Amazon’s Echo Devices Compared: Which One Is Best for Your Smart Home?

The Echo Dot Kids Edition is shaped like the Echo Dot, but comes in owl, dragon, rainbow swirl, and stardust prints. It packs some kid-friendly features, like one free year of Amazon Kids+ for thousands of hours of kid-friendly Audible books, interactive games, and educational skills. (After a year, Amazon Kids+ is $5.99/month.) This Echo Dot also comes with a two-year, worry-free guarantee, so if it breaks, Amazon will replace it for free.

Unveiled during Amazon’s September devices event, the Echo Dot Max replaces the 4th-gen Echo at the $99 price point. It runs an AZ3 chip for “better conversation detection,” Amazon says, while its dual speakers promise fuller bass. “The result is a compact speaker that packs a huge punch,” according to Amazon, though we’ll need to put that to the test in PC Labs. The Echo Dot Max is available for preorder in graphite, amethyst, and graphite white and launches on Oct. 29.

The baseline of the Alexa hardware experience is now the angled Echo Pop. Effectively a cheaper version of the orb-shaped Echo Dot, the Pop boasts a larger front-firing speaker and slightly different look, without sacrificing its Alexa-powered voice assistance functions. Designed to fit into small spaces like a dorm room or bathroom, the Echo Pop also features Amazon’s AZ2 Neural Edge processor and can serve as a network extender for Eero mesh networks.

This kids’ version of the Echo Pop smart speaker features Marvel, Anthro Pup, Disney Princess, and unicorn characters and comes with six months of Amazon Kids+.

The original orb-shaped Echo Spot came out in 2017 as a more compact, clock-radio-like alternative to the Echo Show devices. But it was largely ignored until Amazon released an updated Echo Spot in 2024 that sits between a smart speaker and a full smart display. In our review, we found that new Echo Spot’s display isn’t too impressive, but it performs quite well as a smart speaker, provides useful bits of information, and offers basic smart home controls.

The Echo Show 15 is designed to be easily mounted on a wall, though Amazon is now selling it with an adjustable stand for an extra $125. It features a 15.6-inch, 1080p LCD surrounded by a large, picture-frame-like bezel that can look like a painting or smart frame when not in use. It includes Fire TV support and the visual ID feature. Amazon promises better audio quality, plus more bass and noise-reduction tech than the original, as well as an improved camera for video calls with a 65% zoom and auto-framing to keep you centered in a video chat. In our review, we found that its camera improvements help justify the higher price.

The Echo Show 21 is wall-mountable, so it could double as a picture frame, a small TV, a security camera feed, a smart home lighting hub, or even a digital fireplace. Amazon is also selling an adjustable stand for an extra $125. There’s a 13MP wide-angle camera with auto-framing, while a visual ID feature can identify anyone in a household who stands in front of it and loads their own calendars and lists. It features Wi-Fi 6E capabilities and costs $399.99. In our review, we said it’s fairly expensive and produces only average sound but is worth checking out if you want the biggest smart display possible,

This scaled-down Echo Show 15 looks like a thermostat or home security system, but it’s an 8-inch touch-enabled display where you can manage smart cameras, organize widgets, or just check the time. In our review, we found it to be an excellent value compared with the similar Brilliant Control ($399), a dedicated smart home control panel that retails for more than twice as much. The Echo Hub stands out for its smart home prowess, especially if you prefer to control your devices from a screen rather than with your voice.

At its fall event, Amazon gave its Echo Show devices a slight makeover, but they’re not a huge departure from the previous-gen version (on sale now for $99.99). The new Echo Show 8 features an 8.7-inch HD display and a 13MP camera with auto-framing capabilities, which will recognize and greet you when you approach it. It has Alexa+ Early Access out of the box. It costs $179.99 and arrives on Nov. 12 in graphite or glacier white. Add an adjustable stand for $40.

For something even smaller, the third-gen Echo Show 5 improves on the previous model with a speaker designed for deeper bass and 20% faster request response time, so you can set that alarm, add that grocery list item, or hear that joke marginally quicker. Available in black, blue, white, the 5.5-inch smart display fits virtually anywhere in your home, and comes with a 2MP HD camera and built-in shutter, as well the option to turn off the microphone and camera.

The kid-centric Echo Show 5 makes it easy for little ones to ask Alexa for homework help, make video calls to pre-approved contacts, and set wake-up alarms in the voice of their favorite characters. Now with an additional mic for improved voice-assist responsiveness and a faster AZ2 Neural Edge processor, the device comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ (starting at $5.99 per month for Prime members after the first year) for access to thousands of books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, games, and skills. There’s also a two-year “worry-free guarantee,” which offers a free replacement for broken displays.

This colorful smart light orb is intended for kids. Ask Alexa to change the Glow’s colors; tap to make it flicker like a campfire or flash while an Echo Dot plays music for a dance party. The Echo Glow doesn’t work with any Alexa skills and can’t be set to flash or give any indication of you getting a message or alert. But for the price, it seems like a fine smart light for your kids’ rooms. (Not to be confused with the now-defunct Amazon Glow, a $300 smart speaker plus projector that let kids connect with faraway loved ones and play games.)

Amazon’s Echo Buds true wireless earphones promise up to five hours of music playback per charge, and a sub-$50 price tag. The in-ear accessory, which sports an easy-hold stem, connect to two devices at the same time, so you can take that video call from computer to phone without missing a beat. Echo Buds are compatible with iOS and Android, with hands-free access to Alexa, Siri, and the Google Assistant.

The second-generation Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which offer hands-free Alexa voice control, improve upon Amazon’s original true wireless earphones with a smaller, lighter design and active noise cancellation. These Echo Buds are smaller and lighter than their predecessor and offer genuine active noise cancellation.

The Smart Plug is part of a line of products called Alexa Gadgets, which need to be connected to other Echo smart speakers. It connects to Echo devices like the Dot to turn compatible devices with mechanical on and off switches into smart ones. You can then say things like “Alexa, turn on the coffee pot.”

The $269.99 Echo Frames ($389.99 for the Carrera-branded version) offer hands-free access to Alexa to make calls, request podcasts or Audible books, set reminders, and other tasks. The third-gens promise extended battery life (up to six hours of continuous media playback), better Alexa performance, and a more stylish look. In our review, we found them to be better looking and more comfortable than ever, while falling short on audio quality.

Google has Android Auto and Apple has CarPlay, so it was inevitable that Amazon would also get into the automotive space. The Echo Auto debuted in 2018 as a small device that attaches to the dashboard and responds to questions just like it would at home. A slimmed-down (and more expensive) version arrived in 2022 for $54.99. As we found in our review, the latest Echo Auto is ultimately just a good microphone that lets you use Alexa voice controls in your car. It’s not any more unique than the Alexa mobile app, but it might be able to hear you better.