Best Smart Speakers of 2024

At SafeWise, we tend to focus more on smart speakers' home security advantages and home automation benefits. But guess what else we’re suckers for? Audio quality. That’s why we chose the Sonos One (Gen 2), which produces rich audio—at both high and low frequencies—that most folks will enjoy.

Sonos One also has a superpower: it uses both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant^† voice controls (sadly not at the same time). This means you can choose your preferred voice assistant to manage your smart home. Read our full comparison to see how other smart speaker brands stack up and which tasks suit them best.

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Sonos One can also link wirelessly to other Sonos speakers for a whole-home audio system. Now your music doesn't need to stick to a specific room. In our experience, Sonos does multi-room audio better than Echo and Google. We also like that this speaker works with Apple AirPlay 2, allowing you to play tunes from your favorite Apple devices.

We absolutely love its two major voice assistant platform options: Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. This is the kind of flexibility that defines a standout smart home device.

Although the two voice platforms live in the same house on the Sonos One, they don't speak to each other, so you need to toggle between them in the mobile app if you plan to use both. We recommend trying out both when you first buy the speaker and choosing one that makes sense for your needs.

While the Sonos One includes a Bluetooth radio, it doesn't stream audio from smartphones like you'd expect. You should plan to use supported mobile apps and services like Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and Sonos Radio.

This Amazon Alexa smart speaker boasts a seriously cute spherical shape (especially the $60 Echo Dot Kids Edition—go Team Panda!). Its front-firing speaker projects sound out into a room rather than at the ceiling like older puck-shaped Echo Dots. The audio quality doesn't match larger speakers, but it's more than enough for most folks, especially at this price.

Alexa's smart device compatibility is still the best in the business, with more brands supporting Alexa than Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit (Siri). But if you read our Google vs. Alexa article, you probably know we're not fans of the Alexa app's clunky smart home controls.

Alexa doesn't really have a portable Alexa speaker you can take on the go (we miss you, Amazon Tap). But Amazon sells a vast selection of smart speakers. And, overall, we think that Echo smart speakers are the best choices for most folks since they balance price and quality—even if they don't quite match pricier audiophile brands like Sonos, JBL, and Bose.

Check out our Ultimate Guide to Alexa and Amazon Echo to learn more about Amazon's smart home offerings.

Google took four years to replace its Google Home speaker—this new version sports a more attractive design, fabric coverings, and improved sound quality. But it doesn't pack the bass of premium speakers like the Sonos One.

We love that its app controls for smart home devices are a little easier to use than Alexa's. But Google Assistant fails to match the smart home selection and compatibility of Amazon Echo, which had a two-year head start into the category.

Google also supports fewer music streaming services than Alexa (more so since discontinuing Google Play Music this year). While it supports popular services like Spotify, TuneIn, and Pandora, it's missing heavy-hitters like Apple Music and Amazon Music. In any case, we think that Nest Audio is the best smart speaker for voice controls and Google purists.

Learn more in our Ultimate Guide to Google Assistant and Google Nest Products.

We like that the JBL Link Portable is fully waterproof. If the rain starts falling, just pack up your picnic to some tunes and grab the speaker before you head out. It also has a compact design that isn't too bulky to throw in a bag and even looks great indoors on a charging dock.

At 1.6 pounds, it's one of the lightest portable smart speakers we looked at, especially compared to the 6.6-pound Sonos Move and 3.3-pound Sony Extra Bass. Unfortunately, that lightness results in low battery life (just eight playback hours). Most larger smart speakers can last as long as 12 hours.

Because it's a smaller speaker, you don't have access to the booming subwoofer that heavier portable speakers offer. Fortunately, this isn't too big of a deal for folks that want some bass but not enough to rattle windows. In the end, the JBL Link Portable is a worthwhile purchase when you want a Google smart speaker on the go.

The Apple HomePod mini is a bit of a black sheep among smart speakers; not only is it the only speaker with Siri voice controls, but it's also exclusive to Apple users. You can't even go through setup unless you have an iPhone or iPad. This isn't a problem for iPhone users, but HomePod mini misses a huge swath of the market because Apple is the paragon of incompatibility.

At $100, this smart speaker is very competitive with the Amazon Echo and Google Nest Audio. This make more sense for casual Apple fans unwilling to spend $300 on the original HomePod (now discontinued). Overall, if you're an iPhone user and want one of the best music experiences, it's hard to go wrong with the HomePod mini.

We think that the Sonos One is the best smart speaker for most folks since it gives you remarkable audio quality and your choice of voice assistant. If it's too expensive for your tastes, there's no shame in choosing the Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) or Google Nest Audio, which are just as worthwhile.

When it comes to building your smart home, smart speakers are the tip of the iceberg. Check out our related articles below to discover your next smart home product you didn't know you needed.

We researched and chose seven voice-controlled speakers (down from over 70) with callouts to other models that deserved at least a passing mention.

• We saved smart displays for later review, but we might shout out a few where relevant—this cut 13 products and two brands: Facebook and Lenovo.
• We also ruled out streaming devices and soundbars—so Roku, TiVo, and NVIDIA aren't on this list.
• Then, we removed all smart speakers over $300, which are mostly upgrades of less expensive speakers from brands like Bose, Harman Kardon, JBL, and Sonos.
• Next, we skipped dual-purpose smart speakers like Ecobee thermostats and some Google Nest products.
• Finally, we curated representative products that embody each brand's strengths.

While we tested some of these speakers in-house, we didn't test them all. We researched customer reviews and online audio communities to fill in the gaps for a more comprehensive perspective. Learn more about our ranking philosophy.

• Best Smart Home Automation Systems
• Google Home vs. Alexa: Which Assistant Is Best?
• Ultimate Guide to Google Assistant and Google Nest Products
• Ultimate Guide to Alexa and the Amazon Echo Family
• Outfitting Your Smart Home: Google Assistant Devices
• Outfitting Your Smart Home: Amazon Alexa Devices