How will this compare to Amazon Echo? Is it pretty much the same idea or will one do more than the other? null

Question

GoogleHome · Accepted Answer

Yes, the Google Home is basically the same idea as Amazon Echo. I guess I can’t say right now that one will be able to do more than the other, but there will definitely be things that each can do that the other can’t. For example, most likely you won’t be able to access each other’s services… so on Google Home you most likely won’t be able to order items from the amazon store or use Amazon Music… and likewise on the Echo won’t be able to use Google Play Music or, more importantly, Google Search (which is far superior to Echo’s search).

Support for 3rd party services and Smart Home devices – The Echo has been out for about 2 years now which has given it a head start with developers to build support for these services and Smart Home devices. Currently Google Home only supports, nest, SmartThings, Philips Hue, and IFTTT for Smart Home devices… but I definitely wouldn’t write off Google Home just because it doesn’t support as many Smart Home devices as Echo right now, because I honestly believe Google Home will catch up very fast, especially given amount of 3rd party developer support Google already has. A couple big things that Google has created to help developers build upon is two open platforms called Google Assistant and Actions on Google… with these two platforms developers will be able to do a lot of cool, fun, and useful things with Google Home, which will not only work on Google Home devices but they'll also work on Google Pixel phones... so you can also tell Google Assistant on your Pixel phone to turn on outside lights.

One area with connected devices I think Google has the leg up on the Echo is Google Home’s support for Google Cast… with this you’ll be able to Cast audio from your smartphone to a Google Home device and, even better, you’ll also be able to Cast both audio and video from Google Home to devices that support Google Cast, like Chromecast… so you can tell Google Home to, “play CSI on the Living Room TV” and CSI will start playing on Netflix through Chromecast on your living room TV.

Another area I think Google Home will be much better at is Searches. I currently have the Echo (which I think is great and use all the time), but I get frustrate with it because far too often it can’t answer my questions. When the Echo can’t answer my question I’ll pull out my android phone and ask Google Now the same question and most of the time I get an answer to my question from Google. My wife gets frustrated with the Echo too, because she like to ask Alexa for recipes, and Alexa has never once been able to give her a recipe. Since Google Home uses the same search service I have little doubt that Google Home’s searches will be far superior to the Echo searches.

The last area I think Google Home will be better is, unlike the Echo currently, the Google Home devices will know about each other and work together… so when you have two Home devices within listening range of each other and you say “Ok Google” they’ll work together to determine which devices is closest to you and will respond from that device only... and supposedly it’ll also try to determine if you’re talking to your android phone or a Home device when you say “Ok Google”. Also you can create groups with Google Home devices, and Cast enabled devices, to play audio at the same time across devices in the group.

The big question I have is how well will Google Home hear your voice compared to the Amazon Echo. Because the Echo does a very very good job hearing and understanding your words... although this is not the same thing as giving good search results. I'm hoping Google Home is as good at understanding your words from across the room.

50Bubbles · Answer

I own both. YES, I'm a gadget freak. I think the answers above are great and on point. Ultimately you'll love either HOWEVER I would offer this caveat. If you are Amazon Prime, stick with Echo. Access to the Prime Music selection is unbeatable. And you still have better access to external music like Pandora, Spotify. Google is pretty well integrated with Google accounts as you would expect. Google YouTube, Google Music, Spotify and Pandora. Give it a year and it will be a wash as to which is the best for home control devices but right now Echo has the edge (even controlling Google owned Nest devices). 

Google wins the Ask me a question game - so if you have no friends and plan on holding conversations (albeit limited) with your speaker, draw a smiley face on your Google Home device and go ahead and talk to it : ). Google uses Google search. Alexa uses Yelp. Two search engines that serve entirely different purposes for sure. 

Ultimately there'll be more similarities than differences. 

One other point though. ECHO DOT (as opposed to Echo with speakers) is the device I wished I'd had when I originally ordered the Echo device. It's very small and easily hidden and very inexpensive (Amazon is selling buy 5 get one free). It has a direct output to speakers giving me huge sound that no tiny speaker device can match. I have two echo dots and will buy more. 

With Google Home: You can't plug Google into external speakers although you can Google Cast to TV and Audio. Casting Video is an advantage...That's kind of cool but you'll need to spend the money for Chromecast to do it and I'm not sure that advantage will be long lived. To be honest, I'm still not sure if Google Home needs my phone to be on or not to work with Chromecast. In any case, I'd rather direct connect a lower cost echo dot (costs a little more than a chrome cast device if you think about it) to a good speaker system. Again, give this a little bit of time because I think I'm seeing some movement on Amazon's side to integrate Amazon TV with Echo. Currently, I don't see an advantage on either side but if Amazon succeeds, I'm leaning toward Amazon TV over Chromecast. It's just simpler and less expensive. Echo is also about to be integrated with SONOS which will be awesome!

At the end of the day, you need to look at total cost of ownership and I think Amazon wiins this race hands down. For the cost of Amazon Prime ($100/year) I've got free shipping on Amazon (which more than pays for the membership for me). Amazon gives you a LOT. Videos on par with Netflix, Free access to tons of music. And right now a LOT more apps for the Echo as compared to Google (although I wouldn't use that as a deciding factor - Google will catch up). 

As I started writing this review, I wanted to be unbiased. But I would still say that aside from the Google cast advantage (requiring more hardware), my choice has to be Amazon Echo for it's range of options, it's roadmap of choices both for today and in the future and the fact that I use Amazon Prime first for the free shipping and enjoy all of the additional benefits like Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Prime Videos.

gadgetguy11 · Answer

Here are a several additional items I discovered, owning both: 

Google Home is superior on information search & solving math problems
Google is more interactive; you can converse back and forth, drilling down on a question. Amazon Echo is 1 question, 1 answer, period.
Google Home shipped with Fox News Radio responding to the command: "NEWS" by default but you can choose any news sources through the app.
Google Home sound is so-so - a major disappointment, compared with Amazon Echo!
Google Home will respond from the closest unit to you; All Amazon Echo's respond at the same time if they hear you. You can change the wakeup name from Alexa to Amazon, but I chose not to do this. Amazon Dot will respond with the closest unit, but this unit requires bluetooth or external hardwired speaker.

Amazon Echo is far superior in sound quality, especially playing music
Amazon Echo is superior in Home Automation because of relationships with so many companies
Amazon Echo will NOT play Fox News Radio! It is barred from the App. I contacted Amazon's help team & asked why every news source can be chosen, but not Fox News Radio. I received no good answer. So I play news on Google Home & music on Amazon Echo. Your preferences may vary - but when you pay the price, you should have freedom of choice to select whatever media suits you.

Conclusion: You will want BOTH!!

TexasKnight · Answer

I currently own the ECHO and do not like it. It is a $180 music player for me. While Alexa can answer some questions like who is Marilyn Manson or what is 12 time 98, she is limited compared to the vast ability of Google. The Echo uses apps to answer questions and expand Alexa's knowledge, but Google has the power of the internet.

Google and Apple's SIRI have set the bar on what we expect from a digital companion and the Echo falls way short of that. 

Also, I hate the idea that my Echo can order things off Amazon. I like to see, read the reviews, and make sure I am getting the best price (that is not always Prime).

Woody · Answer

The above is an excellent summary. A couple of quick points. At the moment, there are a lot more connected home devices that work with Echo/Dot. How that will change in the future is unknown.

More importantly, the Echo Dot 2 is a LOT less expensive at $50 compared to Google Home at $130. Yes, the Dot 2 has only a small speaker in it, but you can connect the Dot 2 to whatever wired or Bluetooth speakers you like and virtually everyone has at least on external speaker set kicking around.

ppax · Answer

Echo technically has more "skills"- for now. This means, for example, you can order from Amazon directly- something you cannot do on Google Home yet. However, the Google Home uses the Google search engine so is better at anything involving using this. It is also more conversational meaning that with the Echo you have to have a specific phrase, and Home is more forgiving in this regard. Keep in mind that Google can add skills, and I have read in multiple places that it is likely that Home will catch up and surpass Echo in this regard. Both can do Smart home type things like control the lights or thermostat, assuming you have a compatible system that you purchased. I have not heard the speaker on Echo, but I was surprised at how good the Home speaker was. Good enough that I don;t mind listening to music on it and it "fills" the room. So in short, Echo does a little more but Home is more conversational with future updates allowing it to catch up.

Answered by ppax 9 years ago

Utomo · Answer

There are some comparison article you can read

https://www.cnet.com/news/google-home-vs-amazon-echo/
http://www.wsj.com/articles/google-home-vs-amazon-echo-which-robot-do-you-let-into-your-life-1478544438
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/04/technology/personaltech/google-home-vs-amazon-echo-a-face-off-of-smart-speakers.html?_r=0

and many other

InsaneDiego · Answer

They are very close. Google Home answers more questions than the Echo and for me that's a decider. The Echo has a little more personality to it though and for my wife, that's her decider. I can't really describe that last statement but if you had both then you'd go, ya, I understand. Right now it's almost a coin flip as to which is better. I definitely like saying "Alexa" more than "OK Google" to ask a question.

Answered by InsaneDiego 9 years ago

Answer

Simliar but much better at answering questions. Also much better for multiroom audio and sending music to it. Becuase you can cast to it over wifi from almost any app, which is much better than using bluetooth

Answered by Anonymous 8 years ago

Todd · Answer

Its more responsive, and has alot more room for improvement, vs amazon.

mward100 · Answer

If you do a Google search with your question you will find many comparisons, there also are many Youtube videos that compare the two.

“How will this compare to Amazon Echo? Is it pretty much the same idea or will one do more than the other?”

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