The best smart speakers

Amazon Echo and Amazon Echo Dot
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There's a good chance that your first smart home device will be a smart speaker. For one, all of the best smart speakers let you play music from your smartphone or the cloud. And if you talk to it, the speaker will respond to your commands. It can do things like look up the weather and sports scores, control your smart lights, read you a book or even change the channel on your TV.

After reviewing dozens of the best smart speakers, our favorite overall is the third-generation Amazon Echo. It sounds stellar for the price, has an attractive design and lets you access all of the best Alexa skills. Our budget pick is the 3rd-gen Echo Dot, which can often be found for a tiny cost.

These speakers use Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa. If you prefer Google Assistant, then check out the Google Nest Mini, which offers the best Google Assistant skills, and sounds awesome for its size. 

Amazon Echo (3rd Gen)

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Amazon Echo

Great sound and design at a good price. The Echo is the best Alexa speaker available.

Specifications

Size: 5.8 x 3.9 inches
Speakers: 3-inch woofer, 0.8-inch tweeter
Ports: 3.5mm line in/out
Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth
Smart assistants: Alexa

Reasons to buy

+
Affordable cost
+
Terrific sound quality
+
Seamless Alexa integration

Reasons to avoid

-
Similar to Echo Plus

The third-generation Echo is more stylish than the original and one of the best Alexa speakers. In fact, it's a replica of the powerful Echo Plus. An improvement to its interior audio hardware made this speaker even better than the last Echo; if you're looking for a good all-purpose smart speaker, this is it. 

Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen)

(Image credit: Amazon)

Amazon Echo Dot

The Echo Dot is a capable smart speaker you can get on a budget.

Specifications

Size: 3.9 x 1.7 inches
Speakers: 1.6-inch speaker
Ports: 3.5mm line out
Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth
Smart assistants: Alexa

Reasons to buy

+
Smart and helpful Alexa assistant
+
Easy to set up
+
Works with or without an additional speaker

Reasons to avoid

-
Speaker quality not great for music

The third-generation Echo Dot has vastly improved sound over the previous generation and, with a fresh, cloth-covered design, looks better too. Like before the Dot has both Bluetooth and a 3.5mm jack, so you can connect it to a better-sounding speaker. The Dot is ideal for places where you want Alexa, such as a kitchen, but don't want another large device cluttering the space. And, at $50, it's the same price as the last model.

For $60, you can get the new Echo Dot with Clock. It's quite similar to the basic Echo Dot, but features an LED clock display on the side. 

If you're looking for an even cheaper smart speaker, the $25 Echo Flex is an excellent variant. The plug-in Alexa device doesn't sound the best, but its useful nonetheless. 

Sonos One

(Image credit: Future)

Sonos One

Supporting both Google Assistant and Alexa, the Sonos One is the smart speaker pick for audiophiles.

Specifications

Size: 4.8 x 6.4 inches
Speakers: Dual amplifiers, 1 tweeter, 1 mid-woofer
Ports: None
Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz
Smart assistants: Alexa, Google Assistant

Reasons to buy

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Excellent audio quality
+
Comprehensive Sonos app
+
Lets you control lots of music sources
+
Can pair more speakers for whole-house audio
+
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant

Reasons to avoid

-
Can't make calls using either Alexa or Google Assistant
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Alexa drop-in not supported

The Sonos One has Alexa and Google Assistant built in, as well as six microphones to pick up your voice. It produced the best audio we've yet heard from an Alexa-powered speaker, and, like other Sonos devices, you can pair two of the Ones for true stereo sound, or link them with other Sonos speakers for whole-home audio. Plus, it also works with streaming services such as Spotify and Red Bull Radio. Yes, you'll pay more, but the sound quality is worth it.

JBL Link 20

(Image credit: Future)
JBL Link 20

Specifications

Size: 8.3 x 3.7 inches
Speakers: Dual 10-Watt
Ports: None
Wireless: 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth
Smart assistants: Google Assistant

Reasons to buy

+
Powered by Google Assistant
+
Portable and rugged
+
Well-balanced overall sound

Reasons to avoid

-
Can't make calls

The JBL Link 20 is one of the best Google Home speakers. It sounds awesome, and offers portability and ruggedness. When using Google Assistant, it's responsive to commands. The only thing it can't do is make hands-free calls. If sound matters and you plan to take the speaker out and about, the Link 20 — or its smaller, less expensive sibling, the $149 JBL Link 10 — is an excellent choice.

Google Nest Mini

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Google Nest Mini

A mighty, affordable speaker for Google Assistant users.

Specifications

Size: 3.7 x 1.7 inches
Speakers: 40-millimeter driver
Ports: None
Wireless: 2.4/6 GHz, Bluetooth
Smart assistants: Google Assistant

Reasons to buy

+
Fun color options
+
Loud for its size
+
Affordable

Reasons to avoid

-
No audio line out

Like the Echo Dot, the Google Nest Mini is a solid, sub-$50 smart home speaker. Without changing the price or general appearance of the original Google Home Mini, Google made significant interior upgrades that make the Nest Mini better than its predecessor. The added microphone, twice as strong bass and in-house learning chip give it spectacular value for the price. Plus the hook on the back lets you hang it on the wall to save counter space.

Google Nest Hub Max

(Image credit: Future)

Google Nest Hub Max

This premium smart speaker doubles as a clever smart home hub.

Specifications

Size: 9.9 x 7.2 x 4 inches
Speakers: Dual 18-millimeter 10-Watt tweeters, 75-millimeter 30-Watt woofer
Ports: None
Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth
Smart assistants: Google Assistant
Display: 1280 x 800

Reasons to buy

+
Attractive design
+
Great speakers
+
Clever motion-tracking
+
Privacy switch blocks camera and microphones

Reasons to avoid

-
Can only make video calls using Google Duo
-
Nest Cam integration issue for iOS users

For $229, the Google Nest Hub Max offers a large display, powerful speakers and a camera with a host of advanced features. Its motion-tracking and facial recognition features are put to good use, and help separate it from other smart displays. We also appreciate the camera privacy switch, and imagine others will, too. It’s taken Google longer than Amazon to come out with a 10-inch smart display, but the Echo Show now has a more than worthy competitor in the Nest Hub Max.

Echo Studio

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Amazon Echo Studio

Alexa’s most powerful package yet. The Echo Studio is for bass-enthusiasts.

Specifications

Size: 8.1 x 6.9 inches
Speakers: 3 2-inch midrange speakers, 1-inch tweeter, 5.3-inch woofer
Ports: 3.5mm in/out
Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth
Smart assistants: Alexa

Reasons to buy

+
Can be paired with another Studio
+
Automatically adjusts audio
+
Great sound
+
Good bass

Reasons to avoid

-
Large size
-
Mids and vocals tend to get lost

The Echo Studio is the high-end Alexa smart speaker you may have been waiting for. It delivers great room-filling audio and visceral, chest-pounding bass. You can use this device as a speaker for your HDTV as well as your Amazon Fire TV device. If you have two Echo Studios, you can pair them for an even better surround sound experience. And if you subscribe to Amazon's HD music streaming service, the Echo Studio supports those 3D tracks. 

Sonos Move

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Sonos Move

The portable Sonos Move adapts its sound for any space.

Specifications

Size: 9.4 x 6.3 x 5 inches
Speakers: 2 amplifiers, 1 tweeter, 1 mid-woofer
Ports: None
Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth
Smart assistants: Alexa, Google Assistant

Reasons to buy

+
Superb audio quality
+
Built-in Automatic TruePlay technology
+
Easy Wi-Fi-to-Bluetooth connection conversion
+
Comprehensive durability

Reasons to avoid

-
Pricey
-
No smart features in Bluetooth mode
-
Heavy for a portable device

The Sonos Move is the best-sounding portable smart speaker on the market. You're able to transport it around the home and outdoor spaces while still taking advantage of Sonos' extensive streaming collection. It also introduces Auto TruePlay, a technology that allows the speaker to adjust its sound for its location using the internal microphones. 

UE Megablast

(Image credit: UE)

UE Megablast

The Alexa-packed UE Megablast is wireless and waterproof.

Specifications

Size: 9.3 x 3.5 inches
Speakers: 2 amplifiers, 1 tweeter, 1 mid-woofer
Ports: None
Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth
Smart assistants: Alexa

Reasons to buy

+
Alexa inside
+
Excellent all-around sound
+
Waterproof

Reasons to avoid

-
Can't do everything an Amazon Alexa speaker can
-
Limited app

The UE Megablast sounds great for its size. If you want a speaker that cranks out tunes, offers some smart speaker functions and is portable and rugged, it's a good match. You get a solid 16 hours battery life, meaning the UE Megablast will survive a day outdoors on a single charge. 

Google Home

(Image credit: Future)

Google Home

The most attractive and customizable smart speaker for the price.

Specifications

Size: 5.6 x 3.8 inches
Speakers: 2-inch driver, dual 2-inch passive radiators
Ports: None
Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz
Smart assistants: Google Assistant

Reasons to buy

+
Integrates with your Google tools
+
Controls Google Cast-enabled devices
+
Booming bass

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited add-ons at this point
-
Lacks balanced sound, especially on vocals

The best Google Home speaker from Google itself is more attractive and sounds better than the original Echo. Take your pick from six colors and two finishes for the base (fabric or metal). At $129, it's also cheaper than the Echo. Plus, you can use Google Home to control Chromecast-enabled devices, such as TVs. Alexa can't do that. However, in a face-off between the two assistants, we found Amazon's to be more well-rounded than Google's. If you opt for the Google Home, make sure you check out our list of the best Google Assistant commands.

Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.