JUMP TO Section Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.- The best smart speakers
- Amazon Echo (fourth generation)
- Sonos One
- Google Nest Audio
- Apple HomePod Mini
- Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (fourth generation)
- Google Nest Mini
- Sonos Beam
- How to choose a smart speaker
- Google Assistant vs Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri
- What about privacy?
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A reliable smart speaker is an essential part of any connected home, letting you access a wealth of resources through voice commands. Powered by a digital assistant, smart speakers allow you to stream music, get the latest news, check the weather, shop online, and more.
Smart speakers also give you a means of controlling other compatible smart products throughout your home, so you can create a seamless ecosystem of voice-enabled devices.
Speakers typically use Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Apple's Siri, so you'll want to settle on your preferred platform before you make a purchase. They each offer similar capabilities, but you should pick the assistant that ties in best with the products you already own.
All smart speakers provide general digital assistant functions, but audio quality, design, size, and extra features can vary a lot depending on which model you go with. Drawing on our own experience and expert reviews, this list will help you decide which smart speaker is best for your needs. Find out more about how Insider Reviews tests and reviews tech products.
The best smart speakers
Amazon Echo (fourth generation) - See at Amazon
The Amazon Echo is a reliable, reasonably priced smart speaker with Alexa.
Sonos One - See at Sonos
The Sonos One is a perfect fit for buyers who prioritize sound quality, and it lets you choose between Alexa and Google Assistant.
Google Nest Audio - See at Best Buy
The Google Nest Audio is a solid option for an all-around smart speaker if you prefer Google's ecosystem of products.
Apple Home Pod Mini - See at Best Buy
The HomePod Mini is a good fit for Apple fans but its voice assistant features are limited compared to the competition.
Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (fourth generation) - See atAmazon
The Amazon Echo Dot with Clock is a compact smart speaker with most of the same features you'd find on a larger, more expensive model.
Google Nest Mini - See at Buy Buy Baby
The Google Nest Mini is a budget-friendly smart speaker that offers Google Assistant in a small, inexpensive package.
Sonos Beam - See at Best Buy
The Sonos Beam is a smart speaker and soundbar in one, making it perfect for home theater buyers who want a digital assistant.
Amazon Echo (fourth generation)
Amazon All-New Echo Dot (4th Generation) Check price at Amazon - Dimensions: 5.7 x 5.7 x 5.2 inches
- Weight: 34.2 ounces
- Colors: Charcoal, Glacier White, Twilight Blue, and Red (limited edition)
- Smart assistant: Alexa
- Mute button: Yes
- Other features: 3.5mm line in/out, integrated smart-home hub, temperature sensor
Amazon's flagship speaker went through a major overhaul for its latest iteration. Gone is the tall cylinder that's been the basic design since Amazon introduced the Echo; it's been replaced by a smaller orb, just a little bigger than a grapefruit.
A notable improvement is the audio quality. It has the three-inch woofer introduced into the last generation, and it adds a second tweeter in the front. If you have an older Echo, you'll notice the new version seems louder, with better bass and a richer sound, according to Insider's review. There's also support for Dolby Audio to match the sound quality found in the Echo Plus, which Amazon is phasing out.
You can play music and podcasts from Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and most other major streaming services. It sounds great, but if you're looking to really blast the tunes, know that the Echo's top-volume level is limited.
The Echo was already one of the most robust speakers when it came to support for smart-home-device integration. Now, it gets a boost with a new built-in Zigbee hub that can automatically connect Zigbee devices. To help make Alexa more responsive to voice commands, Amazon included its AZ1 Neural Edge processor into the new Echo. In the past, this was one area where it lagged behind Google Assistant.
There are lingering privacy concerns, related to how Amazon collects user data. You can take steps to protect yourself. The Echo automatically runs Amazon Sidewalk, which combines a small portion of your Wi-Fi signal with your neighbors' to create an expanded network. The company says it's secure, but you have to manually opt out if you have concerns.
Read our full review of the fourth-generation Amazon Echo here.
Sonos One
Sonos One Check price at Amazon Check price at Walmart Check price at Best Buy - Dimensions: 6.35 x 4.69 x 4.69 inches
- Weight: 4.08 pounds
- Colors: Black, White
- Smart assistant: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
- Mute button: Yes
- Other features: Ethernet port
While the overall improvements to the audio quality in Amazon and Google's main smart speakers are notable, they're still not on the same level as the Sonos One. For music lovers in the market for a smart speaker, this is your pick, as long as you're comfortable with its price tag. You can pair it with other Sonos speakers to make a multi-room sound system. It also supports Apple's AirPlay 2, which lets you stream music from Apple devices.
The One speaker also uses Sonos' Trueplay, if you have an iPhone. It uses the phone's microphone to get a sense of the room where it sits, adjusting the sound based on things like whether there are carpets or drapes.
If you have a preference for Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant, the Sonos One lets you choose one or the other. Switching back and forth between the two isn't easy, however. It also can't do everything those two assistants are capable of on their company's proprietary speakers, such as voice calling.
Read more about the Sonos One here.
Sonos One Check price at Amazon Check price at Walmart Check price at Best Buy Google Nest Audio
Google Nest Audio Check price at Walmart Check price at Best Buy Check price at B&H - Dimensions: 6.89 x 4.89 x 3.07 inches
- Weight: 2.65 pounds
- Colors: Chalk, Charcoal, Sage, Sand, Sky
- Smart assistant: Google Assistant
- Mute button: Yes
Google replaced the Home with the Nest Audio as the mid-range offering in the company's smart speaker lineup in 2020. Now it's a cloth-covered, upright rectangle with hidden controls on top, instead of the Home's oddly shaped cylinder.
Most of the upgrades are under the hood, like the audio system which Goole says is 75 percent louder and has more bass. While our review notes that the bass is relatively strong, the size of the speaker does limit some aspects of its performance. Similar to the Sonos One, the Nest Audio can adjust how it sounds, based on its environment. It can automatically get a little louder if it's noisy, for example. Despite Google's improvements in sound quality, we still think the Sonos One has it beat.
The driving factor here is going to be whether or not you prefer Google Assistant to Amazon Alexa. It's a faster and more forgiving AI, so you can talk to it more naturally; Alexa can require more specificity in how you make your requests. It's also got the power of Google's search engine built into it. Smart-home devices from most brands integrate with the Nest Audio, but not quite as many as the Echo, thanks to its built-in Zigbee hub.
Read our full Google Nest Audio review here.
Apple HomePod Mini
Apple HomePod Mini Check price at Best Buy Check price at Verizon Check price at B&H Photo - Dimensions: 3.3 x 3.9 inches
- Weight: 0.76 pounds
- Colors: White, Space Gray
- Mute button: No
- Other features: Apple U1 chip for communication with iPhone
Introduced in late 2020, the HomePod Mini is a relative newcomer on the smart speaker scene. Priced at $200 less than the original HomePod, it fulfills many of the same features but without the same high level of sound quality.
We think it sounds better than Amazon's Echo Dot, especially at higher volumes. This is true both for music and phone calls. One big flaw is that the HomePod Mini doesn't support Spotify. You can still use the streaming service, but you'll have to access it on another device, like an iPad or iPhone. There's also the Handoff feature, which lets you easily transfer music from your phone to the speaker, a bit like Apple's AirDrop. That means you'll need an iPhone or iPad to get full use out of the HomePod Mini.
The Mini uses Siri, which makes it a snap to integrate with your most-used iPhone functions, like Messages. While Siri can do the basic tasks expected from an assistant, it's not as robust as Google Assistant and Alexa. That includes the number of smart home devices it can control, which are mostly limited to Apple's HomeKit products.
Read our full Apple HomePod Mini review here.
Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (fourth generation)
Amazon All-New Echo Dot with Clock (4th Generation) Check price at Amazon Check price at Best Buy Check price at B&H Photo Video - Dimensions: 3.9 x 3.9 x 3.5 inches
- Weight: 12.3 ounces
- Colors: White, Twilight Blue
- Smart Assistant: Alexa
- Mute button: Yes
- Other features: 3.5mm line out
Amazon's Echo Dot also got an overhaul in 2020. It looks exactly like the full-sized Echo, but it's smaller, about the size of a softball. Like the Echo, you get all the features of Alexa, including a large array of smart-home-device integration. You can also link to your Amazon Prime account. At half the price, it's a great choice if you're looking for a budget option.
It doesn't have everything the full-sized Echo does, most notably the audio quality. This is not the choice for room-filling sound. However, it's fine for listening to music or podcasts in the bedroom or the kitchen while you cook. There's also a 3.5mm port, so you can plug it into a better speaker and still get the benefits of Alexa.
Priced at $10 more than the standard Echo Dot, it's worth having the convenience of a visible clock, which can also display a timer, alarms, and the temperature outside. However, you can also still pick up the third-generation Echo Dot for $40. For those who don't care much about audio quality, it's a better deal than the newer, $50 fourth-generation Echo Dot without a clock.
Read our full fourth-generation Amazon Echo Dot review here.
Google Nest Mini
Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) Check price at Walmart Check price at Best Buy Check price at B&H Photo - Dimensions: 1.65 x 3.85 inches
- Weight: 6.38 ounces
- Colors: Chalk, Charcoal, Coral, Sky
- Smart assistant: Google Assistant
- Mute button: Yes
If you're looking to test the waters of the smart speaker market or just looking to build on your existing Google smart network, the Nest Mini packs a lot of functionality into a package that fits almost anywhere. A wall hook on the back lets you hang it on the wall, though it does still need to be plugged in like the rest of the devices listed here.
Like other smart speakers of its size, the Nest Mini will disappoint audiophiles. Our reviewer found that it doesn't get as loud as the Amazon Echo Dot, but it does improve on the sound of the older Google Home Minis. The sound quality is fine for smaller rooms, but it's not the same as what you'll get out of the bigger speakers.
Fans of Google Assistant will find its full functionality in the Mini. It connects with a large array of smart-home devices, as well as running the company's powerful search engine. Answers to many of your queries are never more than a second away. It can access most major streaming music services, internet radio stations, and Google Play Books.
Read our full Google Nest Mini review here.
Sonos Beam
Sonos Beam (Gen 2) Check price at Amazon Check price at Best Buy Check price at Sonos - Dimensions: 25.6 x 3.9 x 2.7 inches
- Weight: 6.2 pounds
- Colors: Black, White
- Smart assistant: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
- Mute button: Yes
- Other features: Ethernet port, HDMI, Dolby Atmos
What sets the Sonos Beam apart from other smart speakers is that it's designed specifically for watching movies and TV. A second-generation model was released in 2021, and it steps things up even further with the addition of Dolby Atmos support for simulated surround sound and overhead audio effects.
The 5.0-channel playback delivers clear dialogue, solid bass, and impressive dimension from a relatively small package. It provides a huge upgrade from the thin and hollow sounding speakers that are built into most TVs, and it can also pair with other Sonos speakers and a subwoofer.
Dolby Atmos playback is a nice bonus, but the Beam lacks actual up-firing drivers. You get a solid sense of space but the virtual effect isn't as convincing as a soundbar that actually bounces sound off your ceiling.
Like the Sonos One, the Beam works with either Alexa or Google Assistant. With far-field microphones built into it, you don't have to leave the couch to ask it to turn up the volume. You can also use Apple's AirPlay 2 to stream music from your iPhone. It does not support Bluetooth for audio streaming, however, so you need Wi-Fi for wireless playback.
The Beam is significantly more expensive than most other smart speakers, but it earns its high price tag by doubling as a full-fledged audio solution for your TV.
How to choose a smart speaker
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri: The main question is which voice assistant you want. Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant both feature a powerful AI that also works with a large array of smart-home products and services. Alexa has a slight edge in the number of devices and compatible apps it works with, and it also connects to your Amazon Prime account, allowing you to buy things with a voice command. Google Assistant has the power of the company's search engine baked into it, and it's a little more forgiving if you don't word your question perfectly. While they both support most of the major streaming services, like Spotify and Pandora, be sure to check that it works with the apps you use.
Siri is more limited, but if you have a preference for Apple products and HomeKit, it's powerful enough for most needs.
Audio quality: Another primary consideration in picking a smart speaker is how you plan to use it. If you're just looking for an assistant to have on hand in the kitchen or a replacement for your bedside alarm clock, then one of the smaller, more affordable options will work just fine. If you're prioritizing the audio experience, you'll want to consider one of the models designed with that in mind, especially if you want it to be the primary sound system for a larger room.
Google Assistant vs Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri
Which smart speaker you buy may come down to which smart-home products you use or which services are part of your daily routine. Here are some of the major products and services compatible with each one.
Alexa-compatible smart-home devices: Philips Hue, Ring, Schlage Smart Locks, TP-Link Smart Home Products, Leviton, Insteon, SmartThings, Wink, Caseta Wireless, LI-FX Smart Bulbs, GE Link Smart Bulbs, WeMo, iHome Smart Plugs, iDevices Switches, Nest, Sensi Thermostat, EcoBee Thermostat, Lyric Thermostat, August Smart Lock, Arlo Pro, Nest Cam IQ, Rachio Sprinklers, Garageio Garage Door, iRobot Roomba Smart Vacuums, and so many more. You can see the Echo-compatible products on Amazon here.
Alexa-compatible services: Amazon's Alexa supports more than 100,000 skills, and it supports far too many services to list here. Big ones include Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Sirius XM, Uber, Domino's, StubHub, Audible, Dish, NPR, and so many more. You can also buy things from Amazon with a simple voice command.
Google Assistant-compatible smart-home devices: Chromecast, Chromecast-enabled TVs and speakers, Nest, SmartThings, Philips Hue, LIFX Smart Lights, TP-Link Smart Home, Vivint Home Security, Rachio Sprinklers, Logitech Harmony, Geeni Connected Tech, August Smart Locks, Anova Precision Cooker, Insignia Wi-Fi Smart Plug, Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug, iRobot Roomba 960, Honeywell Wi-Fi Thermostat, Mr. Coffee Smart Coffee Maker, Lutron, Ring, and many more. See the full list here.
Google Assistant-compatible services: Spotify, Pandora, Google Play Music, TuneIn Radio, YouTube, IFTTT, Netflix, Google Services, Domino's, Food Network, Headspace, MadLibs, and more. See the full list here.
Apple's Siri-compatible smart-home devices: Logitech, Eufy, Nanoleaf, Eve, WeMo, August, Ecobee, Philips Hue, Eero, Linksys, iHome, Lutron, Fibaro, Rachio, and FirstAlert all have devices that work with Apple's HomeKit. See the full list here.
Siri-compatible services: For many services, you'll need to access them on your iPhone or iPad, then use the AirPlay 2 feature to stream them to the HomePod. It is compatible with Pandora, however. The HomePod lacks Alexa's thousands of skills, so you can't use the speaker to order a pizza or a car, for example.
What about privacy?
Both Alexa and Google Assistant record your voice as soon as you say the wake words. However, both companies say that the devices are not recording you until those words are spoken. Collected data is then used to make the device smarter in how it responds to your needs and usage patterns. It's also encrypted, giving you an extra level of protection. Both companies do hold onto that data forever.
The primary concern is that your data can be stolen by hackers or used by Amazon and Google for advertising revenue. The speakers can be muted, so they're not listening, but that means you can't easily wake the device when you want to use it. You can delete voice data from your Echo under "manage my device," or have it automatically delete your voice recordings. You should also opt out if you don't want Amazon to use your voice recordings to improve Alexa. Google has users opt in to a similar service, and you can manage the ways it uses your data under the "my activity" settings.
Apple's devices claim to offer the most privacy and security of any smart speaker. The data collected by Apple is randomized and not associated with your account, and the company deletes the data between the queries and its randomized numerical codes every six months. However, the HomePod doesn't have a physical mute button, like the Echo and Nest speakers do.
Ryan Van Bibber The editor for Turf Show Times, SB Nation's St. Louis Rams site, since 2006. I'm also a regular contributor at SB Nation NFL. A graduate of the University of Wyoming, I forever wonder why the Pokes are stuck in the second tier of D1 schools...until I remember not everyone can be so easily lured by great fly fishing and wind swept streets. Read more Read less 
Steven Cohen Senior Tech Editor Steven is a Senior Tech Editor for the Insider Reviews team, where he oversees streaming and home entertainment product coverage. He previously served as High-Def Digest's Gear Editor from 2013 to 2019, and his work has appeared on Ben's Bargains, Steve's Digicams, Big Picture Big Sound, and Consequence of Sound. Over his 11 years of experience covering the audiovisual industry, Steven has reviewed numerous TVs, headphones, speakers, monitors, streaming players, and more. He was one of a select number of journalists invited to get a hands-on first look at LG's first 8K OLED TV in 2019, and is always excited to check out the newest and biggest displays on the market. Based on his extensive experience in the home theater industry, Steven served as one of the expert judges for the 2018 TV Shootout, the premier annual display competition that crowns the best TVs of the year. Steven also has a background in film criticism, having reviewed over 400 movies and TV shows. He uses his movie industry knowledge to help inform his coverage of the streaming and home entertainment markets. Steven's own home theater setup makes his passion for entertainment clear, complete with a 77-inch HDR display and the biggest Dolby Atmos speaker system he can fit in his apartment. And though he often spends his free time binging new series on every streaming service under the sun, he remains proud of his huge collection of Blu-ray discs.Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.Learn more about how we test tech and electronics. Read more Read lessYou can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.
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