Home Assistant add ons everyone should install

After you get Home Assistant running, the real question becomes: which add-ons actually make your setup more useful? Skip the flashy ones and focus on tools that give you better control, easier debugging, and more reliable automations.

Here are the add-ons I recommend installing first.

The Must-Haves: Core Infrastructure

Before adding any devices, get these installed. They’ll save you headaches later.

Terminal & SSH (terminal_ssh) — You need command-line access. Yes, you can do a lot in the UI, but troubleshooting often requires digging into logs, restarting services manually, or editing files that the UI won’t touch. Install this early.

File Editor — Paired with Terminal, this gives you a proper code editor for your configuration.yaml, automations.yaml, and the various YAML files you’ll eventually touch. The built-in file viewer is fine, but editor adds syntax highlighting and makes actual edits less error-prone.

Samba Share (samba) — Access your Home Assistant config files from your regular computer. Much easier than the file editor when you need to bulk-edit or work with files your IDE handles better. One warning: make sure you set a strong username and password. The default is open to your network.

Zigbee and Z-Wave: Pick Your Radio

If you’re adding wireless devices, you need a coordinator. Two options dominate:

Zigbee2MQTT — The most flexible Zigbee option. Works with a wide range of hardware including the Conbee III or Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus. The mapping is better than Home Assistant’s native ZHA, and you get access to device-specific exposes that ZHA hides. Downside: MQTT adds another moving part to debug when things break.

Z-Wave JS — For Z-Wave devices. The UI has improved significantly. If you have Z-Wave locks, sensors, or switches, this is the standard. You’ll need a Z-Wave stick like the Zooz Zen series.

Pick one protocol and stick with it. Mixing both works but doubles your troubleshooting surface. If you’re starting fresh, Zigbee has more cheap devices and the ecosystem is larger.

The Automation Power Tools

Node-RED — If you’re serious about automations, install Node-RED. The visual flow-based editor makes complex automations readable in a way YAML can’t match. Great for multi-step routines, conditional logic, and testing flows before deploying. The learning curve is real but worth it for anything beyond simple “if this then that” rules.

ESPHome — For DIY devices, ESPHome is unmatched. Flash ESP32 or ESP8266 boards to create temperature sensors, relay controllers, displays, and more—all integrating natively with Home Assistant. The YAML-based config means no coding required for most projects. Pair with Shelly Plus devices if you want to flash custom firmware on commercial hardware.

Mosquitto — Required if you use Zigbee2MQTT or want to integrate MQTT-based devices. The Home Assistant add-on is straightforward to configure. Just set a username and password, then enable anonymous access only if you’re certain your network is isolated.

Monitoring and Backups

Home Assistant Google Drive Backup — Local data is great until your SD card dies or you bork a config update. This add-on handles scheduled backups to Google Drive automatically. Set it and forget it. The restore process from cloud is straightforward when you need it.

SQLite Web — Inspect your database directly. Useful when you’re debugging why an automation isn’t triggering, checking state history, or cleaning up old data. The built-in history is okay for simple checks, but this gives you full SQL access.

Worth a Look

SkyConnect (Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1) — If you want Matter support, the official Home Assistant radio handles Thread and Matter. Works alongside Zigbee for most setups. Just know that Matter device support varies wildly by manufacturer—check compatibility before buying.

Add-on Store browsing — Don’t stop at my list. The Community Add-on store has dozens of options for specific integrations, media servers, and niche tools. Install conservatively, but explore.

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Quick Verdict

Install Terminal, File Editor, and your coordinator first. Add Node-RED if automations get complex. Skip the rest until you need them. The add-on ecosystem is deep, but resist the urge to fill your sidebar with things you won’t actually use.