How to Choose Between Alexa and Google Assistant
If you want a hands-free smart home experience, you need a voice assistant. By simply talking in the direction of a device that has Assistant enabled, you can get information about the weather, time, local businesses, or anything else from their knowledge base. You can control smart devices or send an email or SMS, and it’s all done through voice interaction with an assistant that speaks like a human. There are three well-known voice assistants: Siri, which is exclusive to Apple devices, Alexa , which is operated by Amazon, and Google Assistant . Since people tend to be Apple or Android supporters , it makes sense that if you use Apple products, you would choose Siri as your assistant. For everyone else, which voice assistant should you choose: Alexa or Google?
When it comes to smart home technology, there are two factors to consider: the hub you’ll use to connect your smart devices so you can control them, and what voice assistants you might want to use. You don’t need a voice assistant to use the hub—you can simply control your devices through your phone or other display device. You can also use the voice assistant without a hub: the app on your phone or other display device is really all you need. However, there is no denying that using them together is a real power play.
Amazon has given its assistant a name and its devices other names like Echo, Pop, etc., making it easy to understand what we’re talking about. When we talk about Google, we’re talking about three separate entities: Google Home , an app that runs on the display device and controls all your smart devices; Google Assistant, voice assistant; and Google hubs such as Google Minis, Google Displays or Google Studio , a smart speaker. From now on, I’ll be specific about which aspect of Google I’m talking about.
Smart Home Speakers and Displays Worth Considering:
Differences in “voice”
If the actual sound of the voice you’re talking to is important to you, being able to select a tone will be useful. Google Assistant offers a wide range of voice tones, including male and female voices. There are even options to have children’s voices respond to your child if they’re set up in Google Assistant. You can also choose the language and even how chatty the assistant will be.
Alexa has used some celebrity voices as its assistant, but you can also choose from regular female or male voices. Some celebrities only exist for a limited time, such as Santa Claus; others, like Samuel L. Jackson, are timeless. There’s also a one-time fee of $2.99 for these celebrity voices, but it might be worth it if you really want Melissa McCarthy to tell you the time. While Alexa doesn’t have a child voice for the assistant, you can set up your kids’ own voice recognition.
How accurately does each assistant answer questions?
Both assistants offer multiple family voice recognition accounts, meaning it will recognize you, your partner and your children and remember each of them’s preferences. It’s imperfect, but it gets better every time.
When you start working with your assistant, you will realize that the vocabulary that your assistant recognizes is really important. You’ll learn how to ask him questions in a way that makes it easier for the assistant to process them and more likely to get the answer he needs. Many reviewers have noted that Google Assistant seems to have a lot of capabilities in this area, which isn’t surprising considering how long they’ve been experimenting with voice processing. This is where we start to see a big difference between Google Assistant and Alexa: in 2019, an independent study found that while Alexa and Google Assistant are about the same in understanding questions asked, Google Assistant gets the answers right 93% of the time. , compared to 80% of the time for Alexa.
How each assistant integrates with other services
Each assistant generally integrates well with its own services, as well as with your smart home devices. For example, if you use Amazon music, you’ll want to use Alexa, which integrates well. While Google doesn’t have its own music service, they heavily favor Spotify and make it difficult to use Amazon Music. If you use YouTube, you’ll need Google Assistant. Google is also tied to all of its products, from your personalized calendars and email to flights, payments and Google Photos. Amazon has created a wide range of services, but they mainly focus on shopping. When it comes to shopping , Alexa has the advantage of making ordering, calling , and messaging fast and easy.
Parental control
Parents should first consider how your children will interact with the voice assistant. You let your kids order Baby Shark on command, and more than one child has “accidentally” caused serious credit card damage while shopping through assistants. Both systems have parental controls , but there are some differences. Google will need the Family Link app , where you can set up children’s profiles, select content restrictions and parental controls. You can filter the music, videos, news, podcasts, calls, and types of questions Google Assistant will answer. Amazon devices and apps come with FreeTime, a set of features that let you control screen time, shopping, and what your child can see and hear.
Ecosystem comparison
Half the reason to use a voice assistant is to control your smart home devices, and in both cases, you can simply ask the voice assistant to do it by asking your phone. However, if you have hubs, it becomes easier because you won’t need a phone, just a hub that picks up your voice. The next thing to worry about is what devices you can add to Alexa or Google Home. Generally speaking, if a device is compatible with Google Home, it is also compatible with Alexa. There are a few exceptions, notably Blink and Ring products, as they are owned by Amazon, and only some Google Nest products work with Alexa.
However, I was recently surprised to see Alexa gain a foothold here. For example, the Brilliant hub I recently reviewed only supports Alexa, and the latest Samsung TVs will support Chromecast but not Google Assistant. It’s just Alexa. I don’t know if this is a harbinger of what’s to come.
Confidentiality
While everyone deserves to have control over where their data goes, it’s ironic when you move a listening device or camera into your home. His job is to observe. Despite the layered promises from both companies, in my opinion, the use of these devices should be approached with some skepticism regarding their safety.
Amazon attaches data to your account and even allows you to listen to recordings of your various interactions in the history section of their site. Google similarly attaches these various requests to your account, and you can view a log of them in Google Assistant.
Both services use the data to improve and train assistants, store it on their servers, and can use it for “business purposes” through Alexa’s privacy review. To keep up, Google’s privacy policy is expanding to include improved service, new and personalized services. Remember: if you don’t pay for the product, you are the product.
Double family
It’s worth noting that there’s no reason why you can’t have both assistants in your home. Although I manage mostly Google hardware, I’ve recently tweaked some Alexa features to make it easier for me to use Alexa-specific devices. Assistants will never confuse each other, since commands start with “Hey Google” or “Alexa…”. However, most people choose one, and the best choice for you will largely depend on what you’ll be using the assistant for. Either way, it’s easy to get started, and the more you use your assistant, the more natural it will become.