Image: Rob Schultz / IDG
A smart speaker makes for an easy first step into smart home technology. Before you kit out your house with thousands of dollars of lighting and security upgrades, you can familiarize yourself with voice-assistant technology while enjoying music, podcasts, and news in a hands-free home environment.
Here are our top picks in several categories. If you want information about smart speakers in addition to our top recommendations, scroll down the page to read our in-depth buyers’ guide.
Amazon Echo Spot (2024) – Best smart speaker for most people
Pros
- Ultrasonic motion detection can trigger Alexa routines
- Bright, easy-to-read display
- Can be used as a home intercom (with other Echo speakers)
Cons
- No camera
- Can’t stream video, photos, or security camera feeds
- Not great for music listening
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Who should buy the Amazon Echo Spot (2024)?
Alexa is the most popular voice assistant, and the 2024 edition of the Echo Pop is the best value in Amazon’s smart speaker lineup. While it’s not a true smart display, it is equipped with a touchscreen that can display the time, date, weather conditions, and other information. It can also show album art while streaming music (not that we recommend this speaker for that task). It’s also the smartest alarm clock you could hope for, capable of controlling your entire smart home.
Due to its great range of features and affordability, the Amazon Echo Spot is an excellent all-around option for most people. Its versatility makes it the perfect nightstand accessory or even a full-featured smart home controller.
Amazon Echo Spot (2024): Further considerations
There are less-expensive Echo smart speakers in Amazon’s stable, so if this is a bit out of your budget you may prefer to opt for one of those models. Alternatively, you’ll be well rewarded for spending a little more to step up to the 2024 edition of the Echo Pop if you can afford it.
The relatively poor audio quality when playing music means that it isn’t the best model for audiophiles.
Read our full
Amazon Echo Spot (2024) review
Google Nest Mini – Best smart speaker for most people, runner-up
Pros
- Improved sound quality
- Google Assistant rarely gets stumped
- Works great with other Nest devices
Cons
- Capacitive buttons are easy to miss
- Sound quality still isn’t that great
- No cable management to go with the new mounting hole
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Who should buy the Google Nest Mini?
Google Nest Mini smart speaker is capable, easy to use, and whip-smart thanks to Google Assistant. The affordability of the Nest Mini not only makes it a great option for those on a budget but it also means that you can buy more than one to place around your house if you’re so inclined.
The Google Nest Mini has an attractively low profile. In addition to supporting all Google apps, the speaker gives a user voice control for YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, iHeart Radio, Deezer, and SiriusXM. Android users who depend on Google Assistant on their smartphones will appreciate being able to use the same commands with the Nest Mini.
Google Nest Mini: Further considerations
This small yet clever smart speaker is extremely affordable at just $49, which makes adding one (or another one, or yet another one) to your home a realistic prospect.
The sound quality isn’t much to write home about, though, and while Google Assistant offers better answers to general questions, Amazon’s Alexa devices are more suitable for full smart-home control.
Read our full
Google Nest Mini review
Apple HomePod mini – Best smart speaker in the Apple HomeKit ecosystem
Pros
- Impressive audio quality for its size
- Easy setup
- Temperature and humidity sensor was recently added, along with sound recognition for smoke alarms
Cons
- No physical mic mute control
- Supports third-party music services, but only a few are on board
- Still pricey
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$99
Who should buy the Apple HomePod mini?
Apple has significantly polished the smart home experience for users who own devices that support its HomeKit ecosystem. The Apple HomePod mini offers the best audio quality in the small smart speaker category, a feature that goes a long way to justifying its higher price when compared to the Amazon Echo Dot and Google Nest Mini.
The Apple HomePod mini offers native support for Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Deezer, making it a solid choice for audio playback, especially when creating a stereo pair with a second HomePod mini. AirPlay 2 support allows you to stream Spotify, Tidal or Qobuz from another Apple device. Apple users who have invested in HomeKit-compatible smart home devices will appreciate the HomePod mini’s ability to control their home setup.
Apple HomePod mini: Further considerations
As is the case with all Apple products, it’s pricey. You’ll likely want to have additional Apple products or be an Apple-devotee to justify this over offerings from Google or Amazon. However, the sound quality is impressive and some nifty extra features help it stand out.
As for the larger HomePod (2nd Gen), that Apple shipped in 2023, we think it’s still too expensive for what it has to offer.
Read our full
Apple HomePod Mini review
Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) – Best budget-priced smart speaker
Pros
- A very inexpensive voice-powered smart home controller
- Very good audio reproduction
- Pretty industrial design
Cons
- Still not recommended for critical music listening
- Google Nest Mini offers tighter integration with Android smartphones
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Who should buy the Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen)?
The Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) offers all the same features as our top pick, minus the display, at a lower price. This makes it the perfect option for those on a budget or those looking to put multiple Alexa-compatible speakers around the home—the savings can add up when deploying speakers in locations where you don’t care about seeing the time or temperature.
Users who are looking for a cheap smart-home controller will also find that the Echo Dot is the most affordable, worthwhile option.
Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen): Further considerations
If you’re looking for a solid smart speaker at the lowest possible price, the Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) lists for $15 less than the Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) with clock. However, if you prefer to have a screen included than opting for our top pick, the Echo Spot, is the best option.
Just like the Spot however, the Echo Dot leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to listening to music. Also, Android smartphone users may want to check out the Google Nest Mini which provides better integration with Android devices.
Sonos Era 100 – Best smart speaker for music
Pros
- Honest, full bodied, stress-free sound
- Unusually well carved bass, natural-sounding mids, and whistle-clean highs
- A great smart speaker with either Amazon Alexa or Sonos Voice
Cons
- No support for Google Assistant
- You might need two to fill your listening space
- Lacks the channel preset buttons found on some competing speakers
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Who should buy the Sonos Era 100?
Music lovers will want to note that the Sonos Era 100 delivers spectacular audio with a very small footprint, and the speaker supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections.
One Sonos Era 100 speaker offers outstanding sound, but invest in a pair and you’ll get outstanding stereo sound at a significantly lower cost than the B&W Zeppelin. If you want to create a multi-room audio setup, Sonos delivers an unparalleled experience. The platform that popularized seamless home audio has yet to be matched.
Sonos Era 100: Further considerations
Along with the speaker, you get access to the manufacturer’s own Sonos Voice digital assistant but can use Amazon Alexa if you prefer. Like all Sonos speakers, you can control playback with the company’s outstanding mobile app.
Also, while the Era 100 packs a punch, it’s really only meant for smaller spaces. If you have a larger room, you may want to consider purchasing multiple to fill the space.
Read our full
Sonos Era 100 review
Sonos Era 300 – Best smart speaker for spatial audio
Pros
- Dramatic, embracing, and exotic sound from a shockingly small package
- A great smart speaker with Amazon Alexa and Sonos Voice
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity
Cons
- Doesn’t support Google Assistant
- Trueplay Advanced Tuning depends on an iOS device; cross-platform Quick Tune isn’t as effective
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Who should buy the Sonos Era 300?
Sonos adds support for Dolby Atmos surround sound for users who want a more immersive experience. It still delivers the same excellent smart speaker experience as the Sonos Era 100 and similarly outstanding two-channel sound in a stereo pair. The difference lies in the intended uses: The Sonos Era 300 is better suited as an entertainment speaker for TV, movies, and games. Users who need a smart speaker for these purposes should look no further.
Movie lovers can also use the Sonos Era 300 as surround speakers with a Sonos soundbar.
Sonos Era 300: Further considerations
To appreciate the Sonos Era 300’s immersive audio, you’ll need to subscribe to a streaming service that supports Dolby Atmos. Apple Music, Amazon Music HD, and Tidal subscribers will be able to enjoy these speakers, but Spotify users may want to opt for the less-expensive Sonos Era 100.
Read our full
Sonos Era 300 review
Amazon Echo Studio – Best smart speaker for spatial audio, runner-up
Pros
- Great audio performance for the money
- Supports 3D audio (Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio)
- Can be paired with Amazon’s inexpensive subwoofer and/or a second Studio for stereo
Cons
- Lack of Z-Wave support weakens its abilities as a smart home hub
- You must subscribe to Amazon Music to get 3D audio
- Speaker enclosure is insufficiently isolated from the surface it’s placed on
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Who should buy the Amazon Echo Studio?
The Amazon Echo Studio speaker offers excellent spatial audio support for Amazon Music HD and sounds even better with a second speaker for a stereo pair. The speaker can do double duty as a Zigbee smart home hub. Two can be paired for stereo, and if you crave deep bass, you can add Amazon’s beefy Echo Sub to the mix (actually, you can add an Echo Sub to many Amazon Echo models).
Users who prefer Amazon’s Alexa or have already bought in and need a higher-quality speaker option will find that the Echo Studio is a great option.
Amazon Echo Studio: Further considerations
Amazon has limited immersive audio support to its Amazon Music HD service, so you’ll need to have a full commitment to the Amazon ecosystem to take advantage of the Echo Studio. Amazon Music HD competes with Tidal, Qobuz, and Apple Music on the top tier of music streaming services (and costs less!), so the service is worth a look if you’re already an Alexa user and want a higher-quality speaker option.
Read our full
Amazon Echo Studio review
Sonos Move 2 – Best-sounding portable smart speaker
Pros
- Excellent audio performance—in stereo!
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity—simultaneously!
- Incredibly long battery life
Cons
- Still no support for hi-res Bluetooth codecs
- Still best described as luggable
- $50 more expensive than the already pricey original
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Who should buy the Sonos Move 2?
If you’re looking for a speaker to use in the backyard or something you can pack in the car for a trip to a vacation spot, then the superior audio quality makes the luggable Sonos Move 2 worth the upgrade over the truly portable Sonos Roam. If you use Apple Music, Amazon Music, or Deezer to stream your tunes, you’ll appreciate the ability to use those services with either Alexa or Sonos Voice Control.
Sonos Move 2: Further considerations
The Sonos Move 2 offers true stereo audio and exceptional battery life, but that comes at a cost. The speaker weighs more than 6 pounds and won’t really fit into a small bag. That said, the impressive sound stage and support for simultaneous Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections make this heavy speaker worth the extra effort.
Read our full
Sonos Move 2 review
JBL Authentics 300 – Best-sounding portable smart speaker, runner-up
Pros
- Works interchangeably with Alexa and Google Assistant
- Makes a large and lively sonic impression
- Stand-out styling
Cons
- Placement is critical for best sound performance
- Heavier than rival Wi-Fi portables
- JBL hasn’t published an IP code for protection from the elements
Who should buy the JBL Authentics 300?
We dig the JBL Authentics 300’s retro design aesthetic as much as we appreciate its dynamic, toasty-warm musicality. But the factor that sets it apart from other smart speakers is its ability to respond to both the “Alexa” and “Hey Google” wake words interchangeably.
Anyone who loves JBL’s characteristic “West Coast sound” will feel right at home with the JBL Authentics 300. The same goes for smart home dwellers who don’t want to choose between the Alexa and Google Assistant ecosystems.
JBL Authentics 300: Further considerations
In our testing we found that sound performance is more dependent on proper placement within a room than some other smart speakers—the soft dome tweeters have less reach and stamina when placed incorrectly.
Additionally, JBL hasn’t published an IP rating for the Authentics 300 so don’t even think about leaving this portable outside in the rain.
Read our full
JBL Authentics 300 review
Sonos Roam – Most convenient portable smart speaker
Pros
- Exceptional sound for its size
- Auto Trueplay now works over Bluetooth
- Small and light, with a waterproof design
Cons
- Slow wireless charging (at least with third-party chargers)
- Sound Swap doesn’t work across Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AirPlay 2 modes
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Who should buy the Sonos Roam?
A portable speaker should be, you know, portable. The Sonos Roam is the perfect size to stuff in a backpack while delivering the excellent audio experience you’ll get from the company’s larger speakers. Users who need a speaker on-the-go will appreciate its portability and light weight. It’s also waterproof so you can bring it camping or out to the pool without worrying about any accidental water incidents.
Sonos Roam: Further considerations
There’s a lot of competition in the portable speaker category, with plenty of excellent options priced less than $100. It’s the smart speaker features that justify the extra cash for a Sonos Roam. If you’ve integrated voice assistants into your daily routine and regularly ask Alexa for intel, you’ll appreciate being able to take that convenience with you (connect it to a mobile hot spot if you’re out of Wi-Fi range).
Read our full
Sonos Roam review
Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) – Best smart display
Pros
- Display can automatically rotate so it’s always facing you
- Significant improvements in display brightness and image quality
- Very good audio performance
Cons
- You might find the tracking feature to be creepy (it can be disabled)
- Wi-Fi and Zigbee radios onboard, but there’s no Z-Wave or Thread support
- Needs at least 5 inches of clearance all the way around if it’s to fully rotate
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Who should buy the Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)?
The Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd gen) doesn’t offer a best-in-class audio, video, or smart hub experience, but all of those features are good and no other device does as good a job of providing an all-in-one Alexa experience.
The Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd gen) adds a screen and cameras to the smart speaker experience. If you’re using it for video calls, it’s 10.1-inch display can track your movement and rotate so that it always faces you as you move around a room. The audio output is excellent, and there’s an integrated Zigbee smart home hub.
Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen): Further considerations
If you want an even bigger display, consider the Echo Show 15, but read our Echo Show 15 review to understand why we didn’t pick that model in this category.
Also, if you already have the previous 2nd-gen model then an upgrade might not be needed—unless you feel that improved display quality is something you can’t live without.
Read our full
Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) review
Google Nest Hub Max – Best smart display, runner-up
Pros
- Impressive audio quality
- Excels as a digital photo frame
- Built-in Nest camera
Cons
- No physical camera shutter
- No analog audio output
- Google Assistant’s smart home compatibility still lags Alexa
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Who should buy the Google Nest Hub Max?
Android users know that Google Assistant has been closing the gap with Alexa, and it’s now a formidable competitor to Amazon’s smart assistant. The Google Next Hub Max offers surprisingly robust sound. Its smart home capabilities don’t quite match what’s on offer with the Echo Show 10, but it’s perfect for homes that are using Nest thermostats and security cameras. In fact, the Next Hub Max even does double duty as a Nest camera.
Google Nest Hub Max: Further considerations
If you’re a committed YouTube user, the Google Nest Hub Max offers an integrated app and the best viewing experience (Amazon Echo Show users must use the Silk browser to access YouTube).
Ultimately, whether you choose the Echo Show or Google Nest Hub Max is going to come down to which ecosystem you prefer. We prefer Alexa for smart home control features, but Google Assistant isn’t too far behind and can already offer better question-and-answer style responses.
Read our full
Google Nest Hub Max review
Other smart speakers we like
While we believe that the smart speakers above are the best that money can buy, if none of those tick all of your boxes, there are a few other products that might: The Brane X smart speaker is an expensive, but powerful smart speaker that provides excellent audio quality and decent portability. The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is a sleek and well made soundbar that brings Dolby Atmos sound and nifty smart features such as streaming options and integrated voice control from Alexa or Google Assistant.
How we test smart speakers
Most of the testing happens at moderate volume in home environments, but we’re also checking to see if the speaker distorts at higher volumes. The most important features are clarity and how natural the instruments sound. Especially with smaller speakers, we want to find out how much bass the speaker can deliver.
Equally important for wireless speakers is how easily they can connect with an audio source and how stable that connection is during music playback. We also look at any smartphone app designed to work with the speaker. For smart speakers, we evaluate how well the speaker processes voice commands. A large part of the performance depends on the capabilities of Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple’s Siri.
Why you should trust PCWorld for smart speaker reviews and buying advice
Here at PCWorld we’ve been testing smart home devices and services for decades. As reviewers and users of smart home hardware, we put every product through its paces using rigorous benchmarking and hands-on evaluation. We’d never recommend something we wouldn’t want for ourselves.
Who curated this article?
Michael Brown is TechHive’s lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering smart homes, home networking, and home audio/home theater. He holds a BA in Multimedia Journalism, authored the book Desktop Video Production, and was awarded Best Online Review by the Computer Press Association. Michael built a smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world product-testing lab. Now living in the Pacific Northwest, he is converting his 1890 Victorian bungalow into a modern smart home.
How to choose a smart speaker
Some soundbars can double as smart speakers. The Sonos Beam (Gen 2), for example, can be configured with Sonos’s own voice assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant.
Michael Brown/Foundry
Speaker quality
While smart speakers come with a lot of fancy functions and tools, at the end of the day they are still speakers and you should expect good audio quality. Cheaper models such as the Nest Mini and Echo dot aren’t going to play audiophile-level music with deep bass notes and rich sounds, but they will still give you decent enough sound to listen to in small areas. Larger rooms will require more robust speakers, or you can opt for alternative options such as a smart sound bar to pair with your smart speakers.
Platform compatibility
In a perfect world, smart speakers and smart displays would be interoperable. Unfortunately, as it stands, once you commit to one platform, you’ll want to stick with it. There is one exception to this rule: The new JBL Authentics series of smart speakers can handle Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands interchangeably.
That said, if you’re wedded to YouTube Music, streaming music from your account to an Amazon Echo is not perfectly seamless (the same goes for streaming music from Amazon Music Unlimited to a Google Home speakers). There are also some other major coexistence exceptions: Google blocks YouTube from appearing on the Echo Show devices, for instance (although you can get there using a web browser on an Echo Show). And Apple’s HomePod speakers are more or less locked to Apple Music. While there’s a recent workaround for Spotify, and you can use AirPlay to stream music from other services—provided both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network–stumbling blocks like that shouldn’t exist.
Bottom line on this point: If you plan to mix and match third-party products with your smart speaker or display, do a little research to make sure they’ll work together.
Voice command capabilities
Digital assistants–including Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri–are mostly cloud-based software that understands natural language voice commands to perform tasks and fetch information for you. As smart speakers have become more sophisticated, some of that processing has moved down to the chips inside smart speakers and displays.
You’ll want to make sure that your smart speaker digital assistant can understand and complete tasks such as stream music, control your TV or other smart home devices, retrieve news and other information, manage your schedule, help with tasks such as cooking, and being able to contact friends and family.
While smart speakers are usually just that, speakers, they sometimes come with other useful features. The main one here is a smart display. While it will add to the price of your smart speaker system, a smart display can provide a wealth of extra capabilities and controls that just a speaker can’t. Smart displays can allow you to do everything from stream video content to make video calls to view recipes online. Some, such as the Amazon Echo Show even have motion tracking capabilities that allow it to rotate and follow you as you move around the room—whether that is seen as cool or a tad dystopian is up to you.
FAQ
1.
What is the best smart speaker?
The Amazon Echo Spot (2024) is our pick for the best smart speaker. It provides the best value in Amazon’s lineup of smart speakers, comes with a handy touchscreen display, and is capable of controlling your entire smart home setup.
2.
What is the best cheap smart speaker?
The Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) is our pick for best budget smart speaker. It offers nearly all of the same features as the Echo Spot, minus the display, at a cheaper price. This makes it an excellent option for those looking to save money while still enjoying the benefits of Alexa, the most popular voice assistant.
3.
Which smart speaker has the best audio?
The Sonos Era 100 is our pick for best smart speaker for music and we think its superior audio quality makes it a standout option for audiophiles. Plus, you can purchase multiple models to create a seamless home audio setup.
4.
What is a smart speaker?
Smart speakers are voice-controlled speakers that can connect to the internet. They can act as a digital assistant via voice commands, carrying out tasks such as playing music, retrieving information, controlling smart home devices, making phone calls, and more.
5.
What can smart speakers do?
Digital assistants—including Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri—are advanced enough that they can now handle a wide range of useful tasks. These include: streaming music over Wi-Fi, control your TV, play games, retrieve news and weather forecasts, set appointments, serve as an alarm clock, maintain to-do lists, set timers, recite recipes, make and receive phone calls, send messages, and more.
They can also act as a smart home controller giving you the ability to adjust your smart thermostat, manage your smart sprinkler controller, close your garage door, lock your smart deadbolt, arm your home security system, and stream video from your home security camera (models with displays). The possibilities are virtually endless.
6.
Is it worth getting a smart speaker?
This is ultimately going to depend on your needs, but we believe that the benefits of a smart speaker make them more than worth the investment.
Smart speakers can be valuable and fun tools that add a lot of utility to your everyday life. They can tell you the weather, set alarms and timers, give you updates on the news, and much, much more. Plus, if you have other smart home technology, like lights, cameras, or sockets, you can use your smart speaker as a centralized hub to control them remotely.