Which Voice-activated Assistant should you consider, Amazon Alexa or Google Home?

You've undoubtedly heard about all the smart technology that can help you live a little more comfortably at home. You might find it useful to be able to ask for weather updates and set timers, or you might be interested in smart controls like controlling your home security or changing lighting. But how can you get all of your technology to communicate with one another and obey your voice commands? That's where the leading smart home platforms, such Alexa from Amazon and Home from Google, come in.

 

For these, you can use an app on your phone or tablet to use your voice to manage internet-connected smart plugs and appliances, and you can give them spoken commands. There are many things you can do with a smart assistant, from asking Alexa to arm your security camera to requesting Google to turn on your reading light.
 

 

But how can you choose the best platform for you? The specific smart gadgets you'll acquire will depend on this, so it's important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each. We've covered all the essential information regarding Google Home and Alexa, which are compatible with the greatest variety of devices, in the sections below.
 

We tested each assistant in our daily lives, having them control our lights and plugs, and we compared the costs, features, and capabilities of each choice, as well as their selection of speakers. Here is all the information you require.
 

A intelligent voice assistant is what?
 

Smart assistants that answer to your commands, provide information (such statistics or weather forecasts), and operate your home appliances are a crucial component of your smart home system. You can communicate with them using your phone or a specific smart speaker. The main advantage is hands-free operation, which allows you to operate your devices without having to touch them directly.
 

Additionally, voice assistants are growing in popularity. Over 100,000 different gadgets support Amazon's Alexa, and according to Ampere Analysis study from 2021, voice assistants are already a part of more than half of UK internet homes. Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple's Siri are the top three assistants. Due to the fact that they are the most commonly supported by smart home gadgets, we will only discuss the first two below.
 

What divides Alexa from Google Home?
 

There are a few important things to understand even if there aren't many significant differences between Alexa and Google. While Google can't follow your Amazon orders, Alexa can hear when you're irritated and, if everyone is asleep, can whisper its responses when you'd prefer them to be silent. Google, on the other hand, can handle several demands in a single statement because of its improved natural language understanding. For instance, you don't need to give separate commands to turn on a plug and set an alarm.
 

With all of the search engine's expertise at its disposal, you'd assume Google would be a little more savvy than Amazon, but the latter is the better choice due to its abundance of third-party smart home connections. Amazon works with more than twice as many smart home gadgets than Google, which claims to support over 50,000 of them.
 

While it is possible to physically house both Google and Alexa speakers together, we believe that would cause more trouble than it would be worth. It would be great if you chose your favorite and kept everything connected to that one platform. You'll feel like you're living in a sci-fi movie once you've scattered a few smart speakers across your home so you can communicate with them from anywhere.

Pros and Cons of Amazon Alexa

 

Pros

The vast array of smart home integrations that Alexa offers are, as was already noted, its main selling point. On the speaker front, Amazon provides a wide selection of items that can connect to your other equipment. There is the Echo series, which includes devices with screens so you can monitor the feeds from your security cameras and ranges in power from the diminutive Dot to the potent Studio.

 

Many Amazon-owned brands, such as Ring and Blink doorbells, security cameras, and Fire TV sticks, are compatible with Alexa. However, Alexa also works with a ton of third-party products, such as TP-Link plugs, cameras, mesh wifi systems, iRobot and Eufy robot vacuums, and Philips Hue lights.

Given that Alexa is linked to your Amazon account, we'd also suggest that it's the greatest choice for buying and tracking packages. It can also have specific talents programmed into it so that it performs exactly as you like.
 

The audio and connectivity on Amazon's products are of the highest caliber, and they are easy to set up. Use the "Alexa" voice assistant to communicate with them and state your request, such as to shuffle your playlist or set a timer for an hour.
 

Cons

The voice of Alexa can be changed to British English, your preferred accent, and either a feminine or male voice, but that's about it in far of customization. Comparatively, Google offers 10 primary assistant voices while Siri offers six accents and many voices in those settings, including a voice that is gender-neutral.

Additionally, Alexa can only process one command at a time. That's one of the key advantages Google has over its competition, as we'll discuss later. Alexa will only respond to one of your requests if you try to ask it to turn on the lights and provide the weather prediction for tomorrow.
 

Pros and Cons of Google Home

 

Pros

Want a personal helper who can conduct a proper conversation and comprehend you like a regular human? The benefits of Google Assistant include its ability to understand natural language and the fact that you can deliver several instructions without having to use the wake phrase "Hey Google" repeatedly.
 

As an illustration, you might type a series of unrelated questions like: "Hey Google, when is Father's Day? When does Downton Abbey 2 take place? Oh, and could you just turn on the lights? and without you having to start over, the assistant can answer to each. The information is authentic and trustworthy because it originates from the biggest search engine in the entire planet.

Thousands of third-party products, including many of our favorites like Philips Hue lights, Arlo wifi security cameras, and Tado smart thermostats, as well as Google's own Nest range, which includes its Nest surveillance cameras, Chromecast streaming devices, and mesh wifi kits, are still compatible with Google, even though it may not support as many smart devices as Alexa.
 

Similar to the Amazon range mentioned above, Google divides its smart devices into display editions in the Nest Hub and Hub Max, somewhat larger models for louder music in the Nest Audio, and smaller speakers in the Nest Mini.
 

Cons

As we've already mentioned, Alexa outperforms Google Home in terms of third-party smart device support. Even though the difference is closing, this is still a crucial aspect that will influence your decision.

Additionally, Google doesn't provide a means for users to modify the "wake word" for their devices. You are limited to saying "Hey Google," whereas you can change the phrase on Amazon's devices to say "Echo," "Amazon," or "Computer." Beyond this, though, this intelligent platform doesn't actually have many other drawbacks.
 

Decision between Google Home and Amazon Alexa
 

Both Google Home and Amazon Alexa are top-notch smart home platforms, and no matter which one you choose, it will be offered in a variety of various premium or reasonably priced speakers.
 

For the most home integrations, we advise choosing Alexa. It is the best platform for setting up your connected home and is compatible with thousands of supported smart home devices. Are you looking for a voice-activated assistant that can respond to the majority of your requests in a human-like manner? Utilize Google. It is more intelligent overall and is fueled by the informational web of the search engine.