The 10 best Amazon Echo devices for building a smarter home

From the Echo Dot to the Echo Show, these Amazon Echo devices will have you doling out voice commands to Alexa like a pro.
By Ashley Keegan and Stacia Datskovska  on 
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Overview

Best for the basics

Echo (4th Gen)

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Best for smaller spaces

Echo Dot (5th Gen) with clock

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Best audio

Echo Studio

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Budget pick Echo Show

Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen)

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Best of both worlds

Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)

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Best visuals

Echo Show 15

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Best for the car

Echo Auto (2nd Gen)

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Best for on-the-go

Echo Buds (2nd Gen)

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See 5 More

Just like the continuous stream of new Kindle models, there seems to be an ever-growing list of Amazon Echo devices to choose from. There's the Amazon Echo Dot, the Amazon Echo Show — there are even Echo Buds! It's a real whirlwind — which is why we're here to help pull you out of that Echo chamber and find the best Amazon Echo device (or devices!) for you and your home.

What can an Echo do?

All Echo devices are designed to utilize Amazon Alexa's AI superpowers — it's just a matter of which form you want your Echo to take. Depending on the device you choose, your Echo may simply have an audio output (whether that's music, phone calls, calendar reminders, or news alerts). These devices are known as the Amazon Echo or Amazon Echo Dot (they're both essentially smart speakers). Amazon Echo Show devices, on the other hand, can do all of the aforementioned audio stuff, but they also boast colorful displays of varying sizes to help you visually manage your day, make video calls, and stream entertainment. Think of Echo Shows as tiny and more affordable tablets, essentially.

Most Echo devices are designed to act as smart hubs within your home, but some Echo devices can also be taken on the road. These types of Echo devices include Echo Buds (Amazon's foray into the wireless earbud space) and Echo Auto, which brings hands-free Alexa functionality to the car.

Read on for the 10 top Echo devices of 2024 so that you can make an informed, stress-free Echo purchase.

Read our full review of the Echo (4th Gen) here.

If you're just looking to get your foot in the door of the whole Alexa-driven smart home game, the Amazon Echo is a great place to start. It's about as basic as a latest-model Echo device gets these days, adhering to the main tenets of what an Echo was meant to be from the start: A sleek little speaker that responds to your voice commands.

That's not to say, however, that this isn't still one of the best Amazon Echo devices out there. Now in its 4th generation, its spherical form looks good in any setting (and in your choice of a few different colors too), and it delivers premium Dolby sound whether you're streaming music or just getting the latest weather update. Plus, you can easily connect your other smart home devices to this one central hub so that you can control all your little tech minions with your voice alone. It even has a built-in temperature sensor that can work in conjunction with your smart thermostat, and motion detection that can be used to automatically turn lights on when you walk into a room. Another cool feature is the ability to "Drop-In" on the Echo devices of your loved ones.

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Read our full review of the Echo Dot (5th Gen; no clock) here.

Looking suspiciously similar to the baseline Echo, the Echo Dot is just about the same as its spherical older brother, except in a smaller form. While the Echo stands just over 5 inches tall, the Echo Dot is a more squat 3.5 inches, making it better suited for a bedside table, shelf, home office setup. We especially like this version with the LED clock display (which can also show weather, song titles, etc. when asked — or be turned off completely), but you can opt for a Dot without it, too (and save $10 while you're at it).

Now in its 5th generation, the Echo Dot boasts more vibrant sound with clearer vocals and deeper bass, though it does not have Dolby audio like the latest-model Echo. It also only has one front-firing speaker as compared to the Echo's two plus a woofer. However, the Echo Dot does have the same built-in mic and in-app privacy controls as the Echo, as well as a temperature sensor and motion detector to help automate other smart home devices. Amazon takes smart home functioning quite seriously with its Dot: If you enable sound detection routines, for instance, you can program a particular sound (dog barking, oven dinging, door opening) to trigger a certain Alexa Routine.

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The Echo Dot gets an adorable facelift in this kids' version of the device. You can choose from cute and colorful designs — like an owl or dragon — for the outside, but the inside is exactly the same as the latest-model Echo Dot, minus the LED clock display. The Echo Dot Kids is not just a pretty paint job, though; it also comes with a free year of Amazon Kids+, a digital subscription designed for kids aged 3-12 to access kid-friendly audiobooks, educational Alexa skills, interactive games, homework help, bedtime stories, and more — all without ads. (Though to be fair, you could always subscribe to Amazon Kids+ separately and use it via any other Echo device too.) 

In addition to a built-in mic off button for privacy, the Echo Dot Kids is also packed with parental controls: Like only giving kid-friendly responses to any questions asked, filtering out explicit songs when playing music, and only allowing calls to parent-approved contacts. It also allows Alexa's voice to be changed to that of an owl- or dragon-inspired character, making the whole experience more fun for little ones. And, it comes with a 2-year worry-free guarantee that allows for replacement if it breaks (which is a huge step up from the Echo Dot's 90-day limited warranty).

If you, however, want to treat the kiddos to the latest-and-greatest in the world of Amazon tech, your best bet would be the Amazon Echo Pop Kids (released on Oct. 25). The Pop Kids costs $49.99, has all the same parental controls features we mentioned above, and grants you six free months of Amazon Kids+. Its Avengers or Disney Princess design options are giving #genderstereotypes, but they're still a great way to add some brightness to your kid's room and life.

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At their core, the Echo and Echo Dot are essentially just speakers — incredibly intelligent speakers, but speakers nonetheless. And while they're great for casual music listening and hearing Alexa serve up her endless knowledge, they won't impress any true audiophiles. That's where the Echo Studio comes in with its wow-worthy Dolby Atmos sound and five strategically positioned speakers inside. Standing 8 inches tall with a nearly 7-inch diameter, it's markedly larger than the baseline Echo — but it's still a relatively unobtrusive speaker that can fill a large room with exquisite audio. You can even pair two Echo Studios together (plus an Echo Sub subwoofer add-on, for good measure) and configure them for the left and right to create a truly immersive, three-dimensional audio experience. Even better, connect it all to your Fire TV for a truly cinematic home theater setup.

Aside from its epic sound quality, the Echo Studio functions almost identically to the standard Echo when it comes to smart home capabilities and Alexa's functionality. However, it doesn't have motion detection or a temperature sensor, so you won't be able to automate any connected devices in those ways. But it does have a built-in "mic off" button and in-app privacy controls. For instance, on the Alexa app, "you can review your daily voice history and delete anything you don't vibe with, manage the access to data certain skills have, and more," according to shopping fellow Stacia Datskovska.

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Read our full review of the Echo Pop (1st Gen) here.

If you want to keep up-do-date on the latest versions of Amazon Echo devices, the 1st Gen Echo Pop is a solid choice to go with (given the fact that it was rolled out in May 2023). It's a fresh product, there's no arguing with that; however, we don't think the Echo Pop differs much from the 2022 5th Gen Echo Dot, which retails for only $10 more. One time we would recommend it over the Echo Dot? When it reaches record-low pricing of under $15.

Mashable writer SaVanna Shoemaker reviewed the lil' Pop in July 2023 and praised it for its ability to (inexpensively) fill up a living space with great-quality music. Besides being a handy and cheap smart speaker, the Echo Pop also boasts "nearly all of the same functionality" as other Echo devices on the market — including that signature smart home compatibility and Alexa voice control. Note that, unlike the 5th Gen Echo Dot, the newbie Pop doesn't have temperature sensors.

Shoemaker was quick to mention (and bust) the myth that the Echo Pop is equivalent to a Bluetooth speaker. You cannot, in fact, use it to stream audio directly from your phone. The Alexa app must serve as a handy intermediary in order to do so.

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Read our full review of the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) here.

Breaking beyond just audio, we're now jumping into the Echo devices with visual displays, also known as the Echo Show lineup. First on our list is the Echo 8 with its 8-inch HD touchscreen and 13-megapixel camera. It can act as a sous chef in the kitchen, serving up recipes while keeping your hands free, and it can just as easily make video calls to keep up with friends and family or stay productive while WFH (though our reviewer SaVanna Shoemaker noted some issues with Zoom functionality). You can also "Drop-In" on any other Alexa devices in your household, including video chat with other Echo Shows.

That's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Echo Show 8's visual feats, though, and the gorgeous display really opens up the door to an incredible amount of enhanced Alexa functionality. The Echo Show 8 can even function as a security camera, and you can check in on what it sees via the Alexa app on your phone while you're away. That said, you can close the camera shutter and shut off the mic for more privacy.

If you're looking for the same capabilities in a smaller size for the bedroom or office, however, the Echo Show 5 is an equally nice choice. Note that the smaller-screened Show 5 won't do as good of a job with streaming, pulling up ingredient lists on recipes, or other tasks that require a large display. Check out our full in-depth comparison of the two for more details

There's now a new-gen model of the Echo Show 8 — the 3rd Gen Echo Show 8 — that might be an even better fit, if you're dedicated to buying only the latest smart home tech. Mashable hasn't gotten hands-on with this new release, but you'll find upgraded audio features, a speedy processor, and mics with noise-reduction technology.

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Read our full review of the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) here.

The Echo Show 10 sits at the crossroads of great audio and visual content delivery, but it is considerably larger than other Echo devices. With a 10-inch display, the Echo Show 10 is much more than just a larger screen to enjoy Alexa's AI and video calls with loved ones. In fact, its whole form is different. Whereas the Echo Show 8 is a bit boxy, the Echo Show 10 boasts a slimmer screen perched atop a speaker, a cue that the Echo Show 10 is the superior choice when it comes to audio. It almost looks like an Amazon Fire tablet slapped on top of an Echo Dot, but we promise it's more sophisticated than that.

One of the Echo Show 10's coolest features is that its HD screen moves with you. Whether you're on a video call or following a recipe while moving around the kitchen, the screen will turn to face you. You can also utilize this functionality to look around the entire room while you're away from home. Not only are the views multidirectional, but the Echo Show 10 also delivers premium, directional audio that can really fill a room.

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Read our full review of the Echo Show 15 here.

Part Echo Show, part Fire TV, the Echo Show 15 really blurs the line between productivity and entertainment. You can mount it on the wall just like a small television and stream content from your favorite streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. However, you can also display a customizable roster of widgets front and center to help keep your family organized and up-to-date on important events, announcements, and reminders. Or, with the Photo Frame feature, you can turn it into a stylish piece of artwork by displaying photos from your albums. The choices are really endless.

But despite the fact that it looks (and sometimes acts) more like a TV, it still has all of the same functionality and Alexa capabilities as any other Echo Show. It functions excellently as a central hub in a busy home with lots of smart home technology, and it has the same privacy controls of other Amazon Echo devices. However, as our reviewer RJ Andersen found, it's not without its flaws — including the fact that the audio isn't amazing and the camera is only five megapixels. If you want a truly low-maintenance setup process, the whole "wall mounting" aspect of the Echo Show 15 is also not too ideal.

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PSA: Amazon has an Echo device just for your car, in case you weren't aware. While other Echo devices are designed mostly around the idea of being a hub for smart home devices, the Echo Auto brings that very intelligence to your vehicle.

As of now, you likely don't have a ton of smart tech to control while in your car, but the Echo Auto allows you to access Alexa's hundreds of thousands of skills hands-free while you drive. You can control your music, podcasts, or audiobooks, or make phone calls and send texts. You can also remotely control your devices at home from the road, such as turning on your lights and bumping up your thermostat for a warm welcome when you walk in the door. You can even contact roadside assistance, all with simple voice commands. The Echo Auto comes with an adhesive mount, fast car charger, and AUX cable, and it's built with privacy controls, such as a "mic off" button.

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Read our full review of the Echo Buds (2nd Gen) here.

If you love Alexa and simply want to take her epic skills with you wherever you go, Amazon has created wireless earbuds to help you do just that. They're designed to be compact and comfortable, though they are a bit larger than some competitors' earbuds. Their fit is customizable, however, and they're IPX4 sweat-resistant so you can use them during intense workouts without worry. They also have active noise cancellation to limit background sounds, and a "passthrough" mode that allows you to safely hear what's going on around you.

Like other Echo devices, you can use voice commands to make calls, set reminders, and utilize tons of other Alexa skills as well. You can also tap to pause, skip, and rewind your music, and you'll enjoy up to five hours of music playback per charge (or 15 hours with the charging case). Also, you can mute the earbuds' mic from within the Alexa app, but as our reviewer Alex Perry notes, she will keep reminding you to unmute them, which can get annoying.

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Topics Amazon Echo

How we tested

How we chose

While we haven't had the opportunity to conduct hands-on testing with every single one of these Echo devices (peep our recent review/comparison of the 4th gen Echo and the 5th gen Echo Dot, BTW), we did put forth hours of careful research into Amazon's current lineup of Echo devices and analyzed our own writers' in-depth reviews/personal experiences with several of them. We strived to include the best of the latest-model Echo devices in our roundup — comparing and contrasting their features extensively to determine the best Amazon Echo devices for a variety of different uses. To do this, we took some key factors into consideration:

  • Type: We made sure to analyze and include Echo devices of different types, including the audio-only original and Dot lineups as well as the more visual Echo Show options. We then compared and contrasted specs and selected those devices that rose to the top.

  • Price: Echo devices can vary greatly in price, so we made it a point to include budget-friendly options as well as more extravagant, "splurge-worthy" choices.

Frequently Asked Questions


Before we try to make sense of all your different options, let's just define what an Amazon Echo device is, was, and has become. When this line of devices first launched, the Echo was a tall cylinder that was essentially a speaker that responded to your voice commands, thanks to the artificial intelligence of Alexa. This is still the core of today's Amazon Echo devices, with some still offering just audio and others offering both auditory and visual content. Today's Echo devices also now come in many different shapes and sizes, and Alexa's capabilities have greatly expanded.


Many people tend to use the terms "Echo" and "Alexa" interchangeably, but even though their functions are deeply intertwined, they're actually quite different things. Amazon Alexa is the artificial intelligence system (kind of like its "rival" Google Assistant) that responds to your questions, acts on your voice commands, and does all the myriad other things that Alexa can do — but we'll get to that in a minute. On the flip side, Echo devices are simply the conduit for bringing that service to you. That's why Echo devices take on so many different forms, from spherical speakers to video screens to earbuds you can take on the go. 


Echo devices are some of Amazon's keystone products, so you can expect to see their prices drop accordingly during Amazon Prime Day events, as well as other big shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Psst... Black Friday and Cyber Monday are upon us, so mark your calendars for Nov. 24 and peep your favorite Echo products on sale then. As of right now, we're already seeing some applause-worthy markdowns on models like the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) and the Echo Auto (2nd Gen).


You can find Amazon Echo devices and accessories for sale at retailers other than Amazon, such as Best Buy, Target, Staples, and even The Home Depot. However, you may not have access to as wide of a selection of styles and colors as you would if you shopped directly through Amazon. You're also not likely to score the best price when shopping from a store other than Amazon, mostly because of all the aforementioned sale periods (and not just Amazon's signature Prime Day) when prices drop dramatically.


Possibly one of the best perks of purchasing an Amazon Echo device is that there's no monthly fee to use it. It's your entry point into Alexa's incredible AI and — aside from the purchase price of the Echo device itself — she and her ever-growing list of skills are totally free to use. The only reason you might encounter a paywall while using your Echo device is if you're asking Alexa to access another service, such as a streaming music service. (And yes, that includes Amazon Music; you may be prompted to start a Music Unlimited subscription if you try to access a song that's not free. Can't win 'em all, I guess.)


Regardless of the Echo device you choose, its built-in access to Alexa’s artificial intelligence allows you to do all of the following — hands-free — simply by asking Amazon Alexa a question or voicing a command:

  • Control your smart home technology from one central hub

  • Access your calendars and set reminders

  • Get answers to any question you can think of

  • Make phone calls (and video calls with an Echo Show)

  • Get the latest weather and news

  • Follow recipes

  • Shop on Amazon

  • Stream music (and video on an Amazon Echo Show)

  • Play games

But honestly, that just barely scratches the surface; there are more than 100,000 Alexa skills that you can utilize via an Echo device, and Amazon is always adding more.

It should also be noted that Alexa and Echo devices are built with many layers of privacy protection these days. You can turn the mic off if you don't want Alexa listening, and you can also view and delete your voice recordings. If your Echo device has a camera, the latest models also include a shutter to cover it up when not in use.


According to Amazon, there are more than 30,000 smart home devices marked with the "Works with Alexa" badge — and if something works with Alexa, it works with Echo too. There's a whole host of smart home items you can connect to your Echo device, including light bulbs, switches, locks, thermostats, fans, and smart plugs that can turn pretty much any electronic device into a “smart home” device.

Amazon's own brands (like Blink and eero) make a ton of smart home devices that will link up seamlessly, but Echo devices — especially those with a built-in Zigbee smart home hub — should be able to connect to any brand of smart home device fairly easily with the command "Alexa, discover my devices." (To be clear, though, Zigbee isn't required for connectivity)

Echo devices also work exceptionally well with each other. You can link as many of them together as you want, and you can even have them play the same music at the same time for a whole-home audio experience, or act as an intercom to let your family know dinner is ready.

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Ashley Keegan

Ashley Keegan is a freelance contributor to Mashable.

Mashable Image
Stacia Datskovska
Mashable Shopping Intern

Stacia Datskovska is an NYU journalism major (graduating this December). Her work has appeared in USA Today, Boston Globe, Teen Vogue, HuffPost, Bustle, and more. When she's not writing something or other, Stacia can be spotted crying over poetry, making a home-cooked meal, or walking on an NYC pier. For her more half-baked thoughts: @staciadats on Twitter.


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