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When it comes to smart speakers, there are two key players. This leaves many consumers wondering which is better: Google Home or Amazon Echo. This post will look at specifications to help you determine which smart speaker is right for you.

The specifications we will examine are:

  •         compatibility and integration
  •         Specifications
  •         price

Amazon Echo VS Google Home Compatibility and Integration

Both Google Home and Amazon Echo have partnerships with smart home services. Smart home services paired with smart speakers and virtual assistants allow you to remotely control electronic devices such as security, thermostat and lighting. When it comes to smart home integrations, here is a side by side comparison of Amazon Echo and Google Home:

Amazon Echo

Smart home integrations: Nest, Honeywell, Wink, Insteon, Belkin WeMo, Lifx, IFTT, Control4, Philips Hue, Crestron.

Music services: Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, Audible, iHeart Radio, TuneIn.

Google Home

Smart home integrations: SmartThings, Philips Hue, Belkin WeMo, IFTT, Honeywell.

Music services: YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, Tunein and Google Music

Amazon Echo allows you to order an Uber, read your social media updates to you, begin a 7 minute workout, play the news, read traffic updates, set a timer, tell jokes, find businesses and restaurants near you, read nutrition facts, play news updates and even add items to your amazon cart.

Google Home can translate words in other languages, calculate basic math problems, help with your location, set an alarm, start a timer, order an Uber, tell jokes, spell check words, find businesses and restaurants near you, and play news and updates.

Overall, when it comes to compatibility and integration, it helps to think of the backgrounds of both devices. Amazon is an online retailer and hopes to sell more products, where Google’s goal is more user and information focused. If you like the idea of adding items to your amazon cart just by speaking, Amazon Echo is the way to go. It is also important to note that Amazon has set themselves up to allow third party developers to integrate their services with Echo, which means it may offer more integrations in the future. If you need factual, up to date information, Google Home is more likely to provide that. One of Google’s goals in recently is to position themselves not only as a search engine, but as a trusted friend. This sort of focus, could put Google in the lead when it comes to user experience. Google Home is more likely to give you reviews and specifications of a product before you purchase, where Amazon Echo is  more likely to encourage shoppers to go straight to checkout and purchase an item.

Amazon Echo VS Google Home Specifications

Amazon Echo

Dimensions: 3.3 inches wide by 9.3 inches tall.  Echo weighs 2.3 pounds. Can connect to wireless or Bluetooth

Speakers: 2.5-inch woofer and 2-inch tweeter. Speaker is wrapped around the device so the sound is pushed in every direction.

Colors: Black or White

Google Home

Dimensions: 3.79 inches wide by 5.62 inches tall. Google Home weighs 1.05 pounds.

Speakers: 2-inch driver and dual 2-inch passive radiators. Speaker is wrapped around the device so the sound is pushed in every direction.

Colors: White

Amazon Echo VS Google Home Price

Amazon Echo: $180

Google Home: $130

Amazon echo has a smaller version called the Amazon echo dot for $50.

When comparing the compatibility, integrations, specifications and price of each product, the decision on which product to choose is a difficult one. Overall, it will depend on what other products you use for music services, smart home services and whether you use it for a shopping experience or for an information source. It is also important to think about other platforms you may want to use along with your new device. Typically, if you use Google products such as YouTube and Chromecast, you will be happier with the Google Home when it comes to compatibility options.