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Smart speakers bring voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri to any room of your home. Just say their name to get an answer to a question, play music, or control yoursmart home devices. PCMag has been reviewing smart speakers since the first Amazon Echo in 2015, so we can help you find the best one for your home, no matter which voice assistant you prefer. Amazon's smart speakers still lead the pack, with the fourth-generation Echo and the Echo Studio topping our list of Editors' Choice winners. But one of the other entries here might appeal more depending on your needs, so be sure to read our in-depth reviews of each. And for everything you need to know about smart speakers, scroll down to the end for our buying guide.
The original Amazon Echo started the smart speaker trend and has only improved over time. The current iteration of the Echo is sphere-shaped rather than cylindrical. It features a built-in temperature sensor and a Zigbee smart home hub for compatible devices, and it gets surprisingly loud for its size.
The Echo is the Goldilocks of Alexa smart speakers. It's loud enough to comfortably fill a medium-sized room while staying small and fairly inexpensive. It's a good anchor smart speaker, something to put in the living room to controlsmart lights and play music without taking up a lot of space or costing a lot of money.
This is the most powerful first-party Alexa speaker and the most technically impressive. The Echo Studio has excellent treble response for crisp, clear sound as well as booming bass. That alone makes it a strong pick, but its bigger draw is Dolby Atmos support with directional audio. The speaker has five separate drivers that can generate a wide sound field with accurate imaging from left to right and even above. Amazon promotes the Echo Studio's ability to play 360-degree music via its Amazon Music HD subscription service (which isnot included inAmazon Prime). The speaker also supports optical audio if you simply want to connect it to yourTV and use it as your main TV speaker. You have to spend a few extra bucks for a 3.5mm to optical adapter, though.
If you want the best sound available from an Echo speaker, this is the one to get. It's loud, clear, and can offer precise imaging from its one-piece, mini-keg-shaped body. There are a few other Alexa-compatible speakers that sound even better, but they're much pricier than the Echo Studio.
The Echo Dot With Clock offers the usual Alexa features and solid (albeit modest) sound in a tiny, inexpensive package. It works well as a bedside clock, with an LED display that can show more than just the time, including song titles and weather forecasts. It also features embedded motion sensors, so you can lightly tap the top of the speaker to play or pause songs, end calls, stop ringing timers, or snooze alarms.
If you want Alexa by your bed or desk and don't need powerful, room-filling sound, the Echo Dot With Clock is the best pick for you. There are a few variations available, including the regularEcho Dot (which comes in three colors) and theEcho Dot Kids (with your choice of a panda or tiger face), but the Echo Dot With Clock is our Editors' Choice among them for its useful LED display.
The Echo Pop Kids is, at its heart, anEcho Pop with some kid-friendly extras. It includes a colorful faceplate (with Disney Princesses or Marvel's Avengers), a protective silicone skin, a two-year warranty, and a six-month subscription to the Amazon Kids+ service. That's a lot for just $10 more than the regular Echo Pop, especially when you consider that Amazon Kids+ gives you access to kid-friendly audiobooks, ebooks, games, and video content on Amazon's various Echo and Fire devices, plus all smartphones and tablets.
This is the best smart speaker for little kids thanks to its protective skin. You can get a full year of Amazon Kids+ with the slightly more expensiveEcho Dot Kids, but that speaker is less likely to hold up to being tossed around.
Apple's second-generation HomePod fixes most of what made the originalHomePod a bit unappealing: It costs less and Siri is much more useful. Apple's largest smart speaker is three times as pricey as the Amazon Echo and the Google Nest Audio, but its Dolby Atmos sound quality and volume output make it far more enjoyable for movies and music. Excellent mic performance,Matter support, and sensors for temperature and humidity round out the package.
If you want a centerpiece Siri speaker with room-filling sound, this is the HomePod to get.
This is, for all intents and purposes, Google's version of the Amazon Echo. It's $100, big-but-not-too-big, and lets you use Google Assistant hands-free without your phone. Its chiclet shape is a bit awkward-looking, but that doesn't matter as much as the sound.
If you want to use Google Assistant instead of Amazon Alexa, and you want good audio for music as well as helpful voice assistance, the Nest Audio is the best choice. It's another Goldilocks speaker, not too small or expensive, but versatile enough for wherever you want to put it.
The Era 300 seamlessly integrates into any Sonos multiroom system, and offers Alexa voice control and supports Dolby Atmos spatial audio. It sounds excellent, too, especially if you pair it with a second speaker for more directional audio.
This is a centerpiece speaker for any home with other Sonos speakers. It produces loud, detailed sound even by itself and looks more stylish than most other models on this list.
The HomePod mini is Apple's smallest and least expensive smart speaker option. It offers hands-free Siri voice control and solid sound for its petite size, along with Apple AirPlay 2 support.
This is a small smart speaker for Apple users who turn to Siri instead of Alexa or Google Assistant for everything they need. If you have an iPhone and have been careful to make sure all of your smart home devices are HomeKit-compatible, this is ideal. You can also pair it with a second HomePod mini for stereo sound. Of course, if you aren't already on a first-name basis with Siri, you don't need to give it much thought.
Unlike most smart speakers, the Sonos Move 2 can be used in the great outdoors thanks to its internal battery. It even has anIP56 rating, meaning you can take it to the beach and leave it out in the rain without worry. On the audio front, it produces powerful stereo sound with a pleasing mix of sculpted lows and highs. The slick, full-featured Sonos companion app is another highlight.
If you're willing to spend a premium on a smart speaker you can take around your home or outside, the Sonos Move 2 is a top choice. It gets loud, lasts up to 24 hours on battery power, and lets you choose between hands-free Alexa and Sonos Voice assistants.
The Amazon Echo Spot might look like a smart display, but it's really more like a smart speaker with a screen. We're fans of its decent audio quality, ability to show the time and weather, and reliable Alexa voice functionality. Wi-Fi and Matter support are both nice to see, as well. Just keep in mind that the Spot can't play videos, doesn't have a camera, and provides visual answers for only some Alexa questions.
Since it's small, simple, and can show you useful day-to-day information, the Echo Spot is an ideal clock radio for your bedside or desk.
This little puck is the most affordable Google Assistant smart speaker you can get. You can pop it anywhere—even on the wall!—and use Google's voice assistant easily. It has clean treble but, otherwise, its audio is pretty weak. That said, it's suitable if you want to listen to music before you sleep or play podcasts to idly distract you during the day.
The Nest Mini is another speaker for your counter, desk, or nightstand: It's small and doesn't cost too much money, and is a good option if Google Assistant is your virtual helper of choice.
Every smart speaker responds to a wake word, such as "Alexa" for Alexa, "Hey, Google" for Google, and "Siri" for Siri. Once the speaker indicates it is listening, you can ask whatever you want. The question then is how to ask.
All three voice assistants are fairly easy to talk with, but they can trip up if you don't use the proper syntax. You need to speak to Alexa in a certain way to get the best results. This isn't a problem once you get used to the syntax, but the voice assistant too often gets confused if you use a term it doesn't know or phrase a command in an unfamiliar way.
Google Assistant and Siri are both much better at recognizing natural language and are generally less frustrating to use. Amazon continues to develop Alexa, but for now, Google and Apple have the edge.
Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri can control pretty much any smart home device nowadays. In the Alexa and Google apps, and with the Siri Shortcuts feature, you can set up rooms of multiple devices to control, plus configure multistep routines, like "I'm leaving the house." All three smart assistants support most major smart home device brands, with few holes between them.
The Amazon Echo and Echo Studio add support for the Zigbee smart home standard, which means they work with more third-party devices (and other Echo speakers in your home). Most newer smart home devices are Wi-Fi-based and hubless or otherwise work with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you shouldn't run into compatibility issues.
If you intend to use Siri to control your smart home, make sure the smart home devices you buy are HomeKit-compatible and you have a HomePod, iPad, or Apple TV to use as a hub. These devices enable you to create rooms, groups, and multistep routines, as well as control your devices remotely—but only from iOS. Apple's Home app is gorgeous, but you have to be all-in with Apple for it to work well.
Matter is an emerging standard worth monitoring, though it isn't yet widely available for smart home devices.
You can also use Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri to control a TV or home entertainment center with a compatible TV or appropriate hardware add-on (for example, amedia streamer like an Amazon Fire TV device for Alexa, a Chromecast or Android TV for Google Assistant, an Apple TV for Siri, or a Roku device for any of them).
Amazon's voice assistant ecosystem benefits from tens of thousands of third-party "skills," and Amazon has a directory of them on its site. These skills let you do everything; for example, you can check your local transit status, look up your credit card balance, find trivia about your favorite college football team, play games, and sing along with songs. However, you have to seek out the skills you want and stick to a very specific syntax. It's a stunningly powerful system, but it involves a bit of a learning curve.
Google Assistant has fewer skills, a result of its ability to understand more casual syntax and conversational commands. Regardless, you can check out Google's skills (which it calls "actions") in its convenient web-based directory.
All of the voice assistants let you make phone calls from your smart speaker. Alexa and Google make free phone calls directly. Google Assistant can call numbers in the US and Canada, but only to phone numbers in yourGoogle Contacts. Alexa can call anyone in the US, Canada, and Mexico, but not toll-free numbers. You can also use Amazon Drop In to make voice calls to any friends or family with Alexa devices or the Alexa app, including different Echo speakers in your own home. The HomePod works as a speakerphone, too, but you have to start the call on your iPhone.
All smart speakers can play music from your phone, but if you rely only on voice commands, you are stuck withcloud services. Alexa and Google Assistant both connect to Apple Music and Spotify Premium accounts, as well as to Pandora, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio for free. Alexa speakers also play Amazon Prime Music, while Google Assistant speakers can access YouTube Music. Siri on the HomePod and HomePod mini can play Apple Music and songs from your Apple Music account. For any of these services, you can just ask the smart speaker to start playing music from them.
Most smart speakers also support Bluetooth connections or the Apple AirPlay or Google Cast platforms, so you can stream audio directly from your phone, tablet, or computer. Several feature 3.5mm ports, though some are output-only (for connecting to larger, non-smart speakers).
The Google Nest Mini and Amazon Echo Spot have both made big strides in sound quality, but they aren't quite good enough to be primary music speakers. The Echo, HomePod mini, and Nest Audio sound better, as do most smart speakers in the $100 to $200 price range. The best value on this list is currently the $200 Echo Studio, which sounds just as good as speakers that cost twice as much. Above $300, the Sonos Era 300, Sonos Move 2, and second-gen HomePod deliver top-notch audio.
Ultimately, the best smart speaker for you has the voice assistant you want, along with the right power, size, and price for your needs. And if you want video support as well, there are alwayssmart displays, which are basically smart speakers with touch screens.
Our Pick | ||||||||||
Editor's Rating | Editors' Choice 4.5 Excellent | Editors' Choice 4.5 Excellent | Editors' Choice 4.0 Excellent | Editors' Choice 4.0 Excellent | Editors' Choice 4.0 Excellent | Editors' Choice 4.0 Excellent | Editors' Choice 4.0 Excellent | 4.0 Excellent | 4.0 Excellent | 3.5 Good |
Channels | Mono | 5.1 | Mono | 1 | Stereo | Mono | Dolby Atmos (4 tweeters, 2 woofers) | Mono | Stereo | Mono |
Bluetooth | ||||||||||
Wi-Fi | ||||||||||
Multi-Room | ||||||||||
Physical Connections | 3.5mm | 3.5mm, Optical | None | None | None | None | USB-C | None | None | None |
Portable | ||||||||||
Water-Resistant | ||||||||||
Speakerphone | ||||||||||
Built-In Voice Assistant | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa | Apple Siri | Google Assistant | Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Apple Siri | Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Amazon Alexa |
I’ve been PCMag’s home entertainment expert for over 10 years, covering both TVs and everything you might want to connect to them. I’ve reviewed more than a thousand different consumer electronics products including headphones, speakers, TVs, and every major game system and VR headset of the last decade. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and a THX-certified home theater professional, and I’m here to help you understand 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and even 8K (and to reassure you that you don’t need to worry about 8K at all for at least a few more years).
