The short answer
Control4, Crestron and Savant are professionally designed and installed whole home systems, and the right one depends mostly on the dealer behind it. Lutron leads in lighting and shades and often works underneath them. Apple Home and Home Assistant suit people who want to set things up themselves.
First, where we stand
AVAS Automation is a Control4 certified dealer, so read this knowing that. We chose Control4 because it lets us build complete homes that we can support well. That does not make it the right answer for everyone, and this guide tries to be fair to each option, using each company's own descriptions.
Professional systems or do it yourself?
The first choice is not a brand. It is who sets the system up and who looks after it.
- Professional systems (Control4, Crestron, Savant, and Lutron's RadioRA 3 and HomeWorks) are designed, programmed and supported by a trained dealer. They suit whole homes, many rooms and people who want it to simply work.
- Do it yourself systems (Apple Home, Home Assistant, and Lutron's Caséta) are set up by the owner. They suit fewer devices, smaller homes and people who enjoy setting things up.
The systems at a glance
| System | Who sets it up | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control4 | A certified Control4 dealer | Whole homes: lighting, shades, music, video, climate, locks and cameras in one app | Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit, and many third party devices. You can personalize much of it yourself after the install. |
| Crestron Home | A Crestron dealer | Large, highly customized homes | Configured by the dealer with Crestron's own tools. Works with Siri shortcuts and Alexa. |
| Savant | An authorized Savant dealer | Homes built around Apple devices | Built on an Apple platform, with native Siri. Also sells consumer products under its GE Cync line. |
| Lutron | Caséta: you or an electrician. RadioRA 3 and HomeWorks: a qualified installer | Lighting and shades, alone or under a whole home system | Uses its own wireless signal, not WiFi. RadioRA 3 works with Control4, Crestron and Savant. |
| Apple Home | You | Apple households with a moderate number of devices | Needs a home hub such as a HomePod or Apple TV for automations, remote access and Matter. |
| Home Assistant | You | Tinkerers who want local control and endless options | Free and open source, run by a non-profit, with over a thousand integrations. |
Each one, briefly
Control4
A professionally designed and installed whole home system. Control4 describes its dealers as trained in wiring, networking and audio and video, and says owners can adjust and personalize many features themselves after the install. In-home automation runs on a controller inside the house. Since August 2026 the brand belongs to ADI Global Distribution.
Crestron Home
A whole home platform from a company with a long history in high end homes and commercial buildings. Crestron Home is set up by Crestron dealers, who design, program and support it.
Savant
Built on an Apple platform, with native Siri across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and HomePod, and sold through authorized dealers. It suits households that live in Apple's world.
Lutron
The name most people know for lighting and shades. Per Lutron's own comparison, Caséta is an easy entry point for professionals and DIYers, RadioRA 3 is built for professional installers, and HomeWorks is a bespoke whole home system. Many homes use Lutron for lighting and shades under Control4, Crestron or Savant.
Apple Home
Free with your Apple devices, controlled locally and encrypted end to end. You need a home hub, a HomePod or an Apple TV, for automations, remote access and Matter, and since 2026 an iPad no longer counts as a hub.
Home Assistant
Home Assistant is open source, local first and run by the non-profit Open Home Foundation. It can connect almost anything, and it rewards people who enjoy maintaining it themselves.
What about Matter?
Matter is a common standard meant to let devices from different brands work together locally. Support varies a lot by system:
- Apple Home and Home Assistant both document Matter support directly.
- Control4 can work with some Matter devices through an add-on driver. Ask your dealer what it covers.
- For Crestron, Lutron and Savant's professional platform, we found no official Matter statement, so ask before you buy on that basis.
Tip: a Thread logo on a box does not mean the device supports Matter. Home Assistant says so plainly in its documentation.
Questions that decide it
- Who will program and support it near you? A great local dealer matters more than the logo.
- How big is the job? A few rooms or the whole house, inside and out.
- How much do you want to tinker? Some people love it. Most want it to just work.
- Is the household all Apple? That points toward Savant or Apple Home, though Control4 and Crestron work with Apple devices too.
- Are lighting and shades the priority? Look closely at Lutron, alone or under a whole home system.
- Is there already a system in the house? Keeping and extending it is often the best value.
You can mix them
These systems are not all or nothing. Lutron lighting often runs under Control4, Crestron or Savant. Sonos speakers can join a Control4 system. Control4 works with Apple HomeKit, Alexa and Google Assistant. The best homes use the right tool for each job, tied together by one system.
Myths worth dropping
- "Matter makes every system the same." Support varies widely.
- "Lutron is do it yourself." Only Caséta is.
- "Apple Home needs no extra hardware." Automations and Matter need a home hub.
- "You must choose Lutron or Control4." They often work together.
- "The most expensive system is the best one." The dealer and the design matter more.
Weighing Control4 for a home in Toronto or cottage country?
We will tell you honestly whether it fits. Read the questions to ask any installer, then get in touch.
Common questions
Which smart home system is the best?
There is no single best. Control4, Crestron and Savant are all strong professional systems, and the dealer who designs and supports yours decides most of how it feels. Lutron leads in lighting and shades. Apple Home and Home Assistant suit people who want to set things up themselves.
Is Control4 better than Crestron?
Both are professional whole home systems installed by dealers, and both can run a superb home. The better choice usually comes down to the dealers near you, the size of the project and how you like to control things. Ask each dealer to show you a home they built and still support.
Can Home Assistant replace a professional system?
For a hands-on owner, it can do a great deal, and it runs locally. The trade-off is that you become the installer and the support line. In a large home with many rooms and family members, most people prefer a dealer-installed system with someone to call.
Does Lutron work with Control4?
Yes. Lutron's RadioRA 3 is designed to work with Control4, Crestron, Savant and other systems, so Lutron can handle the lighting and shades while the whole home system ties them to music, video, climate and security, all in one app on your phone and on the wall.