Last updated: 2nd October 2024
Nowadays, virtual assistants are commonplace in homes everywhere. This means debates like Google Assistant vs Alexa happen up and down the country.
But which virtual assistant is right for your household broadband?
We look at the different types of Google Assistant and Alexa systems available, so you can choose the most suitable virtual assistant.
Virtual assistants are hands-free, voice-controlled systems that can be accessed either from mobile devices or home hubs. Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are examples of virtual assistants.
They have wireless speakers capable of understanding voice commands, and they also connect to other compatible devices around your home. This helps them perform a variety of tasks depending on what you need.
When comparing Google Assistant vs Alexa, remember that they can both help with the following areas:
Web search is much more convenient with a virtual assistant. Ask questions and get answers as you verbalise, including calculations, weather, or names of former prime ministers.
Everyday chores get streamlined if you use a virtual assistant. Let Alexa or Google Assistant help you add items to your digital shopping list; adjust smart home systems, including Hive, Honeywell and Nest; and even control robot vacuum cleaners - handy if you own a Roomba or something similar.
Stream to your heart’s content with Alexa or Google Assistant. Whether you’re playing music through platforms like Spotify or making movies and TV shows appear through multiple telly casting devices, virtual assistants implement your commands easily.
Just make sure you have the best streaming broadband to get the most out of your virtual assistant.
Amazon’s Alexa has its own built-in app service, so you can access your favourites as and when you want. Order a takeaway through Just Eat, request an Uber, check train times with National Rail, and more with this feature.
Google Assistant offers a similar experience while allowing you to connect to Chromecast. It even has family-friendly features such as storytelling and children’s games so every family member is catered for.
By the same token, fibre optic broadband is great for speed and download allowance but can be very expensive. Remember your household budget and combined internet usage when deciding on a deal.
Both have their benefits, and you can use either to set up automations at specific times to turn on your security cameras or smart lights - which you might want to leave on a timer if you’re going on holiday.
Amazon Alexa might have more capabilities when it comes to home security compared to Google Assistant due to the range of Amazon owned smart security devices. With Amazon Alexa, you can control Amazon owned devices like Ring doorbells or cameras seamlessly as they are all compatible.
You can also set up things called ‘Routines’ in Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant through their respective apps, but Alexa seems to offer more personalisation, like linking to things including Audible and IFTTT (If This Then That). Alexa can also control your smart home gadgets based on how you’ve used them in the past using Alexa Hunches.
Both smart speakers are loud and you can control the volume on them, but according to CNET[1], the loudest smart speaker is the Amazon Echo Studio. So if you have this type of Alexa it’s likely to be louder than using Google Home Assistant.
You can listen to Spotify for free on any smart speaker, including both the Google Home Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Alexa will play music from Amazon music, which means if you don’t pay for a premium account, you won’t be able to skip more than a few songs and some artists will be unavailable. Google Home Assistant will play music from YouTube music but again, without a paid account there’s limits on how you can listen.
To determine which voice assistant is best for you, pay close attention to its ‘brain’.
Loup Ventures conducted a digital assistant IQ test in 2019, which gave each device 800 questions to answer and monitored how many it got right.
Google Assistant answered 93% of questions correctly, while Amazon’s Alexa scored 79.8%. But, do bear in mind that this test only provides a snapshot of each system’s capabilities, as the more you talk into one, the more intuitive and responsive it’ll become with time.
Overall, Alexa tends to work better in homes with lots of other Amazon-supported devices; however, Google Assistant often understands voice commands better, which makes everyday tasks and browsing easier.
There aren’t a lot of differences between smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Home Assistant. Alexa can do a few things which Google can’t, like track your Amazon packages, whisper responses if it’s late at night, and even detect frustration in your voice.
On the other hand, Google is good at understanding multiple commands in one sentence so you can save time by asking it to set an alarm and turn on a smart plug in one go.
Google is considered more knowledgeable, given it’s a massive search engine, so this isn’t surprising! Both smart speakers work well with a range of smart devices, but Amazon Alexa is compatible with many more.
SmartThings is a Samsung app which you can download to control your smart devices across your home all from your phone. It’s compatible with 100s of smart home brands meaning you can control all of your home gadgets in one place, including things like your Samsung Smart TV.
You can also use this alongside an Amazon Alexa smart speaker or Google Home Assistant for a fully integrated smart home.
Google Assistant vs Alexa - ultimately, the decision comes down to what you want to use the virtual assistant for.
Regular Amazon shoppers might prefer Alexa for its integrations and marketplace compatibility, but the breadth and depth of answers Google Assistant offers is great.
You should also consider the type of tech you already own. For example, if your home is full of Fire TV sticks and Kindles, Alexa is probably your best bet; but, if you’re an Android user or have a Google mobile phone , Google Assistant can provide seamless data sharing and Chromecast access.
For all your comparison needs while researching virtual assistants, visit Go.Compare.
[1] CNET , information correct as of 12 Sept 2024