Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium vs Enhanced

Ecobee makes a really good thermostat. Actually, a few really good thermostats. But a lot of customers don’t know which direction to go with so many options at their fingertips, including the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium vs Enhanced. 

The actual heating and cooling side of things is more or less the same. You still get radar-based occupancy sensing on either model, along with eco+ energy optimization and full compatibility with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit.

So what’s really the difference between the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced vs Premium, then? A $60 price gap, for starters. The Premium unlocks air quality monitoring and a built-in voice assistant. Even the design and build quality is different.

We’ll compare and contrast these two thermostats alongside the Mysa WiFi smart thermostat because so many customers come to us after debating the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium vs Enhanced, or perhaps even trying one (or both), only to find our system works more seamlessly and at a lower cost than even the Ecobee Enhanced. Learn more below!

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced vs Premium (Quick Comparison With Mysa)

Pros and Cons of the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced

The Enhanced model sits in the middle of Ecobee’s thermostat lineup - more feature-rich than the Essential, not quite as sophisticated as the Premium. It starts at $199.99 and gives you pretty much all you need for basic climate control in your home. 

Pros

• Same radar-based occupancy sensing and eco+ optimization as the Premium at $60 less
• 50% larger glass touchscreen than the Essential model
• A certified ENERGY STAR smart thermostat that can save you money on heating/cooling
• Full smart home support (Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit)
• Comes with a Power Extender Kit if your home doesn’t have a C-wire

Cons

• You have to buy a SmartSensor separately for $50, which pretty much cancels out the savings compared to the Premium.
• You don’t get built-in voice control. Hands-free adjustments mean buying a separate smart speaker (not much of a “con” if you already have one)
• Can’t monitor air quality
• Cheaper-looking plastic body than the Premium’s zinc interface
• Not confirmed if the device will be Matter certified

Pros and Cons of the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium

The upgrade from Enhanced to Premium unlocks quite a few features. This is basically a thermostat that also happens to be a speaker and home health monitor. It’s pretty good value for your money at $259.99 when you consider all that it can do. 

Pros

• Adjust temperatures and send intercom announcements hands-free through Alexa and Siri (built-in)
• A more upscale-looking zinc metal body that hides fingerprints really well
• Comes with one SmartSensor ($50 value) to balance temperatures across multiple rooms
• Keeps an eye on air quality and provides improvement suggestions
• Play music or podcasts through Spotify Connect and Bluetooth streaming (set expectations on sound quality, though)
• Future-proofs your smart home with Matter certification 
• Can support two HVAC accessories (humidifier or dehumidifier, for example)

Cons

• More expensive than most thermostats on the market, although you do get what you pay for
• The built-in speaker isn’t loud enough or clear enough to impress anyone (fine for voice commands)
• The voice-control features aren’t much of a selling point if you already have Echo or HomePod speakers
• You have to pay $5-$10 per month for the Smart Security subscription (smoke alarm alerts and professional monitoring)

How Does Mysa Compare to the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced and Premium? 

It’s interesting. Most of the customers we talked to about their Ecobee Premium or Enhanced smart thermostat felt that it wasn’t exactly what they were looking for. The Enhanced felt like it was missing too much. The Premium felt like a step up for sure, but most of the features they were paying extra for went unused in the house.

That’s why it’s worth comparing Mysa alongside the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium vs Enhanced. Our smart thermostat is more affordable than both at just $159, never locks you into subscriptions, and comes with the features you actually need to stay comfy and save money on your energy bill each month.  

Design and Display

The Enhanced by Ecobee definitely falls short of the Premium with a plastic body that shows every little fingerprint. The zinc body is a huge step up. In general, though, Ecobee makes really big thermostats. They’re meant to be noticed. 

We took the opposite approach here at Mysa with a sleek LED display that blends seamlessly into the background. It sits flush on whatever wall you install it on and lets the rest of your interior design do the talking. 

Smart Home Compatibility

This is a big difference between the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium vs Enhanced. One is a Matter smart thermostat, the other is not. At least it’s not confirmed that Matter support is coming for the Enhanced. But you know the Premium is future-proof.

Matter is the new framework all the smart home brands have agreed to work within so that every device you use in your home plays nicely with the others. Mysa is also Matter-certified and is $100 less than the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium.

All three work with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit, but that may not be enough 5 years from now. Better safe than sorry!  

Sensors and Temperature Accuracy

You’ll place SmartSensors in all the rooms you want to monitor with an Ecobee thermostat. That’s how both the Enhanced and Premium work. Those sensors send temperature readings and occupancy insights back to the thermostat. Then, the Ecobee device prioritizes the rooms that actually have people in them. 

The idea is that you can avoid wasting money on heating/cooling rooms nobody is in. Sounds great in theory. What if you spend all evening in your living room, and then head into the bedroom and it’s still warm, though? 

We don’t think it’s a great way to keep your home comfortable, but we digress. What’s the difference between the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium vs Enhanced here? The Premium comes with one sensor. The Enhanced does not, so you’ll add one for $50. That essentially makes these devices cost the same at the end of the day. 

Mysa doesn’t overcomplicate things with remote sensors. It has a built-in humidity sensor and keeps temperatures accurate to within ±0.5°F at the unit. This is honestly all you need if your home stays relatively the same from one room to the next. However, Ecobee does make a compelling case if, say, your upstairs rooms are dramatically hotter than the main floor. 

Energy Tracking

We want to be very clear: no 24V smart thermostat actually tracks your energy usage. Not Mysa or Ecobee. Instead, the device records how long your system ran, when it cycled on, and the mode.

Mysa gives you detailed energy insights covering runtime in 30-minute intervals, broken down by heating and cooling stage, with two full years of history stored in the app. It’s more than enough to draw conclusions and make adjustments to your energy usage to slash your monthly electricity bill. Most customers who switch to Mysa save around 15-26% on heating/cooling.

One genuinely cool feature Ecobee offers in its Home IQ dashboard is regional data. You can get a sense of how efficiently your system is running compared to other homes in your area. This could clue you into insulation issues or equipment problems you’d otherwise miss.

As for day-to-day energy monitoring, you get to see how indoor temperature tracked against your setpoint. But comparing energy insights from one period to the next is a bit more involved. You can only download 31 days of data at a time. The app doesn’t store long-term data for you.

So while the community feature is unique, most homeowners find that they’re more interested in comparing their own energy usage over different periods - say, August 2025 to August 2026. That’s what makes Mysa the better fit if you’re trying to save money on electricity. 

Price and Subscription Costs

This is what most people want to know about the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced vs Premium. It’s not just a matter of $60. Which delivers better value for the money in the long run - is it the Enhanced, the Premium, or Mysa? We have to zoom out from the price to find out.

Ecobee’s Smart Security subscription (which is where a lot of the important features live) costs $5-$10 per month. You have to figure out how many SmartSensors your home needs to really benefit from the Ecobee system ($50 per room). A lot of premium owners end up paying around $500 total in their first year of ownership.

On the other hand, Mysa is $159 - permanently. You don’t have to add any sensors to get the full value from the thermostat. We never gate features behind a subscription. It’s the best value for your money by far. 

Scheduling and Everyday Use

There is a massive difference between Mysa vs Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium and Enhanced in how they run. Ecobee tries to save you money by analyzing your routine and automatically adjusting the schedule on your behalf. These are “learning” thermostats.

Sounds great in theory, right? Unfortunately, it ends up becoming a nuisance more often than not. These learning thermostats have a habit of developing a mind of their own. It can be really frustrating to find your settings have been overridden by AI.

That’s why Mysa doesn’t try to keep up with all the latest learning technology in the thermostat market. Our customers love being able to set a schedule knowing the device won’t go rogue. You still get geofencing, which turns things down when you leave and restores your settings when you come back home. There’s a separate vacation mode, too. 

Installation and Wiring

All three of these thermostats need a C-wire for power. The difference is in how you get them up and running. Ecobee gives you a Power Extender Kit in the box for homes without one so you don’t need an electrician. 

In contrast, Mysa sells a separate C-Wire Power Adapter for $30 - so even if you need it, you’re still paying around the same price as the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced. Installation simplicity is one of the common themes you’ll see in reviews, too. It takes 15-20 minutes, max.

Wrapping Up Our Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium vs Enhanced

We hope this three-way showdown between the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium vs Enhanced vs Mysa Smart Thermostat has left you feeling clear about what each brings to the table and which is the best fit for your home and budget.

Our blog has more comparisons of Ecobee vs Nest Thermostat, Ecobee vs Honeywell, and Ecobee vs Amazon Thermostat if you want to keep weighing your options. But whether you’re looking for an Ecobee alternative or a Nest alternative, your search ends here at Mysa!

Frequently asked questions

Is Ecobee Enhanced worth the money?

It gives you pretty much everything you need at just $199.99, but so does Mysa for $40 less. 

Is it worth upgrading to Ecobee Premium?

Only if you plan on using the thermostat’s Alexa or Siri features or prefer the look and feel of the zinc body to the Enhanced’s plastic housing. Most people who made the switch found that Mysa was actually the better value for the money than both the Enhanced and Premium at only $159.

Which Ecobee thermostat is better?

The Premium certainly has more features and capabilities, and we think it looks better. But the Enhanced might be the smarter choice if you don’t anticipate actually using the extra functionality the Premium has. 

What are common Ecobee problems?

The eco+ system is notorious for overriding the manual temperature settings in an effort to save you money, only to make your home uncomfortable. A lot of reviews complain about Wi-Fi connectivity issues after firmware updates, too. The big issue for most people, though, is value. Factor in all the sensors you have to pay for and the recurring subscription costs and it’s hard to justify spending this much on a thermostat when Mysa’s device at $159 works just as well (if not better). 

Who should consider the Mysa smart thermostat instead? 

Anyone who wants more straightforward climate control in their home at a far better price. It’s Matter certified and only $159. It won’t try to change your settings on your behalf. It does what you tell it to, day after day. You get more detailed insights into energy usage, and the whole installation process can take under 15 minutes. Learn more about Mysa today!