Samsung is putting one of the biggest smart home ecosystems behind a paywall. Starting October 2026, developers — and some power users — will have to pay to access the SmartThings API, in a move that has the Home Assistant community and IoT developers scrambling.
From October this year, Samsung will roll out a variety of paid tiers for its SmartThings API, including a $4.99 monthly plan aimed at "non-commercial, individual developers." It marks a major shift for a platform that has been free to integrate with for years, and the change has already drawn sharp reactions from the open-source smart home community.
The New Pricing Tiers
The $4.99 personal plan sits at the bottom of a new pricing ladder. Above it are commercial and enterprise tiers, which Samsung says will give developers access to higher rate limits, priority support, and advanced features. The pricing applies to anyone who connects to the SmartThings API directly, whether through a personal project, a commercial app, or an integration like the one used by Home Assistant.
Samsung framed the change as an investment in its developer ecosystem. "The new pricing will allow us to invest heavily in the enterprise-grade features our partners and users have been asking for," the company said in a statement shared with The Verge. It also pointed to planned stability improvements, new integrations, and a refresh of its Developer Center portal.
But the impact reaches well beyond professional developers. Advanced smart home users who connect to SmartThings directly for more flexible controls — or rely on third-party tools that route through the API — could also get caught by the new fees. Samsung estimates the changes will affect thousands of API users globally, though it has not released exact numbers.
Home Assistant Users in the Crosshairs
The most affected group might be users of Home Assistant, the popular open-source platform that ties together devices from dozens of manufacturers. Home Assistant's SmartThings integration lets users control their Samsung-connected locks, lights, sensors, and outlets directly from a single dashboard — bypassing Samsung's own app entirely.
Paulus Schoutsen, founder of Home Assistant, confirmed the news in a blog post. "Use of the Home Assistant integration will be affected by their changes and will fall under their new 'personal plans,'" he wrote. For Home Assistant users who already pay for a Nabu Casa subscription — which funds the open-source project — this means an extra $4.99 a month on top of their existing costs.
The situation has stirred frustration in the community. On Reddit's r/homeassistant, users described the move as "a money grab" and questioned whether Samsung understood how much of its smart home ecosystem's value came from third-party integrations. Others pointed out that many Home Assistant users are also Samsung customers who have bought into the SmartThings ecosystem specifically because of its openness.
What SmartThings Actually Controls
SmartThings is Samsung's smart home platform, connecting everything from refrigerators and washing machines to light bulbs, door locks, motion sensors, and thermostats. The hub — either a dedicated Samsung SmartThings Station or a built-in hub in Samsung TVs and Family Hub refrigerators — uses Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, and Thread to talk to devices.
Over the past decade, SmartThings has become one of the most widely compatible smart home platforms on the market, with hundreds of devices certified to work with it. Its free API had been a selling point for developers who wanted to build cross-platform experiences without paying for access. The ecosystem includes roughly 300 compatible device brands, covering everything from Yale locks to Philips Hue bulbs to Aeotec sensors.
The move to monetize the API is not entirely without precedent. Other smart home platforms have tested paid tiers. Last year, Google restricted its Home API after shutting down the Works with Google Assistant program, and Amazon has gradually tightened access to its Alexa smart home APIs. But Samsung's approach differs in that it puts a dollar figure on individual developers — the very people who built the ecosystem's flexibility.
The Developer Backlash
Independent developers have been quick to react. "I built my entire smart home around SmartThings because the API was open and free," said one developer on Hacker News. "Now I have to either pay $60 a year or rebuild everything around a different hub."
Several alternative platforms — including Hubitat, Homey, and open-source solutions running on Zigbee2MQTT — have seen increased discussion as users evaluate their options. But for many, switching hubs means replacing dozens of devices and reconfiguring automations, a process that can take weeks. The cost in time and frustration could be higher than the $4.99 monthly fee for most people, but the principle of paying for what was once free has many users angry.
Samsung hasn't ruled out grandfathering existing users or offering discounts for early adopters, but so far, no such program has been announced. The paid tiers will take effect on October 1, 2026. Developers who want to keep using the free tier will have to migrate to a more limited API that supports only basic device monitoring — no automation triggers, no custom integrations.
What You Should Do Now
If you use SmartThings and Home Assistant together, you have several ways forward:
- Pay the personal tier ($4.99/month). It keeps everything working without changes, and the cash goes toward platform improvements.
- Move to a local-only hub like Hubitat or Zigbee2MQTT with a Sonoff or Conbee Zigbee dongle. One-time hardware cost means no monthly fees, but expect an afternoon of setup.
- Switch to Matter-over-Thread where available. Devices that support Matter don't need a SmartThings hub at all — they talk directly to Apple Home, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa. The Matter standard, backed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, is gaining support from most major manufacturers.
- Wait and watch. Samsung may adjust pricing before October, or competitors may release migration guides. The smart home market moves fast — six months from now the situation could look very different.
For now, the smart home industry is watching closely. If Samsung's API paywall sticks, it could set a precedent for how the rest of the IoT industry charges for access — and that has implications for every connected device in your home. The era of free, open smart home APIs might be coming to an end.
Read more about IoT and smart home developments here. For broader coverage of connected home technology, check our Smart Home section. External source: The Verge's original report on Samsung SmartThings API charges and Home Assistant founder Paulus Schoutsen's blog post.