Best Home Assistant Add-ons: 25 Must-Have Add-ons for 2026

Edit your configuration.yaml, automations, scripts, and any other config file directly in the browser. Syntax highlighting, file browser, and search included. Way easier than SSH for quick changes.

Access your Home Assistant files over your local network like a shared folder. Open config files in VS Code or any text editor on your computer. Drag and drop files. A must-have if you prefer a real code editor.

Command-line access to your Home Assistant server, either through a web terminal in the browser or via SSH from your computer. You'll need this for troubleshooting, running ha commands, and anything the GUI can't do.

Automatic backups to Google Drive on a schedule you set. Keeps a configurable number of local and cloud copies. If your SD card dies or your NUC crashes, you can restore everything in minutes. This is the add-on you'll be most grateful for when disaster strikes.

The unofficial app store for Home Assistant. HACS gives you access to hundreds of custom integrations, themes, and frontend cards that aren't in the official store. Mushroom cards, custom button cards, browser_mod, and many more live here. Not technically an add-on (it's a custom integration), but it belongs on every installation.

Bridges Zigbee devices to Home Assistant via MQTT. Supports over 4,000 devices from 400+ manufacturers. More configurable than the built-in ZHA integration, with better support for large networks and device-specific settings. The go-to choice for serious Zigbee setups.

The MQTT message broker that many add-ons and devices rely on. Zigbee2MQTT, Tasmota flashed devices, ESPHome (optionally), Frigate, and OwnTracks all communicate through MQTT. If you use any of those, you need this running.

Flash and manage ESP32 and ESP8266 microcontrollers with simple YAML configuration. Build custom sensors, LED controllers, Bluetooth proxies, voice satellites, and more. Write YAML, click install, done. No Arduino coding needed.

If you have Z-Wave devices (common in the US for locks, thermostats, and sensors), this add-on provides a full management UI. Configure device parameters, view network health, test connections, and troubleshoot issues. More powerful than the basic Z-Wave JS add-on.

Connects Matter-compatible devices to Home Assistant. Matter is the new universal smart home standard backed by Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung. Still early days, but device support is growing fast. Comes pre-installed on HA OS since 2023, but worth checking it's enabled.

Visual flow-based automation that makes complex logic easy to build and understand. Drag nodes, connect wires, deploy. Perfect for automations that are hard to express in YAML, like multi-step conditional flows or API integrations. Read our full Node-RED guide.

Write automations in Python instead of YAML. Full programming language means unlimited flexibility: API calls, data processing, machine learning, custom algorithms. Best for developers who want to do things YAML simply can't express. Comes with a dashboard framework (HADashboard) too.

Local voice control without cloud services. Whisper handles speech-to-text (understanding what you say), Piper handles text-to-speech (talking back to you). Both run entirely on your server. Combined with the Assist pipeline, you get a fully private voice assistant. Two separate add-ons, but they work together.

Local wake word detection for your voice satellites. Say "Hey Jarvis" or "OK Nabu" and it starts listening. Runs locally, so no audio ever leaves your home. You can even train custom wake words. Pairs with Whisper and Piper to create the full voice pipeline.

The best local NVR (Network Video Recorder) for Home Assistant. Real-time object detection using AI to tell the difference between a person, car, dog, or tree branch. Records only when something interesting happens. Works with any RTSP camera. A Coral TPU makes detection instant, but it works on CPU too.

Reverse proxy with automatic SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt. If you want to access Home Assistant (and other services) from outside your network using your own domain name with HTTPS encryption, this makes it straightforward. GUI-based configuration instead of editing nginx config files.

Fast, modern VPN that lets you securely access your entire home network from anywhere. Connect from your phone or laptop and it's like you're home. Faster and simpler than OpenVPN. Great if you want remote access without exposing any ports to the public internet.

Network-wide ad blocking and privacy protection at the DNS level. Blocks ads, trackers, and malware domains for every device on your network. Also useful for monitoring which devices are "phoning home" to cloud servers. Alternative to Pi-hole, but with a nicer UI and easier configuration.

Unified music library that combines Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Tidal, local files, and more into one interface. Group speakers across brands, sync playback, and control everything from Home Assistant. Like Sonos multi-room, but open and free.

Stream your movie and TV collection to any device. Plex as an add-on means it runs on the same box as Home Assistant. Pair it with automations: dim the lights when you start a movie, pause playback when someone rings the doorbell. Needs decent hardware for transcoding.

Replace the default SQLite database with MariaDB (MySQL-compatible). Handles large amounts of sensor history much better, especially if you track energy data or have many devices. Noticeably faster history loading and reduced I/O on SD cards. Recommended once you pass 50+ entities.

Time-series database purpose-built for sensor data. Store months or years of temperature readings, energy usage, humidity levels, and any other numeric data without slowing down Home Assistant. Pair with Grafana for beautiful, detailed charts and dashboards.

Professional-grade data visualization. Build custom dashboards showing energy consumption over time, temperature trends across rooms, network statistics, system health, anything. Connects to InfluxDB (or directly to HA's database). The charts are on a completely different level from HA's built-in history graphs.

Docker container management with a web UI. See what's running, check resource usage, view logs, and restart containers. Handy for debugging add-on issues or running additional Docker containers alongside Home Assistant that aren't available as add-ons.

Free SSL certificates for your Home Assistant domain, automatically renewed every 90 days. Required if you're exposing HA to the internet with your own domain. Supports DNS challenges for wildcard certificates. Simple alternative to NGINX Proxy Manager if you just need HTTPS.

Light setup (Raspberry Pi 4, 4GB RAM)

File Editor, Samba, SSH, Mosquitto, Zigbee2MQTT, Google Drive Backup, Let's Encrypt. Comfortable with 8 to 10 add-ons total. Skip Frigate and Grafana on Pi hardware.

Medium setup (Mini PC / NUC, 8GB RAM)

Everything above plus Node-RED, ESPHome, MariaDB, InfluxDB, Grafana, AdGuard, and Music Assistant. Can run 15 to 20 add-ons easily. Frigate works well with a USB Coral TPU.

Power setup (Server / 16GB+ RAM)

Run everything. Frigate with multiple cameras, Plex for media streaming, full voice pipeline (Whisper + Piper + openWakeWord), Portainer, and anything else you want. 25+ add-ons, no problem.