To achieve a smart home, you need a voice assistant to run it. A smart home assistant, usually folded into a smart speaker, will let you command your smart home with your voice and run your various routines. It also acts as a center for every gadget you want to add to your home. And you can add almost anything these days, from smart garage control to even voice-commanding your blinds.
But which assistant should you choose? Each of the big players comes with its own pros and cons, but I recommend choosing based on what you already use day-to-day. Your smartphone is the easiest entry point to pick from Apple or Google, or if you want a huge suite of smart speakers to choose from and have a Prime subscription, you may want to consider Amazon.
Take a look around what's already in your home to see what works with which ecosystem before deciding. The best system for you will be the path of least resistance, whether that's using your smartphone's dedicated assistant or sticking with a platform that best integrates with the devices you already have.
Amazon Alexa
It all began with Alexa, to some extent. It was the first Amazon Echo speaker back in 2012 that kicked off the smart home in an accessible way, letting anyone voice-command smart bulbs and ask for the weather without needing a custom installer or costing a fortune. Today, Amazon still has the widest range of options. The brand has the most smart speakers by a long shot, with 11 main models of smart speakers and displays currently available, plus several older versions of those same devices also available on Amazon's website or at other retailers. It's a huge suite with something for everyone, whether you want a screen, something made for kids, or fantastic sound with Alexa built in.
I do really like Amazon's speakers and how easy the devices are to use, so this is a great entry point if voice control is of utmost importance. It can bring voice control into any room and for anyone in the house, and Alexa can create different profiles for different members of the family and attach information like calendars to those profiles. Amazon also owns Ring, so those smart home security devices work seamlessly with an Echo speaker, but we don't recommend using Ring's cameras because of its partnership with Axon, which enables local law enforcement to request footage directly from Ring users. My colleagues also have concerns about its data collection (and there have been other privacy issues over the years).
You're also going to hit some paywalls. Amazon has an updated version of Alexa rolling out, Alexa+, which will cost $20 a month unless you have Amazon Prime. (Right now it's out on Early Access, so it's free, but non-Prime users can only demo it for 30 days before needing to upgrade to Prime to keep the demo.) The monthly fee is more expensive than Prime membership, so if you want it, it’s better to just join Prime. But neither I nor other WIRED staffers have been impressed by this updated, more expensive Alexa, so I hesitate to say it's worth any investment. You'll also need separate subscriptions for Ring devices if you choose to use them.
Still looking for an Alexa? Here are my favorite devices to start with.
- Photograph: Nena Farrell
- Photograph: Nena Farrell
- Photograph: Nena Farrell
Amazon
Echo Show 11
This is one of Amazon's newest smart displays, and it's a great size to use in kitchens without being too large for console tables. The sound is excellent, too, and there's a built-in hub.
- Photograph: Nena Farrell
- Photograph: Nena Farrell
Amazon
Echo Studio (2nd Gen) and Echo Dot Max
Amazon's new flagship speakers have great sound quality and more volume than you probably need. Both have a built-in hub to connect devices to.
Cync
Dynamic Effects A19 Smart Light Bulbs
My favorite smart light bulb works great with Alexa, making it easy to control and set routines in the Alexa app or the Cync app.
- Photograph: Nena Farrell
- Courtesy of Yale
Yale
Approach Lock
I love having a smart lock, and this discreet lock pairs with Alexa so that you can ask if the front door is closed and tell Alexa to lock it.
Apple Home
Apple's biggest appeal is its convenience for its existing users. If you already have an iPhone, you can control your home with Siri, and the smartphone already comes with the Home app you'll use. Apple does have smart speakers, the HomePod, and HomePod Mini (below); both double as smart home hubs compatible with Matter over Thread. These have never been my—or the WIRED AV experts’—favorite smart speakers, and Apple rarely releases new versions of these devices.
Whenever I read about people loving their Apple Home setup, they rave about how it “just works.” But I've set up Apple Home devices again and again over the past decade, and I've never found it easier than using Amazon or Google. Sure, it's convenient that I can use my phone's built-in assistant, but I don't like burning through my phone's battery by leaving Siri open and ready to hear me call her name, so I usually have to hold a button to activate her. I'd rather have speakers in my house so my family members can also easily control the devices without needing their phones connected to all the same devices (or needing a phone in the first place).
I also used to find that there was a higher price point with Apple-compatible accessories. This is no longer the case now that Matter is making everything compatible. Ikea's new smart home line is also Apple compatible, but the hub devices are still pretty expensive and limited compared to Amazon's range.
If you're set on going with Apple, these are the gadgets we recommend starting with.
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Google Gemini
If you're an Android user, then going with Google's ecosystem is a pretty easy play since it uses the assistant already in your phone. But even for myself as a dedicated Apple user, I love Google's ecosystem and find it easy to jump into. Google's smart speakers have a sleek design that makes me excited to add them to my home, and Google owns Nest, which adds a suite of devices like video doorbells and smart thermostats that work seamlessly with the Google Home app.
Google's smart home ecosystem now uses a version of Google Gemini, an updated AI-powered assistant. Unlike Amazon, you'll get the new assistant without needing to pay, but you lose out on features unless you subscribe to Google Home Premium. This is a single subscription that hits all of your Google devices, so you'll gain video history, smarter responses from your smart speaker, and better alerts all under one price tag. That's nicer than Amazon's pay structure, which requires separate subscriptions if you want both Alexa+ (either via its subscription fee or Prime) and Ring video storage. Google has two tiers, a $10-a-month option and a $20-a-month option.
Google is scaling back on hardware, though. You can still buy a couple different smart speakers from Google right now, but a new model is due out this spring, so I'd probably wait to see that what that looks like (and if it puts the remaining ones on sale). Google no longer offers a smart display; you might be able to find older models, but Google has stopped making them. I expect we'll see partnerships roll out to offer these again, similar to how Google discontinued the popular Google Nest Protect and partnered with First Alert on a new smoke detector. Google does seem to still support all its old devices, but I don't love that they don't stick around.
Ready to go all in on Google? Here are a few Google gadgets I love.
-Adjusting-Temperature-Reviewer-Photo-SOURCE-Nena-Farrell_.png)
Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Generation)
The original Nest Learning Thermostat put Nest on the smart home map, and the latest version from 2024 is downright gorgeous.
- Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
- Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Nest Doorbell (Wired, 3rd Gen)
This is our favorite video doorbell, which works seamlessly with Google's ecosystem.
First Alert
SC5 Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Google discontinued the popular Nest Protect smoke detector and instead has this new model with First Alert.
The Matter of It All
Matter has changed the game so that you don't need multiple apps across your devices, so long as you have a smart speaker and hub you can connect to. Matter, if you aren't familiar, is a universal smart home standard that companies are adopting so that all smart home devices can connect with each other. It also lets you set up your device using the app that connects to your smart home hub, like your Alexa app or Apple Home app.
The downside is it'll lock you into that smart ecosystem even more, so if you're waffling between Google and Amazon, using Matter can backfire for you. I've had to reset light bulbs entirely so that they would sync to a different ecosystem, since I test devices across all the smart home ecosystems above.
Still, I like having a separate app for each device, because it often opens up extra features. For instance, my Cync light bulbs wouldn't have the fun flickering candlelight option if I didn't use the Cync app and access its light shows. You'd also miss out on other extras, like energy monitoring in a smart plug (if it has that), and I'd recommend the native app for any device you're getting video history for. It's up to you either way, but it is something to think about as you both invest in and set up your smart home.
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