Smart Thermostats / ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) vs Amazon Smart Thermostat
ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) vs Amazon Smart Thermostat
ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01)
The Premium's screen, radar and power kit for $60 less — you just supply your own sensor.
Wins overall by 3.6 points
Quick Verdict
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) takes this by a clear 3.6 points. The Premium's screen, radar and power kit for $60 less — you just supply your own sensor. The Amazon Smart Thermostat only makes sense if it wins on a category you care about more than the total.
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) and Amazon Smart Thermostat are both closely matched smart Thermostat models, and the Amazon Smart Thermostat is $120 cheaper than the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) ($79.99 vs $199.99). On C-Wire Freedom, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads (9.5 vs 1.5/10) — how likely this thermostat is to run on the wiring you already have — whether it needs a common wire, and whether the workaround is in the box, sold separately, or an electrician's visit. The single biggest cause of returns in this category.. On Display & On-Device Control, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads (8.5 vs 3.5/10) — screen quality and how much you can do at the wall instead of in the phone app. On Multi-Room Sensing, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads (7.0 vs 2.5/10) — remote sensors: included or extra, how many pair, and whether they read occupancy or only temperature. Overall, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores 8.1/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 4.5/10 for the Amazon Smart Thermostat. Below, we break down the full spec sheet, category-by-category scores, and exactly who should buy which one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) | Amazon Smart Thermostat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199.99 | $79.99 |
| Release Year | 2022 | 2021 |
| System Voltage | Low voltage 24VAC — furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, boilers, PTAC and fan coil units. Not for 120/240V line-voltage heat | Low voltage 24V — Amazon lists conventional forced air, heat pump and radiant boiler. It does not work with 110-240V systems |
| C-Wire Required | Not in practice — the Power Extender Kit is included and creates a common wire from R, W, Y and G | Yes, hard requirement. Every Amazon, Best Buy and utility-store listing is titled 'C-wire required' |
| Adapter / Power Kit Included | Yes — Power Extender Kit included in the box | No — the C-Wire Power Adapter is a separate purchase, or you buy the bundle SKU instead of this one |
| Heating & Cooling Stages | 2H/2C conventional; boilers, PTAC and fan coil units | Not published by Amazon. The listings say only 'most 24V heating and cooling systems (conventional forced air, heat pump, radiant boiler)' with no stage count anywhere — run Amazon's compatibility checker before buying |
| Heat Pump & Aux Heat | Yes — heat pump 2H/2C plus 1 stage of auxiliary heat (the Premium gets 2) | Listed as compatible with heat pumps. Amazon does not publish how it handles auxiliary or emergency heat |
| Humidifier / Ventilator Terminals | One 1-wire accessory: humidifier, dehumidifier or HRV/ERV ventilator. The Premium's 2-wire option is not available here | None published, and no humidifier, dehumidifier or ventilator control is advertised anywhere in the listing |
| Remote Sensors | None in the box. Up to 32 SmartSensors pair, sold separately at $99.99 for a 2-pack | No dedicated remote sensor exists for this thermostat. Best Buy's listing states comfort zones can use select Echo devices or the Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor as temperature inputs instead |
| Occupancy Detection | Radar occupancy and proximity in the thermostat. Room-level occupancy needs SmartSensors you have to buy | None at the thermostat. Away behaviour comes entirely from Alexa Hunches |
| Matter Support | Not listed on ecobee's spec page for this model | No |
| Voice & Smart Home Platforms | Apple HomeKit with Siri, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings and IFTTT are what ecobee's spec page lists; ecobee's retail listing also claims Google Assistant. No built-in microphone or speaker | Amazon Alexa only. No Google Home, no Apple Home, no HomeKit, no SmartThings. The Alexa app is mandatory and most settings are not reachable on the thermostat screen at all |
| Utility Rebates & Demand Response | eco+ Community Energy Savings with 150+ utilities; enrolled events shift your temperature 1-4°F for a few hours a handful of times a year, opt-out per event | ENERGY STAR certified and one of the most heavily rebated thermostats in US utility marketplaces; several utilities bundle it into demand-response enrolment |
| Account or Subscription Needed | No subscription. A free ecobee account is required | No subscription, but an Amazon account and the Alexa app are required and there is no web dashboard |
| Warranty | 36 months | 12 months |
| Colors | Black | White |
Category Scores
C-Wire Freedom
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 9.5 against 1.5 — a 8.0-point margin on how likely this thermostat is to run on the wiring you already have — whether it needs a common wire, and whether the workaround is in the box, sold separately, or an electrician's visit. The single biggest cause of returns in this category.. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Smart Thermostat does not close the gap elsewhere.
HVAC Coverage
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 4.5 — a 4.0-point margin on stages of heating and cooling, heat pump and auxiliary heat handling, and humidifier / dehumidifier / ventilator terminals. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Smart Thermostat does not close the gap elsewhere.
Multi-Room Sensing
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 7.0 against 2.5 — a 4.5-point margin on remote sensors: included or extra, how many pair, and whether they read occupancy or only temperature. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Smart Thermostat does not close the gap elsewhere.
Smart Home Integration
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 7.0 against 3.0 — a 4.0-point margin on matter, Apple Home, Alexa and Google support — and how much each one actually exposes. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Smart Thermostat does not close the gap elsewhere.
Scheduling & Learning
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 6.0 — a 2.5-point margin on learning, geofencing, away detection and how much of it works without babysitting the app. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Smart Thermostat does not close the gap elsewhere.
Display & On-Device Control
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 3.5 — a 5.0-point margin on screen quality and how much you can do at the wall instead of in the phone app. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Smart Thermostat does not close the gap elsewhere.
Installation
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 6.5 — a 2.0-point margin on wiring complexity, guided setup, and how likely a DIY install is to end in a service call. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Smart Thermostat does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value
The Amazon Smart Thermostat leads clearly here, 8.5 against 7.5 — a 1.0-point margin on what the money buys once accessories, adapters and sensors are added in. If that is what you are buying for, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) if…
- • C-Wire Freedom matters most to you — the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores 9.5/10 here (how likely this thermostat is to run on the wiring you already have — whether it needs a common wire, and whether the workaround is in the box, sold separately, or an electrician's visit. The single biggest cause of returns in this category.).
- • Display & On-Device Control matters most to you — the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores 8.5/10 here (screen quality and how much you can do at the wall instead of in the phone app).
- • Multi-Room Sensing matters most to you — the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores 7.0/10 here (remote sensors: included or extra, how many pair, and whether they read occupancy or only temperature).
- • HVAC Coverage matters most to you — the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores 8.5/10 here (stages of heating and cooling, heat pump and auxiliary heat handling, and humidifier / dehumidifier / ventilator terminals).
- • Smart Home Integration matters most to you — the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores 7.0/10 here (matter, Apple Home, Alexa and Google support — and how much each one actually exposes).
Choose the Amazon Smart Thermostat if…
- • You want to spend less — it's $120 cheaper.
- • Your main use case is budget.
Pros & Cons
ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01)
Pros
- +Same screen, same radar occupancy sensor and the same in-the-box Power Extender Kit as the $259.99 Premium, for $60 less
- +Handles heat pump 2H/2C with aux, which is more staging than the Nest Thermostat, X2S, Sensi Lite or Amazon can manage
- +Still takes 32 occupancy-sensing SmartSensors if you add them later
- +3-year warranty
Cons
- −No SmartSensor in the box — buy one and the price gap to the Premium closes to almost nothing
- −No air quality monitor, no speaker and no built-in Alexa or Siri voice
- −One auxiliary heat stage instead of the Premium's two, which matters on cold-climate heat pumps
- −No Matter on ecobee's spec list, so Matter-only smart home setups are out
- −Only one 1-wire accessory circuit, so a humidifier and a ventilator cannot both be driven
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Pros
- +$79.99 list, frequently discounted to $50-60, and rebated by more US utilities than almost anything else here
- +Honeywell Home hardware underneath, so the relay and wiring side is Resideo-grade rather than a no-name design
- +Alexa Hunches away-control works without you configuring a schedule at all
- +Trim plate included in the box, which Copeland charges extra for on the Sensi Touch 2
Cons
- −A C wire is a hard requirement and the adapter is not in the box — the real cost in a four-wire home is the thermostat plus an adapter
- −Alexa only. There is no Google Home, no Apple Home, no HomeKit and no Matter, so it is a dead end outside Amazon's ecosystem
- −Most settings are not on the thermostat itself; without a phone and the Alexa app you can barely configure it
- −No remote sensors of any kind — the Echo comfort-zone workaround is not the same as a real room sensor
- −Amazon publishes no stage count, no accessory terminals and no wiring detail, so multi-stage and heat-pump owners are buying blind
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) or Amazon Smart Thermostat better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) comes out ahead overall. See the full breakdown in the scores section above — the right pick still depends on which categories matter most for your use case.
Which is better for C-Wire Freedom, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) or the Amazon Smart Thermostat?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores higher on C-Wire Freedom (9.5/10 vs 1.5/10) — how likely this thermostat is to run on the wiring you already have — whether it needs a common wire, and whether the workaround is in the box, sold separately, or an electrician's visit. The single biggest cause of returns in this category..
Which is better for Display & On-Device Control, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) or the Amazon Smart Thermostat?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores higher on Display & On-Device Control (8.5/10 vs 3.5/10) — screen quality and how much you can do at the wall instead of in the phone app.
Which is better for Multi-Room Sensing, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) or the Amazon Smart Thermostat?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores higher on Multi-Room Sensing (7.0/10 vs 2.5/10) — remote sensors: included or extra, how many pair, and whether they read occupancy or only temperature.
Which is better for HVAC Coverage, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) or the Amazon Smart Thermostat?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores higher on HVAC Coverage (8.5/10 vs 4.5/10) — stages of heating and cooling, heat pump and auxiliary heat handling, and humidifier / dehumidifier / ventilator terminals.
Is the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) worth the price difference over the Amazon Smart Thermostat?+
The Amazon Smart Thermostat is the cheaper option at $79.99 versus $199.99. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in C-Wire Freedom.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) is the better fit if you mainly care about multi-room or no-c-wire. The Amazon Smart Thermostat is the better fit for budget.
What's the warranty on the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) vs the Amazon Smart Thermostat?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) ships with a 36-month warranty; the Amazon Smart Thermostat ships with a 12-month warranty. Always confirm current terms on the manufacturer's site before buying.
Should I wait for the next model instead of buying either of these?+
If either model is more than two years old, a successor may be close — check the "Latest Model" link on each product page. Otherwise, both are current, well-supported options and there's no strong reason to wait.
Cheaper Option
Sensi Lite (ST25) — $79.00
Premium Option
Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) — $239.99
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.