Choosing the right smart heating system is one of the most effective ways to reduce your energy bills and improve your home's comfort. In the UK, two brands consistently dominate the conversation: Tado° and Hive. Both offer sophisticated, app-controlled systems that promise to heat your home more intelligently. But while they share a common goal, their approach to hardware, software, and automation is quite different.

This in-depth comparison will dissect the key differences between Tado° and Hive, from multi-room control and app design to the all-important subscription costs. We’ll help you understand the core philosophies of each brand so you can confidently decide which is the perfect fit for your home and lifestyle. For a broader look at the market, you can also read our comprehensive guide to smart heating.

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Key Feature Comparison: Tado° vs Hive Head-to-Head

While both systems let you control your heating from your phone, the meaningful differences appear when you look closer at their hardware, smart features, and how they integrate with your wider smart home.

 

Multi-Zone & Radiator Control

The ability to heat individual rooms to different temperatures—known as multi-zone heating—is where smart heating delivers the biggest savings. Both Tado° and Hive achieve this with Smart Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs).

Tado°'s Smart TRVs are widely considered to be compact, well-designed, and feature a clear LED display that shows the current temperature setting. They are a core part of the system's design.

Hive also offers Smart TRVs to expand its system. While effective, the multi-zone control within the Hive app is generally seen as less advanced and configurable than dedicated systems. The real benefit of a combined system is allowing a single cold room to call for heat from the boiler without heating the entire house, a concept best understood by learning how a smart thermostat and TRVs work together.

 

Automation & Smart Features

This is where the two systems diverge most significantly.

Tado° positions itself as a data-driven automation platform. Its key features include:

• Geofencing: Uses your phone's location to automatically turn the heating down when the last person leaves and pre-heat it when the first person starts to return.
• Weather Adaptation: Integrates local weather forecasts to adjust heating start times, ensuring your home is warm on schedule without wasting energy.
• Open Window Detection: Senses a sudden drop in temperature from an open window and pauses the heating in that room to prevent waste.

Hive offers a simpler, but still effective, set of smart features focused on schedules and geofencing. Its primary strength lies in its integration with a vast ecosystem of other Hive products, such as lights, plugs, and sensors, allowing you to create home-wide automation routines from a single app.

Crucially, the full automation of Tado°'s key features is locked behind its "Auto-Assist" subscription. Without it, the system will only send you a push notification prompting you to make the change manually. Hive’s core automation works without a subscription, though advanced tracking features require one.

 

Boiler Control & Efficiency (OpenTherm)

For homes with modern condensing boilers, one of the most important technical features for long-term savings is boiler modulation. Both Tado° and Hive now support the OpenTherm protocol, which allows the thermostat to communicate more intelligently with the boiler.

Instead of just telling the boiler to switch on at full power or off completely, OpenTherm allows the system to tell the boiler how hard to work. This enables it to run at a lower, more consistent output for longer, which is significantly more gas-efficient than repeatedly firing up at 100%. This is a key mechanism for how smart heating reduces bills at the source. For this specific feature, the two systems are on equal footing.

 

Smart Home Integration

Your choice may come down to which smart home "family" you belong to.

Tado° is the clear winner for Apple users. It offers native Apple HomeKit support, which is relatively rare in the smart heating market. This allows for seamless integration with Siri and the Apple Home app. It also works perfectly with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Hive is the best choice for those wanting a single, unified smart home ecosystem. As a Centrica brand, Hive offers a huge range of compatible devices, including smart plugs, light bulbs, window/door sensors, and even EV chargers, all controlled from the one Hive app. While it supports Alexa and Google Assistant, it does not have native HomeKit support.

 

The App Experience

The design philosophy of each brand is reflected in its smartphone app.

The Tado° app is a tool for data-savvy users who want to analyse and fine-tune their heating. It is packed with detailed reports on heating activity, estimated savings, the influence of local weather, and even indoor air quality. This makes it incredibly powerful, though some novice users might find the number of settings slightly complex.

The Hive app is a clean, bright, and intuitive dashboard for your entire smart home. Its primary goal is to provide simple control over not just your heating but all your connected Hive devices. It's less about deep analytics and more about straightforward, everyday usability. For a detailed breakdown, see our guide to the Hive App vs Tado App vs Nest App.

 

The Subscription Model: A Crucial Difference

Both brands offer an optional subscription for around £3.99 per month, but what you get for your money—and how critical it is—varies hugely.

• Tado° Auto-Assist (£3.99/month): This subscription is arguably essential to unlock the system's full potential. Without it, key features like Geofencing and Open Window Detection are not fully automated. Instead of the system acting on its own, you will simply receive a push notification prompting you to manually turn the heating down or off.
• Hive Heating Plus (£3.99/month): This subscription is more of a "nice-to-have" analytics package. It provides valuable insights like daily, weekly, and monthly cost tracking, budget setting, and efficiency tips. However, all of the core automation features, including geofencing and scheduling, work perfectly without the subscription.

This is a critical distinction: Tado°'s subscription automates the system, while Hive's subscription provides data about it.

 

A Closer Look at the Tado° V3+ System

Tado° offers a powerful and flexible system for users who want granular control and advanced, data-led automation. It excels in several key areas but comes with one significant caveat.

 

 

Tado° Strengths

• Superior Smart Home Integration: With native Apple HomeKit support alongside Alexa and Google Assistant, Tado° is the most versatile choice for integrating with an existing smart home setup, especially for Apple users.
• Data-Rich Automation: The system's use of weather forecasts, geofencing, and open window detection provides a more sophisticated level of automation than most rivals.
• Well-Designed Hardware: The thermostats are minimalist and the Smart TRVs are compact, with a useful LED display that many competitors lack.

 

Tado° Drawbacks

• Essential Subscription: The biggest drawback is that the core automation features require the £3.99/month Auto-Assist subscription to be truly hands-off. This significantly increases the total cost of ownership over time.
• Potential Complexity: For users who just want simple scheduling, the data-rich app can feel more complex than necessary.
• Reliability Reports: Some long-term users have reported occasional connectivity issues between system components.

For a more detailed analysis, you can read our in-depth Tado° V3+ review.

 

A Closer Look at the Hive Thermostat System

Backed by Centrica (the owner of British Gas), Hive is one of the most popular and trusted smart home brands in the UK. It focuses on reliability, ease of use, and building a complete smart home ecosystem.

 

 

Hive Strengths

• Complete Smart Home Ecosystem: Hive's biggest advantage is its wide range of compatible products. You can control heating, hot water, lights, plugs, and sensors all from one polished app, creating a seamless smart home experience.
• Excellent Hot Water Control: The standard Hive Thermostat is ideal for UK homes with a conventional boiler and a separate hot water tank, offering robust and flexible scheduling.
• Trusted UK Brand: The backing of a major UK company provides peace of mind regarding customer support and product longevity. The main thermostat also features an intuitive physical dial that many users prefer.

 

Hive Drawbacks

• No Apple HomeKit Support: The lack of native HomeKit integration is a significant limitation for users invested in the Apple ecosystem.
• Subscription for Insights: While the core automation works for free, useful features like cost tracking and budget management are locked behind the Hive Heating Plus subscription.
• Simpler Multi-Zone Control: While it supports TRVs, its room-by-room control is less granular and sophisticated than dedicated multi-zone systems like Tado° or Drayton Wiser.

 

The Final Verdict: Which One Should You Buy in 2025?

Both Tado° and Hive are excellent smart heating systems, and the "best" choice truly depends on your priorities, your home's technical setup, and your smart home ambitions.

 

Choose Tado° if...

You are an Apple HomeKit user. The native integration is a defining feature that Hive simply cannot match. You should also choose Tado° if you are a data-savvy individual who loves to analyse performance and wants the most advanced, hands-off automation possible from geofencing and weather adaptation—and you are willing to pay the monthly subscription to unlock it.

 

Choose Hive if...

You want to build a comprehensive, all-in-one smart home from a single, trusted UK brand. If controlling your lights, plugs, and sensors from the same app as your heating appeals to you, Hive's ecosystem is unmatched. It is also the superior choice for homes with separate hot water tanks and for users who prefer a more straightforward, reliable system without the analytical complexity of Tado°.

 

Installation and Long-Term Costs

Neither system is simply "plug and play." Both require a receiver to be wired directly into your boiler, which involves mains electricity. While competent DIYers can tackle this, we recommend budgeting £50 - £100 for a professional installation for safety and peace of mind. Before purchasing, it's always wise to check your boiler's compatibility.

Fitting the Smart TRVs, however, is a simple DIY job that just involves unscrewing your old valve heads and attaching the new ones.

Over the long term, remember to factor in these costs:

• Subscriptions: £47.88 per year for either Tado° Auto-Assist or Hive Heating Plus.
• Batteries: Smart TRVs and wireless thermostats typically require two AA or AAA batteries, which will need replacing every 1-2 years. For a home with several TRVs, this can add up to £10-£15 per year.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 

Can I install Tado° or Hive myself?

Installing the Smart Radiator Valves is a very simple DIY task. However, the boiler receiver unit requires mains wiring. Unless you are highly confident and competent with home electrics, professional installation by a qualified engineer is strongly recommended.

 

Do I need the subscription for them to work?

No, both systems will function without a subscription. You can still control your heating remotely and set schedules. However, you miss out on key features: Tado°'s subscription automates its smart features (like geofencing), while Hive's subscription unlocks detailed cost-tracking and energy insights.

 

Which system is better for controlling a separate hot water tank?

The standard Hive Thermostat is generally considered better for homes with conventional boilers and separate hot water tanks. It offers robust, dedicated hot water scheduling within the app. Tado° can also support this but requires an Extension Kit.

 

Do they work with all boilers in the UK?

Both systems are compatible with the vast majority of modern boilers in the UK, including combi, system, and heat-only boilers that use standard relay or OpenTherm connections. They are not compatible with storage heaters. Always use the manufacturer's online compatibility checker before you buy.

 

Internal Links Included

• comprehensive guide to smart heating

• smart thermostat and TRVs

• how smart heating reduces bills

• Hive App vs Tado App vs Nest App

• our in-depth Tado° V3+ review

• check your boiler's compatibility