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Mini PCs comparisons

Small Home Assistant host machines that make good permanent local controllers.

Read the buying guide → All mini PCs →

Standout picks

Strongest overall pick

ODROID-H4+

Hardkernel · HA: excellent · local: excellent

x86-64 Intel N97 with DDR5 (up to 48GB) - comfortably runs Home Assistant OS

Product notes →

Also strong on local control

Intel NUC 12 Pro

Discontinued

Intel / ecosystem resellers · works offline: yes

The host itself is local and private; what you expose to cloud services depends on your integrations and remote-access choices, not the NUC platform.

Why it stands out →

Another easy starting point

Beelink EQ14

Beelink · setup: moderate

a dedicated Home Assistant OS installation after checking configuration and availability

See buyer notes →

All mini PCs, side by side

Filter, sort, and open "More" on any row for what it's best at, setup, power, and cloud posture. Prices are the last verified read where there is one; the rest show a price band.

Showing 9 of 9 Ordered by Home Assistant fit, then local control. Click a column heading to re-sort.

Mini PCs compared: Home Assistant fit, offline behavior, protocols, hub requirement, price, and where to buy.
						Where to buy
ODROID-H4+ Hardkernel More Best for Users wanting one efficient box for Home Assistant OS plus local storage Standout An x86-64 Intel N97 board with four SATA ports and dual 2.5GbE - a capable all-in-one Home Assistant OS plus NAS host. Local control excellent Cloud local-first (none) Setup moderate Power DC-powered	excellent	yes	Ethernet	no	mid	Hardkernel ↗
Intel NUC 12 Pro Intel / ecosystem resellers Discontinued More Best for advanced Home Assistant users who expect growth Standout More CPU headroom than the typical N100 mini PC, which matters if the smart home is turning into a broader local services stack. Local control excellent Cloud local-first (none) Setup moderate Power plug-in mini PC	excellent	yes	Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi	no	$625checked Sep 8	Amazon ↗ *
Beelink EQ14 Beelink More Best for a dedicated Home Assistant OS installation after checking configuration and availability Standout An N150 mini PC with an internal power supply; check the exact network-port configuration and shipping status. Local control excellent Cloud local-first (none) Setup moderate Power plug-in mini PC	good	yes	Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi	no	$444.60checked Sep 7	Beelink ↗
Beelink SER6 MAX Beelink More Best for users who want meaningful compute headroom for Frigate or other services without paying Ryzen 9 prices Standout AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS sits between budget N100 boxes and premium Ryzen 9 machines for multi-service smart home servers. Local control excellent Cloud local-first (none) Setup moderate Power plug-in mini PC	good	yes	Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB	no	premium	Beelink ↗
GMKtec G3 GMKtec More Best for budget-conscious buyers who still want a real Home Assistant host Standout N100-class value makes it one of the easiest ways to give Home Assistant serious breathing room without spending NUC money. Local control excellent Cloud local-first (none) Setup moderate Power plug-in mini PC	good	yes	Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi	no	budget	GMKtec ↗
Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Gen 5 Tiny Lenovo More Best for power users running Home Assistant alongside Frigate NVR, Plex, or other demanding workloads Standout Business-class AMD Ryzen Pro processor with enterprise build quality in an ultra-compact Tiny form factor, ideal for demanding multi-service smart home servers. Local control excellent Cloud local-first (none) Setup moderate Power plug-in mini PC	good	yes	Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB	no	$1699.99checked Sep 1	Lenovo ↗
Minisforum UM790 Pro Minisforum More Best for users running Frigate with AI object detection across multiple cameras alongside Home Assistant Standout AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS with integrated RDNA 3 GPU delivers desktop-class performance and hardware-accelerated video processing in a compact mini PC form factor. Local control excellent Cloud local-first (none) Setup moderate Power plug-in mini PC	good	yes	Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB	no	$859checked Sep 9	Amazon ↗ *
ZimaBoard 2 (832) IceWhale More Best for Users wanting one quiet box for Home Assistant plus a little NAS/self-hosting Standout A fanless x86-64 single-board server (Intel N150) with dual 2.5GbE and an open PCIe 3.0 x4 slot - runs Home Assistant OS bare-metal or alongside a NAS. Local control excellent Cloud local-first (none) Setup moderate Power DC-powered	good	yes	Ethernet	no	premium	ZimaSpace ↗
Beelink EQ13 Beelink Discontinued More Best for buyers moving past entry-level Home Assistant hardware Standout A polished Intel N100 mini PC that gives Home Assistant plenty of headroom without turning into a loud little server. Local control excellent Cloud local-first (none) Setup moderate Power plug-in mini PC	good	yes	Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi	no	mid	not listed