GoKawiilComparing the Best Alexa Speakers
Model Speaker Array Screen Specs Camera Specs Other Features Amazon Echo Dot Max One 2.5-inch woofer; one 1-inch tweeter None None Tap controls; smart home hub Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) One 1.73-inch speaker None None None Amazon Echo Show 11 One 2.8-inch woofer; two full-range drivers 11-inch display with 1920 x 1200 resolution 13-MP camera with auto-framing Zigbee smart home hub that supports Matter and Thread; spatial audio; Dolby Atmos Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) Two 2-inch speakers 8-inch display with 1280 x 800 resolution 13-MP camera with auto-framing Zigbee smart home hub; spatial audio
Honorable Mentions
While I wouldn't call these smart speakers my absolute favorites from Amazon, they have some excellent qualities that make them stand out among the vast lineup of Echo models.
The Echo Studio (2nd Gen) is the best Alexa speaker for sound quality. This is the second version of the Echo Studio to be our audiophile pick. The current version is a similar size to the old Echo (4th gen), but the musical power on this speaker is almost ridiculous. It filled my entire second floor's long great room with music, and I didn't even need to reach the highest level of volume to pull it off. Honestly, I'm almost afraid to use it at full blast. Not only was it loud, but clear and delivered a nice amount of blast, beautifully playing soft tones of Tracy Chapman's “Fast Car” and the piano riffs of “Dark Blue” by Jack's Mannequin with its three 1.5-inch drivers, plus a 3.75-inch woofer. The harmonizing of “What Is This Feeling?” by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo sounded beautiful, too. If you're looking for big sound in an Alexa box, this is it. It's a similar size to the Apple HomePod, but I like the sound much better and it's cheaper, too. You'll also get a built-in smart home hub, spatial audio and Dolby Atmos, tap controls like the Echo Dot Max, and early access to Alexa+ right away.
The Echo Spot (2nd Gen) is the best Alexa speaker for bedside tables. The Echo Spot returned in 2024 after a few years of discontinuation, and it's a great little bedside companion thanks to its half-circle screen that displays the time, plus any alarms you have set are also visible under the main time. You can customize the clock with a couple of different color and face options, and the screen dims nicely when the lights are out to a gentle red that's easy to read without lighting up the room. I like asking for alarms set to my latest playlist or some lo-fi jams, and it's easy to set that up with a voice request. Unlike the Echo Shows, it doesn't have a distracting, constantly moving slideshow that would be annoying for the bedroom, nor does it display ads or have a built-in camera. (Nobody wants a rogue camera in their bedroom.) It does not have fantastic sound, but it's plenty loud for an alarm or casual listening while you get dressed in the morning.
The Echo Dot Kids (5th Gen) is the best Alexa speaker for kids. Do your kids really need their own Alexa speaker? That's up to you. This special edition of the Echo Dot is nearly identical to the fifth-gen Dot above, but it has easy-to-use parental controls that allow you to set time limits, filter explicit content, and review activity. The owl- or dragon-themed sphere comes with a year of Amazon Kids+, which includes thousands of Audible books and other special games and features. After that, you'll be charged $3 per month. Alexa can help your kids spell, play their favorite music, or—via another speaker in your house—remind them of dinner time.
More Alexa (and Alexa-Compatible) Speakers
There are a lot of Echo devices out there, and some third-party speakers that are Amazon Alexa–compatible. Here's every Alexa smart speaker we've tried and what we thought of it.
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) With Clock for $60: I like this version of the older Echo Dot that adds an LED clock to the front of the speaker, and was thrilled to see it in stock again last year. The LED clock can also display information like the weather when you ask Alexa questions. It's once again temporarily out of stock as of this writing, and has had spotty availability for the past year or so. Still, it's a good find when it's available.
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