Drayton Wiser vs Hive

Drayton Wiser and Hive are the two smart heating systems most often weighed against each other by British households replacing a programmer and room thermostat. The split is simple at the top level: Wiser is sold as multi-zone kits with no subscription fee, while Hive sells a thermostat and radiator valves alongside an optional Hive+ membership listed at £3.99 a month or £39.90 a year¹. Wiser's own kits state "No monthly subscription costs" and "No subscription fees" across the range⁴.

Both control heating and hot water from a phone, both work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and both are sold direct in the UK. The differences that matter are zoning depth, the recurring cost of Hive+, the warranty term, and how each handles a heat pump. Wiser's 2nd Generation kits control up to 2 channels of central heating with optional hot water, and the 3 Channel kits add separate hot water control⁷. Hive's Hive+ adds budgeting and schedule tools, but Hive states that Saver Mode and Schedule Assist are not currently compatible with multiple heating zones or Hive Radiator Valves².

Wiser and Hive at a glance: two routes to smart heating control

Wiser is a Drayton system, and Drayton is described by Uswitch as "one of the UK's leading heating control brands"¹¹. The range splits into generations: the 1st Generation system supports heating control, while the 2nd Generation system includes smart home products¹. That distinction matters when buying, because the 2nd Generation hubs are the ones that carry Matter support and the wider device range¹².

Hive approaches the same job from a different direction. Its core products are the Hive Thermostat, the Hive Thermostat Mini and Hive Radiator Valves, with the Hive+ membership layered on top as a paid service rather than a hardware tier². Hive also sells air source heat pumps and an EV charger, so the thermostat sits inside a broader home energy offer rather than being the whole proposition¹⁵.

For a household, the practical difference is what the system is built around. Wiser is built around zones: the 3 Channel Smart Heating and Security Sensor Kit controls up to 16 rooms with up to 63 Wiser devices, and the starter bundles are sold as multi-zone kits with a hub, room thermostat and radiator thermostats⁷. Hive is built around a single thermostat with optional radiator valves, and its most advanced scheduling features sit behind the membership².

Both routes leave the same dependence in place. The heating still runs from the boiler or heat pump, the schedules still live in a maker's app, and the app still needs a cloud account and a working internet connection. Neither system removes the gas supply, the electricity supply or the manufacturer's servers from the picture.

What each system costs: kit, Hive+ subscription and Wiser's no-fee model

The headline cost difference is recurring, not upfront. Wiser states "No subscription fee" on the Wiser Home app and "No subscription fees" on the sensor kits and the Electrical Heat Switch Kit¹⁶. The multi-zone kits carry the same wording, "No monthly subscription costs"⁴. Nothing in the Wiser range requires a monthly payment to keep the heating features working.

Hive+ is priced at £3.99 a month, or £39.90 a year, on the Hive Thermostat page³. A separate Hive page gives the membership as £19.95 a year or £3.99 a month, so the two Hive documents disagree on the annual figure and both are shown here². Hive also runs a promotion in which selecting pro-install gives a whole year of Hive+ free, auto-renewing after 12 months and cancellable at any time³.

Kit prices are not published in the material behind this page, so Wiser and Hive hardware is installer-quoted or shown at the retailer's own price at the time of purchase. What is published is the delivery threshold: Wiser offers free shipping on orders over £75¹⁷. Hive+ membership includes free delivery as one of its listed benefits².

The annual option at £39.90 is cheaper than twelve monthly payments at £3.99, and the difference between the two is £7.98. Wiser's equivalent recurring cost is zero. Whether the Hive+ features are worth the fee depends on whether the household uses budgeting tools, schedule assistance and the extended warranty, and on whether the zoning limitation applies to their home.

Savings claims: Wiser's up to 30% versus Hive+'s extra £18 a month

Both makers publish savings figures, and both need reading carefully. Hive states that Hive+ unlocks features such as advanced budgeting tools to "save up to an extra £18 a month"². The same claim appears on the Hive Thermostat and Hive Radiator Valve pages, worded as cutting cold weather bills by up to an extra £18 a month with Hive+³. Hive gives the basis for the figure: the top 30% of monthly savings were £17.99 or more across every customer and all months since October 2020 to November 2023². That is a statement about the best-performing third of Hive+ members, not a typical result.

Wiser's savings material is separate from the kit pages and rests on research rather than a membership. Drayton's smart thermostat savings page states that its percentage savings are based on BEAMA and Salford university research statistics from 2021. The figure most often quoted for smart heating controls is up to 30%, and it is a modelled or researched estimate rather than a measured result in any individual home.

Independent guidance is more cautious. Energy Saving Trust sets out that heating controls save energy by heating only when needed, and Smart Energy GB notes that smart thermostats such as Hive and Nest connect to wifi so heating and hot water can be controlled from a phone, tablet or desktop¹⁸. Neither body publishes a percentage saving attached to a specific brand.

The honest position for a household is that savings depend on the schedule, the zoning, the fabric of the home and the tariff. A multi-zone system that stops heating unused rooms can cut gas use; a single thermostat with a good schedule can do much of the same in a small flat. The membership fee is a cost that has to be recovered before any saving is real.

Room-by-room zoning, modes and app features compared

Zoning is where the two systems diverge most. Wiser's advanced zoning capabilities allow different temperatures to be set for individual rooms, and the 3 Channel Smart Heating and Security Sensor Kit controls up to 16 rooms with up to 63 Wiser devices²⁰. The Wiser Home app boosts rooms and zones individually to temporarily override schedules, and the multi-zone kits control the room thermostat and radiator thermostats from the same app⁴.

Wiser also carries named modes. The 1 Channel 2nd Generation Multi-room Smart Home Kit lists Eco, Comfort and Away Modes alongside Moments scheduling²¹. The Electrical Heat Switch Kit is compatible with any Wiser system but requires a Wiser Hub or HubR, which is the pattern across the range: the hub is the controller and the add-ons extend it⁶.

Hive's zoning is narrower. Hive+ lists Schedules, Quick Actions, Heating History, Away Mode, Saver Mode, Budget Tracker, Schedule Assist, remote diagnostics, extended warranty, technical support, Hive discounts, British Gas discounts and free delivery². But Hive states plainly that Saver Mode and Schedule Assist are not currently compatible with multiple heating zones or Hive Radiator Valves². A household with several zones and radiator valves therefore cannot use two of the membership's headline features.

For a household in a flat with one thermostat and no valves, the two systems do broadly the same job and the membership is optional. For a larger house with unused rooms, Wiser's zoning depth is the substantive difference, and it is the feature that bears most directly on gas use.

Smart home integrations: Matter, Alexa and Google Assistant

Wiser connects heating to the smart home platforms a household already uses, with control through Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Matter²². The Wiser Home app integrates with smart speakers linked to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice-controlled heating, and the 1 Channel 2nd Generation Multi-room Smart Home Kit lists both assistants¹⁶.

Matter is the newer part of the picture and applies to the 2nd Generation range. Drayton states that Matter helps connect Wiser with a growing range of devices and ecosystems through a common smart home standard, and that supported Matter ecosystems can allow the same 2nd Generation Wiser system to be available across multiple platforms¹². Alexa control covers changing room temperatures and managing hot water settings; Google Assistant control covers voice commands to check and adjust heating²².

The app remains central. Drayton states that the Wiser App remains the primary way to access Wiser's advanced heating and energy management features, with Matter providing additional third-party control, and that the app is the central place for setting up, managing and controlling the system¹². Matter widens the routes in; it does not replace the maker's app.

Hive's integrations are broad in a different way. Hive is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Philips Hue, and the Hive Thermostat works with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit and Siri Shortcuts²³. The Hive Thermostat and Hive Thermostat Mini both work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant²⁴.

The independence question is the same for both. Voice control and Matter add convenience and reduce lock-in at the interface level, but the schedules, the history and the automation logic still sit with the manufacturer. A household that wants local control without a cloud account is not served by either system as sold.

Which heating systems each works with, including heat pumps

Wiser states that it is compatible with almost any heating system, and lists gas boiler, oil or heat pump with radiators or underfloor heating¹. The 1 Channel 2nd Generation kits interface with heat pumps via on/off controls, which is a call-for-heat signal rather than a modulating connection²⁵. That means the heat pump's own controller still decides how the unit runs, and Wiser decides when it is asked to run.

Hive's heat pump route is narrower and tied to its own hardware. Hive offers air source heat pumps and states that a household can control the heat pump using the Hive app, for Hive compatible heat pumps only¹⁵. Hive also notes that heat pumps work with radiators and underfloor heating, but that lower heat output may mean bigger radiators are needed¹⁵.

Independent guidance supports the radiator point. Energy Saving Trust states that heat pumps can work with radiators or underfloor heating, but some types can work without either¹⁸. Nesta reports that heat pumps run on electricity and are three to four times more efficient than other heating systems, including other electric systems²⁶.

Hybrid arrangements are a third option. Hybrid heat pumps can work with another heating system in a building, such as a gas boiler, and use intelligent controls to determine the most efficient way to heat a home²⁷. That is the arrangement in which a smart control layer has the most to do, because it decides which heat source runs.

For a household on a heat pump, the practical limit is that neither system replaces the heat pump's own weather compensation or flow temperature control. A smart thermostat that only calls for heat on and off leaves the efficiency decisions to the heat pump controller.

Warranty, software support and who stands behind each brand

Wiser carries a 3 year warranty, listed on the Wiser store, the 2nd Generation range and the multi-room kits⁹. The Wiser Electrical Heat Switch Kit is listed with an extended 3 years⁶. The warranty is a maker term attached to the product, not a subscription benefit, so it does not lapse if a household stops paying anything.

Hive's warranty position is tied to the membership. Hive states that joining Hive+ gives ongoing warranty on all Hive devices, and describes it as extended Hive warranty over all smart Hive devices for as long as the household is a Hive+ member². That is a warranty that runs with the subscription: stop paying and the extended cover ends. Hive also states that for third party devices it does not cover any warranty or installation issues, though it does cover its own devices³⁰.

Support routes differ too. Drayton lists UK customer service with a phone number, 0333 6000 0622, and an email address, wiser.draytoncontrols@se.com, plus a technical support line on 0333 6000 622³¹. Hive works with several referral providers to install devices and does not install the products directly, and states that it is not responsible for the services provided by those third-party installers³⁰.

On software support, both systems depend on the maker's cloud. Drayton's own history shows what that means: the miGenie cloud service closed on 31 March 2024, ending app control while controllers continued to run their set schedules. A household buying into either ecosystem is buying into the maker's continued operation of its servers.

Buying and installing in the UK: availability, delivery and installer routes

Both systems are sold direct in the UK. Wiser offers free shipping on orders over £75, stated across the store, the 2nd Generation range and the app pages¹⁷. Drayton also runs a radiator thermostat exchange collection, which is a route for households replacing existing valves⁹.

Delivery changes are restricted. Drayton states that, for legal reasons, it is unable to amend a shipping address after payment has been authorised and cleared, and that the order must be cancelled first³¹. A household that spots a wrong address after paying has to cancel and reorder rather than expect a redirect.

Installation routes differ. Hive works with several referral providers to install devices and does not install the products directly, and is not responsible for the services provided by those third-party installers³⁰. For Wiser, the kits are sold as bundles with a hub, room thermostat and radiator thermostats, and the Electrical Heat Switch Kit requires a Wiser Hub or HubR⁴.

For any heating control work, independent guidance suggests searching MCS, TrustMark or Buy With Confidence for vetted contractors, and getting more than one quote. That applies to both systems, and to the wiring work that a multi-zone installation involves.

The independence picture is worth stating plainly. Neither system removes the gas supply, the electricity supply or the manufacturer's cloud. Wiser's advantage is that the recurring cost is zero and the zoning is deeper; Hive's is a broader product family and a membership that bundles warranty, discounts and budgeting tools. Both leave a household dependent on a maker's app and servers for the features that make the system smart, and on the boiler or heat pump for the heat itself.