Google Home or Amazon Echo: Which Smart Speaker Is Right for You?
One of the hottest trends to take hold recently is the voice-activated speaker, and - no surprise! - the two biggest players are Amazon and Google. These devices work off of your home’s Wi-Fi. You can ask them to share the weather or news highlights, set a timer, play games, and stream music. If you have compatible connected gadgets like thermostats, doorbells, or lightbulbs, you can also interact with them through your smart speaker: Just say, “Turn on the hall lights,” and it’s done! You can even rely on them to remind you to switch the laundry, plan dinner, or call Mom on her birthday. Our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute decode the two platforms.
Join Team Amazon Echo if you:
Do most of your shopping online. Instantly buy things (like dish detergent or toothpaste) the moment you see you’re running low. Say, “Alexa, order more paper towels,” and she’ll put in an order through your Amazon account.
Have smartified your home. Amazon is the most robust platform to work with other smart-home tech. It’s integrated with over 12,000 devices (and growing), so if you have other connected items, there’s a better chance they’ll be compatible.
Love using Amazon Prime. Obsessed with your membership and everything it comes with - like Amazon Music and Prime Video? You can stream songs through Alexa devices and watch videos on ones with a screen like the Echo Show.
SHOP NOW: Amazon Echo, $35 and up, amazon.com.
Join Team Google Assistant if you:
Can’t go a day without Googling. Want to know how many carbs are in an avocado? Not sure if your baseball team is playing tonight? Ask Google Assistant. Since it taps into Google’s searching power, it can be more accurate and detailed when answering questions.
Use your phone for everything. This one does more with your smartphone. It can give your device a ring if you can’t find it, send directions to that new sushi place, and even remind you to buy more coffee beans the next time you’re at the grocery store.
Binge-watch with Chromecast. If this media-streaming device is your go-to for watching Netflix or HBO, you can ditch the remote (or app controls) to pause, go back,and more. Say, “Hey, Google” followed by the desired command.
SHOP NOW: Google Home, $34 and up, bestbuy.com
How We Tested
After narrowing the field to 20 popular smart speakers, we took over 900 data points to rate them on:
Ease of setup
Voice commands
Sound quality
Design
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