In a groundbreaking move for the smart home industry, Tado is considering charging its customers £1 / €1 per month just to control their devices through its app. Reports have emerged from multiple users that Tado, known for its innovative smart thermostats, radiator valves, and heat pump controllers in Europe and the UK, sent notifications via their app regarding this potential fee. The Verge reached out to Tado for clarification, but the company declined to comment.
According to a post on the Tado community forum earlier this month, one user received a notification indicating that the company would implement this charge — billed per household — starting May 1st, 2025. Another user from the Netherlands shared a different screen from the app, suggesting a subscription would be required beginning February 19th, 2025.
A Tado user posted a screenshot of the message they received in their app to Tado’s community forum. The message indicates the company would start charging for access to the app. | Image: community.tado.com”>
The notification explained the new fee was necessitated by rising operational costs. However, users will still have the ability to control their systems for free through integrations with Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa.
Currently, Tado offers optional subscription services ranging from €3.99 to €5.99 monthly for features such as an auto-assist function and intelligent energy shifting, which claim to reduce energy costs. Historically, app usage for scheduling and controlling the Tado system has been complimentary.
A Tado moderator on the community forum informed users that the message was merely a test and that no one lost free access to the app: “Like many companies, we routinely conduct marketing tests and research, and we evaluate customer feedback daily. Those involved in this test retained full access to the tado° App without charge,” they stated.
If this was simply a test, Tado failed to communicate that clearly to users. However, if they are indeed considering this fee, it could be a detrimental decision. Charging users for app access may yield short-term revenue gains but could alienate customers in the long run as they switch to other products or stop recommending Tado to their friends and family — a sentiment expressed by several users on the community thread.
While increasing subscription fees or introducing new features for an additional cost could be acceptable, charging for a service that was previously free — a standard feature in other smart thermostat offerings — could lead to significant customer loss.
