HomeKit

Pros

• HomeKit is a really solid choice for most people in Apple ecosystem who don’t want to take on smart home stuff as a hobby.
• I managed to add public internet cameras to the iOS Home app using Homebridge. One shows updated snapshots, the other has working live video.
• the ceiling lights, light strips, and doorknob are all HomeKit-controlled so I can set up automations, change brightness, etc.
• The "stable platform and mandatory certification" protocols (z-wave, homekit) are close to the "it just works" category.
• If you are in the Apple ecosystem, HomeKit works well as a front end - you can pull up the simple controls on an iPhone almost instantly

Cons

• Tbh, even HomeKit can be irritating to a savvy sw person. And the improvements of Homekit are so, so, slow. But it integrates relatively easily
• Apple HomeKit stores scenes locally and in iCloud, and they are fragile. HomeKit is excellent as a compatibility layer, but it is not robust as a scene orchestration engine, especially once you exceed 10–15 scenes.
• Whether this ends up being a third-party solution or Apple HomeKit doesn’t really matter to me.
• IMO the next best option is Apple Home. It's not quite as nice or smooth of an experience as Google or Alexa, but at least they aren't mining your data.
• All my electronics are Apple so I’ve been considering switching to Apple HomeKit but I haven’t heard the best stuff about them.