Smart Thermostats / ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) vs Google Nest Thermostat (2020)
ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) vs Google Nest Thermostat (2020)
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 1.5 points
Quick Verdict
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) is the stronger all-round pick, ahead by 1.5 points. The Premium's screen, radar and power kit for $60 less — you just supply your own sensor.
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) and Google Nest Thermostat (2020) are both closely matched smart Thermostat models, and the Google Nest Thermostat (2020) is $70 cheaper than the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) ($129.99 vs $199.99). On Multi-Room Sensing, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads (7.0 vs 1.5/10) — remote sensors: included or extra, how many pair, and whether they read occupancy or only temperature. On HVAC Coverage, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads (8.5 vs 5.5/10) — stages of heating and cooling, heat pump and auxiliary heat handling, and humidifier / dehumidifier / ventilator terminals. On Scheduling & Learning, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads (8.5 vs 6.5/10) — learning, geofencing, away detection and how much of it works without babysitting the app. Overall, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores 8.1/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 6.6/10 for the Google Nest Thermostat (2020). 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) | Google Nest Thermostat (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199.99 | $129.99 |
| Release Year | 2022 | 2020 |
| 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 only — furnaces, air conditioners, boilers and heat pumps. Not for 120/240V line-voltage heat |
| C-Wire Required | Not in practice — the Power Extender Kit is included and creates a common wire from R, W, Y and G | Not in most homes, but Google's own store page states heating-only, cooling-only, zone-controlled and heat pump systems need the Nest Power Connector or a C wire |
| Adapter / Power Kit Included | Yes — Power Extender Kit included in the box | No — Nest Power Connector is a separate $24.99 accessory |
| Heating & Cooling Stages | 2H/2C conventional; boilers, PTAC and fan coil units | Google's tech-spec page lists conventional single-stage systems and heat pumps with auxiliary or emergency heat. Unlike the Learning Thermostat, it does not publish multi-stage conventional support |
| Heat Pump & Aux Heat | Yes — heat pump 2H/2C plus 1 stage of auxiliary heat (the Premium gets 2) | Yes, with auxiliary and 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 | Not published for this model. Google lists humidifier, dehumidifier and ventilator support only on the Learning Thermostat |
| Remote Sensors | None in the box. Up to 32 SmartSensors pair, sold separately at $99.99 for a 2-pack | None. Google states explicitly that the Nest Thermostat is not compatible with the Nest Temperature Sensor |
| Occupancy Detection | Radar occupancy and proximity in the thermostat. Room-level occupancy needs SmartSensors you have to buy | Built-in motion sensor at the thermostat plus phone-location Home/Away. No remote occupancy sensing of any kind |
| Matter Support | Not listed on ecobee's spec page for this model | Matter-certified — works with Google Home, Alexa and Apple Home |
| 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 | Google Home app (required), Amazon Alexa, Apple Home via Matter |
| 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 | Rush Hour Rewards and Nest Renew. Google's help page also notes Seasonal Savings currently supports the Nest Thermostat (2020) and Thermostat E, nudging setpoints up to 2°F over three weeks |
| Account or Subscription Needed | No subscription. A free ecobee account is required | No subscription, but a Google account and the Google Home app are required |
| Warranty | 36 months | 12 months |
| Colors | Black | Snow, Charcoal, Sand, Fog |
Category Scores
C-Wire Freedom
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 9.5 against 8.0 — a 1.5-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 Google Nest Thermostat (2020) does not close the gap elsewhere.
HVAC Coverage
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 5.5 — a 3.0-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 Google Nest Thermostat (2020) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Multi-Room Sensing
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 7.0 against 1.5 — a 5.5-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 Google Nest Thermostat (2020) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Smart Home Integration
The Google Nest Thermostat (2020) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 7.0 — a 1.5-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 ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Scheduling & Learning
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 6.5 — a 2.0-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 Google Nest Thermostat (2020) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Display & On-Device Control
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 6.5 — a 2.0-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 Google Nest Thermostat (2020) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Installation
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) and Google Nest Thermostat (2020) are level here, at 8.5/10 each. wiring complexity, guided setup, and how likely a DIY install is to end in a service call is not what separates these two — look to the categories where the scores diverge.
Value
The Google Nest Thermostat (2020) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 7.5 — a 0.5-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…
- • 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).
- • Scheduling & Learning matters most to you — the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores 8.5/10 here (learning, geofencing, away detection and how much of it works without babysitting the app).
- • 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).
- • 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.).
Choose the Google Nest Thermostat (2020) if…
- • You want to spend less — it's $70 cheaper.
- • Your main use case is matter.
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
Google Nest Thermostat (2020)
Pros
- +Matter certification at $129.99 puts it in Apple Home, which no ecobee, Sensi or Amazon model here manages
- +Same Power Sharing wiring trick as the Learning Thermostat, so it usually installs without a C wire
- +Battery backup on two AAA cells — the Amazon, X2S and Sensi Touch 2 all go dark if 24V power drops
- +Cheapest way into the Google ecosystem with a real touch UI, at less than half the Learning Thermostat's list price
Cons
- −No remote sensor support at all — Google says outright it is not compatible with the Nest Temperature Sensor, so this is a one-room thermostat
- −It does not learn. Google gives it guided schedule setup instead, which is the single feature people think they are buying when they buy 'a Nest'
- −Google's spec page only claims single-stage conventional support; two-stage furnace owners should check compatibility before buying
- −No published humidifier, dehumidifier or ventilator terminals
- −1-year warranty, against 2 on the Learning Thermostat and 3 on every ecobee here
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) or Google Nest Thermostat (2020) 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 Multi-Room Sensing, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) or the Google Nest Thermostat (2020)?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores higher on Multi-Room Sensing (7.0/10 vs 1.5/10) — 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 Google Nest Thermostat (2020)?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores higher on HVAC Coverage (8.5/10 vs 5.5/10) — stages of heating and cooling, heat pump and auxiliary heat handling, and humidifier / dehumidifier / ventilator terminals.
Which is better for Scheduling & Learning, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) or the Google Nest Thermostat (2020)?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores higher on Scheduling & Learning (8.5/10 vs 6.5/10) — learning, geofencing, away detection and how much of it works without babysitting the app.
Which is better for Display & On-Device Control, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) or the Google Nest Thermostat (2020)?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) scores higher on Display & On-Device Control (8.5/10 vs 6.5/10) — screen quality and how much you can do at the wall instead of in the phone app.
Is the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) worth the price difference over the Google Nest Thermostat (2020)?+
The Google Nest Thermostat (2020) is the cheaper option at $129.99 versus $199.99. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Multi-Room Sensing.
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. The Google Nest Thermostat (2020) is the better fit for matter.
What's the warranty on the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) vs the Google Nest Thermostat (2020)?+
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) ships with a 36-month warranty; the Google Nest Thermostat (2020) 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
Amazon Smart Thermostat — $79.99
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.