Scored on 457 verified owner verdicts, from 3,025 comments read across 5 communities
TL;DR
Owners are sharply split: many praise the energy savings, remote control and easy install, but a large number, including HVAC techs, report frequent failures, HVAC problems and a frustrating Google Home app.
38% of 457 verified owners recommend the Google Nest Thermostat, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
3,025 comments reviewed · scored on the 457 clearest verdicts
38%
Recommend
172 owners
4%
Neutral
20 owners
58%
Don't recommend
265 owners
33 owners report specific problemsin troubleshooting threads (setup, firmware, or hardware faults). These are capped in the score above so a problem-report thread can't dominate it — read them under the Doesn't recommend filter below.
Last 6 months:17% recommend(47 recent verdicts)↓ trending down 23pts vs older reviews
Source
Breakdown
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
38%
454
Other forums
0%
1
Independent blogsiIndependent blogs with no affiliate links or paid relationship — we checked every one.no affiliate links
0%
1
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiOrdinary owner comments (not the reviewer), but here they sit too far from the owner consensus on Reddit and forums — channel comment sections can skew heavily positive or negative by trend — so they're shown for perspective and kept out of the score.owner comments
27%
30
Affiliate blogsiThese blogs earn a commission when you buy. Across our data they rate products ~35 points more positively than actual owners — shown for transparency, never counted in the score.paid commission
0%
1
No clear verdictiGood-to-know notes — setup, tips, and things to watch for. We use them for the pros, cons, and who it's for, but they don't reflect a definitive opinion on the product, so they're never counted in the score. See the 'Good to know' section below the quotes.Setup, tips & quirks
—
49
Affiliate blogs here say 0% recommend, while the owner-based score is 38%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
What owners like
Lowers heating and cooling bills · 55 · 12%
Remote app and voice control · 50 · 11%
Trouble-free for many owners · 40 · 9%
Easy DIY installation · 30 · 7%
Sleek, attractive design · 28 · 6%
What owners flag
Frequent failures and WiFi dropouts · 70 · 15%
Causes HVAC short cycling, fried boards · 45 · 10%
Clunky Google Home app, lost Nest features · 40 · 9%
Compatibility and C-wire power issues · 35 · 8%
Randomly changes temp or eco mode · 30 · 7%
Who it's for
A great fit if
Homeowners wanting remote temperature control and scheduling
People focused on cutting energy bills or using utility rebates
DIYers with a standard, compatible HVAC system
Buyers who want a sleek, app-connected thermostat
Look elsewhere if
Homes with multi-stage, heat-pump or no-C-wire systems
People wanting rock-solid reliability and local control
Those who dislike the Google Home app or want the old Nest app
Synthesized from what Google Nest Thermostat owners say — not a spec sheet.
Common questions
What are people replacing their Nest thermostats with?
The swaps owners name here are ordinary: a plain Honeywell pulled out of a parts bin, an Amazon smart thermostat, a Wyze unit bought in frustration. The score explains the traffic on that question, 38% of 457 owners recommend this thermostat and 58% tell buyers to avoid it. Among smart thermostats rated here the Honeywell Home T6 Pro sits at 87% of 38 owners and the ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium at 61% of 111.
Set to heat but not heating, what is going on?
Check mode and power before blaming the furnace. Owners here describe it sliding into Eco mode on its own, so it holds a low setpoint and the house feels cold while the system works as instructed, and others say it will not fire in the evening. Power is the other suspect: the unit runs on two replaceable AAA alkalines, and owners report them draining even with Google's power adapter fitted, while an N260 message is advice to add a C wire rather than a fault. Check Eco mode and the schedule in the app, then the wiring at the backplate.
What should a buyer check before ordering one?
The wiring, first and last. This is a low-voltage 24 volt thermostat, so it does not run line-voltage electric baseboard or millivolt systems, and it needs a compatible set of wires at the wall. A C wire, the common wire carrying continuous power, is required on heat-only, cool-only, zoned, single-stage heat pump and dual fuel systems, and older homes often do not have one. Google's online compatibility checker asks which wires are connected at the current thermostat and answers yes or no before a buyer orders.
Does it lower heating and cooling bills?
It can, though owners divide hard on the result. The mechanism is plain: it sets back the temperature when the house is empty, runs a schedule, and emails a monthly report on how much the system ran. Some credit it with real savings, one pointing to a landlord's bills dropping by $20 to $100 a month after it went in, while others say it saves nothing a basic programmable thermostat would not and is not worth full retail.
How is this different from the Nest Learning Thermostat?
This is the cheaper model. It is driven by a touch strip on the side of the case rather than the Learning Thermostat's turnable ring, one owner calling that strip unusable, and it is set up in the Google Home app. It does not pair with Nest Temperature Sensors, which work with the Learning Thermostat and the Thermostat E, so room-by-room sensor setups belong to those models. Scores here are close: 38% of 457 for this one against 40% of 20 for the Learning Thermostat (4th Gen).
Does it keep working if the Wi-Fi goes down?
The schedule keeps running and the controls at the wall still work; what stops is the app, voice control and anything triggered from outside the house. There is no local API, so a home automation setup reaches it only through Google's servers, a standing objection for owners who automate. Dropped Wi-Fi is itself a complaint here, one owner describing a unit under a year old that would no longer join the network.
Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.
Top quotes, sourced
3,025 reviewed · 324 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“I was all set to buy the Nest, but after watching this video and learning (no pun intended) so much more about them both, I think I'm switching to the Ecobee!”
YouTube▲ recommend
“Installed in 5 min works great.”
YouTube— neutral
“I had the basic nest it worked for what it is. But it didn't have a function to work the humidifier.”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“Google ruined the Nest thermostats the same way they ruined the Nest cameras.”
YouTube— neutral
“I like the look better of the Gen 2 Nest thermostat.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I just switched out my Honeywell for a Google nest thermostat that the electric company was offering for free and it works great.”
YouTube— neutral
“Nest is a nice piece of hardware, but Google turned the Nest 3 into a paperweight last year by pulling support”
Reddit▲ recommend
“Google nest thermostat is SUPER useful for energy savings. Actually have the super minimalist cheap version, very aesthetic”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I moved into a house with google nest thermostats and now googles changing my temperature and it drives me crazy. I almost ripped the damn thing off the wall”
Reddit▲ recommend
“Got a free Nest just for signing up and linking PGE account (surprisingly easy to install and use)”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“In short, I've bought my last Google product.”
Reddit— neutral
“google nest thermostat seems to work fine.”
Reddit— neutral
“My Nest Thermostat is nice and hasn’t really given me any issues but since I’m on iOS and it isn’t compatible with Matter, it’s the one device that I have to open a separate app to use.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“My Google Nest Thermostat has been installed and it's pretty slick looking.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“There were only two options, and if you pick the wrong one, you'll blow hot air instead of cold (and vice versa).”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“Having a Google nest thermostat is like having a passive aggressive roommate who turns the thermostat up because “you weren’t home!””
YouTube▲ recommend
“The scheduling, the look, the feel--everything is still on point for 2023, 2024 and beyond.”
Reddit— neutral
“I have a Google Nest thermostat with one of the remote sensors and, at least comfort-wose, that thing works great. It's a little inefficient in that it's over heating part of my house sometimes”
Reddit— neutral
“when I’m not in the room, the screen goes dark, and the second i pop my head into the large room it’s in, it lights up for the duration of my presence”
Reddit▲ recommend
“have notified that it’s significantly more accurate and not causing the furnace to kick on and off as much, it replaced a 10 year old Honeywell digital thermostat.”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“Replacing an old nest where the temperature is off and the humidity stopped working completely.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“bought a Google Nest Thermostat. I don't plan on hooking it up to the net (not real interested in IoTs), but I really like the interface.”
Reddit— neutral
“Just so people understand if you're going to buy a Google Nest thermostat expect the features it has now to be the features it will have in a decade.”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
Redditⓘ good to know
“I got the Google Nest thermostat (2020, mirrored finish, the "cheap" one) sent to by Ohm. I needed to add a C wire as my wall heater wasn't able to provide the 24v needed.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Google Nest thermostats are very longwinded to set up and you’d need the residents username/passwords to fully configure them.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Google Nest thermostat switches between the heat pump and gas furnace based on the custom temp setting”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I have a Google Nest thermostat linked to my Alexa, I named it ‘Temperature’ and can set by saying “Set Temperature to x degrees” and have morning and night routines.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“J'ai essayé de mettre un Google nest thermostat, très semblable au ecobee, et mon système électrique n'était pas compatible (voltage trop haut).”
Redditⓘ good to know
“The newest Google Nest thermostats are a pain to set up. It MUST be completed with the homeowners Google account, usually using their phone.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“The google nest thermostat in the google home app doesnt have nearly as many features and is more or less a basic thermostat”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Google Nest thermostat is 1 degree swing stock, no option to change. Ecobee thermostat allow you change the temperature swing, min cycle off time and run time, and such.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“One of the them worked immediately with no hassle. Second thermostat took 2 days to install due to old firmware, I had to update the firmware manually on the device. Since then both of them works well!”
Redditⓘ good to know
“hidden in the settings was “fan activation - activate fan when calling for heat” and it was turned off. No idea how because I never had this issue before”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I had the same issue with a Google Nest thermostat. Is there a C wire installed on your thermostat? I had to wire a new common wire to resolve my issue.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“if you have a Google Nest thermostat and opt in for the Con Ed/ohm connect savings plan, the temperature will automatically adjust without any input.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I can see my Nest Thermostat in my Google Home app, but the features are very rudimentary compared to the Nest app. You can change temp and that's about all. You can't change heat/cool schedule or fan schedule.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“There's still no Nest Thermostat schedule in Google Home either. It sends you to the Nest App which is a better app anyhow.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Google Nest thermostats DO NOT SUPPORT THE VARIABLE SPEED FANS that are required for efficient subfreezing heat transfer.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“the way it was wired was causing it to short cycle (apparently a very common issue with the google nest installs)”
Redditⓘ good to know
“when I tried installing it, I learned that my apt lacks a C wire. I was able to sell the Nest for $50 though.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“the drawback with them is they only connect to Google Home app and not the Nest app”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I have a basic Google nest thermostat. The default presets that can't be changed are comfort 65°(18°), sleep 60°(15°), and away 56°(13°).”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Nest recommends a C wire for most installations now, resolved the only issue I ever had with my nest”
