The difference between a smart speaker and a regular bookshelf or portable Bluetooth speaker is that a smart speaker has a microphone that listens for voice commands, as well as a built-in voice assistant that fields your requests. Both are used to respond to commands such as “Siri, play ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ by ELO” and “Alexa, what is the weather outside?”
Smart speakers deliver music and weather on demand, but they also provide access to podcasts, audiobooks, news, and trivia, as well as shopping lists, schedules, calls, and much more. A smart display provides video for calls, calendars, and access to movies, TV shows, and other video. Smart speakers are also the linchpin of the smart home, allowing for easier control of devices by voice and consolidation of controls for devices (using one app or by grouping), and they often act as hubs for devices that don’t connect to Wi-Fi.
Before buying a smart speaker, you’ll need to decide which platform you prefer: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or Apple Home/Siri. Sometimes it comes down to personal preference, and that preference may be to use multiple platforms, but each one does have its differences. (For a more detailed look at each platform’s media capabilities, see Frequently asked questions about smart speakers, below.)
Amazon Alexa
Amazon’s Echo smart speakers and screens work with the Alexa app, which is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. The digital voice assistant is known as Alexa.
Alexa supports the most smart-home devices. Currently, more than 140,000 smart-home products work with the Alexa platform; that’s far more than with Google Home (over 50,000) and magnitudes more than with Apple (around 1,200) combined. Alexa connects to devices via Skills within the app, though once enabled, many devices will connect to Alexa automatically, using an auto-discover feature called Frustration-Free Setup (FFS).
Echo speakers come in many shapes, sizes, and prices. Amazon offers the widest range of speaker options, including six models of speakers and five smart displays. By comparison, Google sells just two speakers and two displays, and Apple has only two speaker models.
The Alexa app can be frustrating. Of the three platforms, we find the Alexa app to be the clunkiest and least intuitive to use, despite having improved over time. In particular, Alexa continues to unearth and display devices I deleted years ago. It’s like I’m living in Groundhog Day, but it’s not funny, and there’s no Chris Elliot.
Amazon uses your activities to sell things to you. Alexa often tries to sell you things, whether it’s by following up your question with a purchase offer, reminding you of past purchases you may want to reorder, or just by streaming ads on displays.
Alexa will play music from more services. With a Prime subscription, you get access to Amazon Music. But if you already subscribe to Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, and others, you can set one of those as your default music source. The Echo Studio includes spatial audio processing for a full, more immersive sound.
Apple Home/Siri
Apple HomePod and HomePod Mini work exclusively with the Apple Home app, which works only with Mac and iOS devices. The smart-home platform is sometimes known as HomeKit, and the digital voice assistant is Siri.
Apple is the most privacy-friendly platform. Both Alexa and Google publish lengthy privacy practices that explain what the company is doing with your data, but Apple has the best privacy policy of any of the major smart-home platforms. It’s written in easy-to-understand terms, and it specifically states that information collected by Siri is used solely to improve the platform—not to sell to third parties.
Apple Home is the most intuitive app. It’s generally easy to set up devices without needing to create special accounts, and Apple Home’s default home page can display live video, if you have cameras set up. Also, device icons are big and easy to find, and they can be rearranged as you like. Tapping anywhere on those icons opens up a device’s controls and settings; clicking to the left of the icon turns devices on or off.
Apple Home is less widely compatible. Of the three major smart-home platforms, Apple works with the fewest number of smart-home devices. We couldn’t get the company to confirm just how many are currently supported, but we counted around 1,200, compared with many thousands for Alexa and Google Home.
There are limited options. Apple sells just two models of speakers, both of which are more expensive than similar models from the competition, and it doesn’t sell a bona-fide smart display.
Siri takes her time. In my testing, Siri consistently took the longest amount of time to reply to requests, for everything from trivia questions to turning on lights. Other editors confirm they’ve had the same experience of delayed responses.
HomePods work best with Apple Music. Apple assumes that if you’re buying a HomePod, then you’re an Apple Music subscriber or have a collection stored in iCloud. But you can also play music through third-party services, such as Deezer, iHeartRadio, Pandora, TuneIn, and YouTube Music. If you want to stream Spotify or Amazon Music, you can use AirPlay to send an audio source directly from your phone.
Google Home
Google Nest devices work with the Google Home app, which is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. Confusingly, the smart-home platform and digital voice assistant are also known as Google Assistant and “Hey Google!”
Google Assistant provides the best answers. In my testing, Google consistently has the answer to questions more often than the other two platforms—thanks to the power of Google. Also, the digital voice assistant is more conversational than Siri or Alexa.
It has terrific integration with Google Calendar and services. Google devices can sync with Google Calendar, so you can ask about daily plans or add future events with the sound of your voice. The service isn’t automatic because, after all, maybe you don’t want your speaker knowing everything you’re up to. (If you want to sync the two, you’ll need to enable Personal Results in the Google Home app.)
It’s compatible with lots of smart-home devices—but it’s less useful. Though Google does support a decent amount of smart-home devices (over 50,000), it pales in comparison to Alexa. Also, I’ve found Google Home offers far fewer smart-home controls and automations for those devices, and it has recently removed several features that our staffers found to be valuable.
Google plays well with everyone, except Amazon. Google Home devices can stream music directly from Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, and others. The one service that’s notably absent is Amazon Music, which can be streamed from your smartphone using Bluetooth.
