Tado X and Honeywell Evohome are the two big names when it comes to multi-room heating, each offering direct radiator control. They both take very different approaches. Tado X is the newer, slicker app, but needs a subscription for its main services; Evohome has a proven track record, but it’s starting to show its age.
We’ve tested both, and here’s how they compare.
Design
- Tado X TRVs have a screen that rotates in 90-degree steps, so it’s readable whichever way the valve sits on the radiator.
- Tado X uses rechargeable USB-C battery packs that last a year or two between charges, so there are no disposable AAs to buy.
- Tado X is almost silent, while older Evohome models are noticeably louder.
Tado X feels like modern hardware. The smart radiator valve is compact, the screen is clean, and the rechargeable USB-C battery packs mean you’re not constantly buying AA batteries. Four-way screen rotation sounds like a gimmick, but it helps if your radiator valves sit at awkward angles.
Evohome looks dated. The main controller has the chunky proportions of a mid-2000s tablet, with thick bezels and a touchscreen that needs a firm press to respond, and the TRVs won’t win any design awards either. Tado also wins on noise: the X is nearly silent, while Evohome’s units click and whirr away.
Both systems can control underfloor heating via an additional relay device, but Evohome has an extra smart manifold for complicated systems that Tado X doesn’t have.
In addition, both systems support external wireless temperature sensors, which are useful in case your radiator valve is reading the temperature incorrectly, such as because it’s located behind furniture.
For boiler control, Tado X has one box, which supports simple on/off controls, and also OpenTherm. Evohome supports on/off boilers and OpenTherm, but through two separate controllers, so make sure you buy the right one.
Winner: Tado X
Installation
- Tado X is designed for DIY installation, with all the adaptors in the box. Honeywell recommends professional installation for Evohome.
- Tado X thermostats calibrate themselves after fitting, while changing Evohome’s zones means digging into a hidden settings menu.
- Evohome supports up to 12 zones, but you’ll need extra temperature sensors, at around £90 each, where airflow is blocked.
Tado X is easy to install yourself. The box includes every adaptor you’ll need, the app talks you through the wiring, and once the valves are on the radiators, they calibrate themselves. To add another thermostat, you just scan its Matter code.
When it comes to boiler controls, Tado X asks what’s installed, and then sends you specific step-by-step instructions.
You can fit Evohome yourself, but Honeywell recommends a professional installation, and the zone setup is fiddly. Changing it later means digging around in a buried settings menu, whereas Tado X lets you assign rooms in the app.
Winner: Tado X
Pricing
- Tado X radiator thermostats cost £79.99 each, compared with around £59 for an Evohome TRV.
- A basic Evohome setup, with the controller and boiler switch, costs around £215 before you add any TRVs.
- Tado X charges £29.99 a year for automated features such as Geolocation and Open Window Detection.
Tado X costs less to get started. Its Wireless Smart Thermostat X Starter Kit is £159.99, but at £79.99 each, the radiator thermostats add up quickly across a whole house. Evohome’s TRVs are cheaper at around £59 each, but you also have to buy the controller and boiler switch, which takes a basic setup to £215 before you’ve fitted a single TRV. The eight-TRV value pack, at £589, gives a more realistic idea of what Evohome costs.
Tado X also has a subscription: its most useful automation features need a £29.99 annual subscription, so the cost keeps rising every year, whereas you pay for Evohome once. The difference is that Tado X is updated regularly, where as Evohome gets very few updates and is little changed since it first launched.
Winner: Honeywell Evohome
Features and performance
- Tado X’s Adaptive Heating learns how long each room takes to warm up, while Evohome sticks to fixed schedules.
- Changes made in the Tado X app happen almost instantly over Thread, but Evohome can take minutes to update.
- Evohome has no built-in geofencing, while Tado X can switch the heating based on everyone’s location with Auto-Assist.
Tado X is the smarter system. Adaptive Heating learns how each room warms up and cools down, Hydronic Balancing keeps your radiators heating at the same rate, and Weather Adaptation uses forecast data to adjust in advance if your boiler is connected via OpenTherm. With an Auto-Assist subscription, Geolocation turns the heating off when the last person leaves and back on when someone comes home. Changes you make in the app happen almost instantly over Thread.
Evohome handles schedules well, and the quick modes, such as eco and away, are useful. Window detection works, too. But Evohome doesn’t have built-in geofencing, changes can take minutes to register, and the TRV motors are loud enough to notice at night. On features, Tado X is well ahead.
Winner: Tado X
Smart home integration
- Tado X supports Matter, so it works with Apple Home. Evohome doesn’t support Matter at all.
- Adding nine Tado X devices to Apple Home took nearly an hour, because each one has to be paired separately.
- With Alexa, Evohome can switch the heating on or off for the whole house and run multi-zone routines. Tado X’s Matter connection can’t change system-wide modes.
Tado X supports Matter, which looks good on paper but is a chore in practice. You have to add each device to every platform separately, and a nine-device setup took nearly an hour in Apple Home. Worse, Matter won’t let you switch between Home and Away or turn off the heating across the whole house with a single tap.
Evohome doesn’t support Matter at all, but its Alexa and Google Assistant integrations are very good. You can set zone temperatures, run good-morning or bedtime routines and change several zones at once using Alexa groups. IFTTT adds more options, such as using weather data or motion triggers from third-party cameras.
The Evohome app hasn’t had a significant update in years, which is frustrating. But for voice control, Evohome goes further than Tado X, even though Tado X works with more platforms.
Winner: Honeywell Evohome
Value
- Tado X charges £29.99 a year for geolocation and automation features, while Evohome has no subscription fees.
- A full Evohome system with eight TRVs costs £589 or more upfront, while Tado X lets you start small and add rooms over time.
- Tado X’s rechargeable batteries save you the cost of replacing the AAs that Evohome TRVs use.
Evohome’s biggest selling point is that there’s no monthly or annual fee for the core features, and Honeywell claims room-by-room control can cut your heating bill by up to 40%. But a full Evohome kit costs £589 or more, and the software hasn’t had a serious update in years, so you’re paying a premium for a system that feels dated.
Tado X lets you start small and add rooms as you go, although the £29.99 annual subscription for geolocation and automatic open-window detection adds to the cost every year. Kitting out a whole house with £79.99 thermostats can cost more than Evohome’s eight-TRV pack, but rechargeable batteries save you buying AAs, and the smarter features should help keep your heating bills down.
Winner: Tado X
Specs comparison
| Spec | Tado X | Honeywell Evohome |
|---|---|---|
| Individual room/zone control | Yes, per radiator | Yes, up to 12 zones |
| TRV unit price | £79.99 | ~£59 |
| Starter kit price | £159.99 | £299 |
| Bridge/controller required | Tado Bridge X (£59.99), unless you have a Thread border router | Controller + boiler switch (~£215) |
| Battery type (TRVs) | Rechargeable pack (USB-C) | Not rechargeable (replaceable) |
| Window open detection | Yes (requires subscription) | Yes (built-in) |
| Geolocation/away feature | Yes (requires Auto-assist subscription) | No |
| Auto-assist/learning subscription | £29.99/year or £3.99/month | Not available |
| OpenTherm support | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless protocol | Matter-over-Thread | Wi-Fi + proprietary RF |
| Additional temperature sensor price | Included in starter kit | ~£90 |
Final thoughts
If you want a heating system that lives up to the “smart” label, Tado X is the one to buy. It’s easy to install yourself, Adaptive Heating learns your rooms properly, and the rechargeable thermostats look good. The subscription adds to the cost and setting up Matter is fiddly, but the day-to-day performance and energy savings make up for it. For most people upgrading from a basic thermostat, Tado X is the sensible choice.
If you’d rather pay once and own your system outright, Evohome is worth considering. There are no subscription fees, and its smart home integration works better in practice than Tado X’s Matter support. The hardware feels older and installation is more involved, but if you don’t mind a more complicated setup and want to avoid a subscription, Evohome gives you dependable room-by-room control.
Tado X. The box includes every adaptor you need, the app guides you through the wiring, and the radiator valves calibrate themselves once they’re fitted. Honeywell recommends a professional installation for Evohome.
Evohome is cheaper per radiator, with TRVs at around £59 compared with £79.99 for Tado X, and there’s no subscription for the core features. Tado X still wins on value overall once you factor in its smarter features, but its subscription adds to the long-term cost.
It depends on the platform. Tado X is the only one of the two that works with Apple Home, through Matter, although you have to add each device separately, which is a chore with nine or more devices. If you use Alexa or Google Assistant, Evohome goes further, with zone groups, routines and whole-home controls that Tado X’s Matter connection can’t match.
Tado X, thanks to Adaptive Heating, which learns how each room warms up and cools down, and Weather Adaptation, which uses forecast data to adjust your heating in advance. Hydronic Balancing also keeps radiators heating at the same rate across the home.
Tado X uses rechargeable USB-C battery packs, so there are no AAs to buy or swap. Evohome’s TRVs use replaceable batteries, so changing them is part of routine maintenance.
