Alexa+ vs Gemini for Home: cost, devices and smart home
Where it stands
As of Oct 24, 2026: both are available in the US. Gemini's conversational features need a Google Home Premium plan.
Amazon and Google have both replaced their old voice assistants with AI: Alexa+ on Echo devices, Gemini for Home on Google's speakers and displays. If you're choosing, or wondering whether to switch, the differences are mostly in what you pay, which devices you already own, and a few features. Here's how they compare, from the companies' own pages and hands-on reviews.
What does each one cost?
Alexa+ is included with Amazon Prime. Without Prime it costs $19.99 a month, and there's a usage-limited free tier on Alexa.com and in the Alexa app.
Gemini for Home comes free with a supported Google speaker, such as the $99 Google Home Speaker, but the conversational features need Google Home Premium: Standard is $10 a month or $100 a year, and Advanced, which adds camera history search and daily summaries, is $20 a month.
Sources: [1] Tom's Guide, [2] Tom's Guide
Will it run on the speakers I already have?
Alexa+ is more generous here: it runs on Echo devices up to eight generations old, plus Fire TV and Fire tablets. Only first-generation Echo speakers are left out.
Gemini for Home replaces Google Assistant on Google's speakers and displays, but Tom's Guide reports the full experience runs only on newer Nest speakers and displays.
Sources: [1] Tom's Guide, [3] Google, [2] Tom's Guide
Do they work with other brands' devices?
Both work with Matter, the shared smart home standard. Amazon says Alexa can control Matter devices over a local connection, which it says is faster and more reliable, and Zigbee devices can connect locally too.
Google says Gemini for Home controls eligible devices connected through Matter or its Cloud-to-Cloud integrations, which it counts at over 800 million devices, without extra work from the device makers.
Sources: [4] Amazon, [3] Google
Can you just talk to them normally?
Yes, both understand everyday phrasing. Consumer Reports found Alexa+ handles requests like "turn on the light over the sink" instead of exact device names. Gizmodo found Gemini on the Google Home Speaker quick to respond, and it managed "turn off every light except one".
Both still make mistakes: Consumer Reports caught Alexa+ giving a wrong date and wrong addresses for an Uber, Tom's Guide caught Gemini getting a same-day sports result wrong, and Gizmodo's speaker sometimes ignored questions.
Sources: [5] Consumer Reports, [6] Gizmodo, [2] Tom's Guide
Can they set up routines for you?
Alexa+ can: you describe what should happen and when, out loud, and it saves the routine in the Alexa app. Google's "Help me create" also drafts a routine from a description, but it's part of Google Home Premium and, Gizmodo found, works only in the Google Home app, not by voice on the speaker.
Sources: [7] Amazon, [2] Tom's Guide, [6] Gizmodo
So which one fits you?
It mostly comes down to what you already have. With Prime and Echo speakers, Alexa+ costs nothing extra and runs on older hardware. In a home built around Google and Nest, Gemini for Home is the natural fit, but budget for Google Home Premium if you want the conversational features. Both control Matter devices, so switching later doesn't strand gear that supports Matter.
Sources: [1] Tom's Guide, [2] Tom's Guide, [4] Amazon, [3] Google
What we’ll update next
- A head-to-head test of both on the same mix of devices
- Whether Google brings routine creation to voice on the speaker
- Apple's HomeView, a third option from Nov 13, 2026
How we know (7 sources)
Alexa+ left early access and opened to everyone in the US: included with Prime, $19.99/month otherwise, plus a usage-limited free tier on Alexa.com and in the app. Works on Echo devices up to eight generations old, Fire TV and Fire tablets; upgrading is voluntary.
Read the sourceReview of the $99 Google Home Speaker: Gemini answers more engagingly than the old Assistant but got a same-day sports result wrong. Gemini for Home comes free with the speaker, but conversational Gemini needs Google Home Premium: Standard ($10/month or $100/year) adds Gemini Live, "Help me create" for describing a routine you want, sound detection and 30 days of video history; Advanced ($20/month) adds camera history search and daily summaries. Full Gemini for Home only on newer Nest speakers and displays.
Read the sourceGoogle developer blog announcing Gemini for Home: it replaces Google Assistant on Google's speakers and displays. People with eligible devices connected through Matter or Google's Cloud-to-Cloud APIs can control them, create automations and search event history in more natural, conversational language, without extra work from device makers. Google counts over 800 million devices connected this way.
Read the sourceAlexa+ developer docs on smart home options (read Oct 22, 2026): Alexa controls Matter-enabled devices, and Matter lets Alexa and other Matter-certified assistants control a device locally, which Amazon says reduces latency and improves reliability; Zigbee devices can also connect locally.
Read the sourceReview of Alexa+: smart home voice control understands natural phrasing ("turn on the light over the sink") and context, and it understands children far better than the old Alexa. It sometimes gave wrong facts and got addresses wrong when booking an Uber. The Alexa app is still buggy, and Echo Show screens still show ads.
Read the sourceReview of the Google Home Speaker ($100): fast responses and reliable wake-word pickup; it handled complex commands such as turning off every light except one. It sometimes ignored questions while showing it was listening, and gave unreliable answers. Automations can't be created by voice, only in the Google Home app.
Read the sourceAmazon help page "About Routines by Voice with Alexa+" (read Oct 24, 2026): you describe what should happen and when, for example music and bedroom lights every weekday at 7 AM, and Alexa+ saves the routine in the Alexa app, confirming it or reporting errors. Works on compatible Echo devices, the Alexa app and compatible Fire TV devices; actions can be changed or removed right after.
Read the source