It is supposedly an open source standard that do not requires internet connection to work, and can use regular wifi (2,4ghz) networks as a means to connect devices so you do not need to buy a hub for them. You can create your own hub with a mini pc for instance with a regular wifi card. No need for specific hardware

All of this can be done with ZigBee. It is open and local mesh over 2.4ghz.

For matter over thread you do need a hub and you need more certifications for matter, so for manufacturers it is less open.

The standardization is a plus though.

I mean you can already do exactly that with zigbee after buying a zigbee usb connector which are extremely cheap.

I know because that’s what I have been doing for the past five years.

But to be fair my setup is now mostly IKEA so I guess I could go back to a bridge and stop having to maintain my stuff at some point.