Nest vs Honeywell Thermostat: Which Should You Buy?

Google Nest and Honeywell Home are two of the best-known names in thermostats, and both now sell Matter-certified smart models that work with Google Home, Apple Home and Alexa. The Nest vs Honeywell thermostat choice mostly depends on three things: the wiring behind your current thermostat, the type of heating and cooling system you have, and whether you want a thermostat that learns your schedule or one with a big touchscreen and room sensors.

Both lineups have changed recently. Honeywell discontinued the T5, T9 and T10, and Google stopped supporting the first two generations of the Nest Learning Thermostat. This guide compares the models both brands actually sell today.

Nest vs Honeywell Thermostat: The Short Answer

Quick answer: choose Nest if you don’t have a C wire, have a dual-fuel heat pump, or want a thermostat that learns your schedule. Choose Honeywell if you want a large touchscreen, room sensors that also detect motion, live video from a Ring doorbell on the thermostat, or a two-year warranty on a budget model.

If you already know which way you’re leaning, these are the four models worth looking at:

• Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen) — Best Nest thermostat, with a learning schedule and a room sensor in the box.
• Honeywell Home X8S — Best Honeywell thermostat, with a 5-inch screen, air-quality monitoring and doorbell video.
• Google Nest Thermostat — Best budget option, for standard furnace and AC systems.
• Honeywell Home X7S — Best value Honeywell, with a 4.3-inch touchscreen and room sensor support.

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What Nest Does Best

Google sells two Nest thermostats: the Nest Thermostat (about $130) and the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen, about $280 with a room sensor). Both are set up and controlled in the Google Home app, and both are Matter certified. Our Nest Thermostat vs Nest Learning Thermostat comparison explains the differences between the two.

Nest’s biggest practical advantage is wiring. Google says the Learning Thermostat needs a C wire or a Nest Power Connector in under 1% of homes. The Nest Thermostat may need one on heat-only, cool-only, heat pump and some zoned systems, but it works without one on many standard furnace and AC systems.

The Learning Thermostat is also the only thermostat in this comparison that learns. It builds a schedule from the temperatures you set and keeps adjusting it, or it can send the changes as suggestions you approve in the app. It also supports the widest range of systems: up to three stages of heating and cooling, heat pumps with up to three stages and one or two stages of aux heat, dual-fuel systems, and a whole-home humidifier, dehumidifier or ventilation system.

If you use Google Home, Nest is the native choice: there’s no account linking or Matter setup.

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What Honeywell Does Best

Honeywell Home thermostats are made by Resideo, which uses the Honeywell Home name under license. Its current smart lineup is the X2S (about $85), the X7B, the X7S (about $200) and the X8S (about $240). All four are Matter certified and work with Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa. Our guide to the best Honeywell thermostats covers each one.

Honeywell’s strength is the hardware on the wall. The X7S has a 4.3-inch touchscreen and the X8S a 5-inch one, and both have radar that wakes the screen when you walk up and tells the thermostat when nobody is home. Both work with up to 20 wireless room sensors that track temperature, humidity and motion.

The X8S goes further. It monitors indoor air quality (humidity, VOCs and an estimate of carbon dioxide), can control a humidifier, dehumidifier or ventilator, and shows live video from Ring and First Alert doorbells, with two-way talk. Honeywell also gives the X2S, X7S and X8S a two-year warranty, while the Nest Thermostat has one year.

If you have a discontinued Honeywell, our Honeywell T9 vs T10 guide explains what replaced each one.

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Nest vs Honeywell Side by Side

Here’s the Honeywell vs Nest thermostat comparison on the points that matter most:

Factor	Google Nest	Honeywell Home
Current smart models	Nest Thermostat, Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)	X2S, X7B, X7S, X8S
Price on Amazon	About $130 and $280	About $85 to $240
C wire	Rarely needed on the Learning Thermostat	Required on every model
Learns your schedule	Learning Thermostat only	No (schedules you set)
Room sensors	Learning Thermostat, up to 6 (1 included)	X7S and X8S, up to 20 (sold separately)
What the sensors measure	Temperature	Temperature, humidity and motion
Dual-fuel heat pumps	Yes	No (electric backup heat only)
Humidifier, dehumidifier, ventilation	Learning Thermostat	X8S
Largest screen	2.7 in round (Learning Thermostat)	5 in touchscreen (X8S)
Doorbell video on screen	No	X8S (Ring and First Alert)
Matter (Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home)	Yes	Yes
App	Google Home	Resideo Connect
Warranty	1 year (Nest Thermostat), 2 years (Learning)	2 years (X2S, X7S, X8S)

The C wire

This is the first thing to check. A C wire gives a smart thermostat constant power, and many older homes don’t have one.

Every current Honeywell smart thermostat needs a C wire. The X7S and X8S come with an offer for a free Honeywell C-wire adapter, which you install at the furnace or air handler. Nest is easier here, especially the Learning Thermostat, which runs without a C wire in almost every home. Our C-wire adapter guide explains your options if you don’t have one, and our guide to thermostats that work without a C wire compares more models.

Heating and cooling systems

For a standard furnace and air conditioner, any model in this comparison works. The differences show up with heat pumps and accessories.

The Nest Learning Thermostat handles the most systems, including dual fuel (a heat pump with a gas furnace as backup). Honeywell lists heat pumps with up to three heating and two cooling stages with electric backup heat on the X7S and X8S, but it doesn’t list dual fuel. Our guide to dual fuel thermostats covers which smart thermostats do. The Nest Thermostat is the most limited: one heating and one cooling stage plus a second stage of either, or a single-stage heat pump with aux heat.

If you have a heat pump, our heat pump thermostat guide explains why staging and backup heat matter. Before buying a Nest, run your wiring through Google’s compatibility checker.

Smart home platforms and Matter

Both brands work with Google Home, Apple Home and Alexa through Matter. However, Matter only covers the basics: the current temperature, the target temperature and the mode. Schedules and advanced settings stay in each brand’s own app.

On the Nest side, Google Home is the full experience, and Apple Home gets the temperature, the mode and Siri control (our guide on whether Nest works with HomeKit explains the setup). On the Honeywell side, you need a Resideo account before the thermostat gives you its Matter code. Resideo also says a software update in early 2027 will add Apple’s Adaptive Temperature feature to the X7S and X8S. Our guide to the best Matter thermostats covers other brands.

Room sensors and schedules

The Nest Learning Thermostat comes with one Nest Temperature Sensor and works with up to six. You choose which room the thermostat follows at different times of day. The sensors measure temperature only, and the cheaper Nest Thermostat doesn’t work with them.

Honeywell’s room sensors cost about $45 each and work with the X7S and X8S (not the X2S or X7B). Because they also detect motion, the thermostat can follow the rooms you’re actually using. Our guide to thermostats with remote sensors compares both systems with ecobee’s.

For schedules, only the Nest Learning Thermostat builds one for you. The Nest Thermostat and every Honeywell model run a schedule you set, and both brands switch to energy-saving temperatures when nobody is home. Our guide on whether smart thermostats save money shows how much those settings save in practice.

App and setup

Nest thermostats are set up only in the Google Home app, and you have to be at the thermostat to add one. Honeywell’s current app is Resideo Connect (it was called the First Alert app until October 2026). Neither brand charges a subscription for thermostat features.

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Which Should You Choose?

In most homes, these questions decide it:

• You don’t have a C wire: Nest, ideally the Learning Thermostat.
• You have a dual-fuel heat pump: the Nest Learning Thermostat.
• You want the thermostat to learn your schedule: the Nest Learning Thermostat.
• You have a Ring doorbell or want air-quality readings: the Honeywell X8S.
• You want room sensors in several rooms that also detect motion: the Honeywell X7S or X8S.
• You have a standard furnace and AC and want to spend as little as possible: the Nest Thermostat.
• Your smart home is built around Google Home: Nest works there without any extra setup.

If you’re also considering ecobee, see our Nest vs ecobee and ecobee vs Honeywell comparisons.

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Which Nest or Honeywell Thermostat to Buy

Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen) — Best Nest Thermostat

Google’s top model, with a learning schedule, a Nest Temperature Sensor in the box and support for multi-stage and dual-fuel heat pumps, humidifiers and ventilation. It needs a C wire in under 1% of homes.

Best for: homes without a C wire, dual-fuel heat pumps, and anyone who wants the thermostat to learn.

Price: ~$280

Honeywell Home X8S — Best Honeywell Thermostat

Honeywell’s best thermostat, with a 5-inch touchscreen, radar, air-quality monitoring, humidifier and ventilation control, and live video from Ring and First Alert doorbells. Room sensors are optional, and it needs a C wire.

Best for: Ring doorbell owners and homes that want room sensors and air-quality readings.

Price: ~$240

Google Nest Thermostat — Best Budget Option

Google’s cheaper thermostat, with the same app, Matter support and energy-saving features as the Learning Thermostat. It doesn’t learn your schedule and doesn’t work with room sensors.

Best for: standard furnace and AC systems on a budget.

Price: ~$130

Honeywell Home X7S — Best Value Honeywell

A 4.3-inch touchscreen thermostat with radar, Matter and support for up to 20 room sensors, for less than the X8S. It doesn’t have the X8S’s doorbell video or air-quality monitoring, and it needs a C wire.

Best for: homes with a C wire that want a touchscreen and room sensors for less.

Price: ~$200

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The Bottom Line

The Nest vs Honeywell thermostat decision depends on your wiring, your system and what you want the thermostat to do. Nest is easier to install without a C wire, handles more heat pump systems and is the only brand that learns your schedule. Honeywell has bigger screens, room sensors that detect motion, doorbell video on the X8S and a two-year warranty even on the cheaper models, but every model needs a C wire.

For other brands and budgets, our best smart thermostats guide compares the full range.