Early 2025 brought another round of subscription hikes across the smart home world – Ring increasing prices, Nest bundling more features behind monthly plans, and several smaller players quietly joining the trend. It’s starting to feel like your house charges a cover fee every month just for existing.
The irony is that the original smart home pitch was simplicity. Automation, convenience, peace of mind. In reality, we’re inching toward a world where your doorbell, thermostat, cameras, and alarm system all need their own mini-budget. We used to ask, “Is this device compatible?” Now we ask, “Is this device charging me rent?”
It’s not that subscriptions are inherently bad. Cloud storage, AI features, and security updates all cost money. But the stacking effect is real. One subscription is manageable. Five to ten subscriptions feels like a part-time job.
What’s most interesting is how customers are responding. Some are consolidating ecosystems. Some are downgrading. And some are walking back to “dumb” devices that never sent an invoice.
If convenience becomes a monthly fee, how long before people decide it’s no longer worth the math? And will the smart home ever reach the point where automation adds value instead of ongoing overhead?
Related article: The Verge
