A smart speaker makes 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.
Why you should trust us
TechHive’s editors and writers have been testing smart speakers since the early days of Alexa Siri, and Google Assistant, giving us more than a decade of experience with these devices and their accompanying mobile apps.
Michael Brown has been evaluating home audio gear for just as long. He designed his own custom-built smart home in 2007 and has tested nearly ever smart speaker that’s come to market since then. James Barber has worked in music and technology for more than three decades as a music producer, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and reviewer of both audio gear and recorded music.
We’ve evaluated basic smart speakers, models designed for audiophiles, portable speakers, and smart displays with built-in audio. You can trust TechHive to recommend the best smart speaker for you.
Our top picks in smart speakers
Amazon Echo Spot (2024) — Best smart speaker for most people
Pros
- No camera
- Fabulous smart alarm clock features
- 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
- Can’t be used as Wi-Fi extender with Eero mesh routers
- Not great for music listening
Why we like 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 and 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.
Who should buy the Amazon Echo Spot (2024)
There are less-expensive Echo smart speakers in Amazon’s stable, but you’ll be well rewarded for spending a little more to step up to the 2024 edition of the Echo Pop.
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
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Capacitive buttons are easy to miss
- Sound quality still isn’t that great
- No cable management to go with the new mounting hole
- No analog audio output
Why we like the Google Nest Mini
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.
Who should buy the Google Nest Mini
If you want the most diminutive smart speaker, you’ll find the Google Nest Mini easier to hide away than the spherical Echo Dot series. Google Assistant also offers better answers to general questions than Amazon’s Alexa, and Android users who depend on Google Assistant on their smartphones will appreciate being able to use the same commands with the Nest Mini.
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