Smart speakers have become the ultimate multitaskers for your home, combining great sound with the convenience of voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. Whether youre streaming your favorite playlists, checking the weather, controlling your smart home devices or setting reminders hands free, a good smart speaker can make your day-to-day life a whole lot easier and more fun, too.And theres a smart speaker for everyone. If youre an audiophile, some models prioritize high-quality sound that can fill a room. If youre on a budget, there are plenty of affordable options that still pack in tons of features. And if youre deep into the smart home ecosystem, finding a speaker that seamlessly connects to your devices will be a game-changer. Weve picked out the best smart speakers for every need, whether youre after booming bass, a sleek design or advanced voice assistant capabilities. Picking an assistant The first thing most people should do is decide what voice assistant they want to use. Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa are both well-supported options that are continually evolving, with new features added at a steady clip. A few years ago, Alexa worked with more smart home products, but at this point, basically any smart device worth buying works with both. Google vs. Alexa It's mostly a matter of personal preference. If youre already entrenched in the Google ecosystem and own an Android phone, it makes sense to stick with that. And if you have multiple Google-based smart devices in your home, you can use Google Home to easily control and navigate your devices. But while Alexa isnt quite as good at answering general knowledge questions, it syncs just fine with things like calendars from your Google account. And it works with perhaps the widest variety of smart home products as well. If youve never used Alexa or Google Assistant, you can download their apps on your iOS or Android phone and spend some time testing them out before buying a speaker. There are downsides to having a smart home device thats always listening for a wake word, as giving more personal information to Amazon, Apple and Google can be a questionable decision. That said, all these companies have made it easier to manage how your data is used you can opt out of humans reviewing some of your voice queries, and it's also less complicated to manage and erase your history with various digital assistants, too. Sonos vs. Apple If you buy a Sonos device with a microphone, you can also use the company's own voice assistant, voiced by Giancarlo Esposito. It's focused purely on music control, so you won't use it to do things like send messages or ask the weather forecast. But as a music assistant, Sonos Voice Control is generally quite fast and reliable. As for Apple, you wont be surprised to learn the HomePod and HomePod mini are the only Siri-compatible speakers on the market. Its rumored that Apple will potentially release a new range of smart displays, like its HomePod with a touchscreen, sometime soon. Apple's Siri has a reputation for not being as smart as Alexa or Google Assistant, but its totally capable of handling common voice queries like answering questions, controlling smart home products, sending messages, making calls and streaming music via AirPlay. Technically, Siri and Apples HomeKit technology doesnt work with as many smart home devices as the competition, but its not hard to find compatible gear. And Apple has most definitely improved Siris functionality over the last couple years, with handy features like and Intercom tool and routines that take advantage of the built-in temperature sensor in the HomePod and HomePod Mini. Best smart speakers for 2025 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/best-smart-speakers-151515264.html?src=rss