For a newbie to HA, which controller? Dedicated Z-Wave + Zigbee USB sticks, or Hubitat

Sonoff light switches? In the wall? No. Does anything from Sonoff have standard approvals in any country?

Zigbee sensors and plug-in modules are in general, much cheaper than Z-Wave alternatives, sometimes 1/10th the price. Zigbee in-wall switches are closer in price to Z-Wave, but not as plentiful.

Z-Wave stuff from reputable brands like Zooz and Inovelli are all much better constructed and have far more features than anything from any Zigbee vendor, including the top ones like Philips and Ikea.

WiFi modules from Shelly with standards approvals are the only ones Iā€™d consider putting inside a wall.

Response times on all these devices are fast (need to use only local integrations with WiFi such as MQTT or ColoT). Only Zigbee and Z-Wave will provide mesh capabilities and if using a lot of devices will be much easier to manage. With a good mesh thereā€™s no issue having Zigbee and/or Z-Wave in distant corner of the premises (think basement cupboard in a 5-story condo).

A fully fleshed-out home will use all three of these technologies. Using only one will severely short-change your experience.

Use separate radios for everything - donā€™t buy combo sticks, donā€™t buy someone elseā€™s hub, including Hubitat (itā€™s not good).

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