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Article updated on March 8, 2024 at 5:00 AM PST

The 8 Best Amazon Alexa Devices of 2024

Amazon's Alexa voice assistant can answer just about any question you have and is compatible with nearly everything.

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Written by 
David Priest
Macy Meyer
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement
David Priest Former editor
David Priest is an award-winning writer and editor who formerly covered home security for CNET.
Macy Meyer Editor I
Macy Meyer is a N.C. native who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2021 with a B.A. in English and Journalism. She currently resides in Charlotte, N.C., where she has been working as an Editor I, covering a variety of topics across CNET's Home and Wellness teams, including home security, fitness and nutrition, smart home tech and more. Prior to her time at CNET, Macy was featured in The News & Observer, The Charlotte Observer, INDY Week, and other state and national publications. In each article, Macy helps readers get the most out of their home and wellness. When Macy isn't writing, she's volunteering, exploring the town or watching sports.
Expertise Macy covers a variety of topics across CNET's Home and Wellness teams, including home security, smart home tech, fitness, nutrition, travel, lifestyle and more. Credentials
  • Macy has been working for CNET for coming on 2 years. Prior to CNET, Macy received a North Carolina College Media Association award in sports writing.
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Our Picks

$65 at Best Buy
echo2.png
Best Alexa device overall (and best Alexa-compatible smart speaker)
Amazon Echo (fourth-gen)
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$36 at Amazon
wyze camera
Best Alexa-compatible home security camera
Wyze Cam v3 (2020)
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$130 at Best Buy
echo-show-8-3-1
Best Alexa-compatible smart display
Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd gen)
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$170 at Amazon
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock installed in a white door.
Best Alexa-compatible smart lock
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock
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$80 at Best Buy
Amazon thermostat set to 73 degrees Fahrenheit
Best Alexa-compatible smart thermostat
Amazon Smart Thermostat
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$27 at Amazon
wyze-bulb-1-720
Best Alexa-compatible smart bulb
Wyze Bulb
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$250 at Ring
a Ring Alarm Pro base station next to a fruit bowl
Best Alexa-compatible DIY home security system
Ring Alarm Pro
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$29 at Amazon
tp-link-kasa-2
Best Alexa-compatible smart plug
TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini
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There are so many smart home products to help us run our entire house. More and more devices and Alexa-compatible speakers are coming out all the time. The virtual assistant was released in 2014 and has been improving each year ever since.

Amazon's voice assistant now allows even more impressive integration, from smart TVs to smart thermostats to home security systems and cameras. It's a lot to navigate if you're trying to put together an Alexa-powered smart home of your own. To that end, we've broken down the best of the best Alexa-compatible devices available right now.

What is the best overall Amazon Alexa smart device?

CNET experts have spent years testing smart displays, smart speakers, home security cameras and systems, smart thermostats, smart plugs and smart locks. All of this diligent testing has gone into building out this list of the best Amazon Alexa and Alexa-compatible devices. After years of hands-on testing, CNET staff have determined the Amazon Echo (fourth-gen) is the very best Amazon Alexa device overall. 

The fourth-gen Amazon Echo is the freshest smart speaker in years, adding real home smarts and premium sound quality. The best changes to this Echo are indeed the sound quality and home smarts, but the most obvious change is its cool spherical design. With a sleek design and improved functionality, this smart speaker can, and maybe should, be a stable in every household. 

Best Amazon Alexa devices of 2024

Editors' choice
$65 at Best Buy

Best Alexa device overall (and best Alexa-compatible smart speaker)

Amazon Echo (fourth-gen)

Amazon's third-gen Echo Dot with Clock was our previous favorite Alexa speaker, but since the 2020 product line, the flagship fourth-generation Echo speaker has got the nod. At $100, the spheroidal speaker is more expensive than the $50 fourth-generation Amazon Echo Dot, though the improvements in sound quality and some intriguing smart home features justify the additional cost. 

This smart device's shape sets Amazon's newer Echo speaker apart. Where the third-gen Echo offered a barely noticeable sound quality improvement over its predecessor, the ball-shaped fourth-gen version has noticeably better audio output, including respectable bass for a speaker in its price range. On the smart home front, the fourth-gen Echo also gets a built-in Zigbee receiver, carrying over a feature from the now-defunct Amazon Echo Plus. The Zigbee receiver lets the new Echo function as a smart home connectivity point for compatible smart lights, plugs, and other Zigbee-based accessories. That means you can use the Echo itself as a hub to play music among other things, without the need for an additional piece of hardware to get those devices online. 

$36 at Amazon

Best Alexa-compatible home security camera

Wyze Cam v3 (2020)

The third-gen Wyze Cam, like its earlier iterations, only costs around $30, but this smart home device is one of our favorite cameras overall, in part because of the low price. 

It comes with weatherproof housing, sharper night vision than its predecessor, a wider field of view, a loud siren and more -- including 14-day video clip storage and a built-in microSD card slot for local storage. If you have an Echo Show smart display, you can also throw the Wyze Cam's feed onto the screen with a simple voice command.

$130 at Best Buy

Best Alexa-compatible smart display

Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd gen)

In Amazon's Echo Show 8, you get an 8-inch screen with the best resolution of any Echo Show yet, a camera shutter and all the smarts of previous Amazon smart displays. The Echo Show 8 has a built-in Alexa speaker. That means you can use this smart display to ask your Alexa digital assistant to do your bidding, whether that be asking it to play music, relay the weather or just tell you a joke. 

And, since it's a smart display, it also offers advanced compatibility with Alexa-enabled security cameras. Ask Alexa to "answer the front door" when someone rings your Ring Peephole Cam and you can see the live feed on your Show 8 -- and actually talk to the person, straight from the smart display.

Editors' choice
$170 at Amazon

Best Alexa-compatible smart lock

August Wi-Fi Smart Lock

August's Wi-Fi Smart Lock is a great smart lock. It retrofits to most standard deadbolts, so you don't have to deal with a complicated installation. The built-in Wi-Fi makes it possible to access and control your smart lock remotely via the Android or iOS app without needing an August Connect module. And, as its spot on this list might indicate, it's an Alexa-compatible device, too -- that means you can lock and unlock your door from an Alexa-enabled smart speaker using your voice.

The lock also comes with an open/close sensor -- called DoorSense -- that attaches to the door in question. That way, the app can not only tell you whether the door is locked or unlocked, but also if the door is open or closed. That's a nice touch of functionality from such a simple-to-use smart lock.

Editors' choice
$80 at Best Buy

Best Alexa-compatible smart thermostat

Amazon Smart Thermostat

Amazon's $80 Smart Thermostat is hard to beat in terms of value, and that's at full price. For starters, the thermostat works as well with Alexa as you'd expect given that it's an Amazon product, so if you have an Echo speaker or Echo Show display, you should be in good shape to get the best value out of the device. 

Even for those who don't, the thermostat offers a simple, straightforward design that looks great on a wall and feels great to use, and it could even save you as much as $50 per year with its energy saving settings.

$27 at Amazon

Best Alexa-compatible smart bulb

Wyze Bulb

Wyze is well known for its super-cheap prices, and its Wi-Fi-connected smart lightbulb is no different. If you're looking for a smart light that works with voice commands, this is the best Alexa-enabled one out there. A two-pack of can be had for just $23, but the fully color-changing versions only cost a few bucks more at $27 for a two-pack, which is worth it even if you'll only break those colors out on rare holiday occasions. Either way, you're getting a 2-pack of Alexa-compatible bulbs that connect directly to your home internet network via Wi-Fi. Screw them in, connect via the Wyze app and you're ready to go.

Colors aside, the Wyze bulbs have a great range of white light, from candlelight-like to daylight-white. Plus, despite the low price, they produce better brightness than many bulbs that sell for more.

$250 at Ring

Best Alexa-compatible DIY home security system

Ring Alarm Pro

While other DIY home security systems work well with Alexa, the Ring Alarm Pro offers excellent performance with unique built-in Alexa integrations. In fact, with the higher-end Ring Protect Plus subscription, you even get Alexa's security feature -- Guard Plus -- packaged in for free. That means Alexa will listen for glass breaking or footsteps while you're away, and will alert you if it hears anything fishy.

Beyond its Alexa integrations, the Ring Alarm Plus offers fantastic features, like a built-in Wi-Fi 6 gateway, backup internet, local processing and storage (a first for Ring), cellular backup, professional monitoring and more. A thirteen-piece system costs $390, and subscriptions range from $4 per month to $20 per month -- the most expensive of which still undercuts some of the best competition. In short, this system is a fantastic value.

$29 at Amazon

Best Alexa-compatible smart plug

TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is a big name for a tiny smart plug that costs about $30. A smart plug like this one connects via your Wi-Fi connection directly to a wall outlet and converts your non-smart lamps, fans and other gadgets into smart devices.

Use the TP-Link app to connect and control devices -- or enlist Amazon Alexa and use voice control. Say, "Alexa, turn on the reading lamp" to get the Plug Mini smart plug to control the devices connected to it with ease.

Factors to consider when choosing an Alexa device

Privacy

Amazon's voice assistant makes it easier to control the devices in your home, set timers and find out how long your commute to the office will take. But privacy has become an increasing concern as smart speakers and displays grow in popularity. Reports that Amazon keeps transcripts of your voice conversations, even after you've deleted the Alexa audio recordings, led to concerns over user privacy. Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, wrote a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos seeking answers about Amazon's Alexa user data and how it's stored. 

Amazon has since introduced the "Alexa, delete everything I said today" feature. The tech giant says it's also working on new ways for customers to delete their transcripts. For example, the Echo Show 8 comes with a built-in camera shutter, unlike earlier Echo Show devices.

Amazon isn't alone in its privacy concerns. Its subsidiary Ring and other major tech companies such as Facebook and Google have faced their own privacy issues, prompting questions about data usage. However, Amazon and others appear to be working to win back consumer trust, but it is still an important factor to consider. 

Type of smart home device 

There are literally thousands of Alexa and Alexa-compatible devices that you can buy on the market right now, from smart speakers and home security devices to smart lighting and smart thermostats. Before you make a purchase, consider how you plan to use your Alexa device so you can be sure to find the one that best suits your needs.

Installation and set up

Amazon makes installation seamless with the help of Alexa voice commands. Plus, many of the best Alexa and Alexa-compatible devices offer a companion app to help with installation and controlling the device. Before buying an Alexa device, consider your other smart home devices, too. It wouldn't necessarily make a ton of sense to buy an Alexa device if your smart home is already made up of an ecosystem of Google Assistant or Siri devices. 

Price

Cost is always a factor. The good news is most of these Alexa devices are budget-friendly, ranging from $30 to $300, depending on the device.

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How we test Amazon Alexa devices

Hands-on testing is critical to the CNET mission. No matter what device or product we're evaluating, we'll always be transparent about the unbiased and unmatched testing standards that went into our review. 

Since Alexa-compatible devices are all different in type and ability, and since testing home security devices is very different from testing smart displays, there wasn't not one single testing method to build this list. You can trust, though, that our CNET experts have spent hours doing in-depth testing with each product. 

In general, we always test for setup and installation, design, extra features, performance and value before determining a verdict. For more information, you can explore our guide on how we test home security systems and services, and how we test home security cameras and video doorbells

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Other Amazon Alexa devices we tested

There are thousands of Alexa and Alexa-compatible devices on the market and we've tested most of them. Considering the magnitude and volume of devices, we can't list out every single one here. But we can direct you to our other best lists with devices that are compatible with Alexa. Here's a few to start:

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Amazon Alexa device FAQs

Is Alexa the best voice assistant?

Today, the race is extremely close between Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa. Apple's Siri is on the board but in a solid third place when it comes to reliability, knowledge and comprehension of human requests. 

Overall, we give the edge to Google Assistant for its superior cadence, naturalistic tone and ability to understand (and answer) questions and follow up queries consistently. That said, it's close enough that you can safely invest in either Google Assistant or Alexa based on other preferences like speaker style, devices and compatibility with other popular smart home products.

Alexa is nearly as good as Google Assistant, so you really can't go wrong no matter which assistant you choose. You'll learn its quirks and how to interact with your assistant to coax the best responses and helpful information. 

For fun, here's our deep dive into each assistant's "personality."

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What is the difference between Amazon Echo and Alexa?

Amazon Alexa is a voice assistant that can control your smart home devices via voice commands. Simply saying things like, "Alexa, turn down the lights" can dim all your smart lights at once. The voice assistant also answers questions and completes simple virtual tasks.

On the other hand, the Echo is a line of Amazon smart speakers, the actual hardware rather than a service. 

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What is Alexa good for?

Alexa is the main way you control all of your Amazon Echo and Alexa-compatible smart home products. Alexa can do an extraordinary array of simple tasks, answer questions and respond to commands. There are over 200 Alexa voice commands available right now and we've broken them all down here

In general, Alexa is available to answer quick questions, play music, control your smart home or TV, set timers, conduct calls and write messages, purchase items off Amazon and even play games.

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