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Despite the ever-growing plethora of products in the Smart Home segment, two offerings, Google Home and Amazon Alexa, have held on to their spots at the top. Making a decision between these two is also difficult given the unique features and benefits that each offers.
This choice should largely be based on four indicators: features, privacy, design, and cost-effectiveness. Read on for a detailed comparison between the two based on these factors to help you make the right choice for your needs.
Which Is the best smart home system: Google Home or Amazon Alexa? (July 2022)
A "winner" is declared at the end of every section. This decision was made in terms of the overall functionality provided by the device. Readers should weigh the pros and cons discussed in each section against their needs before making a decision.
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1) Features
The central value of having a smart home system is the features that it brings with it. A large majority of these features are dependent on the ecosystem these products operate in.
So the salient features of a Google Home, say, would include integrations with other Google apps, like being able to play anything you want from YouTube with a voice command, and of an Alexa, would be ordering anything you want from Amazon by just speaking aloud.
Users who have their photos, payment info, calendar, etc.set up on Google apps can easily pull them up via their Google Homes. Alexa also offers similar features, but users will have to connect all the info to the device manually.
Voice commands work just as well on either device, but Amazon's Alexa range does win out in terms of providing answers to specific queries. Google Home(s) tend to ramble a little at times unless the user phrases out their questions extremely clearly.
Winner: Google
2) Privacy
There isn't much to compare here, given that Google Home devices, launched in 2016, have not encountered any privacy issues or been at the center of any data sharing controversy in their over seven years on the market.
The same cannot be said for Amazon's Alexa products, which were badgered with complaints and legal cases regarding illegal data collection and sharing in 2019.
To put an end to the matter, Amazon has released a new privacy policy wherein users can ask Alexa to delete everything that was said, every day. The new policy also includes the addition of a Privacy Hub wherein users can see all the stored data.
If users are satisfied with these changes, they can surely go ahead with an Alexa, but for readers whose top priority is privacy, a Google Home seems to be the way to go.
Winner: Google
3) Design
Design is by far the most subjective category here, but there are some factors worth noting. Across the board, most Amazon offerings are larger and flashier as compared to the rather understated and drab direction Google has chosen.
It should be noted that Amazon devices above the Echo Dot come with Dolby Atmos and 3D Sound, thus contributing to their chunkier design.
Video devices share a common simple design, although Amazon's Echo Show 15 pulls ahead in the face of no competing product from Google.
The most popular speakers on either side, the Google Nest Mini & Audio and the Echo Dot & Studio, largely share a similar design, so users who are considering these devices can largely discount this factor.
Winner: None
4) Cost
Ensuring that you're getting your money's worth is probably why you've read it up to this point, so let's get into it.
At retail prices, both companies largely come in at the same price. The basic speakers, Nest Mini and Echo Dot, come in at $50, while their more feature-rich counterparts, the Nest Audio and Echo Studio, have a considerable price difference, both at $100 and $200, respectively.
Google's Nest Hub only has two variants (Hub Basic and Hub Max), priced at $100 and $229. Amazon offers a wide range of Show devices, which are priced between $55 and $250 and come with specific features in order to appeal to the needs of many consumers.
Although the price difference is not that considerable here, if users wait for sales or Prime Day, they can get every Amazon device for up to half the retail price.
Winner: Amazon
Although Google's products have emerged superior in more categories, readers should base their choice on which product's specific features and price appealed more to them, and in which ecosystem they would be more comfortable.
