What do I need to start with Matter?
You need three things: an app (Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings or Home Assistant), a Matter controller for that app, and a Thread border router only if a device you buy uses Thread. The controller is often a speaker, display or streaming box you already own, and Wi-Fi Matter devices need nothing else.
Pick your app, rooms and budget below for a starter list built from 23 picks across 11 jobs that our guides already recommend, each with its store link. Of the 689 Matter certified products we list with a verified US store link, 490 use Wi-Fi, 145 use Thread, 9 list both Thread and Wi-Fi, 22 list a wired Ethernet connection and 23 do not state a network.
As of October 28, 2026. Hub and speaker roles from the makers’ pages read October 16, 2026 (Amazon, Aqara and IKEA: October 1, 2026); CSA certificates from the ledger read October 19, 2026. Prices load in your browser. Updated October 28, 2026.
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1. The app you will use
2. Rooms to start with
3. Budget for the devices
The budget is for the devices; the hub or speaker is listed separately. With a budget, a pick is chosen only if its current price fits, and prices load in your browser. With “No limit”, a pick with no current price stays on the list as “Check price”.
Your starter list
Pick at least one room to see a list. Start with the room you use most.
What each app needs
Pick the app first: it decides which hub or speaker is your Matter controller. What each app’s maker says, in the words our hubs guide already uses, with the pages it comes from:
| App | What it needs | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Home | Apple says Thread-enabled Matter accessories need a Thread-enabled home hub, such as HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet, and that you must set up a home hub to add Matter accessories to the Home app. Announced by Apple on October 13, 2026: Apple HomeView (available from November 13, 2026); HomePod mini 2 (available from October 30, 2026) and Apple TV 4K (4th generation) (available from November 13, 2026), by Apple’s own dates. Apple’s spec sheets list “Thread networking technology” for each, and Apple calls each a home hub; Apple’s own lists of Thread-enabled home hubs did not name them yet when we read them on October 21, 2026. | Apple Support: Set up your HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV as a home hub, read October 21, 2026Apple: HomeView technical specifications, read October 21, 2026Apple Newsroom: Introducing Apple Home Collection, read October 21, 2026Apple Newsroom: Meet Apple HomeView, read October 21, 2026 |
| Google Home | Google lists these as hubs for Google Home that also work over Thread. A Nest Mini or Nest Audio is a hub for Matter over Wi-Fi only, Google’s list shows. | Google Home Help: Prepare your smart home for Matter (hubs for Google Home), read October 21, 2026 |
| Amazon Alexa | Amazon’s pages on file describe these as Matter controllers with a Thread border router for Alexa. For other Echo models, see which Echo devices are Thread border routers below. | MatterCatalog product records of the Echo Hub and Echo Show 8 (2025 release): the Matter controller and Thread border router role, with Amazon’s own pages on fileAmazon developer documentation: Thread border routers on Echo and eero devices (on file; not requested again for this guide) |
| Samsung SmartThings | Samsung names the SmartThings 2018 Hub and the Aeotec Smart Home Hub as Matter controllers. For Thread, SmartThings’ blog says the latest SmartThings Hub, SmartThings Station, Samsung TVs and Samsung Family Hub refrigerators have Thread border routers built in. | SmartThings Support: SmartThings x Matter Integration, read October 21, 2026SmartThings blog: Everything you need to know about Matter, read October 21, 2026 |
| Home Assistant | You may need no hub: Home Assistant runs its own Matter controller (its Matter Server app on Home Assistant OS). For Thread it can use Apple and Google Thread border routers, or the Thread radio of a Home Assistant Yellow, Connect ZBT-1 or Connect ZBT-2. | Home Assistant documentation: Matter integration, read October 21, 2026Home Assistant documentation: Thread integration, read October 21, 2026 |
How the list is built
The wizard chooses from 23 products across 11 jobs (bulbs, plugs, locks, sensors and more), all picks our buying guides already make, each sold in the US with a verified store link and not out of stock. For each job in each room you pick, in order, it takes the first pick whose current price fits what is left of your budget; a job with none that fits is listed as left out. The store button on each line is the one our guides use for that product, and Amazon links are unchanged. If you choose Wi-Fi only, picks that use Thread are skipped.
Prices are not in this page’s text. They load in your browser from the stores’ own pages or Amazon’s product data, with the time they were checked, and a pick with no current price stays on the list as “Check price”. We have not tested these products hands-on; the picks come from the maker’s own information and the CSA ledger, as in our guides. We may earn a commission if you buy through a store button.
Not sure which devices use Thread? Check whether you need a Thread border router. Want to see the certificate behind a pick? Look up a model in the CSA ledger.
Questions people ask
What do I need to start a Matter smart home?
Three things: an app (Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings or Home Assistant), a Matter controller for that app, and a Thread border router only if a device you buy uses Thread. The controller is often a speaker, display or streaming box you already own. Wi-Fi Matter devices need nothing else.
Do I need a hub to use Matter?
You need your platform’s Matter controller, which is often a smart speaker, display, streaming box or hub you already own; Apple says an iPhone with iOS 18 or later can add Matter accessories to the Home app without a home hub. Wi-Fi devices need nothing else. Thread devices also need a Thread border router.
Which hubs are both a Matter controller and a Thread border router?
We list 10 hubs and speakers sold in the US with a verified store link that their makers document as both or as a Thread border router, from Apple, Google, Amazon, Aeotec and Aqara among others. The wizard names the ones for the app you pick.
What is the cheapest way to start with Matter?
Use a Matter controller you already own, and start with one Wi-Fi device, because a Wi-Fi device needs no Thread border router. Tick “Wi-Fi devices only” in the wizard to keep the list free of Thread devices; prices load in your browser.
Can I mix brands in one Matter smart home?
Yes. A certified Matter device can be added to any platform whose Matter controller supports its device type, without a separate hub from its maker. What each app shows for a device can differ, so check the maker’s page for the features you need.