mini adds wall-mounting anchors underneath; the Pro 2026 offers no such mounting option.
Look at the Homey Pro 2026 and you’d swear nothing’s changed since 2023. Same cylinder. Same look that’s starting to feel a bit dated. The Homey Pro mini, by contrast, is a different beast: square with rounded edges, and it tucks neatly onto a wall so it disappears into the room.
The real story here is ports. The mini comes with Ethernet built in. The Pro 2026 doesn’t, so if you want a wired connection you’re shelling out for an optional adaptor. Homey’s answer is built-in Wi-Fi 5 on the Pro 2026, which the mini lacks, so there’s a fallback at least. But paying extra to match a feature the cheaper sibling includes out of the box? That’s a hard pill to swallow.
Winner: Homey Pro mini
Protocol Support
- Homey Pro 2026 supports 433MHz, IR, Z-Wave, and Bluetooth; the mini drops all four.
- Homey Pro 2026 allows 100+ apps versus just 20 to 25 on the mini.
- Homey Pro 2026 packs 4GB of RAM, four times more than the mini’s 1GB.
On paper, the Homey Pro 2026 wins this round without much of a fight. It handles every protocol that matters: Zigbee, Thread, Matter, Z-Wave, 433MHz, Bluetooth, infrared, and cloud connectivity for whatever else you throw at it. The mini? Thread, Zigbee, and Matter. That’s the list.
You can bolt on a Homey Bridge to claw back some of what’s missing, but that means more money and another box sitting on a shelf. The app ceiling tells the same story. The 2026 takes 100+ apps. The mini caps out around 20 to 25. If your home is growing, or if you’ve still got a drawer of old 433MHz remotes and IR-controlled gear, the mini will frustrate you fast.
Winner: Homey Pro 2026
Setup and Installation
- Both hubs use the same in-app Wizard to set up floors and rooms from scratch.
- Homey Pro 2026 supports cloud backup and restore, letting existing users migrate all devices automatically.
- Homey Pro mini can pair with a Homey Pro via the HomeyLink app, but with minor automation limitations.
Both the Homey Pro 2026 and the Homey Pro mini get you going through the same app-driven setup, walking you through mapping out your home’s floors and rooms before you add a single device. If you’re starting from scratch, the experience is basically identical.
The Pro 2026 pulls ahead if you’re upgrading from an older hub. Cloud backup and restore means your devices migrate across on their own, so you’re not stuck re-pairing everything by hand. That’s a real time-saver.
The mini skips that migration path. But it has its own trick: HomeyLink lets it run alongside a full Homey Pro under a single interface, so if your setup outgrows the mini later, you’re not boxed in.
Winner: Homey Pro 2026
Thread Support
- Homey Pro 2026 cannot join an existing Thread network, limiting range in larger homes.
- Initial Thread device pairing on the Homey Pro 2026 requires Bluetooth proximity, adding a setup constraint.
- Homey Pro mini avoids Thread network complexity entirely, with direct Matter control for a growing device list.
Thread support on the Homey Pro 2026 works, but using it is a real headache. Zigbee and Thread share the same radio, so the hub can’t join an existing Thread network. That makes placement everything. Initial pairing also needs Bluetooth range, so if your smart lock sits at the front of the house and the hub lives at the back, you’re stuck. Battery-powered Thread devices won’t extend the mesh either, and mains-powered ones are oddly thin on the ground.
The Homey Pro mini dodges all of this by leaning on Matter instead, with direct device control and easy third-party hookups. Pairing with Aqara and Tado X gear was clean proof of that. It’s a narrower feature set, sure. But it actually works without you shuffling the hub around the house to make it behave.
Winner: Homey Pro mini
Device Compatibility
- Both hubs support the community Ring Security app for full Ring Alarm integration via cloud.
- Homey Pro 2026 uses a community Ring app to add Ring Alarm 2nd-gen, removing the need for a Raspberry Pi and HomeBridge.
- Both hubs expose Tado X triggers for on/off, temperature, and humidity, going beyond what Apple HomeKit offers.
The Homey Pro 2026 and Homey Pro mini are basically twins when you look at what they’ll actually talk to. Both handle Matter devices, official integrations, and community apps. Both pull in Ring Alarm gear that other platforms tend to choke on. One Pro 2026 owner ditched a Raspberry Pi running HomeBridge outright because Homey just covered the lot. That’s a real win, not a spec-sheet one.
The mini tells much the same story. The wrinkle: its Ring integration now stretches to cameras and doorbells, not just the base station.
On trigger depth, both hubs leave HomeKit behind. You get richer Tado X automation, with humidity and timed conditions in the mix. No daylight between them here.
Winner: Homey Pro mini
Automations
- Homey Pro 2026 supports an advanced Flow creator with flowcharts, multiple triggers, and custom variables; the mini does not mention this.
- Both hubs offer the And option for multi-condition Flows, but the Pro 2026 adds conditional wait states for more complex logic.
- Homey Pro 2026 is noted for fast, reliable execution, with automations firing the moment a trigger occurs.
Both the Homey Pro 2026 and the Homey Pro mini run on the same Flow engine, including the And option that lets you stack several conditions before an automation kicks off. The mini handles plenty of practical scenarios just fine. Think motion sensor plus a luminance threshold plus a time window, all wrangling your Hue lights. The Pro 2026 takes things further, though, with a browser-based advanced Flow creator that adds flowcharts, multiple simultaneous triggers, wait conditions, and custom variables. That extra layer of logic lets you build genuinely intricate routines the mini just can’t touch, at least going by what’s been published. The Pro 2026 also picks up a specific nod for speed and reliability. And that matters a lot when you’re trusting one box to run your whole house.
Winner: Homey Pro 2026
Value
- A Homey Pro mini plus a Homey Bridge together cost less than a single Homey Pro 2026.
- The Homey Pro mini suits homes with fewer devices, while the Homey Pro 2026 targets large, complex setups.
- The Homey Pro 2026 is only recommended as an upgrade if your older hub has hit its limits.
Price is where the Homey Pro mini makes its case. For most homes, it handles the bulk of smart home gear and apps, and if you need Z-Wave you can tack on a Homey Bridge and still pay less than the Homey Pro 2026 costs on its own. That’s a strong pitch for anyone watching their budget.
The Homey Pro 2026 is a different story. It justifies the extra spend for a particular kind of user: someone running a sprawling collection of devices who wants one capable hub to manage the lot, no workarounds, no compromises. Not you? Then the mini paired with a bridge gets you most of the way there for less.
Winner: Homey Pro mini
Specs comparison
| Spec | Homey Pro 2026 | Homey Pro mini |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 4GB | 1GB |
| App limit | 100+ | 20–25 |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (dual-band Wi-Fi 5) | No |
| Ethernet | Via adaptor only | Built-in |
| Zigbee support | Yes | Yes |
| Thread support | Yes | Yes |
| Matter support | Yes | Yes |
| Z-Wave support | Yes | No |
| 433MHz support | Yes | No |
| IR support | Yes | No |
| Processor | Not stated | 1.5GHz |
Final Thoughts
If you want the most capable hub on the market and you’re already deep into home automation, the Homey Pro 2026 is worth the premium. Its broader protocol support means fewer compatibility headaches down the road, and the more powerful Flow automation engine gives you room to build genuinely complex routines. Just know you’re paying extra for potential rather than a dramatic design upgrade, and the shared Zigbee/Thread radio is a real limitation you’ll need to plan around.
If you’re after a smart home hub that covers everything most people actually need, the Homey Pro mini is the smarter buy. It matches the 2026 on device compatibility, handles Thread better thanks to a dedicated radio, and costs significantly less. The app experience is identical, setup is just as smooth, and you won’t miss the extra protocol support unless you’re running a genuinely unusual setup. For the majority of households, this is the one to get.
For most households, no. The Homey Pro mini handles the same device compatibility, apps, and automations at a lower price, and you can add a Homey Bridge for Z-Wave support and still spend less than the Homey Pro 2026 costs on its own. The 2026 model only pulls ahead if you need advanced automations or have a particularly large, complex setup.
The Homey Pro 2026 is the cleaner choice here since Z-Wave is built in with no extra hardware required. The Homey Pro mini does not include Z-Wave natively, so you would need to pair it with a Homey Bridge, which adds cost and an extra device to your setup.
The Homey Pro mini handles Thread more practically. On the Homey Pro 2026, Zigbee and Thread share the same radio, which means it cannot join an existing Thread network and makes placement much more of a constraint. The mini avoids that limitation entirely.
It works well for the majority of homes, covering Matter, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and a wide range of integrations. However, the Homey Pro 2026 has an edge for larger or more complex setups where advanced automation logic and broader protocol support without add-ons make a real difference.
The Homey Pro mini wins on design. The Homey Pro 2026 uses the same cylinder shape it has had since 2023, which is starting to feel dated. The mini comes in a square form that looks noticeably more current and less obtrusive.
