The Best Smart Speakers for Music, Audiobooks, or Podcasts

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It’s been almost a decade since Amazon launched the original Echo, ushering in the era of the smart speaker. Google followed suit shortly after with its entry, Google Home, and Apple made Siri available in smart speakers in 2018, saving us from reaching for our mobile devices to start our daily routines and control home appliances. Fast forward to today and you’ll find a market full of smart speaker options that range from compact and affordable to home theater replacements.

Well into the 2020s, choosing a smart speaker can be overwhelming. You need to make a number of important decisions, starting with choosing a virtual assistant if you don’t use one already. Then, you need to decide whether sound quality is a priority or you just need a unit for virtual assistant interactions and device controls. If you’re creating a new smart home setup or upgrading an existing one, that’ll also impact your choice. Here, we review and recommend the best smart speakers from our own testing and research.

Looking for more smart devices to use at home? Check out our picks for the best smart home hubs, smart locks, and smart ovens.

The Best Smart Speakers

• Best Amazon Alexa Speaker: Amazon Echo (4th Gen)

• Best Google Assistant Speaker: Google Nest Audio

• Best Siri Speaker: Apple HomePod (2nd Generation)

• Best Budget: Amazon Echo Dot (5th Generation)

• Best Smart Display: Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Generation)

What to Consider

Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri?

Choosing a virtual assistant is important if you’re shopping for your first smart speaker. Every option we recommend can reliably serve you news and weather information, play music from your preferred service, and control connected home appliances, to mention a few common functions. In order to choose which is right for you, you need to consider the functionality you want and the devices you already own.

As the first assistant available in a smart speaker, Alexa is excellent and the most widely available option in both original and third-party offerings. It is free to use—all you need is an Amazon account to get started. Having an Amazon Prime subscription brings a ton of additional benefits that include ad-free music streaming, access to free audiobooks, and an enhanced shopping experience, including the option to order and keep tabs on shipments with voice commands.

By utilizing the power of its maker’s search engine, machine learning tech, and sophisticated neural networks, the Google Assistant is on a higher level in terms of sheer “knowledge” and ability to answer even seemingly random questions. It’s a better choice if you plan to use the speaker beyond the everyday interactions we mentioned above.

Siri is a strong Alexa and Google Assistant alternative, especially if you use Apple hardware. Setting up any HomePod will allow you to control connected appliances and accessories with voice commands from your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch. The Apple assistant has also gotten better at responding to arbitrary questions, though it can’t quite stack up to the level of its Google competitor.

Smart Home Integration

Smart speakers made by Amazon, Apple, and Google also double as powerful and future-proof Matter smart home hubs and Thread border routers. Support for these protocols ensures the speakers can interact with your current and future smart home appliances and accessories, regardless of which virtual assistant you use. Should you decide to switch from one virtual assistant to another down the line, all you will need is a new speaker.

Third-party smart speakers don’t function as smart home hubs, but they make up for this omission by delivering better sound quality.

Sound

The more audio drivers a smart speaker packs, the better it will sound. Unless you’re shopping on a tight budget, we recommend that you look for a device with two or more onboard speakers. This setup could include a tweeter and a woofer, allowing the speaker to produce sound with discernible balance between bass, treble, and mid-range.

On the other hand, smart speakers that have two tweeters will get you higher-quality stereo sound, with a clear separation between left and right channels that can replace an audio system with two separate components. If you prioritize audio fidelity in a single speaker, keep an eye out for this particular layout.

Despite not having the dual-tweeter layout we mentioned above, some of the best speakers on the market can link stereo pairs if your budget permits. Spending extra to order two instead of just one is worth it for the superior audio quality. You’ll get more powerful sound with left and right stereo channels that can replace a full-blown sound system.

With Dolby Atmos available on streaming services like Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Tidal, among others, choosing a smart speaker that supports spatial audio playback is worth considering if you’re a subscriber. (Dolby Atmos is the technology that makes spatial audio possible in a slew of devices like headphones and speakers.) Such devices have upward-facing audio drivers and onboard processing that make Dolby Atmos-enhanced audio content sound more immersive and lifelike. Speakers with spatial audio capabilities are consistently more entertaining than those without the functionality, if noticeably costlier.

How We Selected

To determine my recommendations, I started by considering speakers from Amazon, Apple, and Google with native support for each of the big three virtual assistant and smart home hubs. In this search, I balanced speakers that will treat you to good sound and improve your connected home by supporting a broad ecosystem of lights, power outlets, light switches, locks, and security cameras. In addition, I selected third-party smart speakers from leading audio brands Bose, JBL, and Sonos. Their unique designs and features, together with higher-level audio performance, are worth considering if you prize audio quality.

I’ve also (cumulatively) spent months using the Amazon Echo Studio, Google Nest Audio, Apple’s HomePod and HomePod Mini, Sonos Roam, and Bose Smart Ultra soundbar, integrating each into my smart home setup. I streamed music, podcasts, and audiobooks and controlled the lights and power outlets at home, so I can confidently speak on the performance of all of these.

Pricing was a crucial factor in choosing my top speaker recommendations. For example, the Amazon Echo Studio from that testing pool made it to the shortlist, as its multi-driver setup delivers immersive sound with Dolby Atmos audio without skimping on smart home features. But it’s twice as expensive (before factoring in the frequent discounts) as the standard Amazon Echo, so I recommend it only if you’re putting a premium on sound quality.

Similarly, for the best portable speaker, I chose the Sonos Roam over the brand’s Move 2 for its compact size and reasonable price. The Sonos Move 2 is a bigger and more powerful portable speaker, but it costs almost $500. In general, spending more on a smart speaker is guaranteed to get you higher-quality sound. But that’s only if you need it.

Echo (4th-Generation) Smart Speaker

The fourth-generation Echo is the best Alexa smart speaker for most people. The fabric-covered orb has an elegant design that’s easy to integrate into home decor, price-defying audio quality, and a built-in smart home hub, all at an accessible price. For $100 before additional (and frequent) discounts, the product has incredible value for your money.

Despite its small size, the Echo doesn’t skimp on sound. Amazon equipped the speaker with a pair of front-firing tweeters and a woofer, which combine to produce crisp Dolby-enhanced audio with a surprisingly punchy bass. Regardless of the content—music, podcasts, audiobooks, or Alexa interactions—the speaker delivers an enjoyable sonic experience.

In addition to being an excellent speaker, the Amazon Echo is also a powerful Matter and Zigbee smart home hub with onboard motion and temperature sensors. It can control a host of smart home appliances and accessories out of the box and even extend the range of Amazon’s excellent Eero mesh routers.

Consider the pricier Amazon Echo Studio if you prioritize audio fidelity and spatial audio—and don’t mind doubling your budget.

Nest Audio Smart Speaker

The Nest Audio is a great buy if Google Assistant is your go-to virtual helper. Like the Amazon Echo, this speaker has a home decor-friendly design with a fabric exterior and discreet capacitive touch controls, great sound quality for its compact form, and a reasonable price. (Also like the Echo, it costs only $100 before any price reductions.)

Where they differ is in the sound. The Nest Audio performs well for a smart speaker in its price range, though not quite on par with the Amazon Echo. Its sole tweeter and woofer, while plenty capable, can’t match the triple-driver setup of the Echo. The latter’s two tweeters produce noticeably better stereo separation.

Google’s speaker is also a future-proof connected home hub that’s compatible with the widely available Matter and Thread protocols. If you sign up for a Nest Aware subscription, the speaker can also notify you upon detecting unusual sounds for added peace of mind.

The fabric cover of the Google Nest Audio is available in several colors. If budget permits, consider ordering two speakers and setting them up in a stereo pair. The sound upgrade you’ll get is worth the investment.

HomePod (2nd-Generation) Smart Speaker

The HomePod is the smart speaker to get if you are invested in the Apple hardware ecosystem by owning an iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and having an Apple Music subscription, to name a few bits. At $299, the Siri-powered speaker is costlier than Amazon- and Google-made, but its superior acoustics, easy Apple integration, and abundant smart home features are worth investing in.

Featuring five neodymium magnet tweeters, a large woofer, four far-field microphones, and the same S7 chip as the Apple Watch Series 7 to optimize its audio performance in real-time, the HomePod produces a powerful and detail-rich sound that’s among the category’s best. Apple Music is the best streaming service to use with voice commands on the speaker. Other major outlets need to be linked via AirPlay, but playback and volume controls are available.

The speaker is also capable of delivering Dolby Atmos-enhanced spatial audio that’s more lifelike and immersive than standard content. Its built-in microphones reliably pick up Siri voice commands from across a large room, even when music is blasting at high volume.

When it comes to smart home features, the HomePod offers native support for Apple HomeKit, Matter, and Thread devices, meaning that there are tons of options to consider. Once set up, every smart home gadget will appear alongside the HomePod in the Apple Home app of your devices. The device’s built-in humidity and temperature sensors are also very handy.

If you’re feeling spendy, linking two HomePods in a stereo pair creates a mighty audio system that can replace a top-shelf Dolby Atmos soundbar if your streaming player is an Apple TV 4K. On the other hand, the much smaller and cheaper HomePod Mini is a great starter option within the Apple ecosystem.

Echo Dot (5th-Generation) Smart Speaker

The Amazon Echo Dot is the best smart speaker for buyers on a tight budget. For less than $50, the gadget looks like a shrunken Amazon Echo. Its fabric-draped housing is about the same size as a grapefruit, so it is much easier to squeeze into, say, a small side table or kitchen counter, to name a couple of tight spaces.

The 1.73-inch front-firing audio driver of the Amazon Echo Dot outputs solid audio with adequate bass and crisp vocals. Given its size, audio hardware, and price category, the speaker is more suitable for Alexa interactions, podcasts, and audiobooks, not rocking out to your favorite live albums.

In addition to delivering robust sound for its compact size, the gadget also packs motion and temperature sensors, allowing you to create routines while at home or away. The Echo Dot can also extend the coverage of an Eero mesh Wi-Fi network, but it doesn’t have built-in Matter and Zigbee hubs like its larger siblings.

Dropping an extra $10 will get you an Amazon Echo Dot with a cool and convenient LED display that can show time and weather info, among other bits. A kids-friendly version of the product with a playful design, enhanced parental controls, and a year’s worth of free educational content is also available.

Roam Smart Speaker

The Sonos Roam smart speaker should be on your radar for having a compact size (it weighs less than a pound), uncompromising durability, and a rechargeable battery to go with the enjoyable sound that has made the brand’s offerings popular with consumers. What’s more, the Roam is compatible with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant voice commands. It doesn’t have Siri on board, but it can stream over Wi-Fi from Apple devices via AirPlay 2.

With a tweeter and a mid-woofer finely tuned for its size and layout, the Roam delivers a balanced sound that’s easily customizable via its companion app. Of course, the Sonos is also instrumental for integrating the speaker into a new or existing smart home setup, choosing the preferred virtual assistant, and linking your go-to streaming services. The setup process is quick and easy.

An IP67 rating for water and dust resistance and up to 10 hours of battery life make the Sonos Roam perfect for use in outdoor spaces like balconies, gardens, patios, and even by the pool. Thanks to Bluetooth connectivity and a drop-resistant build, the speaker also doubles as a take-anywhere source of audio entertainment. We like that the speaker is rechargeable via USB-C or a standard Qi wireless charger.

The Roam is available in five colors: black, white, sunset, wave, and olive. Consider the Sonos Move 2 if you are looking for an outdoor-ready smart speaker with more powerful sound and longer battery life. It’s considerably pricier, but the audio and battery upgrades are worth it. Just keep in mind that the Move 2 only works with Amazon Alexa voice commands.

Echo Show 8 (3rd-Generation) Smart Speaker

Amazon’s Echo Show 8 is the best smart speaker with an onboard display worth your attention. Its 8-inch touchscreen makes it ideal for streaming video from your go-to service, interacting with connected home devices in a whole new way, and, thanks to a built-in camera sensor, making high-quality video calls with other Amazon Echo users. When you don’t interact with it, the Echo Show 8 can also be an excellent digital photo frame with Amazon Photos cloud integration.

The dual full-range audio drivers and the passive bass radiator of the Echo Show 8 combine to deliver detail-rich sound with powerful bass. The speaker is also spatial audio-ready, so enhanced music and video content will sound even more immersive. Its overall audio performance is one of the best for the money.

The Echo Show 8 packs Zigbee, Matter, and Thread hubs, so it’s compatible with the latest connected home appliances and accessories. We like that its auto-framing camera can also allow you to keep tabs on your home while away. The camera has a shutter and a button to turn it off if you wish.

The smaller Amazon Echo Show 5 is a good buy if you are looking for an Alexa smart display on a tighter budget. The pricier Echo Show 10 has a larger screen that can move with you, as well as a more elaborate audio hardware setup.

Authentics 200 Smart Speaker

The Authentics 200 smart speaker by JBL sets itself apart not only for its striking looks but also for its ability to simultaneously work with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands. Such versatility makes the product suitable for users who use both virtual helpers, depending on the scenario, as well as larger households.

JBL treated the Authentics 200 to a glorious retro design that pays homage to legendary maker’s speakers from decades past. The product’s housing with a leather-like finish, aluminum frame, textured fabric grille, and tactile controls with dedicated dials for adjusting the bass and the treble make rivals look generic in comparison.

The audio quality of the JBL Authentics 200 is excellent and one the best for the money. The speaker produces top-notch stereo sound courtesy of two tweeters, a large woofer, and an even bigger bottom-firing bass radiator. By utilizing the energy of the active speakers, the latter pumps out a powerful and entertaining low range that eclipses the rivals’ output.

Consider the $100 pricier JBL Authentics 300 if you want an even more powerful speaker with a similar design and versatility. Its built-in carrying handle and rechargeable battery make it usable away from the power outlet for up to eight hours. The range-topping Authentics 500 is even bigger and capable of streaming Dolby-Atmos-enhanced spatial audio.

Smart Ultra Soundbar

In a manner befitting its name, the Bose Smart Ultra soundbar is a home entertainment powerhouse that’s compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant commands. The premium soundbar has native support for the Amazon assistant, so you can use it like any third-party Alexa speaker. Works with Google Home certification ensures you can integrate it into an existing setup and control it with voice prompts.

Acoustically, the nine-speaker setup of the Bose Smart Ultra soundbar performs in line with expectations set by its hefty price. The Dolby-Atmos-capable device delivers room-filling audio whose excellent quality is guaranteed to make your movie nights or music listening sessions more enjoyable. It has AI-powered tech to enhance the clarity of dialogue scenes and a bundled tool for calibrating it to deliver optimal sound in your space.

The Smart Ultra soundbar is the latest addition to an excellent ecosystem of Bose home theater products. Depending on your needs, home layout, and budget, you can sync it with optional surround speakers and a bass module to create cinema-grade sound.

We have good news if you are looking for a smart soundbar but don’t want to drop close to $1,000 to get one. The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is not as powerful as the Ultra but more compact, just as smart, and, at $499, much cheaper.

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