Home Assistant can run on many platforms, but not all hardware is equally suited to long-term, reliable home automation. This guide focuses on practical technical differences that matter once a system grows beyond basic automations.
Table of Contents
What a Home Automation Server Actually Does
A typical Home Assistant system runs continuously and handles:
- real-time automations
- device integrations (Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, MQTT)
- database writes for history and statistics
- add-ons such as ESPHome, Node-RED, AdGuard, or Frigate
As complexity increases, hardware limitations become more visible.
Specs That Matter in Practice
CPU
- Affects automation execution, add-ons, and responsiveness
- Multi-core CPUs scale better as integrations increase
RAM
- Directly impacts stability
- Add-ons, databases, and dashboards consume memory continuously
- 8GB is a practical baseline for non-trivial systems
Storage
- Home Assistant writes to disk constantly
- SD cards and low-end flash storage wear quickly
- SSD or NVMe storage provides far higher endurance and reliability
Architecture
- 64-bit x86 platforms align best with Home Assistant OS and containerised add-ons
- This reduces compatibility issues and improves long-term support
Hardware Comparison
| Platform | CPU | RAM | Storage | Virtualisation | Typical Price (UK) | Key Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAS Essential | Intel N3050 | 4GB DDR3 | 128GB mSATA | ❌ | £99.99 | Entry tier, no VM support |
| HAS Standard | Intel N3700 | 8GB DDR3 | 128GB mSATA | ❌ | £114.99 | No virtualisation |
| HAS Advanced | Intel N6000 | 8GB DDR4 | 256GB NVMe | ✅ (Proxmox) | £187.99 | None for most users |
| HAS Elite | Intel N6005 | 16GB DDR4 | 512GB NVMe | ✅ (Proxmox) | £256.99 | Overkill for small setups |
| Home Assistant Green | ARM SoC | 4GB LPDDR4 | 32GB eMMC | ❌ | ~£110 | No expansion, limited storage |
| Raspberry Pi 4 | ARM Cortex-A72 | 1 -> 8GB LPDDR4 | microSD / USB SSD | ❌ | £40 -> £100 | SD reliability, USB bottlenecks |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | ARM Cortex-A76 | 1 -> 16GB LPDDR4 | microSD / PCIe | ❌ | £40 -> £130 | Cooling, storage setup complexity |
HAS Models Compared to Raspberry Pi and Home Assisstant
Raspberry Pi and Home Assistant’s own hardware serve an important role: they provide accessible entry points into Home Assistant.
However, they are constrained by design choices that become more visible as systems grow.
The HAS models exist primarily to remove those constraints.
CPU Architecture and Headroom
Raspberry Pi and Home Assistant Green/Yellow use ARM SoCs designed for low power consumption and embedded workloads.
In practice this means:
- Limited sustained performance under continuous load
- Fewer high-performance cores available for parallel tasks
- Reduced responsiveness once multiple add-ons or heavy integrations are running
HAS models use modern x86-64 Intel CPUs, which provide:
- Higher single-core performance (important for automation execution)
- Better scaling across multiple integrations and add-ons
- Full compatibility with Home Assistant OS and containerised services without ARM-specific limitations
Memory Constraints
Memory is a common bottleneck on Pi-based systems and Home Assistant appliances:
- Home Assistant Green is fixed at 4GB RAM
- Home Assistant Yellow requires careful configuration to avoid memory pressure
- Raspberry Pi often runs close to memory limits once databases, dashboards, and add-ons accumulate
HAS models start at 4GB and scale up to 16GB, which allows:
- Stable long-term operation
- Fewer crashes or slowdowns under load
- Headroom for future growth without reconfiguration
Storage Reliability
Storage choice is one of the most significant differences.
Most Raspberry Pi systems rely on:
- microSD cards
- USB-attached SSDs
These setups work, but introduce:
- Higher failure rates under constant write activity
- Lower performance consistency
- More complex recovery when storage fails
Home Assistant Green uses eMMC storage, which improves reliability but remains fixed in size.
HAS models use internal SSD or NVMe storage, offering:
- Higher endurance for continuous database writes
- Faster boot, backup, and restore operations
- Easier long-term maintenance and replacement
Expandability and Lifecycle
Raspberry Pi and Home Assistant appliances are largely fixed platforms:
- Limited or no internal expansion
- Minimal upgrade paths
- Replacement rather than evolution when requirements change
HAS models are conventional x86 systems, which means:
- Storage and memory scaling is straightforward
- Advanced models support virtualisation when needed
- The same hardware can adapt as usage changes over time
Home Assistant OS vs Virtualisation
Some servers support multiple deployment options:
Home Assistant OS
- Simplest and most common choice
- Appliance-style management
- Suitable for most users
Virtualisation (e.g. Proxmox)
- Run Home Assistant alongside other services
- Greater flexibility
- Higher hardware requirements
The choice depends on whether simplicity or flexibility is the priority.
Summary
There is no single best home automation server, but there is a clear difference between hardware that merely runs Home Assistant and hardware designed to run it reliably over years.
Choosing a modern 64-bit platform with adequate RAM and proper storage provides a more stable foundation and avoids the need for early upgrades.