Smart speakers bring AI assistants like Alexa+, Google Gemini, and Siri to any room of your home. Just say their name to get an answer to a question, play music, or control your smart home devices. At PCMag, we’ve been reviewing smart speakers since the first Amazon Echo was released in 2015, so we can help you find the best one for your home, regardless of which voice assistant you prefer. Amazon’s smart speakers still lead the pack, and the Echo Dot Max is the most well-rounded of the bunch. It has impressive sound for its size and wide interoperability with other smart home devices. If you’re interested in a smart speaker that works with a different digital assistant or something with even bigger sound, we have you covered with a range of worthy alternatives to consider for every platform below.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
October 31, 2025: With this update, we added the Amazon Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio. Our remaining picks have been vetted for currency and availability.
- Big, balanced sound for the size
- Lots of connectivity features
- Supports multiple smart home hub standards
- Instant Alexa+ access
- Not as powerful as its predecessor
The Echo Dot Max replaces the standard Amazon Echo at the center of Amazon’s lineup of smart speakers. Thanks to built-in Thread and Zigbee antennas, the well-rounded (and spherical) device acts as a capable smart home hub. It’s compatible with Matter and an impressive array of third-party gadgets. The AI-powered Alexa+ makes interacting with it to ask questions or control connected devices more seamless and conversational than ever. The Dot Max also has impressive sound quality, especially for its size. Music playing through it sounds full-bodied and well-balanced, with punchy bass. Moreover, this speaker can act as a satellite in Amazon’s upcoming Alexa Home Theater setup.
Go with the Echo Dot Max for its ideal combination of size, sound quality, smarts, and affordability. Other options on this list produce better audio for more money, or provide similar smarts for less, but the Echo Dot Max strikes a skillful balance. It’s an outstanding smart speaker for nearly any room.
Channels
Mono
Physical Connections
None
Built-In Voice Assistant
Amazon Alexa
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Amazon Echo Dot Max Review
- Plenty of kid-friendly activities and audiobooks available through Alexa
- Comes with six-month Amazon Kids+ subscription
- Silicone skin helps protect it from bumps
- Two-year warranty
- Only available in Disney-licensed designs
- Alexa skills are difficult to browse
The Echo Pop Kids is, at its heart, an Echo Pop with some kid-friendly extras. It includes a colorful faceplate (with Disney Princesses or Marvel’s Avengers), a protective silicone skin, a two-year warranty, and a six-month subscription to the Amazon Kids+ service. That’s a lot for just $10 more than the regular Echo Pop, especially when you consider that Amazon Kids+ gives you access to kid-friendly audiobooks, ebooks, games, and video content on Amazon’s various Echo and Fire devices, plus all smartphones and tablets.
This is the best smart speaker for little kids thanks to its protective skin. You can get a full year of Amazon Kids+ with the slightly more expensive Echo Dot Kids, but that speaker is less likely to hold up to being tossed around.
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1
Physical Connections
None
Built-In Voice Assistant
Amazon Alexa
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Amazon Echo Pop Kids Review
- Rich bass response and clear highs
- Room-sensing audio
- Strong mic clarity
- HomeKit and Matter support
- Temperature and humidity sensors
- Expensive
- No user-customizable EQ
- Matter setup issues in testing
Apple’s second-generation HomePod fixes most of what made the original HomePod a bit unappealing: It costs less and Siri is much more useful. Apple’s largest smart speaker offers impressive sound quality and volume, providing an enjoyable experience for movies and music. Excellent mic performance, Matter support, and sensors for temperature and humidity round out the package.
If you want a centerpiece Siri speaker with room-filling sound, this is the HomePod to get.
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Stereo
Physical Connections
None
Built-In Voice Assistant
Apple Siri
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Apple HomePod (2nd Generation) Review
- Balanced sound with strong, detailed highs
- Supports Bluetooth and Google Cast
- Google Assistant is more useful than ever
- Bass isn’t particularly powerful
This is, for all intents and purposes, Google’s version of the Amazon Echo Dot Max. It’s $100, big-but-not-too-big, and lets you use Google’s virtual assistant hands-free without your phone. Its chiclet shape is a bit awkward-looking, but that doesn’t matter as much as the sound.
Google recently announced the Nest Audio’s replacement, the Google Home Speaker, which has 360-degree audio that sounds consistent no matter where you stand around it, and which can be paired with a second speaker to work as a stereo sound system for your TV. It won’t be available until Spring 2026, however.
If you want to use Google Assistant instead of Amazon Alexa, and you want good audio for music as well as helpful voice assistance, the Nest Audio is the best choice. It’s another Goldilocks speaker, not too small or expensive, but versatile enough for wherever you want to put it.
Channels
Mono
Physical Connections
None
Built-In Voice Assistant
Google Assistant
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Google Nest Audio Review
- Room-filling sound with strong bass depth and bright highs
- Supports Dolby Atmos
- Works with Alexa and Sonos voice commands
- Terrific companion app with room analysis and adjustable EQ
- Wide support for music streaming services
- Expensive
- No Google Assistant or Cast support
The Era 300 seamlessly integrates into any Sonos multi-room system, offering Alexa voice control and supporting Dolby Atmos spatial audio. It sounds excellent, too, especially when paired with a second speaker for more directional audio.
The Era 300 is a centerpiece for any home with other Sonos speakers. It produces loud, detailed sound even on its own and looks more stylish than most other models on this list.
Channels
Dolby Atmos (4 tweeters, 2 woofers)
Physical Connections
USB-C
Built-In Voice Assistant
Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control
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Sonos Era 300 Review
- Convenient tap gestures
- Well-balanced sound
- Can serve as an Eero mesh network node
- No 3.5mm jack
- Limited frequency range
The Echo Dot offers full hands-free Alexa access while producing good audio quality considering its size. Its powerful voice assistant lets you seek out sports scores, weather reports, and other useful information; set alarms and timers; search for and play music and audiobooks; control smart home devices; and make voice calls. Additionally, integrated motion sensors allow you to interact with the speaker with a tap, and it can also serve as an Eero mesh network node.
The Echo Dot is ideal for smaller spaces where you want to use Alexa but don’t require large sound to accompany it. Its small size makes it a great nightstand smart speaker.
Channels
Mono
Physical Connections
None
Built-In Voice Assistant
Amazon Alexa
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Amazon Echo Dot Review
- Big sound field
- Detailed mids and highs
- Multiple angled drivers enable spatial audio
- Supports Alexa+ and three smart home hub standards
- Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity
- Support for home theater setups
- Underwhelming bass
- Limited selection of spatial audio music
With three times the bass of the Echo Dot Max, the Echo Studio has the best sound quality of any current Amazon smart speaker. It can play spatial audio, including Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio content. You can also pair it with other Echo Studios to create a surround sound system using Amazon’s upcoming Alexa Home Theater feature. Aside from using it to listen to music or movies, it has an excellent list of credentials as a smart home controller. The AI-powered Alexa+ makes issuing commands more conversational than ever, and it has built-in antennas for Thread and Zigbee, so it can act as a Matter hub.
If you’re an Alexa fan and want to prioritize sound quality, opt for the Echo Studio. You can save money with smaller Echo speakers if you’re fine with casual listening, but the Studio is an excellent choice if you want to use a few as satellite speakers for your Fire TV setup.
Channels
5.1
Physical Connections
None
Built-In Voice Assistant
Amazon Alexa
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Amazon Echo Studio (2nd Gen, 2025) Review
- Solid audio performance with rich bass and bright highs
- Multiple speakers can be grouped and used as stereo pairs
- Easy Siri voice control
- Good Apple Home app integration for smart home controls
- Not the absolute best audio quality for the price
- No aux input
The HomePod mini is Apple’s smallest and least expensive smart speaker option. It offers hands-free Siri voice control and solid sound for its petite size, along with Apple AirPlay 2 support.
This is a small smart speaker for Apple users who turn to Siri instead of Alexa or Google Assistant for everything they need. If you have an iPhone and have been careful to make sure all of your smart home devices are HomeKit-compatible, this is ideal. You can also pair it with a second HomePod mini for stereo sound. Of course, if you aren’t already on a first-name basis with Siri, you don’t need to give it much thought.
Channels
Mono
Physical Connections
None
Built-In Voice Assistant
Apple Siri
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Apple HomePod mini Review
- Powerful audio output with rich bass and bright highs
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi streaming
- Excellent Sonos app
- Hands-free Alexa and Sonos Voice Control
- Improved battery life
- Not fully waterproof
- Outdated Bluetooth specs
- Expensive
Unlike most smart speakers, the Sonos Move 2 can be used in the great outdoors thanks to its internal battery. It even has an IP56 rating, meaning you can take it to the beach and leave it out in the rain without worry. On the audio front, it produces powerful stereo sound with a pleasing mix of sculpted lows and highs. The slick, full-featured Sonos companion app is another highlight.
If you’re willing to spend a premium on a smart speaker you can take around your home or outside, the Sonos Move 2 is a top choice. It gets loud, lasts up to 24 hours on battery power, and lets you choose between hands-free Alexa and Sonos Voice assistants.
Channels
Stereo
Physical Connections
None
Built-In Voice Assistant
Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control
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Sonos Move 2 Review
- Affordable.
- Small.
- Good high-frequency response.
- No significant changes over Google Home Mini.
- Weak bass and midrange.
This little puck is the most affordable Google smart speaker you can get. You can pop it anywhere—even on the wall!—and use Google’s voice assistant easily. It has clean treble but, otherwise, its audio is pretty weak. That said, it’s suitable if you want to listen to music before you sleep or play podcasts to idly distract you during the day.
The Nest Mini is another speaker for your counter, desk, or nightstand: It’s small and doesn’t cost too much money, and is a good option if Google is your virtual helper of choice.
Channels
Mono
Physical Connections
None
Built-In Voice Assistant
Google Assistant
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Google Nest Mini Review
- Good sound quality for its size
- Useful screen shows time, weather, and album art
- Touch controls for audio playback and some smart home devices
- Small screen has limited functionality and can’t play videos
- Screen brightness drops at off-center angles
- No camera for video calls
The Amazon Echo Spot might look like a smart display, but it’s really more like a smart speaker with a screen. We’re fans of its decent audio quality, ability to show the time and weather, and reliable Alexa voice functionality. Wi-Fi and Matter support are both nice to see, as well. Just keep in mind that the Spot can’t play videos, doesn’t have a camera, and provides visual answers for only some Alexa questions.
Since it’s small, simple, and can show you useful day-to-day information, the Echo Spot is an ideal clock radio for your bedside or desk.
Channels
Mono
Physical Connections
None
Built-In Voice Assistant
Amazon Alexa
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Amazon Echo Spot Review
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The Best Smart Speakers for 2025
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Buying Guide: The Best Smart Speakers for 2025
How to Talk to Your Smart Speaker
Every smart speaker responds to a wake word, such as “Alexa” for Amazon Alexa, “Hey, Google” for Google Assistant, and “Siri” for Siri. Once the speaker indicates it is listening, you can ask whatever you want. The question then is how to ask.
All three voice assistants are fairly easy to talk with, but they can trip up if you don’t use the proper syntax. To achieve the best results, you need to speak to Alexa in a specific way. This isn’t a problem once you get used to the syntax, but the voice assistant too often gets confused if you use a term it doesn’t know or phrase a command in an unfamiliar way.
That is changing for Alexa and Google Assistant, as both are being upgraded with large language model AI. Amazon and Google are rolling out Alexa+ and Gemini on their respective smart speakers, which have much more conversational and natural language parsing. We’re in the process of testing these new AIs and evaluating how they compare to the more advanced voice assistants.
Amazon Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio (Credit: Will Greenwald)
How to Use a Smart Speaker to Manage Your Smart Home
Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri can now control nearly any smart home device. In the Alexa and Google apps, as well as with the Siri Shortcuts feature, you can set up rooms for multiple devices to control, plus configure multi-step routines, such as “I’m leaving the house.” All three smart assistants support most major smart home device brands, with a few holes between them.
The Amazon Echo Dot Max and the Echo Studio add support for the Zigbee smart home standard, which means they work with more third-party devices (and other Echo speakers in your home). Most newer smart home devices are Wi-Fi-based and hubless, or they work with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you shouldn’t encounter compatibility issues.
If you intend to use Siri to control your smart home, ensure that the smart home devices you purchase are HomeKit-compatible and that you have a HomePod, iPad, or Apple TV to use as a hub. These devices enable you to create rooms, groups, and multi-step routines, as well as control your devices remotely—but only from iOS devices. Apple’s Home app is gorgeous, but you have to be all-in with Apple for it to work well.
Matter is an emerging standard worth monitoring, though it isn’t yet widely available for smart home devices.
You can also use Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri to control a TV or home entertainment center with a compatible TV or appropriate hardware add-on (for example, a media streamer like an Amazon Fire TV device for Alexa, a Chromecast or Android TV for Google Assistant, an Apple TV for Siri, or a Roku device for any of them).
Google Nest Mini (Credit: Zlata Ivelva)
The Best Third-Party Smart Speaker Skills
Amazon’s voice assistant ecosystem benefits from tens of thousands of third-party “skills,” which are listed in a directory on the company’s website. These skills enable you to do a wide range of things; for example, you can check your local transit status, look up your credit card balance, find trivia about your favorite college football team, play games, and sing along with songs. However, you must seek out the skills you want and adhere to a specific syntax. It’s a stunningly powerful system, but it involves a bit of a learning curve.
Google Assistant has fewer skills, a result of its ability to understand more casual syntax and conversational commands. Regardless, you can check out Google’s skills (which it calls “actions”) in its convenient web-based directory.
Can You Use Smart Speakers for Phone Calls?
All of the voice assistants let you make phone calls from your smart speaker. Alexa and Google make free phone calls directly. Google Assistant can call numbers in the US and Canada, but only to phone numbers in your Google Contacts. Alexa can call anyone in the US, Canada, and Mexico, but not toll-free numbers. You can also use Amazon Drop In to make voice calls to any friends or family with Alexa devices or the Alexa app, including different Echo speakers in your own home. The HomePod also functions as a speakerphone, but you must initiate the call from your iPhone.
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How Do Smart Speakers Sound?
All smart speakers can play music from your phone, but if you rely only on voice commands, you are stuck with cloud services. Alexa and Google Assistant both connect to Apple Music and Spotify Premium accounts, as well as to Pandora, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio for free. Alexa speakers also play Amazon Prime Music, while Google Assistant speakers can access YouTube Music. Siri on the HomePod and HomePod mini can play Apple Music and songs from your Apple Music account. For any of these services, you can just ask the smart speaker to start playing music from them.
Sonos Era 300 (Credit: Tim Gideon)
Most smart speakers also support Bluetooth connections, as well as the Apple AirPlay and Google Cast platforms, allowing you to stream audio directly from your phone, tablet, or computer. Several feature 3.5mm ports, though some are output-only (for connecting to larger, non-smart speakers).
The Amazon Echo Spot and Google Nest Mini have both made big strides in sound quality, but they aren’t quite good enough to be primary music speakers. The Echo Dot Max, HomePod mini, and Nest Audio sound better, as do most smart speakers in the $100 to $200 range. For $220, the Echo Studio delivers the best sound quality of any Echo speaker. For $300 and up, the Sonos Era 300, Sonos Move 2, and second-gen HomePod deliver top-notch audio.
Ultimately, the best smart speaker for you is one that has the voice assistant you want, along with the right power, size, and price for your needs. And if you also want video support, there are always smart displays, which are basically smart speakers with touch screens.
