Best Amazon Alexa-powered speakers in 2024

Experience quality sound and get top-notch voice assistant functionality with the best Amazon Alexa-powered speakers. One of the most popular and versatile smart home assistants, Amazon Alexa has a lot to offer when it comes to smart device control through voice commands.

Best of all, the platform supports many third-party devices, meaning it doesn’t limit you to Amazon’s Echo Dot speakers. So, it’s easy to find a great speaker with Alexa support. To help you find the ideal option for your audio needs and budget, this list consists of speakers at many price points from top brands such as Bose, Sonos, JBL, and more.

Top Amazon Alexa-powered speaker picks

Amazon’s entire Echo lineup boasts a top-notch user experience, but most models aren’t designed with peak audio quality in mind. That’s where this speaker stands out. In our testing, we discovered how great this speaker is at high volumes. The sound remains clear and balanced at all levels, making this one of the best smart speakers you can consider buying.

Echo Studio’s ability to deliver quality sound has a lot to do with the advanced five-speaker system — a woofer, three mid-woofers, and a tweeter — and spatial audio processing, as well as its ability to scan your room’s acoustics and make small changes to maximize the sound quality. It even has Dolby Atmos for compatible content.

A fabric-covered exterior in either Charcoal or Glacier colors contributes to a less intrusive and more professional look than many others (which is nice because it’s pretty big). And, since Amazon tends to go all-out in perfecting its interfaces and software, you can trust that Alexa on the Echo Studio will answer questions, solve problems, and complete tasks quickly and accurately, with no hesitation. Its ability to act as a Zigbee hub will also make setting up your smart home that much easier.

The Bose Home Speaker 500 is an even better pick for those with deep pockets. It’s built to deliver 360-degree sound loud enough to fill a large room, all thanks to its dual-driver setup encased in an aluminum grille chassis. Touch controls on the top give you local control over your sound, and an LED display on the front provides information about what’s currently playing.

Amazon Alexa is baked right in, and the microphone array on the top of the speaker does a good job of recognizing commands even in a busy space. Like the Sonos One, you can pair the Bose Home Speaker 500 with other Bose products to create a full soundscape. This is certainly more expensive than a lot of other options on this list, though few alternatives can compete with its audio quality.

Amazon’s fifth-generation Echo Dot is a compact spherical speaker that can sit just about anywhere, pumping out clean and clear audio. Amazon has upgraded the sound quality in each generation, and while this speaker won’t be enough for a big house party, it will fill the room with sound if required. This is a very affordable speaker, and its audio quality lives up to the price as long as you go into it with realistic expectations.

There’s also an Eero Wi-Fi extender integrated into the unit, dovetailing with one of the most popular Wi-Fi mesh systems on the planet to bring better Wi-Fi coverage into whatever room you place it in. Of course, you don’t need an Eero system; the Echo Dot will work just fine with any old Wi-Fi network, and you can use it to control other compatible smart home devices. Plus, a new accelerometer supports tap controls, including audio pausing, playback, and instantly snoozing alarms. A temperature and motion sensor is also built to help power smart home routines, such as turning on the air conditioning when things get too hot.

You can get the standard Echo Dot (5th Gen) in Charcoal, Deep Sea Blue, and Glacier White colors. Amazon also offers an Echo Dot with a built-in digital clock (ideal for bedside tables) and an Echo Dot for Kids in “Owl and Dragon” themes, each for about $10 more than the regular version. Note that these smart speakers often go on sale, at which time the budget pricing gets even more attractive.

Outside of removing Google Assistant support, the Sonos Move 2 is an improvement over its predecessor in every way. Not only does it offer simultaneous Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, Sonos fast-pairing, and the ability to connect to just about any streaming source, but it also comes with a 24-hour battery life (compared to the 11 hours of the first Sonos Move) and improved controls.

As far as audio quality goes, it sounds good across the whole spectrum, with a cleaner and more mellow sound compared to its predecessor. Even without the inevitable comparison, the sound quality is good with under-control treble, smooth mids, and satisfying bass.

Not all is perfect, however, with it being a bit on the heavy side, especially for carrying around. This is a portable speaker, after all. It’s even more expensive than its already pricey predecessor. But it’s still an excellent portable Alexa-powered speaker that’s a worthy upgrade.

Bose’s Portable Smart Speaker competes directly with the Sonos Move, and anyone with deeper pockets who doesn’t want to compromise on sound quality should consider both. During testing, the Bose Portable Smart Speaker performed well indoors and outdoors, reproducing rich sound in the mids and highs.

The combination of a downward-facing driver, internal sound deflector, and three bass radiators ensures consistent sound from every direction, as well as clarity in the middle and low ranges. Plus, real-world testing indicates that Bose’s top-mounted mic is on the same great level as those from Amazon.

The Bose speaker weighs only about a third of the Sonos Move’s weight, and its top carrying handle is easier to deal with. And considering it’s been dropping in price over time, the Bose speaker might just be what you’re looking for; note that it doesn’t come with a wireless charging cradle.

Yes, the Sonos Era 300 is very pricey, and the app could use some work. But overall, this is a fantastic addition to Sonos’ varied lineup of Alexa-enabled speakers. Plus, it also supports its own Sonos voice control when you feel like cutting Alexa out of the fun.

What makes this speaker special, however, is the sound. It has punchy bass, crisp highs, and a wide soundstage — always a surprising feature on a one-unit speaker system such as this. Plus, it has Spatial Audio support for a truly immersive experience, even if that doesn’t translate well to all tracks.

But there’s more than good sound here as the connectivity options on offer are quite surprising, though you do have to pay extra for a line-in adapter. It also supports Wi-Fi 6, so you don’t have to worry about dropped or intermittent signals. Plus, Sonos made this speaker easier to repair, not to mention eco-friendly, as this speaker is made out of 40% recycled plastic.

Amazon’s range of Alexa-powered speakers wouldn’t be complete without the fourth-generation Echo. It’s Amazon’s mainstream smart speaker, larger than the Echo Dot but smaller than the Echo Studio, with pricing to match. Based on our test findings, this is easily the best speaker to get if you’re first buying into the Amazon and Alexa ecosystem.

The spherical design houses a three-inch woofer and two 0.8-inch tweeters, with button controls on the top (for things like snoozing alarms or quickly changing volume). It gets loud, you’ll notice the bass, and it will fill a room with sound. Its built-in microphones can easily pick up your voice, and the faster processor helps to speed up the Alexa process. The Echo usually costs around $100, but you can often find it on a deep sale. Grab it in Charcoal, Glacier White, or Twilight Blue finishes.

The JBL Authentics 300 combines retro stylings with a rugged build that will look just as good next to a grill in the backyard as it will in a listening room. Since it’s fairly large, it does what big speakers do — it sounds massive. It actually has quite a bit of low-end as well, thanks to a 6.5-inch passive radiator situated underneath.

Alexa voice assistant support is snappy and can be physically turned off if you’re worried about privacy. And it supports Wi-Fi streaming. So, for example, you can play something off Spotify while still using your phone to make a call.

Of course, there are some drawbacks as it is on the heavier side and comes with a fairly high price. The limited EQ settings are a bit frustrating as well. However, no speaker is perfect, and that big sound, along with Wi-Fi streaming and some stylish aesthetics, is worth the extra cash.

Getting the best Amazon Alexa-powered speaker for you

Many speakers on the market are compatible with Amazon Alex but not all are reliable, so you’ll need to do some research and factor in what you want because audio performance varies from speaker to speaker.

The Amazon Echo Studio is one of the best-sounding Alexa-powered speakers we’ve tested, delivering room-filling surround sound with surprisingly clear and balanced highs. Plus, it utilizes Dolby Atmos technology for a better listening experience.

The Bose Home Speaker 500 sounds even better but costs a little bit more, making it ideal for those willing to splurge. It delivers 360-degree sound, thanks to its advanced audio system and dual-driver setup. It even has an onboard control panel for user convenience.

If you are looking for a low-budget option that offers good value for money, you can’t go wrong with Amazon’s very own Echo Dot (5th Gen). Although small, the speaker has decent sound and can help you control compatible devices.