10 Of The Best Smart Speakers Worth Buying (According To User Reviews)

Smart speakers are getting increasingly popular, and for good reason. The convenience of having a virtual assistant and a wireless speaker all in one has found appeal among gadget enthusiasts. These speakers are more than just music listening devices. They can set alarms, answer your questions, check the weather, and even help you learn a new language. There are many unexpected uses for your smart speakers.

Today, they've become a staple in many smart home setups, but it's not just the functionality that users care about. Even the aesthetic appeal is something manufacturers are paying increasing attention to. With so many options available — from big tech brands integrating smart speakers into their product lines to established audio companies expanding into the smart speaker space — competition is heating up, giving users a wide variety of choices.

When it comes to smart speakers, though, there is hardly a one-size-fits-all. Some users care more for portability and carrying their smart companion outdoors, while others want a smart home device to integrate into their Alexa or Google Assistant ecosystem. With reviews from users, we looked at some of the best offerings on the market and ones you should consider getting. 

The Amazon Echo debuted over 10 years ago and is now one of the top-rated smart speakers by users on the market. The fourth generation of this gadget improved a lot from its predecessor in terms of quality and features. Its new spherical design, according to Amazon, contributes to a much better sound output, and user reviews confirm this. When you play your audio, the sound is spread more evenly around the room.

For users who have already bought into the world of Alexa, there is even more reason to have this product on the shelf. The smart assistant works seamlessly with the speaker, allowing you to issue voice commands, ask questions, and control your music. The LED light ring at the bottom of the device lights up to show you the state or activities the device is going through.

The Echo has a 4.7-star rating, with over 140,000 reviews on Amazon. Priced at $54.99, it's one of the more affordable offerings on the market that provides such a level of quality. Many users highlight its value for money as one of its strong perks.

The Nest Mini arrived in 2019 as the second generation of the now-discontinued Google Home Mini. Google retained the small, compact design, but this time, the company emphasized that it was built with recycled plastic, adopting a more sustainable approach to its manufacturing process.

However, aside from its build, the Nest Mini has added features and has become even smarter. One of the new updates on the second generation was stereo pairing, which allowed users to connect two speakers and have them play at once. More importantly, the audio quality improved, having a more powerful base than its predecessor.

The Nest Mini comes with Google Assistant, which does pretty much all you'll expect from a virtual assistant. It easily picks up on commands with its three-mic setup, and it can hear the user, even when they aren't close to it. You also have the option to turn off the mics.

This smart speaker has become a great option for many users thanks to its impressive capabilities despite its size. Perhaps even better is its affordability. It is priced at only $47 on Amazon, which is low compared to other competitors, and yet, it does not look cheap or perform subpar.

The Bose Smart speaker is as portable as it gets: small, lightweight, and compact. This, along with its range of impressive features, has made it a popular option among many users. For its size, the speaker offers quality, well-balanced audio that's impressive even outdoors. Although it's on the higher end price-wise, retailing for $309.99 on Amazon, reviews show that it's a great higher-budget option to consider.

One of the best features of the speaker is that it has both Google Assistant and Alexa built-in so that whichever ecosystem you prefer, your smart speaker can fit right in. The speaker works with various music apps, and the Bose App gives you access to all the device's great features.

The Bose smart speaker has a 4.3-star rating on Amazon. Users particularly love how the 360-degree sound can fill up a room, but it's an even better solution for outdoor speaker users, not just in terms of its audio but also in design. The bucket-like handle allows you to conveniently carry it on the go, and it's also waterproof, so it works fine even during rainy weather.

The Era 100 was released about a year ago to replace the Sonos One. The device witnessed some improvements from its predecessor and has become one of the company's best offerings. One notable update was the introduction of Bluetooth for the first time. This feature was missing on previous devices as Sonos had been committed to using Wi-Fi connectivity.

As for the device itself, it's a compact speaker, but has excellent audio quality. The sound can fill a room and the bass provides a remarkable punch. It also has some great features like the Trueplay room calibration tuning, a unique innovation on Sonos devices that tunes your device to optimize the sound based on the environment.

The Sonos Era 100 supports Amazon's Alexa and the in-built Sonos Voice Control. This speaker has remained a popular option among users despite not having all the capabilities of the Sonos 300. For instance, it does not come with the spatial audio feature. However, At $184.99, the lower price point gives it significant value for money than the Era 300.

2016 introduced Google's first speaker, Google Home. Over time, the product line evolved, eventually leading to the launch of the Google Nest Audio in 2020. This device embodied a smart tool's qualities, offering a host of impressive features packed into a mid-sized, stylish structure.

The Nest Audio appeals more to users who want something bigger and more powerful than the Nest Mini. It costs more, but the sound is louder, and the bass is better. For music lovers, it's a great companion to have, but it doesn't fall short as a smart assistant either. The three microphones embedded in the device can pick up your voice even where there's noise, and Google Assistant does a great job of giving you smart, helpful responses and syncing with your other Google services.

The Nest Audio has a minimalist look that can fit easily into any space. It comes in five colors: charcoal, sand, sage, chalk and sky. Like the Nest Mini, Google also took a sustainable approach to its design, crafting the outer fabric and inside the speaker's enclosure with recycled plastic.

JBL has made quite a name in the audio equipment market, especially as a Bluetooth speaker manufacturer. The JBL Authentics 200 is among its lineup of smart speakers, most notable for its stylish retro design. Beyond its interesting frame, the speaker is also loved for its intelligent features.

One of the perks of the Authentics 200 is that it supports both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. So whichever your smart home is set up with, it'll fit in seamlessly. Also, it comes with several adjustment buttons attached, offering you more hands-on control than most smart speakers out there.

At $219.77, the Authentics 200 is not a cheap device, but it's not built to be either. According to users, the design is impressive: well-built and aesthetically pleasing, and the sound quality is just as great. It's not surprising how much it appeals to music lovers, as the speaker boasts amazing clarity with a bass that fills the room.

Another notable feature users love is that it gives room to customize the audio. With the JBL One app, you can tweak the EQ settings to get the perfect audio for your listening experience.

Another smart speaker that has received impressive user feedback is the fifth generation of the Amazon Echo Dot. This product has a 4.6-star rating on Amazon, with users highlighting its sound quality, design, and ease of use as its major perks.

The Echo Dot is a great option if you're looking for a small speaker that is easy to carry around and delivers excellent sound. This speaker is smaller than the Amazon Echo, but they share a lot of similar qualities, even in terms of design. It's essentially a mini version.

In terms of features, you also get temperature and motion sensors that the Echo speaker has and of course, there's the Alexa Assistant that receives your commands and enables voice-activated functions.

The Echo Dot, however, comes at a lower price point, offering better value for money. At $22.99, it's one of the most affordable speakers in Amazon's lineup. As an additional feature, the Echo Dot also comes with the Tap Gesture feature, which you don't get on the Amazon Echo. With this new update, you can tap on the speaker to pause and play media, snooze alarms, dismiss timers, and end calls.

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin speaker, released in 2021, has remained a popular smart speaker option on the market. Although a newer version was released in October 2024, this speaker remains a great option to opt for. The device comes with Amazon Alexa as its built-in voice control and smart assistant. You can set up your Alexa through the Bowers & Wilkins Music app, which also allows you to access controls for the device.

The Zeppelin comes with five drive units, creating a room-filling stereo sound. Its audio quality is well-balanced and so great for music, but it's also ideal for a variety of audio content. Users also get to customize the treble and bass settings to their taste and you can stream music via Bluetooth or Apple AirPlay 2.

It's not just about the sound — this speaker stands out in terms of design as well. Available in charcoal and pearl gray, its bold airship-inspired silhouette is elegant and hard to miss. This works especially if you like a touch of sophistication to your space.

At $567.25, the Zeppelin is definitely a premium option, but it lives up to its price tag with exceptional quality and performance.

The Echo Studio is Amazon's most advanced smart speaker and one of the best options on the market. It was launched in 2019 and designed with top-notch audio quality as priority, plus, Amazon has continually improved it so that it remains one of the leading smart speakers you can get. At $199.99, it's the priciest smart speaker in the company's lineup, boasting a solid 4.5-star rating on Amazon.

The speaker packs unique features that have caught the attention of users — things you might not find on a lot of competitors. The Zigbee Hub, for instance, enables smart home device management, while the Dolby Atmos support provides an immersive music experience. It also features 3D audio for a surround sound effect.

At the top of the Echo Studio are the mic mute button, volume buttons, and the button to wake Alexa, your smart assistant. It is a big device, weighing 7.7 pounds and standing at eight inches tall. Its larger size is all about delivering big, room-filling sound, and it does this even better than the Amazon Echo. It also outshines the Echo when it comes to pairing seamlessly with the Amazon Fire TV.

With so many great smart speakers available, narrowing down the best options is not always straightforward. To create this list, we focused on what matters: hands-on feedback from users. Practical reviews from customers who've actually used these devices in their daily lives offer the best insight.

We also checked out professional reviews from experts who have carefully tested these products and provided detailed analyses of their features and performance. This includes our own collection of smart speaker reviews here at SlashGear. By examining and compiling ratings and reviews, we arrived at a well-rounded selection of gadgets worthy of a spot on this list.