Best VPS for Home Assistant 2026: Remote Access Without Nabu Casa

Home Assistant runs locally. That’s the point — your smart home, your data, your rules. But what happens when you leave the house?

Nabu Casa charges $75/year for remote access. A VPS gives you the same thing for $3-5/month — plus you get a server for other projects too.

Whether you need a reverse proxy, VPN tunnel, or a full cloud-based HA install, here’s what works.

Quick Picks

Category	Provider	Price	Best For
🏆 Best Overall	Hostinger	$4.99/mo	Most HA users
💰 Cheapest	Hetzner	€3.79/mo	EU-based setups
🔒 Best for WireGuard	Vultr	$6/mo	Privacy-focused tunnels
📊 Best for Full Cloud HA	Contabo	€4.99/mo	Running HA entirely in the cloud

Why Use a VPS with Home Assistant?

Most people run Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi or mini PC at home. The VPS isn’t replacing that — it’s extending it:

• Remote access — Control your home from anywhere without Nabu Casa
• Reverse proxy — HTTPS access with your own domain
• VPN tunnel — Encrypted connection back to your LAN
• Cloudflare Tunnel relay — Zero-config remote access
• Offsite backups — Automated HA snapshots stored safely off-site
• Full cloud install — Run HA entirely on a VPS (no local hardware needed)

Two Approaches: Relay vs Full Cloud

Approach 1: VPS as a Relay (Most Common)

Your Home Assistant stays local. The VPS acts as a secure gateway:

Phone → VPS (reverse proxy) → WireGuard/Cloudflare Tunnel → Home HA

VPS requirements are minimal:

Resource	Minimum
CPU	1 vCPU
RAM	512MB-1GB
Storage	10GB SSD
Bandwidth	1TB

Approach 2: Full Cloud Install

Run Home Assistant Container or Core directly on a VPS:

Phone → VPS (running HA directly)

VPS requirements are higher:

Resource	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	2 vCPU	2-4 vCPU
RAM	2GB	4GB+
Storage	32GB SSD	50GB+ NVMe
Bandwidth	2TB	Unmetered

Trade-off: You lose Zigbee/Z-Wave/Bluetooth — cloud HA can only control WiFi and cloud-connected devices.

Top VPS Providers for Home Assistant

1. Hostinger — Best Overall

$4.99/mo | 4GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 50GB NVMe

Hostinger is the best balance of price and power:

• 4GB RAM handles a full cloud HA install with add-ons
• NVMe storage for fast automation history
• 24/7 support if you get stuck with networking
• Simple control panel — no Linux PhD required
• Works perfectly as a WireGuard relay or full install

Best for: Most Home Assistant users who want reliable remote access.

2. Hetzner — Best for Europe

€3.79/mo | 4GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40GB NVMe

Hetzner is hard to beat for EU users:

• 2 vCPU for faster automations
• German data centers — GDPR-friendly
• Unmetered traffic — no bandwidth worries
• Excellent API for automated snapshots
• Add storage volumes cheaply if needed

Best for: European HA users who want the best value.

3. Vultr — Best for WireGuard Tunnels

$6/mo | 1GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25GB SSD

Vultr shines for VPN relay setups:

• 32 locations worldwide — pick one near you
• Hourly billing — test and destroy
• Great for pure WireGuard relay (needs minimal resources)
• Strong network performance

Best for: Users who just want a WireGuard endpoint for remote HA access.

4. Contabo — Best for Full Cloud Install

€4.99/mo | 8GB RAM, 4 vCPU, 50GB SSD

Contabo gives you absurd specs:

• 8GB RAM — run HA + InfluxDB + Grafana + Node-RED
• 4 vCPU handles complex automations
• Unlimited bandwidth
• Upgrade to 400GB for more history retention

Trade-off: Slower support, network can be inconsistent.

Best for: Power users running a full HA stack in the cloud.

Setup Guide: WireGuard Tunnel (Recommended)

The most popular approach — your HA stays at home, VPS provides secure remote access.

Step 1: Get a VPS

Sign up with Hostinger and choose Ubuntu 24.04.

Step 2: Install WireGuard on VPS

apt update && apt install wireguard -y

# Generate keys
wg genkey | tee /etc/wireguard/server_private.key | wg pubkey > /etc/wireguard/server_public.key
chmod 600 /etc/wireguard/server_private.key

Step 3: Configure VPS WireGuard

cat > /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf << 'EOF'
[Interface]
Address = 10.0.0.1/24
ListenPort = 51820
PrivateKey = <server-private-key>
PostUp = iptables -A FORWARD -i wg0 -j ACCEPT; iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE
PostDown = iptables -D FORWARD -i wg0 -j ACCEPT; iptables -t nat -D POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE

[Peer]
PublicKey = <home-server-public-key>
AllowedIPs = 10.0.0.2/32, 192.168.1.0/24
EOF

Step 4: Configure Home Server WireGuard

On your Raspberry Pi / HA host:

apt install wireguard -y
wg genkey | tee /etc/wireguard/client_private.key | wg pubkey > /etc/wireguard/client_public.key

cat > /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf << 'EOF'
[Interface]
Address = 10.0.0.2/24
PrivateKey = <client-private-key>

[Peer]
PublicKey = <server-public-key>
Endpoint = your-vps-ip:51820
AllowedIPs = 10.0.0.0/24
PersistentKeepalive = 25
EOF

Step 5: Start WireGuard on Both Sides

# On VPS
systemctl enable --now wg-quick@wg0

# On home server
systemctl enable --now wg-quick@wg0

Step 6: Set Up Nginx Reverse Proxy (VPS)

apt install nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

cat > /etc/nginx/sites-available/homeassistant << 'EOF'
server {
    server_name ha.yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://10.0.0.2:8123;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}
EOF

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/homeassistant /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx

# Get SSL certificate
certbot --nginx -d ha.yourdomain.com

Step 7: Update Home Assistant Configuration

Add to your configuration.yaml:

http:
  use_x_forwarded_for: true
  trusted_proxies:
    - 10.0.0.1

Restart Home Assistant — you now have HTTPS remote access at ha.yourdomain.com.

Alternative: Cloudflare Tunnel (Easiest)

If WireGuard feels like too much, Cloudflare Tunnels are simpler:

# On your HOME server (not VPS — no VPS needed!)
curl -L https://pkg.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-main.gpg | gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/cloudflare-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/cloudflare-archive-keyring.gpg] https://pkg.cloudflare.com/cloudflared $(lsb_release -cs) main" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cloudflared.list
apt update && apt install cloudflared -y

cloudflared tunnel login
cloudflared tunnel create homeassistant
cloudflared tunnel route dns homeassistant ha.yourdomain.com

Note: This doesn’t need a VPS at all. But a VPS gives you more control, no Cloudflare dependency, and a server for other things.

Setup Guide: Full Cloud Install

Want to run HA entirely on a VPS? Here’s how with Docker:

Step 1: Get a VPS with 4GB+ RAM

Hostinger KVM 1 or Contabo VPS S.

Step 2: Install Docker

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Step 3: Run Home Assistant Container

docker run -d \
  --name homeassistant \
  --privileged \
  --restart=unless-stopped \
  -e TZ=Europe/London \
  -v /opt/homeassistant:/config \
  -p 8123:8123 \
  ghcr.io/home-assistant/home-assistant:stable

Step 4: Access and Configure

Visit http://your-vps-ip:8123 to complete setup. Then add Nginx + SSL as shown above.

What works in cloud HA:

• WiFi devices (Tuya, Shelly, WLED)
• Cloud integrations (Google Home, Alexa, Spotify)
• MQTT (if broker is also cloud-hosted)
• API-based devices

What doesn’t work:

• Zigbee / Z-Wave (needs local radio hardware)
• Bluetooth devices
• Local-only devices on your home network

Automated Backups to VPS

Even if you run HA locally, use your VPS for offsite backups:

# On your VPS, pull HA backups daily
cat > /root/ha-backup.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/opt/ha-backups"
HA_HOST="10.0.0.2"  # WireGuard IP of home server
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Copy latest backup via SCP
scp "$HA_HOST:/backup/*.tar" "$BACKUP_DIR/"

# Keep only last 7 backups
ls -t "$BACKUP_DIR"/*.tar | tail -n +8 | xargs rm -f 2>/dev/null
EOF
chmod +x /root/ha-backup.sh

# Run daily at 3 AM
echo "0 3 * * * /root/ha-backup.sh" | crontab -

VPS vs Nabu Casa

Feature	VPS ($5/mo)	Nabu Casa ($6.25/mo)
Remote access	✅	✅
Custom domain	✅	❌ (uses nabucasa.com)
SSL certificate	✅ (Let’s Encrypt)	✅ (auto)
Google/Alexa integration	Manual setup	✅ One-click
Other uses (VPN, sites)	✅	❌
Setup difficulty	Medium	Easy
Supports HA development	❌	✅ (funds the project)

Honest take: If you just want remote access and voice assistants to work, Nabu Casa is easier and supports the project. If you want full control, a custom domain, and a server for other things — VPS wins.

Security Hardening

Exposing Home Assistant to the internet demands extra care:

1. Always Use HTTPS

Never expose port 8123 directly. Always put Nginx + SSL in front.

2. Enable HA Authentication

Home Assistant requires login by default — don’t disable it.

3. Firewall Your VPS

ufw allow ssh
ufw allow 80
ufw allow 443
ufw allow 51820/udp   # WireGuard
ufw enable

4. Fail2ban for Brute Force Protection

apt install fail2ban -y
systemctl enable --now fail2ban

5. Keep Everything Updated

apt install unattended-upgrades -y
dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades

FAQ

Can I run Home Assistant OS on a VPS?

No. Home Assistant OS is designed for dedicated hardware (Pi, NUC). On a VPS, use Home Assistant Container (Docker) or Home Assistant Core (Python venv).

Will my Zigbee/Z-Wave devices work with a cloud VPS?

Not directly. Those protocols need local radio hardware. You’d need to keep a local coordinator (like a Pi with a Zigbee dongle) and bridge it to the cloud via MQTT or WireGuard.

Is $5/month worth it vs Nabu Casa at $6.25/month?

If you only need remote access — it’s close. But the VPS gives you a whole server: host other services, run a VPN, serve websites. Much better value per dollar.

How much bandwidth does remote HA use?

Very little. The dashboard is lightweight — expect 50-200MB/month for casual use. Cameras and media players use more.

Can I use Tailscale instead of WireGuard?

Yes! Tailscale is essentially WireGuard with easier setup. Install on both your home server and phone — instant remote access with no VPS needed. But a VPS still helps for a public URL and custom domain.

Conclusion

For most Home Assistant users wanting remote access, Hostinger at $4.99/mo is the best starting point. Set up WireGuard + Nginx and you’re done.

Use Case	Recommendation	Monthly Cost
Remote access relay	Hostinger KVM 1	$4.99
EU-based relay	Hetzner CX22	€3.79
WireGuard-only tunnel	Vultr Cloud Compute	$6
Full cloud HA stack	Contabo VPS S	€4.99

Your smart home shouldn’t depend on someone else’s cloud. Get a VPS, set up a tunnel, and access your home from anywhere. 🏠