We’ve compiled the top smart speakers for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant users at each price range. Great for requesting your favourite song on all major streaming services.

Budget ($50)

The music these speakers produce won’t blow you away, but if you’re just asking questions, setting alarms, controlling smart devices, etc. it’s a great choice. If you’re primary use is music, perhaps scroll down and get something with better sound. Note, both of these speakers regularly go on sale or giveaways bundled with subscription services.

Amazon Alexa
Echo Dot – $49.99
  • Echo Dot Charcoal 1
  • Echo Dot Heather Gray 2
  • Echo Dot Plum 3
  • Echo Dot Sandstone 4
  • Made for any room – You can place Dot in the bedroom and use it as a smart alarm clock that can also turn off your lights. Or use Dot in the kitchen to easily set timers and shop with just your voice.
  • Voice-control your music – Use your voice to play a song, artist, or genre through Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, and others.
  • Voice-control your smart home – Switch on the lamp before getting out of bed, turn up the thermostat while reading in your favorite chair, or dim the lights from the couch to watch a movie.
  • Alexa always getting smarter – The more you use Dot, the more it adapts to your speech patterns, vocabulary, and personal references. And because Echo Dot is always connected, updates are delivered automatically.
  • Alexa app – With the free Alexa app on Fire OS, Android, iOS, and desktop browsers, you can easily set up and manage your Echo Dot.
  • Call almost anyone hands-free using your voice – Use Drop In to instantly connect to another compatible Echo at home or send an announcement across Echo devices, like calling the family for dinner or reminding the kids to go to bed. Plus, now with Skype calling stay in touch with friends and family in over 150 countries.

Echo Dot allows you to hook up external speakers via 3.5mm headphone jack or Bluetooth.

Google Assistant
Google Nest Mini – $49
  • Better sound, all around – Music sounds bigger and richer on Nest Mini, with more power and bass. Ask your Google Assistant to play your favorite songs from Spotify, YouTube Music, and more. Or stream music from your phone to Nest Mini.
  • A little help with the Google Assistant – Just ask and get the best of Google – weather, news, or almost anything. Set timers and alarms. And with Voice Match, you can hear your personalized schedule, commute times, reminders, and more. So your day gets off to a good start.
  • Control your home with just your voice – Dim the lights, pause the TV, or turn up the heat – all with your voice. Nest Mini works with thousands of compatible smart devices, like lights, thermostats, and TVs, from your favorite brands. Just say “Hey Google.”
  • Thoughtfully designed for every room – Nest Mini blends right into your home. It looks great on a nightstand, shelf, or countertop – even on the wall. Each color complements the entryway, living room, bedroom, or kitchen.

Largely the same as the Echo Dot. Unforunately no headphone jack on this one, but you can still connect to external speakers via Bluetooth.

Have a Spotify Premium account in the UK? Get your hands on a free Nest Mini here.

Good sound (under $100)

Amazon Alexa
Echo Plus – $79.99 (usually $149.99)
  • Echo Plus Charcoal 1
  • Echo Plus Heather Gray 2
  • Echo Plus Sandstone 3
  • Echo Plus has a built-in Zigbee hub to easily set up and control your compatible smart home devices and improved sound for streaming music
  • New premium speakers powered by Dolby play 360° audio with crisp vocals and dynamic bass response. You can also use your voice to adjust equalizer settings
  • Ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, read the news, check the weather, set alarms, control compatible smart home devices and more
  • Set up your smart home without a separate hub. Ask Alexa to control compatible smart lights, switches, sensors, door locks, and more. Echo Plus also includes a built-in temperature sensor
  • Ask Alexa for a song, artist, or genre from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, and more. With multi-room music, play music on compatible Echo devices in different rooms
  • Call almost anyone hands-free using your voice. Use Drop In to instantly connect to another compatible Echo at home or send an announcement across Echo devices, like calling the family for dinner or reminding the kids to go to bed.
  • Plus, now with Skype calling stay in touch with friends and family in over 150 countries.

The next step up from the Echo Dot, with more powerful, Dolby processing, 360°, room filling sound, from a 3″ neodymium woofer and 0.8″ tweeter.

Google Assistant

We’d love to recommend the Google Home speaker, but they are no longer available on the Google Store in anticipation of the already teased updated mid-range smart speaker. We suggest holding off for the new version but currently no release date is known.

Google Home

Great sound ($200)

We’re getting into seriously good speaker territory here. These will be sufficient for your house parties (when they’re back on) or even TV speaker replacements.

Amazon Alexa
Echo Studio – $199.99
Echo Studio
  • Immersive sound – 5 speakers produce powerful bass, dynamic mid-range, and crisp high tones. The Dolby Atmos technology adds space, clarity, and depth.
  • Ready to help – Ask Alexa to play music, read the news, and answer questions.
  • Voice control your music – Stream songs from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal and more. Play a growing library of music mastered in 3D from Amazon Music HD.
  • Adapts to any room – Automatically senses the acoustics of your space, fine-tuning playback for optimal sound.
  • Built-in smart home hub – Ask Alexa to control Zigbee-compatible devices.
  • Keep your family in sync – Use your Alexa devices like an intercom, and talk to any room in the house with Drop In and Announcements.
  • Designed to protect your privacy – Built with multiple layers of privacy controls, including a microphone off button that electronically disconnects the microphones.

5 speakers, Dolby Atmos and music that adapts to the room the speaker is placed in. 3.5mm jack input/output, as well as mini-optical Toslink line in. Can wirelessly connect to a Fire Stick for great sounding TV speakers

Google Assistant
Google Home Max – $199 (usually $299)
  • Google Home Max Chalk 1
  • Google Home Max Charcoal 2
  • Made for music – Google Home Max is built with advanced hardware for the ultimate in high-fidelity music with dual 4.5″ woofers, and crystal-clear highs from two tweeters.
  • Smart Sound inside – By applying the power of Google to audio, your music will sound amazing in any room. Google Home Max analyzes, tunes and updates itself – automatically.
  • Your songs, your way – Play music from apps like YouTube Music, Pandora and Spotify by streaming over Wi-Fi. Play, pause, skip, control the volume, and more with just your voice. “Play Discover Weekly on Spotify.” “What song is this?”
  • Rock the house – Play music everywhere by creating a multi-room group using Google Home Max along with Google Home, Google Home Mini, or a speaker with Chromecast Audio plugged in. “Ok Google, play party playlist on all speakers.” “Ok Google, turn the volume up to 8.”
  • A speaker with smarts – Powered by the Google Assistant, you can control compatible smart home devices with your voice and do things like turn up the thermostat and turn lights on or off. Plus you can check traffic, get your daily schedule, the weather forecast, set reminders, or even make phone calls,* all hands-free. “Ok Google, what’s the weather?” “Ok Google, dim the lights.”
  • Fits your style and fits your space – Google Home Max comes in two distinct colors – chalk and charcoal. And you can stand it on either end, so it’s easy to fit in anywhere.

Dual 4.5-inch woofers and custom tweeters. 6 microphones will pick your voice up from across the room, even when music is playing. Again, this speakers adapts to the room it’s placed in.

Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant
Sonos One – $199
  • Sonos One Black 1
  • Sonos One White 2
  • Enjoy the music your love in one place – The Sonos app works with 80 streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music and YouTube Music to make listening to music as simple as possible.
  • Brilliant clear sound in any room – With Sonos, you can create a wireless multiroom audio system with simple control and wide functionality. Pair two speakers in the same room for stereo separation and more detailed sound.
  • Manage your sound system from any device – The Sonos app is compatible with iOS, Android, Mac, or Windows devices.
  • Smart speaker with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant – Allows you to start and control your music with your voice.
  • Make your life easier with Alexa and Google skills – You can check traffic, find a recipe for dinner, play games, or make announcements for a whole home.
  • Wireless connection – Connects to your home Wi-Fi network with any 802.11b/g, 2.4GHz broadcast-capable router for uninterrupted wireless streaming.
  • Apple AirPlay support – With AirPlay, stream directly from your Apple devices or ask Siri to play your favorites from Apple Music throughout your home.
  • Two Class-D digital amplifiers – Tuned to match the speaker drivers and acoustic architecture.
  • Compact speaker combines woofer and tweeter – Ensures rich sound with high-frequency response, faithful playback of mid-range vocal frequencies and deep bass.
  • Four far-field microphones – Provide advanced beamforming and echo cancellation.
  • Convenient top panel – Use capacitive touch controls for volume up/down, previous/next track, play/pause, microphone mute. The LED indicates the status, mute status, and voice feedback.

If you can’t decide between Google Assistant or Alexa, the Sonos One features both assistants in one, as well as AirPlay 2 for seemless streaming from your iOS device or Mac.

Premium sound ($300)

Bose Home Speaker 500 – $299 (usually $399)
  • Bose Home Speaker 500 Black 1
  • Bose Home Speaker 500 Silver 2
  • Bose Home Speaker 500 Multi-room compatible Wireless Smart Speaker – Play music in multiple rooms at once. With a soundstage wider than any other smart speaker, you’ll be able to fill any room with astonishing stereo performance.
  • Control your music from the palm of your hand – With the Bose Music app, you can easily browse through all your music in one place and seamlessly jump between stations, playlists, and services.
  • More ways to connect with the music you love – Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability for pairing wireless devices.
  • Add more sound around the house – Listen to the same music in different rooms at the same time by grouping two or more Bose Home Speakers together – or with Bose SimpleSync™ technology. You can also group a Bose Home Speaker with a Bose SoundLink Bluetooth speaker and play them both in perfect sync. Compatible Bose Smart Home speakers are Home Speaker 500, Home Speaker 300, and Portable Home Speaker. Compatible Bose Soundlink speakers are Soundlink Revolve, Revolve+, Mini, Mini II, Color, Color II, and Micro.
  • Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control built right in – Get access to weather, timers, or use the Home Speaker 500 as a smart home hub to control your existing smart devices with built-in Amazon Alexa and Google Voice Assistants.
  • Two custom drivers point in opposite directions – Wall-to-wall stereo from a single speaker.
  • Six preset buttons for one-touch access to music – Play your favorite music services over a home Wi-Fi network, like Spotify or Amazon Music, at the touch of a button.

Best of the best, for those with $300 to drop on smart speakers, Bose’s Home Speaker 500 features Alexa, Google Assistant and AirPlay 2, with 8 microphones for voice pickup.

With screens

Sometimes you need your smart assistant to provide you with visual clues or video streaming. Be it a recipe, binging a show or showing you who’s at the door, both Google and Alexa have a range of smart screens. All devices with cameras can be manually turned off to keep prying eyes out of your home.

Amazon Alexa
Echo Show 5 – $69.99 (usually $89.99)
  • Echo Show 5 Charcoal 1
  • Echo Show 5 Sandstone 2
  • See and do more with Alexa – Echo Show 5 connects to Alexa to give you vivid visuals on its 5.5″ smart display with a crisp full sound – all in a compact design that fits in any room, in any home. See on-screen lyrics with Amazon Music.
  • Connect with your favorite people – Connect with your favorite people. Make hands-free video calls to the Alexa app or another Echo device with a screen. Instantly connect to other supported devices in your home, or make a voice announcement to every room with a supported Echo device. Set alarms and timers, catch up on the current events, check weather and traffic, as you head out in your new city.
  • Entertainment for every part of your day – Catch up on today’s news and sports highlights. Watch movie trailers. Cook along with step-by-step recipes. See song lyrics and album art with Amazon Music. It’s the perfect size for adding glanceable entertainment to any room.
  • Designed around your privacy – Enjoy multiple layers of privacy. Your voice is streamed to the cloud only after your device detects the wake word – Alexa. You can turn off the microphone and camera with a press of the button. The built-in shutter lets you easily cover the camera.
  • Control your smart home – Manage compatible smart home devices on the simple interactive display, or use your voice. Regulate lights and switches, set thermostats, view security cameras.
  • Make other nightstands jealous – Use the ambient sunrise lighting feature to get your day started right. You can also choose from several fun clock face designs.
  • Alexa boasts more than 80,000 skills and counting – Amazon Alexa is always getting smarter. The skills are like apps, and help you do more. Play Jeopardy! or learn something new with wikiHow. Just say, “Alexa, show me skills.”

5.5-inch screen, that’s roughly phone sized. The camera makes it great for video calls. Amazon devices support Prime Video streaming, but unfortunately no luck for other services such as Netflix. The 3.5mm audio output means you can hook up your external HiFi system.

Echo Show 8 – $104.99 (usually $129.99)
  • Echo Show 8 Charcoal 1
  • Echo Show 8 Sandstone 2
  • Alexa can show you more – With an 8″ HD screen and stereo sound, Alexa can help manage your day at a glance.
  • Connect with video calling and messaging – Connect with your favorite people. Make hands-free video calls to the Alexa app or another Echo device with a screen. Instantly connect to other supported devices in your home, or make a voice announcement to every room with a supported Echo device.
  • Be entertained – Ask Alexa to show you movie trailers, TV shows, movies, or news. Or listen to radio stations, podcasts, and audiobooks.
  • Control your smart home – Voice control compatible devices, or manage them on the easy-to-use display. Ask Alexa to show you security cameras, control lights, and adjust thermostats.
  • Make it yours – Show off your Amazon photo albums. Customize your home screen. Create morning routines to start your day.
  • Made to fit your life – Cook along to step-by-step recipes. Easily update to-do lists and calendars. Glance at weather and traffic on your way out.
  • Designed to protect your privacy – Electronically disconnect the microphones and camera with one press of a button. Slide the built-in shutter to cover the camera.

8-inch screen, that’s small tablet sized. Essentially the same as above, with a bigger screen and better speakers.

Echo Show 10 – $229.99
  • Echo Show Charcoal 1
  • Echo Show Sandstone 2
  • All-new Echo Show – Features a new look, a vibrant 10″ HD screen, built-in smart home hub, and improved speakers. Just ask Alexa to show you a recipe, watch live TV and sports with Hulu, make video calls, or see who’s at the front door.
  • Hands-free video calling and messaging – Connect with your favorite people. Make hands-free video calls to the Alexa app or another Echo device with a screen. Instantly connect to other supported devices in your home, or make a voice announcement to every room with a supported Echo device. Echo Show’s new speakers boast dual 2″ premium drivers, a passive bass radiator, and Dolby processing to deliver expansive stereo sound with deep, powerful lows and crisp highs. Adjust the treble, mid, and bass levels using only your voice, or set up multiroom music to play music across compatible Echo devices throughout your home.
  • Alexa can show you even more – Watch as the display comes alive to show song lyrics and album art from Amazon Music. Stream music from Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio. Stream books from your Audible library or watch movie trailers, news briefings, Prime Video content, and live TV and sports with a Hulu subscription.
  • Always ready to help – Echo Show is the kitchen companion that helps you get more done in your day. Cook along to step-by-step recipes, set alarms and timers, add items to your to-do and shopping lists, see weather forecasts, calendars, photos, and more. Echo Show is optimized for visibility across the room and can hear you even while music is playing.
  • Voice-control your smart home – Alexa can control thousands of compatible smart home devices, such as security cameras, lights, thermostats and more. Just ask to show you the front door camera or brighten the kitchen lights. Easily set up and control compatible Zigbee smart home devices without the need for a separate hub. Just say, “Alexa, discover my devices,” and Echo Show will discover and set up compatible devices so you can control them with your voice or manage them on-screen. You can also voice call or message almost anyone, or instantly connect to other devices in your home to make a quick announcement or check in on the kids. Plus, now with Skype calling stay in touch with friends and family in over 150 countries.
  • Alexa has skills – With over 50,000 skills and counting, Alexa is always getting smarter. Skills are like apps and let you do more, such as play Jeopardy, meditate with Headspace, or view your favorite beaches with Surfline. Just say, “Alexa, help me get started with skills.” You can even create your own with Alexa Skill Blueprints.

10.1-inch screen, we’re talking large tablet sized. At over $200, these don’t come cheap, but the large screen, premium speakers and improved camera makes streaming video, music and video calls a joy.

Google Assistant
Nest Hub – $89.99
  • Google Nest Hub Charcoal 2
  • Google Nest Hub Aqua 3
  • Google Nest Hub Sand 4
  • Help at a glance – Google Nest Hub helps you make the most of moments at home.
  • Command your day – With Voice Match, get your calendar, commute, reminders, and more right on the home screen. You can even watch the news, make a shopping list, and place calls to friends, family, and local businesses.
  • Simplify your smart home – Voice control compatible lights, cameras, TVs, and more from a single dashboard. Works with Nest and 5000+ smart devices from 400+ popular brands.
  • 7-inch touch screen – View more information and content at a glance, clear and crisp.
  • Answers for any moment – Ask questions and get visual, immersive answers from Google on weather, recipes, local business information, and more. You can even watch helpful videos from YouTube.
  • Play your favorite songs – Use your voice to play your favorite songs, albums, artists, and music videos from YouTube Music. You can also listen to Spotify and Pandora. All available free.
  • Relive your memories – Use your voice to show any picture you’ve ever taken in Google Photos. And with Live Albums, always view the latest photos of loved ones.
  • Add a Nest Aware subscription – Starting at $6 a month for all your Nest cameras, speakers, and displays. Nest Aware gives you more video history and alerts that matter.

7-inch screen, this is small tablet territory. Google Nest Hubs have support for all Google services such as YouTube, Google Photos, Google Maps, etc. as well as Netflix. Unforunately the smaller Nest Hub does not include a camera, so video calls are off. Neither Hub has a 3.5mm audio jack for audio output, so be aware, you may be limited in the speaker department.

Nest Hub Max – $229
  • Google Nest Hub Max Chalk 1
  • Google Nest Hub Max Charcoal 2
  • Hey Google, make it easier – Google Nest Hub Max helps your busy family stay in touch and on track. And with the Google Assistant, you don’t have to lift a finger. Just use your voice.
  • Mobile control from your smartphone or tablet – With the Google Home app, set up, manage, and control your Google Home and Chromecast devices, plus thousands of connected home products, such as lights, cameras, thermostats and more – all from one app.
  • Keep everyone connected – Hey Google, call Mom. Make video calls to friends and family. You can also leave video messages for each other on Nest Hub Max.
  • Stay in touch and in sight – Multitask while you make video calls. With auto-framing, the camera keeps you in view as you move around the room.
  • Ultimate digital picture frame – See your latest great shots from Google Photos automatically. They’ll all look beautiful on a 10″ HD screen.
  • Check in on home when you’re away – Keep an eye on things at home with the built-in Nest Cam. Check in from your phone, and get motion and sound alerts. With a Nest Aware subscription, you’ll also get continuous video recording and familiar face alerts.
  • Make your smart home even smarter – Use your voice to control your Nest thermostat, Nest x Yale lock, lights, TVs, and thousands of other compatible smart home devices. See them all on one screen – no more opening app after app.
  • Watch what you want and when you want – With Chromecast built in, stream movies and TV shows from services, such as Google Play Movies, HBO NOW, Hulu and more.
  • Google Assistant shows you all you need to know – Nest Hub Max automatically shows your calendar, commute, reminders and more.
  • Add a Nest Aware subscription – Starting at $6 a month for all your Nest cameras, speakers, and displays. Nest Aware gives you more video history and alerts that matter.

Same as above, plus a larger screen, larger speakers and a camera.