5 Best Smart Speakers (2026): Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri | WIRED
Overview
There are three big players when it comes to finding the best smart speaker: Amazon, Google, and Apple's voice assistant-powered devices. But each system has its own benefits and limitations, and finding the right smart speaker for you requires considering several factors.
You likely already have a favorite ecosystem. Maybe it's the one that works with your phone, as an Apple or Android user, or maybe it's Amazon's Alexa, in the event you already own one of the dozens of speakers the company has launched in the 12 years since the first Amazon Echo speaker arrived in 2014. Amazon's ecosystem, in particular, is vast, often seeing multiple new models every year, while the options get much narrower between Google and Apple. Google's new smart speaker is due out sometime soon, but there's still no timeline on when that will be.
Details
Below you will find the best smart speakers for each ecosystem, which I've found after trying nearly every single smart speaker that's come out in the last decade. You can also check out my guides to the Best Alexa Speakers, Best Google Speakers, and Best Smart Displays if you want more insight into each category.
Updated June 2026: I reorganized this entire guide, reordering the picks and updating details about Google's speaker offerings. I also ensured up-to-date links and prices.
Best Smart Speaker for Alexa Users (and Overall)
Impressive, room-filling sound, especially for its small size
Compatible with Alexa and Alexa+, and good at hearing requests, even with loud music playing
Most of the smart speakers I spot in friends' homes come from the Amazon Echo line. Options are aplenty, and many that I see are older models, like the puck-shaped Echo Dot. Such dated speakers are still fairly well-supported, though not all of them can gain access to Alexa+, Amazon's newer AI-powered voice assistant. Even if your smart speaker can use Alexa+, it's only worth the upgrade if you have Amazon Prime. Without a Prime subscription, you'd have to pay
The Echo Dot Max is one of Amazon's newest models. It launched in late 2025, taking the small form from past Dot models and upgrading it with impressive sound, a built-in smart home hub, and a slightly different look. Its sound quality is fantastic and impressively loud without getting muddled, especially considering its small size. I tested it against the latest Echo Studio last year and found the speakers were more similar in quality than I expected. It's not as cheap as older Dot models, but you can still find the affordable Echo Dot (5th Gen) available for half the price if you don't need super-impressive sound.
I tested it against the latest Echo Studio last year
If I only had to pick one smart speaker right now to buy, it would be this one. Of all the offerings between Amazon and its competitors, Alexa's great compatibility and voice controls rise above the others. Ultimately, this speaker is compact without cutting back on sound quality or losing out on a smart-home hub.
Compatible with Bluetooth and services like Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and Sirius XM. Capable of lossless high definition.
Limited one-year warranty, extended warranty available for purchase; 30-day returns
Great sound and plenty of bass for the price and size
Can sync with another Nest speaker for a stereo pair
The Nest Audio is the best Google speaker available for now—but that's about to change. Google has already stopped selling both the Nest Audio and smaller Nest Mini smart speakers as the company gears up for its new speaker to arrive (any day now, as it is expected in spring 2026). It'll be called the Google Home Speaker (yes, that's the same name as Google's original smart speaker from 2016), and it'll retail for the same price as the Nest Audio, $100. In form, though, the Google Home Speaker will bear more similarity to the Mini speaker, appearing much like a cross between a Home Pod Mini (below) and an Echo Dot (above), with a taller, rounded form that past Google speaker models lacked.
For now, though, you can still buy the very solid Nest Audio from several retailers. It offers good sound quality, the ability to pair with another Nest Audio as a stereo (but won't connect to bigger stereos), and is compatible with tons of music platforms. The Nest Audio is also compatible with Google's new voice assistant, Gemini for Home. With a subscription, you can also access the more powerful Gemini Live assistant, which allows back-and-forth conversation with an AI chatbot through the smart speaker. That subscription comes with other benefits, like camera storage, which is useful for people who use Nest security cameras in their home.
If you really can't wait for the new Google Home Speaker to launch, the Nest Audio is a good option. But I'd recommend waiting.
Compatible with Bluetooth and Chromecast, and services including Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, i Heart Radio, and more
Can be paired with another Nest speaker for a stereo pair
Limited one-year warranty, returns within 15 days of receiving product
Smart speaker options are the most limited for Apple users. Neither my colleagues nor I were impressed by the sound quality of the larger Home Pod when it relaunched in 2023. But the smaller Home Pod Mini is a fine investment for the price, and you'll find it to be the most convenient option if you already use the Apple Home app and Siri.
It's a third of the price and smaller than the full-size speaker; otherwise, it can do just about everything else the larger model can. It doubles as a smart home hub to connect your Apple-compatible devices, so you don't need the larger speaker or Apple TV if what you're mainly looking for is smart home control. It's still not my favorite smart speaker overall, and Apple Home Kit isn't my favorite ecosystem due to its limitations and the fact that I find myself running into more issues adding my devices to the Home app than any other platform. But if you're committed to your Apple ecosystem, this is the speaker to buy.
Compatible with Bluetooth and Air Play, and services including Apple Music, i Cloud libraries, Tune In, i Heart Radio, Audacy, and other third-party services
Best Smart Display for Google Users (and Overall)
10-inch screen adds several features and doubles as a digital photo frame
Google's voice assistant is handy, and the screen visuals are great
Has a camera, and there's no physical cover for the camera (though there is an off button)
Subscription required for more powerful assistant (Gemini Live)
This is easily my favorite smart display, aka a smart speaker with a screen attached to it—and that's the case even if you aren't usually a Google user. Why? The Nest Hub Max doubles as a digital photo frame for free. You'll need to upload images to Google Photos, but as long as you stay under 15 GB (across the entire Google account, so that includes Gmail and Drive), that's free as well. I pay $10 a month for storage so that I never have to delete a video of my son, but that's my problem, not yours.
The Nest Hub Max has solid sound for the slim frame with two 10-watt tweeters and a 30-watt woofer. The 10-inch touchscreen is a great size for everything from smart home control and streaming videos to pulling up recipes and enjoying your own photos. Many of these capabilities rely on the smart display, which means you couldn't access them with a screen-free smart speaker. It's not the only smart display option on the market, but it has a prettier interface than Amazon's Echo Show 11 (below), and you won't see any ads sliding onto the screen on this Nest. There's also a camera for video calls and gesture-based controls, but you're able to disable the camera if you prefer.
Like the Nest Audio above, the Nest Hub Max is compatible with Google's new voice assistant, Gemini for Home, and Gemini Live, if you have a subscription and want to have more complex conversations and requests.
Two 18 mm 10-watt tweeters and a 75 mm 30-watt woofer
Compatible with Bluetooth and Chromecast, and services including Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, i Heart Radio, and more
10-inch touchscreen; 6.5-megapixel camera with 127-degree wide field of view and auto-framing; Quick Gestures recognition with camera; doubles as digital photo frame
Great sound and a good screen size (and quality) without being bulky
Built-in smart home hub and spatial audio capabilities
Made for Alexa+ and comes with it, no waiting list required
If you want a smart display but don't want a Google-powered device, your only other option is an Amazon Echo Show. The Echo Show line is vast and powerful with a range of features, from the usual suspects, like voice commands and smart home control to streaming capabilities, video calls, and even a security camera (by way of the on-device camera). Amazon's Echo Show 8 line was my favorite for years, but after comparing the new Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 that launched last year, the Echo Show 11 pulled ahead for me.
The Echo Show 11 has better sound quality, which is a must if you're going to spend so much on a speaker. It's still more expensive than I'd like, retailing in the
While this Echo's 11-inch screen is larger than Google's Nest, it didn't feel too large; I liked using it both on my desk in my office and downstairs in my kitchen. It's a good size for reading recipes and even having long conversations with Alexa+, to which it can pair right out of the box. The conversations appear as text bubbles for myself and Alexa+, reminding me of a chatbot conversation, but on a larger screen. Again, Alexa+ hasn't blown me away, so I only recommend using it if you're getting it for free as an Amazon Prime member. It's not worth buying it on its own. If you're not a Prime member and don't want to become one, you can still switch to using the older and totally free Alexa assistant.
Like the Google smart display above, the Echo Show 11 has a camera for video calls. It also has a physical camera cover you can switch over the lens to confidently know that you are disabling it. To use the digital photo frame, you can upload your own images, but the process is a pain, and the crops are terrible. I typically use Amazon's own image collections as my screensaver for a prettier result.
The Echo also has ads, which is a big downside compared to the Google Nest Hubs, and it also annoyingly serves content on its ever-moving slideshow that feels disruptive rather than informative. You'll get tons of slides about news and sports, recipe suggestions, suggestions on how to use Alexa, and ads interspersed as well. The only way to disable them is to toggle off each individually or flip on Photo Frame mode. But even that only lasts a few hours, so I have to toggle it on repeatedly. I typically turn on Amazon's premade photo collections, and my favorite setting uses seasonal photos.
Compatible with Bluetooth and services like Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and Sirius XM.
11-inch touchscreen; 13 MP camera with a cover and auto-framing
Limited one-year warranty, extended warranty available for purchase; 30-day returns
Compatible with Bluetooth and services like Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and Sirius XM. Capable of lossless high definition.
Limited one-year warranty, extended warranty available for purchase; 30-day returns
Compatible with Bluetooth and Chromecast, and services including Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, i Heart Radio, and more
Can sync with another Nest speaker for a stereo pair
Limited one-year warranty, returns with 15 days of receiving product
Compatible with Bluetooth and Air Play, and services including Apple Music, i Cloud libraries, Tune In, i Heart Radio, and Audacy, and other third-party services
Compatible with Bluetooth and Chromecast, and services including Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, i Heart Radio, and more
10-inch touchscreen; 6.5-megapixel camera with 127-degree wide field of view and auto-framing; Quick Gestures recognition with camera; doubles as digital photo frame
Limited one-year warranty, returns with 15 days of receiving product
Compatible with Bluetooth and services like Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and Sirius XM.
11-inch touchscreen; 13 MP camera with a cover and auto-framing
Limited one-year warranty, extended warranty available for purchase; 30-day returns
There are tons of smart speakers available for purchase. Here are a few more that I like:
Amazon's Echo Spot for $80 is a great partial smart display. While the music quality doesn't offer the same depth you'll get on the Echo Dot, the fun little half-screen on this second-gen Echo Spot proves useful, showing time, weather, your calendar, and the name of the song playing. It's a nice set of features that make it a great speaker for the bedroom, especially since its lack of a camera dismisses visual privacy concerns.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) for $150 is the best Alexa smart display for the money. It's smaller than my top pick Echo Show 11, but if you're okay with the size, know that the sound here is better than on the newer Echo Show 8. Though older, this edition is still enabled to use Alexa+ and has a built-in smart home hub.
The Amazon Echo Studio (2nd Gen) for $220 is the best-sounding Alexa speaker. I love this smart speaker for its fantastic sound quality and power, built-in smart home hub, and spatial audio capabilities. While it's smaller than the Apple Home Pod, it easily filled my entire second-floor great room with music.
The Google Nest Hub for $100 is a great bedside speaker for Google Assistant users. The 7-inch screen feels like a smartphone propped up on its side rather than a massive smart display. It also has motion-sense technology built in to track your sleep, which is a handy feature for people who don't find sleep-tracking wearables comfortable while sleeping. Plus, no camera.
Amazon has rolled out the new and improved Alexa, named Alexa+, after announcing it in February 2025. This second generation of the Alexa voice assistant is more conversational, similar to an experience with AI assistants like Chat GPT, which isn't a surprising innovation given that Alexa+ was built on generative AI. It does a better job answering a variety of questions than first-gen Alexa and responds quickly to all kinds of requests. You can learn about my firsthand experience with Alexa+ here.
Google announced late last year that Gemini for Home, the new version of its voice assistant, is rolling out to existing Google Home users. It'll replace the current Google Assistant entirely and is currently slated to roll out to almost all of Google's devices. One of the notable exceptions is the Pixel Tablet; otherwise, Google's existing hardware properly reflects what Gemini for Home will reach.
Unlike Alexa+, this new assistant will always be free. However, Google is changing its camera subscription, Nest Aware, to become a subscription for Gemini for Home that will have two tiers, Standard (
Google also has a new speaker coming for the first time in years: The Google Home Speaker, which shares its name with the original Google smart speaker from 2016. It looks like a taller Nest Mini (it actually most closely resembles a Home Pod Mini rather than a speaker from Google's own lineup), and while it's small, it will become the new flagship speaker of Google's lineup. It's due out in spring 2026 and will retail for $99. I'm curious whether Google's other speakers will remain available after the product launch, but it's looking unlikely, as Google's Nest Audio and Nest Mini are already out of stock on its site, with the new speaker yet to arrive. I'll update this guide with more details on the new speaker once it becomes available.
Amazon's Echo Hub for $180: The Echo Hub is designed entirely to control your smart devices, and it acts more like a home security device than a true smart speaker. It also has the worst built-in speaker of Alexa's ecosystem, since it's designed to be used in tandem with a more powerful Alexa speaker like the ones above.
Amazon Echo Pop for $28: The Echo Pop is a cute little speaker that's affordable and comes in fun colors. It's a fine choice for college students or teenagers who want something with a little personality, but everyone else should just upgrade to the Echo Dot for much better sound and otherwise the same features.
Amazon Echo Show 5 for $90: The Show 5 can do everything the Show 8 can do, but on a smaller, less convenient screen. It's a good size for a bedroom, but it has a camera, which many don't want in that space. I'd rather add the Echo Spot or the Google Nest Hub for a similar mini screen—hold the camera—on my bedside table.
Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen) for
Amazon Echo Show 15 for
Apple Home Pod for $299: Apple's flagship smart speaker has a muddy midrange and high-end, which is disappointing for the price point. The Home Pod does have a lot of bass, though, if that's your jam. If you want an Apple-powered smart speaker in your home, the Mini is a third of the price and has nearly identical capabilities to the full-size model.
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Level for $2,250: This is a gorgeous—though seriously expensive—speaker that's built to last. The company has designed the high-end model to be repairable and upgradable over time. Made of natural fabric and wood, it's a high-design flat speaker that comes with Google Assistant onboard—or you can buy it without a smart assistant for the same price.
JBL Authentics 200 for $200: This was my previous pick for a third-party smart speaker, but I'm uncertain of its access to Amazon and Google's newest assistants. I'll retest it once I confirm if it will gain access to one (if not both) assistants.
Sonos Era 100 for $189: Another third-party option, but it won't grant access to Google support. You can connect it to Amazon Alexa, though. Plus, Sonos is a great investment if you're really looking for a great speaker that can have smarts—but its smart assistant isn't the primary feature.
Sonos Beam Gen 2 for $369: This is an older version of the Sonos Beam that still has Google support, but I'm uncertain if it'll gain access to Gemini for Home.
Wii M A10 for $229: This speaker doesn't have a voice assistant, but it does have compatibility with Air Play 2, Google Cast, and Siri to be used as a Bluetooth speaker. WIRED reviewer Parker Hall says it reminds him of a Sonos speaker, but that it can instantly connect with Spotify Connect—faster than any other speaker he's tried.
How Should You Choose Between Alexa, Google, and Siri?
The easiest way to choose which smart assistant to add to your house is to consider which ecosystem you're already using in some capacity. If you're a big Google or Android user, for example, adding a Google Assistant–powered speaker to your home is a no-brainer. It's not always that simple, though. Apple and i Phone users will also find benefits in choosing Home Kit-powered devices, but Apple's ecosystem is so limited that you might want to choose a different assistant for the devices you want. Amazon's Alexa has the widest range of offerings, but Google Assistant's range of features has me coming back again and again.
What products do you want to use in your home, and which assistants are they compatible with?
What features do you want in a smart speaker? Which ecosystem can offer you those features?
There are many reasons to love Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, and it works pretty well. If you want to use your voice assistant to shop or use Amazon services like Prime Music or Prime Video, chances are an Alexa-powered speaker is best for you.
Google Assistant has fewer skills and is compatible with fewer smart home devices than Alexa, but Google Assistant can do enough to qualify as truly useful—plus, Google adds new skills fairly frequently. Speakers with Google Assistant work better when you network them together, and they're compatible with a wide variety of Google apps and services. Google is better at answering random questions and telling you where to go out to eat, since it can access and send information to your phone through Google apps.
Spotify, Pandora, and You Tube Music are the main ways to play music with Google Assistant. The service can also send Netflix shows and movies to your TV if you have a Chromecast attached.
My biggest advice for enjoying a smart speaker to its fullest potential is to make sure you put it somewhere you'll use it often. I love having a small speaker in my bedroom to ask about the weather while I'm getting ready for the day, and then I make sure there's a smart speaker somewhere near my desk and living area (usually multiple, but I'm an odd case since I test these for a living) so that I can call out requests as I work, cook, and watch TV.
The next biggest to-do to maximize your smart speaker is to invest in other compatible smart home gadgets. Smart speakers work best when they have other devices to control and speak to. Set up some smart lights, a smart lock or two, a video doorbell, a couple of security cameras—you name it! And then command your smart speaker to help you control them or otherwise check on your home.
Can I Use My Smart Speaker With My TV or Entertainment System?
Sometimes! This varies by TV model and what you have connected to your TV. You can find some TVs that have built-in voice control, though some might be voice control through the remote rather than with the smart speaker. Apple's smart speakers and Apple TV sync the best from what I've tested, if you're looking for a single system. But otherwise, I haven't found it as painless as I would have hoped.
If you're looking for music entertainment, smart speakers are great. You can connect multiple smart speakers for a stereo system, or connect your smart speaker to existing systems. Depending on the system in question and what you already have, you might have to choose a smart speaker with a 3.5 mm wire-in option or a speaker that has built-in compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Adding microphones to your home (and sometimes cameras) is a valid point of concern. Smart speakers are technically always listening, though they're supposed to only listen for their wake word and otherwise ignore all other audio until asked a question. But there have been cases where police have requested audio recordings from smart speakers to use as evidence, including two separate murder cases in 2018 and 2019.
Most of the speakers I recommend have some method to shut down the speaker's listening tendencies, whether an off switch or a camera cover, but it's annoying to switch on and off if you want to use your speaker regularly. Alexa also no longer allows local processing, so everything you ask Alexa is now sent to the cloud to help Alexa+ run.
Ultimately, you should be concerned about your privacy, and it's worth considering whether you want a set of microphones in your house. In my years of testing, I haven't felt any of my smart speakers to be invasive, and they do a good job giving themselves away when activated (lighting up and asking “Hmm?” if they don't understand the question), so it's never felt like my speakers are sneakily listening to me. But it's certainly a personal choice.
The smart speakers in this guide are primarily made by large brands—Amazon! Google! Sonos!—and it's unlikely any of them will suddenly vanish or become a useless brick speaker on your desk. There are even some first-generation Amazon Echos still working that are about a decade old (with mixed results, based on what users say online).
But a UK law passed in April 2024 adds more protection here. The law mandates three key points: more secure password procedures, more clarity on how to report bugs and security issues, and that manufacturers and retailers inform customers how long these products will receive support and software updates.
The last point is the most relevant for smart speaker users, since the fear is that you'll buy a speaker that will suddenly stop getting updates and become unusable. I'll be watching to see how much information is really offered to shoppers as it takes effect, but so far, we haven't seen any changes. But it's a law we like. While there's not yet an equivalent law in the US, I'll watch for updates here as well.
I employ a variety of tests with smart speakers. I do microphone tests, gauging how far away a speaker will hear and respond to a question, both while music is playing and while music is off. I also play a variety of songs to see how well the speaker performs at playing everything from chill lo-fi to our favorite metal band and beyond. I also sync it with smart devices to see how well it connects and controls those devices, and what kind of capabilities it has. If there's a screen, I also test the features included with that. Finally, I also live with these speakers for at least a week (if not more like months!) to see how they fare on day-to-day use and long-term performance.
How Does WIRED Acquire Smart Speakers? What Does WIRED Do With Them After Testing Them?
Most of the smart speakers I test are provided as press samples by companies that make them. These samples are obtained with the understanding that no coverage is promised, nor are there any agreements about what that coverage will look like if it occurs. I also occasionally purchase my own speakers.
After testing, most smart speakers are kept for long-term testing or in storage for future comparison tests. If a smart speaker is deemed redundant, I usually locally recycle the device, as it likely won't receive more updates or support from the company. If it's still a viable speaker, I'll donate it locally instead.
Key Takeaways
- There are three big players when it comes to finding the best smart speaker: Amazon, Google, and Apple's voice assistant-powered devices
- You likely already have a favorite ecosystem
- Below you will find the best smart speakers for each ecosystem, which I've found after trying nearly every single smart speaker that's come out in the last decade
- Updated June 2026: I reorganized this entire guide, reordering the picks and updating details about Google's speaker offerings
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Best Smart Speaker for Alexa Users (and Overall)
