Samsung plans paid SmartThings API tiers starting in October

Samsung plans to put parts of its SmartThings API behind paid plans starting in October, adding a monthly charge for some individual users and developers. The change matters for smart home owners who rely on direct API access or third-party integrations to run more flexible home automations.

Samsung said in a SmartThings developer update that it will introduce several paid tiers for access to the SmartThings API. One of those plans is priced at $4.99 per month and is aimed at “non-commercial, individual developers,” according to Samsung.

The company framed the pricing change as a way to fund upgrades to the platform. Samsung said the revenue would help it “invest heavily in the enterprise-grade features” requested by partners and users, including better stability, additional integrations and updates to its Developer Center.

Home Assistant users may be affected

The new pricing may reach beyond people who identify as developers. The Verge reported that advanced smart home users who connect directly to the SmartThings API, or who use third-party tools that do so, could end up covered by Samsung’s new personal plans.

Paulus Schoutsen, founder of the open-source smart home platform Home Assistant, said in a blog post that Home Assistant’s SmartThings integration would be affected. Schoutsen wrote that use of the integration “will” fall under Samsung’s new “personal plans.”

Home Assistant is used by smart home owners who want broad control across devices and services, according to The Verge’s description of the platform. Samsung’s change could therefore add a recurring cost for some people whose SmartThings devices are part of larger home automation setups.

What Samsung has announced

Samsung has not detailed every paid tier in the material cited by The Verge, but the company has confirmed the October rollout and the $4.99 monthly individual developer plan. Samsung also said the changes are tied to a broader SmartThings API experience update.

The Verge reported that the new fees are tied to API access, rather than standard use of Samsung’s SmartThings app. The clearest impact described so far is on users and tools that make direct calls to the SmartThings API.

For now, the practical question for SmartThings users is whether their setup depends on that API. Based on Schoutsen’s statement, Home Assistant users with the SmartThings integration should expect Samsung’s new personal plan rules to apply when the pricing takes effect in October.

This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.