A smart speaker with reliable voice assistant support can be a helpful addition to any home. With the growing adoption of large language models, smart speakers are getting even smarter; instead of just processing voice commands to control music playback, the most advanced offerings can now manage your calendar and even order food for you. Still, no matter how smart they get, the best smart speakers earn their spot on your kitchen counter or coffee table with balanced audio output that gets loud enough for you to have a conversation about giraffes from across the room or play your favorite tracks while you make dinner. Because most smart speakers support functionally similar services like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple's Siri, additional features like spatial audio support and ecosystem expansion become differentiating characteristics between devices (along with price) that will help you pick which product is best for you.
We've tested over 190 speakers, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best smart speakers. If you're looking for more options, check out our recommendations for the best home Bluetooth speakers, the best Alexa speakers, and the best Bluetooth speakers.
All of our recommendations start with the products we've tested. And, they're backed by in-house experts who ensure unbiased, objective data to help you choose the right speaker.
Want to see how we've tested more than 150 speakers? Our How We Test Speakers article walks you through the entire process: from selecting and purchasing products to testing, reviewing, and publishing our results.
-
Best Smart Speaker
Voice AssistantMusicPodcastsBattery Powered:NoSpeakerphone:NoVoice Assistant:YesBluetooth:YesSee all our test resultsWi-Fi:YesThe best smart speaker we've tested is the JBL Authentics 500. This premium home speaker offers built-in support for two voice assistants, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and you can use both simultaneously. It stands out from the crowd thanks to its impressive sound quality and stylish retro design, which is inspired by classic JBL speakers like the L100. This speaker also comes with many modern-day features, like Dolby Atmos support and a room calibration tool that is designed to optimize the speaker's sound based on the unique acoustics of your room.
Thanks to its voice assistant support, you can activate this speaker using only your voice. It understands your commands clearly, even if you're in a noisy environment or on the other side of the room. In addition to excellent voice assistant support, it offers an impressive reproduction of voices and lead instruments, so you get a clear and balanced sound overall. The speaker's bass and treble knobs let you adjust the sound to your liking, and there's also a graphic EQ on the JBL One app if you don't feel like walking over to the speaker. Overall, this feature-packed speaker might be a little much for those who want a simpler option, but it stands out as among the best.
-
Best Upper Mid-Range Smart Speaker
Voice AssistantMusicPodcastsBattery Powered:NoSpeakerphone:NoVoice Assistant:YesBluetooth:YesSee all our test resultsWi-Fi:YesIf you're looking for a more affordable smart speaker and don't want to compromise on sound quality, consider the Sonos Era 300. While its price can sit relatively close to the JBL Authentics 500's at times, the Sonos often goes on sale for significantly lower. Plus, you can use it as part of your home theater setup. That's right, this speaker can pair with compatible Sonos soundbars for expanded surround sound. It also comes with Dolby Atmos support, which is great if your streaming service of choice supports Dolby Atmos Music. On the smart device front, this premium speaker comes with Alexa Built-in for hands-free control, and the built-in mic recognizes voice commands easily. However, the Sonos doesn't support Google Assistant, which may be a dealbreaker if that's your preferred assistant.
Like our top pick, this speaker gives you access to lots of premium sound enhancement tools. TruePlay, the manufacturer's room correction tool, optimizes the speaker's sound based on your room's unique acoustics, though the full feature is only available with iOS devices, with Android users relegated to a more barebones version. Bass and treble sliders also let you switch up the speakers' sound signature manually, but tuning isn't as granular as the graphic EQ available on our top pick. If you find yourself frowning at its price, you can get the same ecosystem integration with the cheaper Sonos Era 100. Though smaller, it gets just as loud as the Era 300, but you'll miss out on a bit of low-end bass and access to Dolby Atmos.
-
Best Mid-Range Smart Speaker
Voice AssistantMusicPodcastsBattery Powered:YesSpeakerphone:NoVoice Assistant:YesBluetooth:YesSee all our test resultsWi-Fi:YesThe Sonos Play is the best mid-range option we've tested and the only battery-powered model on this list, making it the best portable smart speaker pick, too. Whether listening to the classics or the latest pop hits, you'll enjoy a clear reproduction of voices and instruments thanks to the speaker's balanced mid-range. While it can't produce as much low-bass as the Sonos Era 300, kick drums and basslines still have plenty of punch, and Sonos TruePlay room correction helps adapt the sound to your environment. Still, its portable design and 12 hours of battery life mean it can easily be moved from room to room or taken outdoors, and its impressive directivity ensures audio remains consistent across a range of listening angles.
It's no slouch when it comes to smart features either: it has built-in support for Amazon Alexa and its built-in mic does a fantastic job of picking up voice commands, even in crowded spaces. No need to baby it either, as the IP67 rating means the speaker can handle everything from spontaneous plumbing disasters to light rain showers. Still, for the truly outdoorsy, the Sonos Roam 2 may be a better alternative thanks to its compact, lightweight (0.9 lbs.) design. As you'd expect, the even smaller design further handicaps low-end bass reproduction, but it may be a worthwhile sacrifice if portability is your number one priority.
-
Best Lower Mid-Range Smart Speaker
Voice AssistantMusicPodcastsBattery Powered:NoSpeakerphone:YesVoice Assistant:YesBluetooth:YesSee all our test resultsWi-Fi:YesIf you want even more smart speaker features at an accessible price, check out the Amazon Echo Studio 2025. Instead of standard Alexa built-in support on non-Amazon smart speakers, you'll have access to Alexa+. The paid service (included free with Amazon Prime) uses large language models to interpret less formulaic instructions and expands the capabilities of the virtual assistant to address complex requests like ordering food. Unlike the Sonos Play, the Amazon Echo Studio 2025 doesn't have a battery, so you'll have to keep it plugged in.
Though the speaker is plenty smart, it also supports audio-focused features like Dolby Atmos content, immersive spatial audio, and Alexa Home Theater, which allows you to connect supported Amazon devices together to form a home theater speaker setup. It doesn't get as loud as the larger, sound-focused Era 300, though. Still, its balanced frequency response should reproduce music in many genres loudly enough to fill a living room.
-
Best Budget Speaker
Voice AssistantMusicPodcastsBattery Powered:NoSpeakerphone:YesVoice Assistant:YesBluetooth:YesSee all our test resultsWi-Fi:YesIf you're searching for a smart speaker on a budget, check out the Amazon Echo Pop. Its built-in Alexa does an excellent job understanding your commands, and you can switch to Alexa+, an AI-powered advanced version of the assistant (free with a Prime subscription). You can also use your voice to control Alexa Smart Home compatible devices. That said, it's missing support for Alexa Home Theater found on our previous pick, the Amazon Echo Studio 2025.
The Echo Pop's half-sphere design comes in four different colorways, making it easier to find a good look that suits your home. For those tight on space or more strict with their home decor, the Echo Pop has a small, unintrusive profile that's easy to inconspicuously pop into a corner. And if you're ever unsure whether your smart device is picking up commands, there's a bar of light on top of the speaker that flashes when you're giving the Echo Pop a prompt.
If you're still deciding between voice assistants, you can check out the best Google Assistant speaker we've tested in the budget range, the Google Nest Audio, while Siri fans can look at the Apple HomePod mini. All three speakers perform similarly, but the Amazon speaker's voice assistant performance is a touch better overall.
Notable Mentions
-
Denon Home 350:
The Denon Home 350 is another premium smart speaker with built-in Alexa. It has a better low-frequency extension than the Sonos Era 300, so you'll notice more rumble in the bass. However, its soundstage isn't as good, and the speaker doesn't support Dolby Atmos, so we still think the Sonos is the best-sounding smart speaker for most people.
See our review -
Apple HomePod (2nd generation):
The Apple HomePod (2nd generation) is a mid-range pick ideal for those already owning products in Apple's ecosystem. It has a bassier default sound than the Sonos Play, which is great for bass lovers. However, without bass and treble adjustments, it's not as customizable. It doesn't support Bluetooth, either.
See our review -
Sonos Move 2:
The Sonos Move 2 is a large portable smart speaker. Though you can use the Sonos on battery power, it's much heavier the Sonos Play, which stretches the definition of 'portability'. While the Sonos gets louder, has a longer battery life, and reproduces deeper bass, it's more of a hassle to move from place to place.
See our review -
WiiM Sound:
The WiiM Sound is a smart speaker catered to audio streaming. It provides native access to a variety of niche services not offered by any products on the list, like Qobuz and Soundcloud. That said, it doesn't support hands-free voice commands; you have to press a button on the remote (and use it as a mic), which may be annoying if you're working with your hands.
See our review
Recent Updates
Aug 04, 2026:
We've replaced the Bose Portable Smart Speaker with the Sonos Play as our mid-range pick. The Sonos has better directivity and a better build quality, while boasting similar smart features, like voice assistant and Wi-Fi support. Otherwise, we've made changes to the other picks to keep them more concise.
Jun 01, 2026:
We've made the Amazon Echo Pop our new budget pick due to dwindling stock of the Amazon Echo Gen 4. We've also added the WiiM Sound to our Notable Mentions for its wide streaming service support, and we've verified that the remaining picks are still relevant and in stock.
Feb 19, 2026:
We replaced the Sonos Era 100 with the Amazon Studio 2025, which supports the newer Alexa+, and removed the Sonos Roam 2 as a dedicated pick. We also made text changes throughout the article and updated the Notable Mentions section.
May 12, 2025:
The Amazon Echo Studio and Sonos Era 100 are now the same price. Since the Sonos is the better smart speaker, we've removed the Amazon and replaced it with a new mid-range pick, the Bose Portable Smart Speaker.
Feb 10, 2025:
We've removed the Bose Home Speaker 500 from the Notable Mentions as it has been discontinued. We also made minor edits to the text for clarity.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best-sounding smart speakers for most people to buy, according to their needs. We factor in the price (cheaper speakers win over pricier ones if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our users, and availability (no speakers that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our reviews for speakers that support voice assistants, sorted by their voice assistant performance. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There are no perfect speakers. Personal taste, preference, and listening habits will matter more in your selection.