Choosing between the Amazon Echo and Google Home: A Buyer’s Guide

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Everyone in the tech industry was blown away when Amazon released the Amazon Echo in 2014. However, things got interesting when Google released the Google Home, a direct competitor to Amazon Echo. Currently, the Echo is one of Amazon’s most popular hardware products. Both the companies have amazing releases, so which one should you buy? We give you a few pointers that can help steer you in the right direction. Consider these points and buy your personal preference based on them.

1. Google Home has a wider span of knowledge

When you think about it, this comes off as no surprise. Google Home is programmed with all sorts of facts to keep the flow of answers to your random questions continuous. Notably, we aren’t saying that the Amazon Echo is stupid. It simply did not answer as many questions in our test as Google Home did. When the Echo was prompted for some answers, it simply responded that it “doesn’t know the answer” to our questions. Google Home posed with these same questions could answer some of them. Google Home also has a unique feature that enables it to remember your previous question. As such, you can ask something like “Who starred in The Titanic?” followed by “How old is he/she?” once given an answer. If you’re looking for a richer information source, Google Home is the way to go.

2. Amazon Echo is more convenient for the average smarthome user

Amazon Echo

In case you plan on using your virtual home assistant to control all or most of your smarthome gear, then the Amazon Echo is for you. The fact that the Echo has been around for longer means its programmers have continued to work towards its integration with an increased number of Smarthome devices. Currently, the Amazon Echo supports products ranging from Nest, Insteon, SmartThings, Philips, Belkin and Wink. The best part? That’s just a tip of the iceberg. Google Home, on the other hand, still has a narrower span of the home devices it supports. Currently, both home assistants use IFTTT to integrate with the smarthome devices. That helps the Google Home cover some of the distance the Echo has created between the assistants in this field. However, the Amazon Echo still takes the lead.

3. Both Assistants have excellent music tastes

Each Amazon Echo has its default music playing set to Amazon Prime Music. The Google Home also uses the company music player, Google Play Music, for its tunes. Both these players are excellent resources in the music field as they can shell out millions of songs. When it comes to the numbers, however, Google Home takes the lead. The assistant from Google has access to a library of a whopping 35 million songs. The Amazon Echo, on the other hand, can only play up to two million songs. However, you can find most popular music on both virtual home assistants, so your music selection should not be a problem. Both players also require a paid subscription for their music-streaming services. In case you aren’t an Amazon Prime or Google Play Music fan, then the fact that these devices can link to your Pandora or Spotify account should be convenient for you. If you have music on one of these providers, then take on either assistant and simply enjoy.

4. The Google Home can recognize individual voices

Google Home

A typical home is expected to have multiple voices within it. Although both virtual home assistants support multiple accounts on their usage, the Google Home takes the crown for personalized use. This is because it can recognize each person’s voice and deliver services or information based on that individual’s account. Rather than phrase questions in the third person, such as “What’s on Brian’s calendar today?” you can say “What’s on my calendar for the day?” The Google Home will instantly recognize who is talking to it and open up your personal calendar of events. It will then deliver your unique set of answers.

5. The Amazon Echo has a wider range of services

Do you want to do almost everything using your virtual home assistant? The Amazon Echo might be your best bet for now. Apart from basic orders such as being able to get an Uber, having sports scores read out and even receiving the latest news, the Amazon Echo also has a ton of other features. For example, you can get your Twitter feed read aloud to you or go through a 7-minute workout with this virtual home assistant guiding you every step of the way. Google Home is likely to add to its list of services in the future. For now, however, the Amazon Echo takes the crown in this category.

Base your choices on these and other features for the best virtual home assistant. Good luck!

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