Smart speakers have evolved far beyond just playing music. The best models now offer voice-activated searches, seamless device integration, and smart home control. However, not all smart speakers are equally responsive — some excel at understanding commands even in noisy environments or from a distance, while others may not. Elsewhere, some smart speakers prioritize audio quality over features.
To find the best options, we tested top models like the Echo, Nest, HomePod and Sonos Era, running on Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple’s ecosystem. After evaluating their performance, here are our top picks.
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What’s the best smart speaker?
Amazon Echo speakers are among the most affordable and easy-to-set-up smart speakers out there. That’s why the fourth-gen Amazon Echo is our pick for the top smart speaker overall. It’s likely to best meet the needs of most households. Although it’s a few years old, the device features improved sound quality over the previous generation is compatible with an assortment of smart devices and goes for the relatively affordable price of $100 (although it can often be found on sale for $80 or less).
The fourth-generation Echo might not be the best pick for your particular home. Almost every smart speaker allows you to control the lights, play music, ask questions, set reminders and much more with simple voice commands. The decision may simply come down to which brand you’re already invested in. If you have an affinity for a particular company’s products, whether you’re devoted to Amazon, Apple or Google, picking a speaker is easy.
For platform-neutral folks (or those looking to switch things up), our top picks aside from the fourth-gen Amazon Echo, are the second-gen Google Nest Mini, the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen), the Apple HomePod Mini and the new Sonos Era 100. Find out why below.
We give the smart home edge in the best smart speaker category to Amazon, thanks to Alexa and the $100, fourth-generation Amazon Echo.
The latest Echo (not to be confused with the fifth-gen Echo Dot or Echo Pop) combines the usual Alexa smarts with a speaker that sounds great and has a built-in Zigbee radio. That’s a nice inclusion that’ll let you connect Zigbee lights, locks, sensors, and other devices to your setup without the need for a separate hub device.
The Echo is even useful while you’re away, as Alexa can send alerts if your smart speaker’s microphones detect the sound of glass breaking or a smoke alarm.
What helps the Echo clinch first place is its sound quality: This speaker offers loud, room-filling sound with plenty of clarity and bass control. While there are even better-sounding speakers, such as the Sonos Era 100 and the Echo Studio, neither can beat the price of the Echo.
Today, the race is extremely close between Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. Apple’s Siri is on the board but in a solid third place when it comes to reliability, knowledge and comprehension of human requests.
Overall, we give the edge to Google Assistant for its superior cadence, naturalistic tone and ability to understand (and answer) questions and follow-up queries consistently.
It’s close enough that you can safely invest in either Google Assistant or Alexa based on other preferences like speaker style, devices and compatibility with other popular smart home products.
Alexa is nearly as good as Google Assistant, so you really can’t go wrong no matter which assistant you choose. You’ll learn its quirks and how to interact with your assistant to coax the best responses and helpful information.
Amazon smart speakers can play music from free or paid subscription tiers on Pandora, Spotify and other popular music streaming platforms. In addition, if you have an Amazon Prime account, you can play music from the vast Prime Music catalog.
