Matter is finally making the smart home work together — but you need the right hub to unlock it for Google Home. We tested the top hubs with Thread border routers, Matter controllers, and real Google Home integration to find the ones worth buying in 2025.
If you've been building a Google Home setup over the last few years, you've probably felt the pain: this light needs a Zigbee bridge, that sensor needs a separate app, and nothing talks to anything else. Matter was supposed to fix that — and it finally does. But Matter over Thread needs a Thread border router, and Matter over Wi-Fi needs a Matter controller. The good news? Google Home is ready for both.1
Here are the best smart home hubs that play nicely with Google Home and give you full Matter support.
The Google Nest Hub Max is the most natural choice if you're already in the Google ecosystem. It has a built-in Thread border router and a Matter controller, so it can handle both Thread and Wi-Fi Matter devices out of the box.1 The 10-inch display gives you visual controls for your lights, cameras, and thermostats, and it doubles as a Nest Cam for home monitoring.
It won't control Zigbee devices directly — so if you have older Zigbee bulbs or sensors, you'll need a separate bridge. But for a pure Google Home + Matter setup, this is the cleanest path.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Matter support | Controller + Thread border router |
| Display | 10-inch touchscreen |
| Extra protocols | None (no Zigbee) |
| Best for | Google-native households |
The Aqara Hub M3 is the Swiss Army knife of smart home hubs. It supports Matter, Thread, and Zigbee — meaning it can bridge your existing Aqara sensors, Zigbee lights, and new Matter devices into Google Home all at once.2
What makes it special: local control. Your automations keep running even if your internet goes down. That's rare for a hub at this price point, and it matters if you're building a reliable smart home.2
It's a bit more work to set up than the Nest Hub — you'll need the Aqara app — but once it's connected to Google Home, everything just works.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Matter support | Controller + Thread border router |
| Extra protocols | Zigbee |
| Local control | Yes (offline automations) |
| Best for | Multi-protocol households |
This one is clever: it's a security camera, Matter hub, Thread border router, and IR blaster all in one device.2
The IR blaster is the hidden gem here — it lets you control older TVs, AC units, and other IR-only devices from Google Home, which most Matter hubs can't touch. The camera gives you 2K video and person/pet detection.
It's not as polished as a dedicated hub for pure Matter control, but if you want to consolidate devices, this is the most versatile option.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Matter support | Controller + Thread border router |
| Extra protocols | Zigbee, IR blaster |
| Camera | 2K security cam |
| Best for | Consolidating gadgets |
The smaller Nest Hub (2nd Gen) has the same Thread border router and Matter controller as the Max, just in a 7-inch package and at a lower price.1 No camera, no Zigbee — but if you just need a Matter hub with a screen for controlling your smart home, this is the most affordable way in.
It's also great for bedside or kitchen counters where you don't want a camera watching you.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Matter support | Controller + Thread border router |
| Display | 7-inch touchscreen |
| Extra protocols | None |
| Best for | Budget Matter entry |
| Feature | Nest Hub Max | Aqara Hub M3 | Aqara Cam G5 Pro | Nest Hub (2nd Gen) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matter support | Controller + Thread | Controller + Thread | Controller + Thread | Controller + Thread |
| Thread border router | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in |
| Zigbee | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Display | 10" touch | None | None | 7" touch |
| Camera | Nest Cam | None | 2K | None |
| IR blaster | No | No | Yes | No |
| Local control | Partial | Full | Full | Partial |
| Price tier | $$ | $$ | $$$ | $ |
All four hubs act as Matter controllers — meaning Google Home can discover and control Matter devices through them without needing extra bridges or accounts.1 For Thread devices (like the Nanoleaf Essentials bulbs or Eve sensors), the built-in Thread border router in each of these hubs creates the mesh network those devices need to talk to Google Home.
The key difference is protocol coverage:
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