The Best Nest-Compatible Devices of 2020

As promised, we've updated this piece as more information is released. We've deleted some products as we wait for more information about future Google Nest compatibility.

Nest is popular for its sleek, user-friendly smart products that help make day-to-day life easier. Nest thermostats save energy by automatically setting themselves to Eco Temperature ranges when you’re away. The Nest Protect is both a smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide detector that gives you a heads-up when something’s off in your home, with a friendly voice to boot.

Nest compatible devices

For added automation, Nest products can also work with other smart home devices like smart light bulbs. With those, you can set timers, create schedules, and more. The possibilities are nearly endless.

Here are some of the best Nest-compatible devices, from smart locks to smart hubs.

What is Google Nest?

This year, Google and Nest announced that they’re joining forces into a single brand named Google Nest. On August 31, 2019, Nest got rid of Works with Nest, and all Nest products now fall under the Google Nest brand. Compatibility for Google Nest products runs through the Works with Google Assistant program, and you can control all of your Google devices and most other devices in the Google Home app.

The merge made Google Nest compatible with way more products. To see them all, check out our list of Google Home compatible products. We’ll continue to update this post as more information is released.


Nest-compatible smart bulbs

Smart bulbs can help you conserve energy and save money by automatically turning off—like when your Nest Thermostat or camera senses you’re not home. Here are our favorites.

Compare Nest-compatible smart LED bulbs

Philips Hue Starter Kit

The Philips Hue Starter Kit includes a smart hub and two smart bulbs that let you set timers and create lighting schedules. You can also integrate it with your Nest cameras to turn lights on or off based on what the camera’s motion sensor picks up, or with the Nest Protect to turn on a warning light when your smoke alarm detects excessive smoke or a fire.

>>Buy the Philips Hue Starter Kit.

LIFX A19 LED Bulb

The LIFX A19 LED Bulb brings a little extra oomph to the smart bulb game, with 16 million colors to choose from. You can set LIFX lights to automatically dim or change colors, and they can also integrate with one of your Nest cameras to dim lights after camera inactivity, like when you or your kids have gone to bed.

>>Buy the LIFX A19 LED Bulb.

Wanna compare Philips Hue vs. LIFX smart bulbs?
Our Choice

We researched and tested them head-to-head—see which one we think is better for your home.

Kasa Smart Bulb by TP-Link

Kasa Smart Bulbs are inexpensive and super versatile, offering dimmable, tunable, and multicolor bulbs. We like the tunable bulb the best, because it lets you choose between soft, warm, and bright white lights.

>>Buy the Kasa Smart Bulb by TP-Link.


Nest-compatible cameras

The Nest brand is chiefly compatible with, well, Nest cameras. But it’s no big: Nest offers some of the most reliable security cameras on the market.

Compare Nest-compatible cameras

Nest Cam Indoor

The Nest Cam Indoor hits all the basics: crisp HD video, clear night vision, two-way audio, and access to a live feed. It’s also easy to install and looks pretty inconspicuous.

However, as with all Nest cameras, more advanced features require a subscription to Nest Aware, which starts at $5 per month or $50 per year.

>>Buy the Nest Cam Indoor.

Nest Cam Outdoor

The Nest Cam Outdoor improves upon the Nest Cam Indoor by essentially adding weatherproofing. The Nest Cam Outdoor also has a three-hour snapshot history that lets you see any activity from the last three hours in the Nest app.

>>Buy the Nest Cam Outdoor.

Nest Cam IQ Indoor

The Nest Cam IQ Indoor is bigger and better: it has a built-in Google Assistant that lets you do things like ask about the weather and control your other Nest devices, a 12x digital zoom with close-up tracking that automatically zooms in on a motion trigger to follow the action, plus person alerts that can differentiate between an actual person and an object, like a package that’s sitting on your doorstep.

>>Buy the Nest Cam IQ Indoor.

Nest Cam IQ Outdoor

The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is a dependable outdoor camera that would work for anyone who wants to keep an eye on their home. It’s weather and tamper proof and has color night vision, 12x digital zoom, and two-way audio with noise cancellation and echo suppression. Use it to scare off a potential intruder with your voice—even if it’s raining cats and dogs.

>>Buy the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor.


Nest-compatible smart locks

If you’re prone to misplacing your keys, how about locking and unlocking your door with an app? Here are our top picks.

Compare Nest-compatible smart locks

Nest x Yale Lock

The Nest x Yale lock connects to the Nest app and lets you lock and unlock your door from wherever—as long as you have a Nest Connect or Nest Guard already. If not, you’ll have to purchase one separately.

You can also set it to lock automatically when you leave your home and create unique passcodes for your friends and family to use. The Nest x Yale Lock is also one of the only smart locks that offers a little bit of personalization, with three different finishes to choose from.

>>Buy the Nest x Yale Lock.

August Smart Lock Pro

The August Smart Lock Pro + Connect is a versatile smart door lock that you can control through voice commands or through a hub. It can also tell your Nest Learning Thermostat that you’ve left the house so the device can adjust its temperature setting to help save energy and money.

>>Buy the August Smart Lock Pro.

 


Nest-compatible smart hubs

With a Nest-compatible smart hub, you can monitor all your smart devices from one place. Here are the best hubs with Nest compatibility.

Compare Nest-compatible smart hubs

Google Home

Considering the upcoming transition to Google Nest, this one is a no-brainer. Google Home is easy to use, integrates with tons of smart home devices, and makes getting started easy for smart home novices. We especially like that it supports multiple users and recognizes different voices, so everyone in your family can have a unique experience with the Google Assistant.

>>Buy the Google Home.

Amazon Echo

The Amazon Echo offers more customization, so if you’re tech-savvy it’s a solid bet. It’s compatible with even more smart devices than Google Home and allows for more customizable integrations too.

Still works with Alexa
Protip

Currently, you can still use Google Nest products with Alexa, even though Google owns the brand.

>>Buy the Amazon Echo.

Wink Hub 2

The Wink Hub 2 is a more traditional smart hub that’s a bit more limited than Google Home and Amazon Echo. Still, it’s user-friendly, has plenty of features, and makes a great introduction to smart home automation for the technologically inexperienced.

>>Buy the Wink Hub 2.


What Nest is not compatible with

Nest isn’t compatible with Apple HomeKit. And because it’s not its own hub, like Google Home or Amazon Echo, you need to go to the Google Assistant app to integrate most products with your Google Nest devices.

If you’re looking for one device to help automate your home, we suggest choosing from our favorite smart hubs.


Our recommendation

Nest makes reliable products that are a good fit whether you’re a smart home novice or a home automation expert. Nest itself has plenty of solid offerings, plus opportunities to integrate other smart devices—from smart bulbs to smart locks—to make things a bit more convenient.

But if you’re looking for more complete home integration, we recommend controlling your devices through a smart hub or a smart speaker with a voice assistant. It’ll give you more flexibility and the chance to control way more devices.