Okay, so I jumped into the smart thermostat game after weeks of research and actually tried both Nest and this ecobee Smart Si. Here's the real tea:

First off, installation was shockingly easy - even easier than the Nest for me once I sorted my wiring. That C-wire situation everyone freaks out about? Not a big deal if your wall has extra wires (mine did) or you can grab a $25 adapter.

The programming is where this thing shines. Nest makes you 'train' it for a whole week by manually adjusting temps - seriously? Ecobee's web interface lets me set my perfect schedule in seconds with 15-minute precision. Game changer for time-of-use energy rates!

Aesthetics-wise, I actually prefer ecobee's always-on display showing current temp. The Nest's 'cool' circular design looked weird on my wall and required walking up to wake it up. Who has time for that?

Energy savings features work right out of the box here - no utility company lock-in like Nest's best features. The data reporting is insane compared to Nest's cutesy 'leaf' rewards.

Only gripes: The web portal could be more intuitive (some fan control settings are confusing), and my outdoor temp reading was occasionally wonky until a reboot. Customer service responded fast when I emailed though!

Final verdict? Saved $100 vs Nest, way better features, and actual energy savings from day one. This was absolutely the right choice for my home.