When it comes to voice-enabled smart assistants, Amazon Echo speakers take the cake. As it turns out, they’re great for a lot of things, actually. They can play your favorite tunes, help you set routines for your smart home devices, and help wake you in the morning. There are a million things your Echo speaker can do for you, and even more, depending on what kind you decide to buy. But with that in mind, what is the best Amazon Echo speaker for your needs?
It can be a bit daunting to choose the right Amazon Echo speaker for you. There are multiple types from several generations of Amazon devices, and they come in different shapes and sizes. There are options with and without screens, too, which can complicate matters further. Luckily, we’ve got your back. We can help you settle on a speaker that works for you and your lifestyle, taking the guesswork out of your next Amazon device purchase.
Keep this in mind first, though. You should think about certain aspects of Amazon Echo speakers you find important before buying. Are you more concerned with high-quality audio, or multipurpose speakers that happen to play music? Where do you plan on placing the speaker? Do you want to use it as a hub for your other smart home devices?
It’s also important to consider the Amazon Echo speaker’s form factor when choosing one to buy. Is a screen a requirement? Do you want to put a speaker in the kids’ room so they can enjoy their own music and apps? And are you going to want to use it as an alarm clock?
It’s time to take a look at our picks for the best Amazon Echo speakers. Then, be sure to check out the best smart home devices and the best smart security systems to fully kit out your home.
Best overall Amazon Echo speaker: Amazon Echo Studio
Pros: Powerful speaker, loud volume, Dolby Atoms-compatible
Cons: Pricey, must subscribe to Amazon Music for 3D audio experience
The Amazon Echo Studio is the premium option for anyone looking for great sound, functionality, and versatility from their Echo speaker. It houses five speakers to generate powerful bass, excellent treble, and fantastic midrange. It includes support for Dolby Atmos for added depth, which makes for an outstanding listening experience. You can stream your favorite music all over your home via voice control, with access to Amazon Music HD (with a subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited), Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and more. It will also adapt to the acoustics of each room of your home as well, so no matter where you go, you have a specially designed soundscape. Link multiple Alexa devices in your home together to use as an intercom as well.
This is one of the best Amazon Echo speakers you can choose from at the moment, from its audio functionality to its design, which resembles Apple’s similar device, the HomePod. It is a bit more expensive than you might be looking to spend on an Echo speaker, but you certainly get what you pay for in this instance, especially if quality sound is higher on your list than anything else, be it a screen or Alexa options. You get that and more here with a focus on great music.
Best Amazon Echo speaker with a display: Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)
Pros: Excellent screen, great sound, clear microphones, swivels to follow you around room
Cons: Motorized base can often be wonky
If you’d prefer that your Amazon Echo speaker come with a screen, the Echo Show 10 (4th Gen) is one of the best Amazon Echo speakers for you. It features a special motorized base that lets it follow you around the room, so to speak, so you always have the best viewing angle (and anyone you’re speaking with can see you). With 13-megapixel wide-angle camera complete with pan and zoom, it keeps you centered during calls, and even lets you speak with up to eight other people thanks to Alexa Group Calling via Zoom, Chime, and other video conferencing platforms.
Of course, it’s also a speaker, and a great one at that. It can do everything the rest of the Amazon Echo speaker lineup can do, but paired with a screen to make it a little nicer (and cooler). So you can ask Alexa to set alarms, play your favorite radio station, call up recipes, and more with a screen to check out additional details, all with crystal clear sound and microphones that keep you from having to repeat yourself. Whether you use it to serenade yourself or keep in touch with friends, it’s the best screen-based Echo speaker you can get right now, perfectly sized.
Best multifunction Amazon Echo speaker: Amazon Echo Dot with Clock
Pros: Aesthetically pleasing, external LED clock, space-saving
Cons: Less impressive bass than larger models
The Amazon Echo Dot with Clock speaker is a very cool-looking option that not many users remember exists. It can get buried among the other many Echo speakers out in the wild, but it’s very much worth picking up. In terms of aesthetics, it’s unique and spherical, with the time projected on the outside of the sphere thanks to a small LED. That way you don’t have to rely on a screen to tell you what time it is, but you can always see it. That makes it perfect for a nightstand, so you can look over and see it in the middle of the night.
It also comes standard with the Amazon Echo speaker features you know and love, including Alexa support, a great speaker, and microphone to issue voice commands. This is one of the more economically-sized and priced speakers that gives you everything you love about Echo’s services, but at a lesser price. It may not have as impressive of a bass presence given its size when listening to music, but it’s certainly great for users needing a utilitarian smart clock, as it were, that also happens to be able to play music on demand, make calls, and spout recipes, too.
Best budget Amazon Echo speaker: Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen)
Pros: Great-looking, multiple colors available, economical
Cons: Less bass, no clock
If you’re looking for a no-frills experience that delivers everything you expect from an Amazon Echo speaker, you want the Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen). It has no clock or external LED to display the time to speak of, but it’s still a great-looking device. It also looks great perched on a desk or a nightstand, and takes care of all those requests you’d expect Alexa to be able to handle, while serving up recipes, tunes, news, and more. This is an economical option that’s still a little flashier than Amazon’s smallest Dot speaker, and well worth a few extra dollars.
This speaker, like the version that comes with a clock, doesn’t come packing the best possible bass, but it still offers loud, room-filling sound and perks up if you even whisper “Alexa.” It’s capable of handling any of the tasks you delegate to it in terms of smart home devices, it can still help you make your Amazon purchases, and all those important things. It’s just less flashy than some of its Echo speaker brethren. And despite that, it’s still very much worth picking up. The spherical design is a big draw, especially with the nice glow around the bottom.
Best Amazon Echo speaker for kids: Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition
Pros: Absolutely adorable, content geared toward kids, same functionality as Echo Dot
Cons: Will need a subscription for Amazon Kids+
If you have kids, chances are they’ve played around with your Echo Dot more times than you can count. Get them their own version, designed especially for them, with a fun tiger or panda print. It’s an Echo speaker that still functions similarly to the regular Echo Dot, but it’s perfect for the little ones in your life. It comes packed with a variety of kid-friendly features, and it can come set up automatically that way so your munchkins can start playing around with it out of the box.
What makes it unique is that it comes with a free year of Amazon Kids+, which used to be known as FreeTime Unlimited. It comes with thousands of hours of special games, skills, books, and other kid-friendly content so your children have plenty of stuff they can interact with without you having to worry that they’ve stumbled into something for adults. It’s great to have peace of mind, of course. But as far as the speaker itself goes, it’s exactly what you’d expect from the Echo brand, so much so that you could swap this speaker for one in the adults’ bedroom and not see a difference…except for the addition of a cute animal, of course.
