Nabu Casa, the company behind Home Assistant, announced it is renaming Home Assistant Cloud to Home Assistant Link. According to the blog post, the change aims to distance the service from negative associations with how Big Tech companies operate cloud services.
The company stated that the original name created confusion and friction. Home Assistant founder Paulus would describe avoiding cloud-dependent products on stage, then explain why Home Assistant Cloud is different — an unnecessary contradiction. Additionally, some users mistakenly believed Home Assistant Cloud meant running the platform in the cloud, when it actually provides optional online features for locally-run smart home systems.
According to Nabu Casa, Home Assistant Link operates fundamentally differently from Big Tech cloud services. The service is optional, meaning smart homes function without it. There is no lock-in — users can switch to alternatives without losing functionality. User data remains encrypted with only the user holding the decryption key, and Nabu Casa states it does not want or monetize user data.
Nabu Casa noted that the majority of subscription profits fund the Open Home Foundation, which supports Home Assistant development. By contrast, it stated that Big Tech cloud services prioritize shareholder returns over developer funding.
Home Assistant Link provides features that are difficult or impossible to set up locally, such as integration with Alexa and Google Home, online speech-to-text support for multiple languages, encrypted cloud backups, and customer support. The company emphasized these are optional enhancements rather than requirements for the platform to function.
Recent improvements to the service include a redesigned account page, a speech-to-text testing feature, a new settings page with setup wizard, and backend infrastructure updates to improve remote access responsiveness. The company stated it is working on additional security features and account management tools.
Nabu Casa plans to make the name change official in the December 2026.12 release and is seeking community feedback before the transition.
Key facts
- Home Assistant Cloud is being renamed to Home Assistant Link
- The service is optional and smart homes function without it
- User data is encrypted and Nabu Casa does not monetize user data
- Majority of subscription profits fund the Open Home Foundation, which supports Home Assistant development
- Link provides online-only features like Alexa/Google Home integration and cloud backups
- The name change becomes official in December 2026