Google Home Premium explained: plans, prices and what Gemini for Home includes

Google Home Premium is Google’s paid subscription for the smart home. It replaced Nest Aware, and it adds video history and camera alerts for Nest cameras and doorbells plus the more advanced parts of Gemini for Home, Google’s new home assistant. It is easy to mix up with Gemini for Home itself, which is largely free. This guide explains the two plans, what they cost, what you get without paying, and who should upgrade. Prices are the US prices Google announced on October 1, 2025, and Google says prices can change.

Google Home Premium at a glance

Gemini for Home: what is free

Google describes Gemini for Home as “a new set of intelligence features for your smart home”. It includes a new voice assistant that handles smart-home control, finding media, getting information and organising the household. According to Google’s help page:

• Free: the voice assistant and Ask Home.
• Needs Google Home Premium: Help me create, and camera features. The Advanced plan enables the camera AI features.

To turn it on, use the latest Google Home app: you’ll get a notification called “Introducing Gemini for Home”, and you select Get started. Google lists early access in 20 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most Western European nations. It works on speakers and displays, including the Google Home Speaker, which launched on June 25, 2026 at $99.99 and needs no subscription for Gemini for Home.

Standard vs Advanced

Google’s launch post listed Ask Home for automation help under Standard, while its current help page lists Ask Home as free and says Help me create and the camera features need Premium, so the packaging has shifted since launch. Google notes that 24/7 video history works only with wired cameras and doorbells, not battery models. Google Home Premium supports Nest cameras, doorbells and the Nest Hub Max, and which features you get depends on the model.

Included with Google AI Pro and Ultra

Google Home Premium comes at no extra cost with Google’s AI subscriptions:

• Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) includes the Standard plan, and you can upgrade to Advanced for $10 a month more.
• Google AI Ultra includes the Advanced plan.

See our Gemini profile and our guide to Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra for the AI plans. If you already pay for Google AI Pro, you may already have Google Home Premium Standard.

Is Google Home Premium worth it?

• You have Nest cameras or doorbells: Premium is where video history and smarter alerts live, so Standard is the usual starting point and Advanced suits people who want AI event descriptions and Home Brief summaries.
• You mainly want voice control: skip it. Gemini for Home’s voice assistant and Ask Home are free, and the Google Home Speaker works without a subscription.
• You already subscribe to Google AI Pro or Ultra: check the Google Home app first, because you may have it already.

Prices and changes

Google’s help page says subscription prices can change to keep up with market shifts, including inflation and local tax updates, and points to the Google Store for current pricing. Use the figures here as a guide and confirm before you buy.

To set up a speaker or other assistant at home, follow our guide to setting up a voice assistant at home. For Google’s newest voice models, see Gemini 3.8 Live, and for the step-by-step basics, our tutorial on how to use Gemini Live. To compare speakers before you buy, see the best smart speakers.