Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: Everything you need to know

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: what are they? 

Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are voice assistants with many features and functionalities. A voice assistant is an artificial intelligence that responds to voice commands, which helps you with many of your daily activities. Many different gadgets have voice assistants. Usually, you can find them on smartphones, for example. 

You can also get an exclusive gadget which the main function is to be a voice assistant. The two most popular ones are Amazon Echo and Google Home (Nest). 

Although this is a modern technology that is constantly growing and changing, there is still a long way to go. At the moment, both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant have limitations when you are giving complex commands. They respond better to short and clear instructions such as: 

• How is the weather today?
• Do I have any appointments today?
• Play this song on Spotify! 
• Set a timer for 20 minutes! 
• Ask Uber to request a ride!
• Open Youtube on this channel! 

Amazon Alexa is an Amazon product, therefore you can expect more connections to Amazon’s services. With Amazon Alexa, you can easily order on Amazon.co.uk, for example. 

Google Assistant is a Google product, therefore you can also expect more connections to Google's services. With Google Assistant, you can usually get better directions due to Google Maps, for example. 

When deciding which one to buy, this can be a starting point, which services do you use more? Do you have an Amazon account or a Prime Membership? Or do you prefer Google’s interface? 

What is a smart speaker?

A smart speaker is the name of the gadget whose main function is to be a voice assistant. The biggest names are Amazon Echo and Google Home(Nest), but you can find other models on the market. 

What does a smart speaker do?

A smart speaker can do a lot of things, such as: 

• Set timers and alarms. 
• Play music, podcasts, audiobooks, radio shows and more. 
• Give answers to questions.
• Give easy, quick and healthy recipes.
• Check the weather.
• Check the traffic.
• Check your emails. 
• Check your calendar. 
• Do your online shopping. 
• Order takeaways.
• Create lists.
• Create notes.
• Find a lost phone.
• Control your smart home (lights, plugs, locks and thermostats).
• Make phone calls.  

IMPORTANT NOTE: This will all depend on the model that you are using. The more advanced the model, the more you can do with it. 

Do I have to pay a monthly fee for a smart speaker?

Once you buy your smart speaker, you don’t have to pay any monthly fee to use it, but you will need to pay for the paid apps and services you will connect to your speaker, such as Spotify, Amazon Prime Membership, Uber, Netflix and others. 

What smart speaker can I buy?

You can buy Amazon Echo and Google Home (Nest) in different models and prices. The more features you can find, the more expensive it will be. You can also find smart speakers produced by third parties that can run Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. We recommend buying either the Amazon Echo or the Google Home (Nest). We will talk more about their different models and prices later on in this article. 

Which smart speaker is right for you?

It depends on what you want to do with your smart speaker. We recommend writing a list with all the activities you expect to do with your smart speaker before buying one. Then you know if it’s going to be useful to you and which one is the best for you according to its cost versus benefits. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a learning curve when it comes to smart speakers, so we suggest you talk to people you know that have bought a smart speaker. Ask questions like: How is it going? How helpful is it? And how easy is it to use? Another tip is to read the reviews of other customers before buying it. 

Do I have to buy a smart speaker from Amazon or Google? 

You don’t have to buy your smart speaker from Amazon or Google, but we highly recommend you do so. There are third party models, but it’s always better to get them from the “source”. Amazon and Google will definitely create the best gadgets for their artificial intelligence. 

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: Comparison

We have compared Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant in different scenarios to help you make a decision about what is the best option for you. 

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: shopping online 

It’s still hard to do online shopping effectively by using a voice assistant, but things are getting better. If you shop a lot on Amazon.co.uk, Alexa will work just fine. With Alexa, you can give easy commands and get stuff done quickly when it comes mainly to recurring purchases. Google Assistant doesn’t have the same connection to Amazon and so it’s not as easy to shop online.

Winner: Amazon Alexa 

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: getting recommendations for restaurants, ordering food, making reservations and getting recipes

Both assistants can give you good recommendations for restaurants near you, with details, such as the restaurant address and prices. When you want to order food, you can connect the smart speaker to your favourite delivery app and place an order there. When it comes to making reservations, both can connect to Open Table, but it’s a bit tricky to operate. Alexa is better for getting recipes, mainly because of the exclusive Amazon application. 

Winner: Amazon Alexa 

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: making phone and video calls 

You can make phone and video calls with Alexa and Google Assistant. Depending on the gadget you have, you can even use it for video calls. Some modern smart speakers come with screens. They are usually more expensive. 

Winner: Both - Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant 

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: listening to music, podcasts, radio shows and audiobooks 

Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant offer excellent audio functionality and you can listen to music, podcasts, radio shows and audiobooks with both. Alexa is only better because it includes more integrations such as with Apple Music and Apple Podcasts, which is considered one of the largest podcast directories. 

Winner: Amazon Alexa 

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: getting directions 

Google Assistant is a much better choice when it comes to getting directions. Google will give you more information to help you to choose the better route that will save not only time but money too. With Google, you can even receive information about public transportation. Alexa still can’t access public transportation information the same way Google Assistant can. 

Winner: Google Assistant 

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: controlling your home 

If you have a smart home, Alexa is a better choice to control it. Alexa connects to your smart lights, plugs, locks and thermostats in a better way than Google Assistant can. Alexa controls things intelligently, so when you unlock a door, it will automatically turn on the lights, while with Google Assistant, you will need to say a command to turn on the lights, for example. 

Winner: Amazon Alexa 

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: entertainment 

Both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant can be connected to TVs. In some cases, Smart TV’s come with them built-in and in other cases, you will need to buy a TV stick. The Amazon Fire TV Stick connects to Alexa and the Chromecast connects to Google Assistant. . With these TV sticks, you can control apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Youtube, Disney Plus, and others. You can also get a smart speaker with a screen where you will be able to stream these apps and many other ones. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is an important point to take into consideration, if you already have an Amazon Fire TV, it’s better to get an Amazon Alexa, and if you already have a Chromecast, it’s better to get a Google Assistant. 

Winner: Both - Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant 

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: cost

The Amazon Echo Dot starts at £39.99, while Google Nest starts at £49. You can also find both on sale frequently, but Amazon is promoting Echo Dots for cheaper prices more often. When it comes to costs, Amazon is slightly cheaper. 

Winner: Amazon Alexa 

Amazon Echo: the gadgets - the cheapest and the most expensive ones 

Amazon Echo comes in many different models. You can find it only as a speaker and also with a screen. 

Echo Dot (3rd Gen) - Smart speaker with Alexa - £39.99 - The cheapest speaker

This is Amazon's most popular smart speaker. Now in its 3rd generation, you can expect an improved sound much richer and louder than the previous ones. 

Echo Studio | High-fidelity smart speaker with 3D audio and Alexa - £189.99 - The most expensive speaker

If you are looking for an impressive speaker, this comes with 3D audio and 5 “speakers” in one. This also comes with Dolby Atmos technology, the latest in sound quality. 

Google Home (Nest) the gadgets

Google Home was recently rebranded as Nest. You can find them in four different models, two speakers and two speakers with screens. We will talk more about its best-seller: 

Nest Mini - £49 

This is Google's most popular smart speaker. If you compare this to Echo Dot, it will be much smaller and lighter. You can also place this on a wall, while Echo Dot, you can’t. 

Amazon Alexa vs Google Assistant: which one is better? 

Both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are good options. However, Alexa wins in more categories and has more functions. Alexa can be a good option for you if you are an Amazon user and also an Apple user, if not, Google Assistant will provide good solutions for your daily tasks. 

FAQ - Amazon Alexa 

FAQ - Google Assistant