Control4 vs Savant vs Crestron vs Lutron: An Installer's Take

Every client asks the same question after the first walkthrough: which smart home platform should I pick? Here's the unvarnished version, based on hundreds of installs.

Lutron: the lighting standard

If your project is primarily about lighting and shades, Lutron is the answer. Nothing else competes on reliability or dimming quality. The RadioRA 3 platform is overkill for most homes; Caseta works for smaller projects. Where Lutron falls short: full whole-home automation. It's a lighting system, not a control system.

Control4: the all-rounder

Control4 is the workhorse for integrated whole-home installs. Strong dealer network, deep AV integration, fair pricing. The downside: dated UI in places, and you're locked into the dealer ecosystem for any future changes.

Savant: the polished contender

Savant has the best end-user app in the category, by a wide margin. If your client cares about how the system feels, Savant wins. Trade-off: smaller dealer network, higher cost per zone, and tighter Apple integration that becomes a downside if you're an Android household.

Crestron: when budget isn't the question

Crestron is what you find in $40M estates and Fortune 500 boardrooms. Custom-programmed, infinitely flexible, expensive. We install it when the project warrants it. For 95% of homes, it's overkill.

Our default recommendation

For most LA homes between 3,000-10,000 sq ft, we recommend Control4 + Lutron as the integrated stack. Control4 handles AV, climate, and security; Lutron handles lighting and shades. The two integrate cleanly and the long-term support story is the strongest in the category.