The best Alexa speakers let you interact with Amazon's smart assistant and control devices with voice commands from around your home. Many of the best options are directly from Amazon, but some brands like Sonos and Bose also offer some fantastic alternatives that not only let you interact with Alexa, but also bring a higher level of audio quality.
Between Amazon and the slew of third-party options, there are plenty of sizes and shapes at different price points. There are even some smart displays that add in a screen with the smart speaker functionality – perfect if you have a security camera, video doorbell, or just want to pull up a recipe without breaking out a computer.
Since Alexa can control a whole lot of devices, whether you own smart lights, smart thermostats, smart plugs, and even smart switches, you can do a lot to make your space more comfortable with just your voice.
The quick list
Best overall
The latest iteration of the Amazon Echo strikes an excellent balance between sound quality, smart home features, and price, making it the best Alexa speaker for most people. We particularly appreciate the fact that it can double as a Zigbee hub to control your smart home.
Best budget pick
The Echo Dot covers all the essentials you'd expect from an Alexa speaker at a very affordable price, and is one of the most beginner-friendly options around. In addition to voice controls, you can operate it by tapping the top - ideal for moments when you want to keep the noise down.
Best for music
An Alexa speaker that offers rich, detailed audio with a wide sound stage, the Sonos Era 100 proves that you don't have to choose between smarts and sound quality when picking an Alexa speaker. We were particularly impressed by its bass during our tests.
Best for home theater
You can pair two of these premium Alexa speakers to take your home cinema system to the next level, and although you'll need to subscribe to Amazon Music HD for the best experience, at under $200, they're excellent value for the quality they deliver.
Best small speaker
If you're looking for an Alexa speaker to sit on your nightstand, where it will serve as an alarm, play the radio, and deliver you the weather forecast, the tiny Echo Spot is the one for you. Amazon has ditched the camera from previous iterations, which is reassuring for privacy.
Premium pick
The Bose Smart Speaker 500 (also known as the Home Speaker 500) is an elegant device that offers excellent sound quality and picks up voice commands even when music is playing at loud volumes thanks to the eight-microphone array.
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Best portable
Unusually for a wireless speaker, the Brane X has two subwoofers that deliver the kind of bass we'd expect from a proper Hi-Fi system. It's water-resistant for outdoor and indoor use too, but it comes at a price.
The best Alexa speakers 2024
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The best Alexa speaker overall
Striking the right balance between price and smart home features, the latest Amazon Echo is the best Alexa speaker for most people, balancing smart home features, sound quality, and price. The spherical design looks different from any Echo before it and is certainly pleasing to the eye. The audio has been improved too, but the fact that it acts as a Zigbee hub so you can control your smart home devices even when you're not at home, really makes it stand out.
The Echo’s only real issues are that its max volume level is a bit soft, especially compared to larger Alexa speakers such as the Echo Studio (further down this guide).
Read our full Amazon Echo (4th Gen) review
The best budget Alexa speaker
The compact, affordable Amazon Echo Dot already worked well, and the latest iteration offers even better sound quality, plus a room temperature sensor that makes it particularly useful for children's bedrooms, and new tap controls.
You can have it set up in a matter of seconds, and even if you've never used a smart speaker before, it's intuitive enough that you'll master the basics in moments. The new tap gestures are very handy for occasions when you want to keep the volume down, but it can be operated entirely with voice controls, with a red light indicating that it's actively listening.
Although it looks simple, the new Amazon Echo Dot covers all the essentials you could want from an Alexa speaker, including the ability to set alarms, ask for news or the weather, check sports scores, get it to entertain your kids with quizzes or games, and, of course, play music and radio stations. A great budget-friendly Alexa speaker.
For us, the only real downside is the absence of a 3.5mm port for connecting to different audio sources, but if you're happy with Bluetooth input then it's easy to recommend.
Read our full Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) review
The best Alexa speaker for music
The Sonos Era 100 proves that choosing an Alexa speaker doesn't have to mean compromising on sound quality. This speaker is a successor to the enormously popular Sonos One, and offers several upgrades on the older model – most noticeably when it comes to bass.
This comes courtesy of a new oval-shaped woofer for bass and mid-range, with two angled tweeters above it (one facing left and one facing right) - a setup designed to give stereo sound without a narrow 'sweet spot'. The soundstage is noticeably wider, and music is full of vitality and realism.
The downside here is the price, which is significantly higher than that of the Sonos One, and hasn't dropped much since its launch in March 2023. We've found today's best prices for you above, and if there's a special deal running, this top quality Alexa speaker is much easier to recommend.
Read our full Sonos Era 100 review
The best Alexa speaker for home theater
With the ability to pair two Echo Studios together for stereo sound, and a single output of 330W, this is the best Alexa speaker if you're looking to take your home cinema system to the next level.
On test, we were seriously impressed by the sound quality, and the fact it doubles as a Zigbee hub too. However, the large, bulky footprint won't suit everyone and to get the best from the Alexa speaker, you'll need to subscribe to Amazon Music HD to enjoy the 3D immersive sound that Amazon highlights as one of its best features.
That said, it's certainly more affordable than similar speakers from rivals such as Sonos (see above).
Read our full: Amazon Echo Studio review
The best small Alexa speaker
The latest Echo Spot is an Alexa Speaker that's most at home in the bedroom (particularly now that Amazon has ditched the camera from the last iteration), and is smaller and cheaper than the previous version.
Responses to voice commands are snappy, and it's Matter-compatible, which is a big bonus. Sound quality is good for the size, though the speaker is front-facing, so it's definitely a personal speaker rather than something that'll fill a room for a party. We found the mix quite bass-heavy at the default settings (though these can be tweaked in-app), and we enjoyed it most at mid to high volume.
For us, the biggest drawback is that the display is quite limited. It's small, and viewing angles aren't great, so you'll have to position it carefully so you can read it from bed.
Read our full Amazon Echo Spot (2024) review
The best premium Alexa speaker
The Bose Smart Speaker 500 (also known as the Home Speaker 500) can certainly give the Sonos Era 100 a run for its money when it comes to sound quality, making it our pick as the best Alexa speaker if money is no object.
Its elegant design is backed up by room-filling sound while Alexa provides the smarts. On test, we were impressed with the eight microphone array, that picked up our commands to Amazon's voice assistant even when the speaker was playing music at a loud volume. We also loved the preset buttons that offer one-touch access to your favorite playlists, radio stations, or albums.
However, it's one of the most expensive smart speakers on the market, and we found setting the speaker up on a Wi-Fi network using the Bose Music app is harder than it should be.
Read our full Bose Smart Speaker 500 review
The best portable Alexa speaker
The Brane X (available exclusively from Brane Audio) has recently wrestled the title of best portable Alexa speaker away from the excellent Sonos Roam 2. It has exceptionally rich bass thanks to its two subwoofers - something that's rare in any wireless speaker, let alone a smart one.
It has an unassuming design, but is IP57 rated against water and dust, and the battery delivers 12 hours of playback time, making it a great choice for indoors and out. You can also group several together to accompany your home cinema setup.
Naturally all of this comes at a price, and the Brane X is one of the most expensive Alexa speakers we've tested at $599 (around £475 / AU$915). If you're looking for a portable Alexa speaker for enjoying radio and podcasts, the much more affordable Sonos Roam 2 is still our recommendation.
Read our full Brane X review
How we test Alexa speakers
When it comes to putting the best Alexa speakers to the test, we evaluate the sound quality of the speaker and whether the audio is clear when listening to music, podcasts, and even the responses from Alexa.
We assess each model on its ability to pick up your voice when issuing commands to Alexa, as well as privacy features that help ensure the smart speaker isn’t constantly watching and listening, and how compact and durable the design is.
How to choose an Alexa speaker
What to consider when buying an Alexa speaker
There are a number of considerations when it comes to choosing the best Alexa speaker for you.
Do you want an Alexa speaker that just offers audible responses from Amazon’s voice assistant, or do you want a device with a screen, known as a smart display, that lets you see as well as hear Alexa’s responses? And if so, do you want a larger screen that can be easily seen in a quick glance when ou’re on the other side of the room, or do you want a smaller , more compact device?
Next, consider where you intend to locate the Alexa speaker. Large devices are best suited to rooms with bigger footprints such as a lounge or dining room, while for bedrooms, you may want a smaller Alexa speaker so it fits neatly on your bedside table.
If you intend to use the smart speaker as your main listening device, make sure you consider the number of speakers, and the sound output and quality it offers. Those with smaller speakers are best suited to background music, while larger smart speakers will offer a louder, more room-filling sound. Also look for models that can be paired together to create stereo sound if you’re planning to use a smart speaker as part of your home cinema set-up.
What do Alexa speakers do?
As we’ve already mentioned, Alexa speakers can be used to listen to music but there’s also a host of other things they can do thanks to Amazon’s built-in voice assistant. To start with, they can control the playback of music for you, rather than needing to reach for your smartphone. Just ask Alexa to pause the music, skip tracks, adjust the volume or even play a specific album, track, or playlist.
Alexa speakers can also offer up a range of information such as a weather report, the latest news headlines, or even sports scores, if you ask for them. The voice assistant can also provide trivia and answer your burning questions such as ‘who is the Queen of England’ or ‘what is the tallest mountain in the world’.
Alexa speakers can be a great way to stay in touch with family and friends by letting you make audio calls, and if you have an Alexa smart display, video calls. It can even be a source of fun by telling jokes and playing games. .
Finally, Alexa speakers can also be used to control compatible smart home devices; for example, it can dim or brighten any smart lights you have in your home, turn the temperature up or down if you have a smart thermostat, and let you converse with anyone at your doorstep by connecting to your video doorbell.
