
Table of contents: Buyer's guide Top 7 KNX visualizations 2025
KNX visualization is now part of the basic equipment of an upmarket detached house or a smart home villa. This allows lights, room temperatures, blinds and music to be switched easily throughout the house or called up via scenes. There are premium visualizations that leave nothing to be desired. We compare Gira, Basalte, Jung, Ekinex & Co.
There are currently around 50 different KNX visualizations worth mentioning on the global market. These visualizations are designed for convenient control of a building with all its functions via a graphical user interface. A comparable operation is known in modern cars or premium class vehicles, where all operating functions should be easily and quickly accessible at the touch of a finger.
In a building or house, the situation is similar to that in a car: there are very good KNX visualizations for control that require no explanation and can be operated intuitively using the symbols and their logical structure. A reduced color scheme and recurring symbols/icons are an advantage. The familiarization period should take just a few minutes!
Then there are those that are more puzzling on first contact and look like they are from the last century – it feels like they are from the mid-1990s. No wonder: some KNX visualizations therefore look like they are from the DOS era from the early days of the PC and not as desired in the year 2025. Unnecessary information should be hidden and remain in the background rather than confusing the user.
The premium and high-end KNX visualizations (software) only include graphical representations, which are always supplied with an associated KNX server (hardware). In any case, this means a certain initial investment, but over the many years or decades of use it brings a lot of free updates that are not available anywhere else.
That is why we have concentrated on the really good KNX visualizations that are linked to a server in this comparison test, without leaving out the less good Visus. And at the very end, we have a conclusion.
Today, a good KNX visualization is available on various devices at the same time: On the smartphone and tablet as an app, via the web browser and via touch panels in various sizes – see Top 5: KNX touch panels in comparison – 899 euros to 4499 euros. The latter are used on the wall as a fixed installation to control a room, floor or entire building. And control always means the full program: all lights, switchable sockets, external blinds/shutters or zip screens, electric (roof) windows and doors as well as the entire heating system including ventilation and, if available, the air conditioning system.
The burglar alarm control panel or multi-room audio system is often integrated into the system, which often provides powerful sound from 20, 40 or 60 loudspeakers throughout the entire house, including the outdoor areas. If you have a large garden with an outdoor area and whirlpool, you can water the plants just as easily as control the whirlpool. Home control has never been easier than with a suitable KNX visualization system from 2025.
Home cinema control is also included, which a few of the top 7 candidates in our comparison test also master. Home cinemas are often used in modern new-build villas, where the perfect location of this special room was already taken into account in the architectural planning.
With our conception & electrical planning the selection of the right KNX visualization for the individual building plays a decisive role right from the start: the appearance of the user graphic interface, the uniform and adapted display on various devices such as fixed touch screens on the walls of the building, via smartphone app or tablet app and the synchronization of all these operating units.
Purchasing advice: KNX visualizations in this article
- Gira Smart Home visualization
- Jung Smart Visu Server
- Basalte Home
- Babtec Cubevision 2+
- Gira HomeServer app and QuadClient visualization
- Ekinex Delego Server
- Enertex EibPC 2 Server
What can KNX visualization do, what does it do?
This much in advance: The list of functions of the best KNX visualizations is long, while the list of simple and incomplete ones is short. At the same time, the test winner is an example of very good user ergonomics and the best UX design, while some of the candidates not included in this test field are reminiscent of the late 1990s and simply do not invite you to control a house.
Operating a building has to be fun and the graphic design has to invite you to do so! It should not pose any puzzles but be intuitive. The symbols/icons must be self-explanatory. The structure of a KNX visualization must be based on the building structure without being complicated.
Where is KNX visualization used?
KNX visualization can now be found in almost every new building. Even in the commercial sector, where industrial buildings or public buildings such as town halls or shopping centers are concerned, various KNX visualizations are in use. In the high-end segment of private detached houses or villas, there is a KNX visualization in the form of a permanently installed touch panel on at least every floor.
At the same time, the KNX visualization is located on different types of devices: Modern smartphones (Apple iOS, Android) or tablets, which can also be used to control the entire building – even remotely if desired.
Basic functions of a KNX visualization
- Graphic display for controlling all functions of a building
- Control lighting, shading, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, doors/windows and gates
- Light control switching, dimming, individual color values (RGBW)
- Setting up individual timers
- Setting up individual schedules
- Scenes related to a room (evening, night, party, cooking, etc.)
- Scenes related to the entire building (day, night, absent, guests, etc.)
- Central functions for everything off/everything on
- Integration of door intercom systems
- Integration of PV systems and battery storage
- Integration of professional burglar alarm center (only a few)
- Integration of professional home theater
- Integration of multi-room audio zones Music control
- Integration of music streaming services (Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, Apple Music etc.)
- Multi-client capability/user types (admin, guest, family)
Purchasing advice: What is important when choosing a KNX visualization system?
If you are really looking for a serious and professional KNX visualization to control your home, there is no way around the paid graphical user interfaces. This is because the good KNX visualizations in our test field are always linked to a specific KNX server. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the Gira X1 Server with Gira Smart Home visualization or the Basalte Core Server with Basalte Home, for example.
The respective KNX visualizations are always supplied with the KNX server for a fee. The advantage: A large number of complex functions of any building can be implemented. After all, there are numerous ready-made sheets, symbols/icons and logics that none of the free and simpler visualizations even come close to offering.
There is also an important aspect: manufacturers such as Basalte, Ekinex, Gira and Jung are likely to offer free updates for the next 15 to 20 years, allowing the house/building to keep pace with technology and the times.
History of KNX visualizations from 2001 to 2025
The first really good KNX visualization ever appeared with the introduction of the Gira Homeserver 2 in the early 2000s. Specifically, it was in 2002 that Gira did real pioneering work and presented a graphical KNX visualization for home control. With the Gira Expert software – see also our click guide to the Gira Homeserver – it was possible to create a smart KNX visualization with comparatively little effort. The latter ran on touch panels such as the Gira Control 9 or the Gira Control 19 presented later.
In 2006, another KNX visualization system came onto the market with the Enertex EIBPC Server. Until 2016, Gira was pretty much alone on the market for smart KNX visualizations with its extremely powerful home server. As the Gira Homeserver and its KNX visualization was a commissioned development by the company Dacom Homeautomation, Gira launched its own product in 2016 with the X1 Server and the Gira Smart Home visualization.
Always necessary: Import KNX data set or KNX group addresses
What all KNX visualizations have in common is that they are based on an existing KNX project. This is because no KNX visualization can be built without a KNX project for a building or completed commissioning/KNX programming. Depending on the size and scope of a building, a lot of preparatory work is required. Every KNX visualization works with KNX group addresses, which must be imported completely. This can be done in the form of an ETS project file or as an XLS data file.
What are the differences between the various KNX visualizations?
The biggest differences between all KNX visualizations on the market are the quality of the graphical display, the user ergonomics and the more or less appealing UX design. Then there is the support of functions such as multi-room audio, which only a few visualizations have integrated. In general, it can be said that manufacturers from Germany have some catching up to do in terms of graphical presentation. In contrast, manufacturers from Belgium and Italy are significantly further ahead.
1st place: Basalte Home KNX visualization
The Belgian company Basalte is clearly one of the shooting stars in the field of KNX visualizations worldwide. The stylish, graphically reduced and super-fast Basalte Home Visualization has been available on the market since the end of 2018. The KNX visualization runs on either a Basalte Core Plus or Basalte Core Mini server and is by far the best money can buy at the moment. Even at the launch of the KNX visualization “Basalte Home”, the manufacturer confidently positioned itself in the high-end (luxury) segment.
Basalte has rethought everything right from the start and turned the world of KNX visualizations on its head, so to speak! The Basalte Home visualization has a very tidy appearance and – like no other market player – does without small icons or buttons of different sizes. Instead, the logical and intuitive structure “by rooms” and “floors” ensures that users can find their way around very quickly. This means that Basalte Home is also suitable for people who are less or not at all tech-savvy. It takes about 10 seconds to get used to it!
The operating concept of Basalte Home is quickly explained: The selection of a room, for example the kitchen, and the subsequent control options for the room temperature and “heating/cooling” as well as “lighting”, “shading”, “music” and “scene selection” is done with two clicks. There is no other KNX visualization in this form in this test environment!
At the same time, switched-on lights or the “Heating” status are already displayed in a preview in the room view, so that no additional clicks are necessary. The preselection of available favorite “scenes” is also displayed in the respective room with six large squares. Really great!
The Basalte Home KNX visualization is positioned in terms of price – wait, we can’t reveal the price at this point. Basalte sells its products exclusively through professional partners who also offer conception & electrical planning of the building. This much can be said at this point: Basalte Home Visualization runs on a Basalte Core Server, which is available in Plus and Mini versions. The small version is significantly cheaper than a Gira Homeserver 4. The large Basalte Core Plus Server can address multi-room audio natively in KNX and supply up to 320 zones/rooms with music.
2nd place: Gira Smart Home KNX visualization
The Gira Smart Home visualization has been around since 2016. It was introduced together with the Gira X1 server and has been continuously developed and improved since then. Even though the hardware of the Gira X1 server has changed slightly over the years (not visible from the outside), the Gira Smart Home visualization is compatible with all Gira X1 server versions.
The Gira X1 Server is one of the best-selling KNX visualizations worldwide in terms of units sold. Since 2016, it is estimated that over 100,000 Gira X1 servers have been sold and put into operation with a KNX visualization system. This means it has surpassed the “evergreen” Gira HomeServer, at least in terms of sales figures. More about the Gira HomeServer below.
The KNX visualization is created with the “Gira Project Assistant” software (Gira GPA), where we also offer a click guide for setting up the Gira X1 server very quickly – see Gira X1 programming in 2 hours thanks to click instructions.
Visually, the Gira Smart Home visualization is rather restrained and is somewhat reminiscent of the Gira HomeServer visualization, which is no longer quite so fresh. Rooms and functions are selected using icons, although we think the display could be a little tidier. The completely inexperienced user will need a little while to understand how the individual pages of the Gira visualization are structured. It takes about 3 to 5 minutes to get used to it!
Compared to Basalte and Ekinex, the Gira Smart Home visualization does not offer the option of easily integrating images of rooms or the entire building. The user interface always remains with the same background and could therefore appear somewhat monotonous.
The start page “Home” view can be configured as a “detailed view” or as a “tile view”. The arrangement of the tiles is based on functions such as “Lighting” or “Audio control” and cannot be arranged in rooms. That’s complaining at a high level, yes, but we are comparing the world’s best Visus.
In terms of price, the KNX visualization “Gira Smart Home” is positioned in the very good mid-range for 825 euros. The wide range of possible applications and solutions for “normal” single-family homes and apartments and the comparatively low configuration effort put the “Gira Smart Home” visualization in second place.
3rd place: Ekinex Delego KNX visualization
The Italian company Ekinex is still relatively unknown in Germany, although it has been offering a complete KNX product portfolio on the market since 2014. With its Delego KNX Server, Ekinex offers a KNX visualization system that runs on both smartphones and tablets. The manufacturer offers various touch panels for wall installation, similar to its competitors Basalte and Gira.
What is noticeable at first glance: Ekinex allows you to store your own images for your rooms, so that the functions for “lighting”, “heating”, “shading” etc. appear in the foreground via icons. This gives a very tidy impression, so that even less experienced users can get to grips with the controls. There is also a possible 3D view of the building, but in our opinion this is completely “old school” and is not used by anyone.
In terms of structure, the Ekinex KNX visualization is somewhat similar to the Gira Smart Home visualization, although it appears tidier and at the same time more “chic”. Nevertheless, there is still quite a gap between it and the first-placed Basalte Home: the structure with its many symbols and icons is too small and the function of the symbols could be more clearly recognizable.
The playfulness of the Italians is particularly evident in the heating and lighting control, where detailed scales are displayed for dimming and setting the color values (RGB) in addition to various colors. A little less might have been more here! The Delego visualization is available in several languages, whereby the German “translation” is not always correct or sometimes not implemented at all. Forget it, this will certainly change with the updates, as Ekinex wants to go full throttle, especially in the German-speaking world.
Although we know the exact price of the Ekinex Delego server for the DIN rail, we have to keep it secret at this point. This is because Ekinex products are only available from specialized partners. In any case, the Ekinex KNX visualization comes in third place in this comparison due to the sum of its features.
4th place: Jung Smart Visu Server KNX visualization
The German company Jung has been offering a KNX visualization system of the same name since 2017 with its Jung Visu Server. Compared to its German competitor Gira, Jung was quite late to the market with a KNX visualization. The Jung Visu Server can be seen as a direct competitor to the Gira X1 Server, although Jung has always led a rather shadowy existence compared to the successful X1. In recent years, the Jung Visu Server has reached a certain level of maturity through updates, so that it can certainly be compared with a Gira X1.
Unusual compared to the other test candidates is the arrangement of the rooms in an upper row next to each other. The UX design can be set in 5 different colors, and it is also possible to set the column display and the respective start page. The KNX visualization from Jung has one major advantage: it can be set up fairly quickly and is then ready for use.
The basic UX design looks a little dated and is not quite as user-friendly in direct comparison with the Gira Smart Home visualization. The small-scale Jung visualization is aimed more at simpler houses and apartments, which can sometimes be rented out. The integration of music control is available in the form of Sonos amplifiers, which can then reach up to 8 zones. Smart TV sets can also be integrated and switched.
The highlight among all the test candidates: The Jung Visu Server costs 590 euros and thus offers the cheapest KNX visualization.
5th place: Gira HomeServer Quad Client visualization
The Gira HomeServer and the associated tools such as Gira QuadClient and Gira HomeServer App are the forefathers of all stylish and functional KNX visualizations worldwide. The software development was outsourced by Gira to DaCom very early on, so that KNX visualization has been continuously developed since 2001 up to the present day. Since we have been very well involved in its development throughout this time, we can say that there is no KNX visualization that is more flexible and adaptable than the one for the Gira HomeServer with the Gira Expert software in the backend.
If you want to get started quickly and reach your goal, we recommend our click guide for the Gira HomeServer. While the maximum flexibility is a great advantage of the Gira HomeServer, the high complexity of creating a KNX visualization is a downside.
The price of the Gira HomeServer 4, which is essential for Gira KNX visualization, is already upmarket at 2200 euros. But that was no different in the past 20 years, when the Gira HomeServer was often used in luxury villas or luxury hotels. There is now the much cheaper and much easier to use Gira X1 server, which, however, does not come close to the Gira Homeserver 4 in terms of functionality.
6th place: Enertex EibPC 2 visualization
The company Enertex from Bavaria appears more frequently in our comparative tests. The medium-sized company has been offering its products for the KNX environment for more than 20 years. The KNX visualization Enertex EibPC has been around since the mid-2000s and is now sold in conjunction with the hardware, the EibPC, in version 2, a small but powerful KNX server for the DIN rail.
The visualization is configured using the EibStudio software, which, like the other candidates, provides templates for sample applications. If you want to delve deeper into the topic of “Wallbox control with KNX” and charge your electric car exclusively with PV solar power, we recommend the template for the “Keba Wallbox”.
While the Enertex EibPC 2 can be described as a powerful functional giant, the KNX visualization is not as much fun to look at and operate as Basalte, Gira or Ekinex, for example. This is due to the purely web browser-based KNX visualization.
There is no app for smartphones or tablets and therefore no available touch panels for wall installation. Overall, the KNX visualization, including the necessary Enertex EibPC2, is one of the cheapest graphical user interfaces on the market: The Enertex KNX server with web option for placement on the top-hat rail in the control cabinet costs just over 800 euros.
The Enertex EibPC2 is for technology freaks who want to equip their KNX home with every conceivable function and play with it. It does not necessarily have to be graphically aesthetically pleasing. And it doesn’t need to!
7th place: Babtec Cubevision 2+ visualization
The German company Babtec from Dortmund has been on the KNX scene for many years. The KNX visualization Cubevision 2 is available as an app for iOS and Android and for Windows. It has been available since 2018 and has been continuously developed over the past few years. At first glance, the graphically tidy KNX visualization stands out with its many small icons. There are as many as 450 different icons
The Cubevision 2 visualization runs on an EIBPORT KNX server, which is now in its third version. As the name suggests, the development of the EIBPORT server began almost 20 years ago. In terms of price, the Babtec EIBPORT is positioned above the Gira X1 Server, the Enertex EibPC2 and the Jung Visu Server for just under 1200 euros.
For some time now, it has been possible to integrate various door intercom systems. Pressing the doorbell button on the door intercom opens a video window in the Cubevision app. From our point of view, the heating control takes some getting used to: the desired room temperature can only be changed using the “+” and “-” signs, but not by clicking directly on the temperature itself. All assignments of a room’s switching functions are made using the Cubevision Editor.
Cubevision 2 runs on Windows Smart Surface Touch Panels and can therefore also be permanently installed on the wall. Most users will use the apps for Apple iOS and Android for smartphones and tablets.
Conclusion
And here comes the all-important question: Which KNX visualization is the best choice when planning a smart networked building – as a new build or refurbishment? For a long-lasting and serious implementation, a KNX visualization including the corresponding KNX server is definitely the right choice. We recommend choosing from our top 7 visualizations in the comparison test.
If you want to meet the very highest standards in terms of both appearance and functionality, you can’t go past the Basalte Home KNX visualization. No other manufacturer manages to conjure up such a high-quality KNX visualization on all devices with a simple, reduced UX design! Including music control in certain rooms, i.e. multi-room audio for up to 320 rooms / 320 audio zones including home cinema integration.
It takes less than 10 seconds to familiarize yourself with the operation! It’s not for nothing that the Belgian manufacturer took first place among all test candidates with Basalte Home. You also need to know this: Basalte Home is not freely available and can only be purchased from specialized Basalte partners partners.
1st place
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7th place
The German company Gira lands with its Gira Smart Home KNX visualization in 2nd place. Der Hersteller setzt auf ein reduziertes UX-Design mit weißem Hintergrund, das eine einfache und schnelle Bedienung aller Räume und Funktionen unterstützt. Schade eigentlich, das sich keine Hintergrundbilder für das Gebäude bzw. die Räume individuell einfügen lassen.
If you want integrated music control, you can use either Sonos or Trivum audio amplifiers; in the case of Sonos, the maximum is reached with 8 rooms / 8 audio zones. Gira is aimed at a wide range of customers: from DIY builders to property developers with a complete range of products. Here our 2-hour click guide to the Gira X1 for a quick start to implementation.
In 3rd place was the Italian Ekinex visualization with the Delego KNX server. It looks a little fresher and more stylish than the second-placed Gira Smart Home. Individual background images can be placed for the individual rooms, while the switching functions and displays remain in the foreground.
The KNX visualization is Italian through and through, which means that a lot of attention has been paid to detail and the control system is very colourful. For us, it is a little too playful and too small-scale and the overall UX design could be more minimalist. The Ekinex Delego is only available through specialized partners in conjunction with planning/programming.
The German company Jung achieved a good 4th place with the Visu Server KNX visualization. It is designed more for smaller houses and apartments that do not necessarily have everything integrated. If you want to equip your building with multi-room audio in conjunction with the Jung Visu Server, you can use Sonos amplifiers/speakers to provide sound for up to 8 different rooms. The latter is similar to Gira Smart Home and the Gira X1.
In 5th place is the evergreen among KNX visualizations from the very beginning: the Gira HomeServer with the KNX visualization of the same name, which is available for the web browser, as an app or for touch panels in the form of a Gira G1 or, even better, Peaknx 12 etc.
From the chic KNX visualization of the first hour – see our own story – has become a somewhat outdated graphical representation. Nevertheless, many KNX visualizations are still in use in hotels, commercial buildings and, above all, smart home luxury villas. If you want to get started quickly with the Gira Homeserver 4, take a look at our 3-hour click guide to the Gira Homeserver here.
The Bavarian company Enertex landed in 6th place with its KNX visualization – EibPC 2. Despite its very good functional features, the graphical options for setting up a KNX visualization using “EibStudio” can no longer quite compete in the top league. Enertex has a very clear target group: freaks or nerds who like to “play” with their KNX house and want to get the most out of the system. The aesthetics and UX design tend to take a back seat.
7th place goes to a long-standing German market player: Babtec from Dortmund with its Cubevision 2+ KNX visualization. Sie gibt es als App für iOS und Android oder für die Windows-Welt auf einem Touch Panel.
Frank Völkel & Smartest Home Team
Since 2007, we have been testing KNX components for functionality and practical suitability in order to use only the best products in our customers' homes and villas