Amazon's Echo Devices Compared: Which One Is Best for Your Smart Home?

The Echo Dot Kids Edition is shaped like the Echo Dot, but comes in owl, dragon, rainbow swirl, and stardust prints. It packs some kid-friendly features, like one free year of Amazon Kids+ for thousands of hours of kid-friendly Audible books, interactive games, and educational skills. (After a year, Amazon Kids+ is $5.99/month.) This Echo Dot also comes with a two-year, worry-free guarantee, so if it breaks, Amazon will replace it for free.

The Echo Dot Max replaced the 4th-gen Echo at the $99 price point (it's currently 35% off for Prime Day). It runs an AZ3 chip for "better conversation detection," Amazon says, while its dual speakers promise fuller bass. In our tests, we found that the Echo Dot Max delivers impressive sound for its size, as well as robust connectivity and smart home integration, and access to Alexa+. All that earns it our Editors' Choice award as the best all-around smart speaker.

Amazon has slimmed down its Echo Studio speaker in a spherical package that looks more like the Echo Dot. It now measures 6.1 by 5.6 by 5.8 inches (HWD), down from 8.1 by 6.9 by 6.9 inches, but still a few inches bigger than the Echo Dot Max. In our tests, we found that this second-gen Studio is Amazon's smartest and clearest-sounding Alexa speaker yet, though the bass is less powerful than the original. You do, however, get extra sensors, connectivity options, and Alexa+.

The baseline of the Alexa hardware experience is now the angled Echo Pop. Effectively a cheaper version of the orb-shaped Echo Dot, the Pop boasts a larger front-firing speaker and slightly different look, without sacrificing its Alexa-powered voice assistance functions. Designed to fit into small spaces like a dorm room or bathroom, the Echo Pop also features Amazon's AZ2 Neural Edge processor and can serve as a network extender for Eero mesh networks.

This kids' version of the Echo Pop smart speaker features Marvel, Anthro Pup, Disney Princess, Toy Story 5, Stitch, and unicorn characters and comes with six months of Amazon Kids+.

The original orb-shaped Echo Spot came out in 2017 as a more compact, clock-radio-like alternative to the Echo Show devices. But it was largely ignored until Amazon released an updated Echo Spot in 2024 that sits between a smart speaker and a full smart display. In our review, we found that new Echo Spot's display isn't too impressive, but it performs quite well as a smart speaker, provides useful bits of information, and offers basic smart home controls.

The Echo Show 15 is designed to be easily mounted on a wall, though Amazon is now selling it with an adjustable stand for an extra $125. It features a 15.6-inch, 1080p LCD surrounded by a large, picture-frame-like bezel that can look like a painting or smart frame when not in use. It includes Fire TV support and the visual ID feature. Amazon promises better audio quality, plus more bass and noise-reduction tech than the original, as well as an improved camera for video calls with a 65% zoom and auto-framing to keep you centered in a video chat. In our review, we found that its camera improvements help justify the higher price.

This scaled-down Echo Show 15 looks like a thermostat or home security system, but it’s an 8-inch touch-enabled display where you can manage smart cameras, organize widgets, or just check the time. In our review, we found it to be an excellent value compared with the similar Brilliant Control ($399), a dedicated smart home control panel that retails for more than twice as much. The Echo Hub stands out for its smart home prowess, especially if you prefer to control your devices from a screen rather than with your voice.

Amazon gave its Echo Show devices a slight makeover last year, but they're not a huge departure from the previous-gen versions. The new Echo Show 8 features an 8.7-inch HD display and a 13MP camera with auto-framing capabilities, which will recognize and greet you when you approach it. In our review, we found that the newest Echo Show 8's upgraded speakers offer richer sound, while a faster processor makes for more seamless and natural voice interactions with Alexa+. It earns our Editors' Choice as the best Amazon smart display for most people. Get it now in graphite or glacier white. Add an adjustable stand for $40.

For something even smaller, the third-gen Echo Show 5 improves on the previous model with a speaker designed for deeper bass and 20% faster request response time, so you can set that alarm, add that grocery list item, or hear that joke marginally quicker. Available in black, blue, white, the 5.5-inch smart display fits virtually anywhere in your home, and comes with a 2MP HD camera and built-in shutter, as well the option to turn off the microphone and camera.

The kid-centric Echo Show 5 makes it easy for little ones to ask Alexa for homework help, make video calls to pre-approved contacts, and set wake-up alarms in the voice of their favorite characters. Now with an additional mic for improved voice-assist responsiveness and a faster AZ2 Neural Edge processor, the device comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ (starting at $5.99 per month for Prime members after the first year) for access to thousands of books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, games, and skills. There's also a two-year "worry-free guarantee," which offers a free replacement for broken displays.

If you need a little more screen real estate, the Echo Show 11 features an 11-inch HD display. In our review, we found that it's best-suited for large rooms, but combines excellent sound quality, a large screen, and the conversational smarts of Alexa+ for easy voice control.

This colorful smart light orb is intended for kids. Ask Alexa to change the Glow's colors; tap to make it flicker like a campfire or flash while an Echo Dot plays music for a dance party. The Echo Glow doesn't work with any Alexa skills and can't be set to flash or give any indication of you getting a message or alert. But for the price, it seems like a fine smart light for your kids' rooms. (Not to be confused with the now-defunct Amazon Glow, a $300 smart speaker plus projector that let kids connect with faraway loved ones and play games.)

The Smart Plug is part of a line of products called Alexa Gadgets, which need to be connected to other Echo smart speakers. It connects to Echo devices like the Dot to turn compatible devices with mechanical on and off switches into smart ones. You can then say things like "Alexa, turn on the coffee pot."

Google has Android Auto and Apple has CarPlay, so it was inevitable that Amazon would also get into the automotive space. The Echo Auto debuted in 2018 as a small device that attaches to the dashboard and responds to questions just like it would at home. A slimmed-down (and more expensive) version arrived in 2022 for $54.99. As we found in our review, the latest Echo Auto is ultimately just a good microphone that lets you use Alexa voice controls in your car. It's not any more unique than the Alexa mobile app, but it might be able to hear you better.