The Google Nest thermostat can genuinely confuse people. The Nest Learning Thermostat is the parent and the Nest Thermostat is the child. Nest launched the Learning Thermostat in 2011, before Google bought the company, and it was revolutionary because of its elegant and simple design.
Today it still works well.
Which Nest Thermostat Should You Buy?
The Google Nest Learning Thermostat of the 4th generation costs $279.99. It is $30 more than the $249.99 of the 3rd generation. However the box includes the new Nest Temperature Sensor.
The sensors of the second generation look like the design of the new thermostat. Both the Learning Thermostat and the cheaper Nest Thermostat are great smart thermostats, but the choice depends on whether the extra features deserve the cost.
The comparison of the two Nest thermostats covers four main areas: price, design, match and features. In a beauty contest the newer Nest Thermostat would win. Without the turn dial it looks thinner on the edges, so the screen seems to fill more space.
The Learning Thermostat of the 4th generation has a bigger screen what makes the control and navigation easier. The dynamic Farsight display now offers new options to use the space. Farsight is based on the Soli radar sensor of the device to change the screen based on the distance of the user.
Thanks to Soli it most probably better detects whether someone is home.
Physical control gives better experience. As with all past Nest thermostats, the interface is intuitive for almost every feature, much more than regular thermostats. Before they showed only the most important information on their LCD screens.
The temperature of the room and the set value show directly on the device itself.
Temperature sensors are useful a lot with complex HVAC systems. Without them you simply do not know the temperatures in different rooms. Notably is that Ecobee thermostats can control several heat and cold sources at the same time, something that the Nest Thermostat can not.
The Ecobee promise almost double energy savings compared to the Nest Learning Thermostat.
Google said that software support will end for the 1st and 2nd generations of Nest Learning Thermostats on October 25 2025. The Nest Thermostat works with many HVAC systems, is very simple to use and costs little. It is not as advanced as others, but also cheaper.
Both models you install by using the Nest app and control through the Google Home app.