The Best Smart Speakers of 2026

The best smart speakers do more than just play your favorite songs — they’re designed to make everyday life a little easier. With a built-in voice assistant, you can cue up music, ask random questions, set timers, check the weather, and control other smart home devices without lifting a finger.

I’ve been reviewing audio gear for more than a decade, and I’ve used that experience to test the best smart speakers available. For me, strong audio performance is the baseline — every pick here sounds good first and layers smart features on top. The Sonos Era 100 earns my highest recommendation for most needs. It delivers rich, room-filling sound and includes both Alexa and Sonos’ own voice assistant. If you’re shopping on a tighter budget, the fifth-generation Echo Dot is a great alternative for smaller spaces. It can’t match the depth and power of larger speakers, but it’s an affordable, capable option that covers the basics really well.

Most smart speakers support either Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple’s Siri, though some models now support more than one platform. If you’re just starting to build out a smart home, you’ve got plenty of flexibility. But if you’re already invested in a specific brand’s ecosystem, it usually makes sense to pick a speaker that works seamlessly with the assistant you’re already using. You can learn more about the ins and outs of smart speakers in our FAQ section.

Our top picks for the best smart speakers

Best overall: Sonos Era 100 – See at Amazon

Best on a budget: Amazon Echo Dot – See at Amazon

Best portable: Bose Portable Smart Speaker – See at Amazon

Best for bass: Brane X – See at Amazon

Best Echo: Amazon Echo Dot Max – See at Amazon

Best for home theaters: Bose Smart Soundbar – See at Amazon

Best overall

The Sonos Era 100 is the quintessential smart speaker. It offers various ways to connect to a wide range of music services, fantastic sound quality for its compact size, and built-in support for multiple voice assistants.

The speaker is versatile enough to be used on its own, as part of a stereo pair, or as part of a larger home theater system. That means you can invest in one now and adapt how you use it later as your audio needs evolve and you add more Sonos speakers to your setup. I’ve used an Era 100 in nearly every room of my house at different times, and it’s always been a great fit for every space.

In terms of the Era 100’s smarts, you can use Amazon Alexa or Sonos’ own voice assistant. When used with Alexa, you get support for Amazon’s key digital assistant capabilities and skills. However, Sonos’ assistant is a lot more limited as it’s currently only really good for voice controlling the speaker’s playback. That said, the scope of Sonos’ first-party voice assistant could be expanding, as Philips Hue has entered a partnership to enable the speaker to control Hue lights and devices.

Like all Sonos speakers, you can control the Era 100 via the Sonos mobile app and stream all of the most popular music services over WiFi for high-quality playback. The Era 100 also supports multi-room audio setups. Sonos’ app experienced some issues after a botched update in 2024, but most of these quirks have been resolved. As it stands, I don’t consider any lingering glitches to be dealbreakers.

Throughout all my testing, the Era 100 stands out as a compact powerhouse of sound that can handle nearly anything you throw at it. Whether that’s as a stereo pair, playing your favorite music album, checking the weather outside, dimming your smart lights, or setting timers as you cook dinner.

For more Sonos recommendations, check out our guide to the best Sonos soundbars.

Best on a budget

If what you’re looking for in a smart speaker is an affordable price, then the Amazon Echo Dot is my go-to recommendation. The latest fifth-generation model retails for $50 and is often on sale for less. And despite being a few years old, this budget-friendly speaker supports Amazon’s new and improved Alexa+, in addition to standard Alexa.

Alexa+ is free for Prime subscribers or $20 a month for non-subscribers. This upgraded digital assistant leverages generative AI to provide more conversational control and handle more complex queries. You’ll be able to hold more involved conversations and string together multiple tasks, without needing to keep saying the “Alexa” wake word.

On the hardware front, this is a budget smart speaker, so there are definite limitations in audio performance. The device features a single 1.73-inch front-firing driver, yet its sound quality remains adequate for listening to music in a bedroom. However, the Echo Dot isn’t the best fit for listeners who want to fill a living room with deep, rich sound. This is more of a background-music kind of speaker to play tracks while working in the kitchen, winding down before bed, or multitasking.

But in exchange for some compromises in audio range and depth, you get a very compact speaker measuring just under 3.5 inches tall. This makes it perfect for tighter spaces and apartments. And despite its low price and tiny footprint, it’s still a fully capable Alexa smart speaker. It can even connect to Amazon Fire TVs to play television audio, and it features built-in support for extending your home WiFi if you use an Eero router.

Best portable

Considering its name, Bose’s Portable Smart Speaker delivers exactly what you’d expect. This cylindrical wireless speaker supports WiFi to enable Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, letting you choose which platform you prefer. It also boasts Bluetooth and an integrated battery with up to 12 hours of use per charge, so you can take it on the go and still listen to music.

Though not as compact as something like the Echo Dot, the Portable Smart Speaker is built to move around, so it’s light and easy to take outside. It even features a handle, so it’s a breeze to pick up at a moment’s notice.

Sound quality is also impressive for its size and class, with a clean midrange and a clear high end. However, the bass is less pristine as the speaker veers toward a boomy quality in lower frequencies, which can overwhelm other elements in certain music.

Like most Bose devices, the Portable Smart Speaker can also be grouped with other Bose speakers and soundbars to enable a multi-room audio setup. The Bose app is also solid with handy features like Chromecast and access to services like Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and SiriusXM.

If you only need to keep your smart speaker in one location, you’re probably better off with the less expensive Sonos Era 100. But for listeners who want an Alexa or Google Assistant speaker that can move from room to room or be taken outside, the Bose Portable Smart Speaker is a versatile solution for your home and travel.

Check out our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers.

Best for bass

The Brane X stands out from other smart speakers on this list thanks to its powerful low frequencies. Like the Bose Portable Smart speaker, this model also features a portable design with a built-in battery. But the Brane X offers a clear step up in bass performance. The brand claims this is the first portable speaker with a built-in subwoofer. After just a minute with the Brane X, it’s clear that the claim isn’t just marketing fluff.

The Brane X achieves deep bass with “Repel-Attract Driver (RAD) and custom magnets to cancel internal air pressure forces.” I’ve spent several months listening to the Brane X, and there just isn’t another smart speaker this size that can match the rumble and thump it delivers.

For handling smart home tasks, the Brane X includes standard Alexa support; however, it’s unclear if it will receive an update to work with the more advanced Alexa+ system. As is the case with all smart speakers, Alexa only works when the Brane X is connected to a WiFi network. So, if you take the speaker on the go without WiFi available, you do lose Alexa functionality.

The speaker can also be connected to audio sources via Bluetooth, making mobile playback simple, and it supports up to 12 hours of battery life. If you want to connect an external device, a 3.5mm jack is also available.

Using Alexa on the Brane X is a fine experience, as it is on other models that integrate Amazon’s assistant. But it’s clear that smart features are more of a bonus here. And though it can be taken on the go, the Brane X is a bit heavy for a portable device and isn’t as easy to take around as the Bose Portable Speaker. At its core, this is really a speaker that wants to play big, booming music. And to that end, it has impressed me nearly every time I listen to it.

Best Echo

There are several Echo speakers to choose from, but Amazon’s latest Echo Dot Max strikes the perfect balance between smart features and audio quality. This larger take on the basic Echo Dot design features more robust drivers, with a 0.8-inch tweeter and a 2.5-inch woofer.

During my testing, I was impressed by the speaker’s bass and audio range, especially for its size. It’s larger than the Dot but still relatively compact, offering a deeper listening experience with plenty of volume to fill a living room. And as long as you don’t push it too close to 100%, songs retain their clarity.

In terms of the speaker’s smarts, it’s one of the first Echo devices built with Alexa+ in mind, Amazon’s new LLM (large language model) based voice assistant. With the improved Alexa, you can ask more complex questions or string multiple requests together in the same sentence. This type of digital assistant, which is much closer to ChatGPT, should open up a world of new uses as people try to interact with it.

Additionally, the Echo Dot Max has a built-in smart home hub (Zigbee, Thread, Matter) to simplify pairing with other smart devices. This is something that the cheaper Echo Dot lacks. With the integrated hub, setting up control over your other devices requires fewer steps, and you get broader compatibility and more reliable connectivity. You also don’t have to worry about getting a separate bridge for products that usually require one.

At the Echo Dot Max’s $100 retail price, its size, audio quality, and advanced smart home assistance make it a great all-around smart speaker. Just be aware that Alexa+ either requires an Amazon Prime membership or a separate $20 a month fee. Otherwise, the Echo Dot Max will just use the standard version of Alexa, which, though still very useful, isn’t as intelligent.

Best for home theaters

If you want an excellent soundbar that can double as a fully capable smart speaker, I recommend the Bose Smart Soundbar. This powerful TV speaker offers a fully immersive home theater experience right out of the box, and it has Amazon Alexa for all your smart control needs.

Unlike my other picks, which are primarily geared toward music listening, the Bose Smart Soundbar is a powerhouse for movies and TV shows. It can even handle Dolby Atmos audio with its up-firing drivers, which help spread sound effects all around your room, including above your head. I also love the bar’s AI Dialogue Mode, which utilizes real-time machine learning to enhance voice clarity.

Of course, the bar isn’t just good as a TV speaker. It’s also great for music. During my testing, I was impressed by how the speaker delivered rich audio with various genres, from rock to jazz.

The Bose Smart Soundbar integrates Amazon Alexa, allowing you to use the assistant for all the main smart home functions Alexa is known for. In addition to setting timers and various tasks, Alexa can raise the soundbar’s volume, skip tracks, and even control multi-room audio if you have multiple Bose speakers.

Bose’s mobile app allows you to configure the soundbar however you like, including changing the EQ or adding additional wireless speakers to the soundbar setup.

For more soundbar recommendations, visit our guides to the best soundbars, best Bose soundbars, and best Dolby Atmos soundbars.

What else we considered

Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) – See at Walmart
The Nest Hub (2nd Gen) remains our favorite Google Assistant-powered smart speaker and display. It’s an especially great bedside companion, thanks to its solid Sleep Sensing feature. However, it’s an aging device and is getting harder to find in stock. Google is set to launch a new smart speaker, the Google Home Speaker, later this year. That model takes the form of a more traditional, rounded speaker without a display, and it’s built to use Google’s Gemini AI rather than Google Assistant. This should enable the Home Speaker to support more complex tasks and conversational questions. With that in mind, most buyers are better off waiting to see if Google’s new speaker is a better purchase.

Apple HomePod mini – See at Apple
Apple’s HomePod mini is still a great, compact smart speaker, and it’s one of the few options with built-in Siri support. However, much like the Nest Hub, the HomePod mini is an aging device, and industry rumors suggest a new model could be on the horizon in 2026. Shoppers who want the latest Apple technology are likely better off waiting a few months to see if a second-generation model is announced.

How we test smart speakers

To find the best smart speakers, I didn’t just unbox them and run a few quick tests — I’ve actually lived with many of these picks for years. They’ve been part of my daily routine, whether that’s streaming music throughout the house, setting kitchen timers, or casually asking about the weather. That long-term use has given me a solid sense of how they perform beyond the honeymoon phase.

Along with using each speaker the way I would in my own home, I also put them through more structured testing. I compared how quickly and accurately they respond to voice commands, how loud they get, and how they handle audio quality across different music and podcast genres. I also evaluated connectivity, reliability, and how smoothly they integrate with other smart home devices.

I’ve also been testing Alexa+ on newer Echo devices, which is one of the first large language model (LLM)-powered voice assistants to roll out to a wide audience. I’ve tried features like combining multiple commands into a single request to see how well it handles more natural, conversational prompts. So far, it’s largely been a step forward, though it still has a few quirks to iron out. I’m also looking forward to testing the coming Google Home speaker with Gemini AI when it launches later this year to see how it stacks up.

You can learn more about our review process in our breakdown of how we test tech products.

Meet the expert behind this guide:

Tyler Hayes, contributing reporter: I’ve been covering consumer tech since 2013, with a focus on service journalism that helps you figure out what’s actually worth buying — and what’s not. Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of hands-on time testing everything from budget gadgets to high-end gear, including smart speakers from every major brand. I’ve lived with models that support Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, putting them through real-world use to see how they sound, how smart they really are, and which ones are worth your money.

Learn more about the Reviews team at Business Insider.

Smart speaker FAQs

What makes a smart speaker ‘smart ‘?

Generally speaking, the key component that makes a smart speaker smart is support for at least one digital voice assistant. These digital assistants let you ask questions, handle various tasks, and issue voice commands to control playback and other compatible smart home devices.

Can I turn the microphone off on a smart speaker?

Most smart speakers have a physical microphone mute button or switch. When it’s on, the speaker won’t listen for the wake word. Many models also feature a clear indicator, such as a red light, allowing you to see when the mic is off.

All of our best smart speaker picks have a physical mute button or switch.

Do all smart speakers support Bluetooth?

Though many of the best smart speakers support Bluetooth, it is not required. Smart speakers rely on WiFi to enable their digital assistants, and WiFi can also be used to stream music throughout your home. That said, many brands include Bluetooth as an additional music streaming option. This is particularly helpful if your WiFi is unreliable or the speaker is portable, as Bluetooth allows you to stream music on the go from a mobile device.

Which digital assistant is best?

There’s no one “best” digital assistant for every person. Instead, it really comes down to which ecosystem you’re using and what you care about most.

Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri all offer similar capabilities, but they work best when integrated into each brand’s broader product and service lineup. Through my testing over the years, I’ve found that each assistant handles the basics adequately — yes, even Siri. So for most people, the best smart speaker assistant is simply the one that matches the ecosystem they’re already invested in.

On that note, it’s best to select a single assistant and stick with it for all your smart speakers and smart home devices. This enables the most seamless communication between products and prevents confusion. After all, never knowing what name to ask to control the lights will drive your family members nuts.

Although current assistant platforms are similar, the launch of LLM-powered smart speaker assistants like Alexa+ and Google Gemini will likely offer distinct advantages for certain use cases. These enhanced assistants will offer more natural conversations and provide more differentiated responses. We’ll be testing these systems more as they roll out to additional smart speakers to determine if one assistant outperforms the others overall.