If you are planning to buy a smart speaker to your home or gift a smart speaker to one of your loved ones, you must know which one is better in features. So here we came up with a complete guide comparing Amazon Echo and Google Home. Both Amazon Echo and Google Home are great devices for controlling your smart home. They allow you to control smart home devices, stream music, answer questions from you, to shop for you, etc. But they are different from the way they do it. Read this article to get a clear idea of which smart speaker is better for you so that you decide which smart speaker to buy from the market.

Speaker

Amazon Echo

Amazon Echo is good of its volume, and it is louder than the Google Home.
You can hook up an external speaker with the 3.5mm audio out and the ability to use Bluetooth audio out. It turns the Echo into a system that an audiophile would like.
The Amazon Echo focuses on voice rather than music, and it makes its sound quality similar to a much cheaper Bluetooth speaker.

Google Home

Considering the price of the Google Home, it has a good sound quality.
The dual passive radiators assist you in bringing out the bass.
The sound quality becomes progressively worse when you try to crank the volume closer to the max.
Google Home is not as loud as the Amazon Echo.

Streaming Music

Amazon Echo

The Echo can read Kindle and Audible books.
You can access anything on your smart device with Amazon Echo by using the ability to stream music to the Echo via Bluetooth.
Amazon Echo no longer allows you to upload your own music.

Google Home

You can upload your own music to Google Play and then listen to it using Google Home.
You can use Bluetooth and stream anything on your smart device to Google Home.
The number of streaming apps that support, and the ability to link apps to your Google account are limited.

Shopping

Amazon Echo

You can easily add items to an open cart.
It lets you immediately order single items, and Amazon Echo remembers your likings when you reorder.
If you are near a Whole Foods, then you can order groceries for quick delivery using Alexa, but that depends on your location.
You are not allowed to remove items from your cart.
You are not allowed to check out for your cart, so you have to go to the Amazon website in order to complete orders with more than one item.

Google Home

Google offers free shipping for nominal minimum orders, and you don’t need to pay a membership fee like the Amazon Prime’s membership fees.
Local businesses can be partners with Google Express.
You are not allowed to track your parcels using Google just like you do with Echo.
It doesn’t have the sheer variety of Amazon Echo.

Answering Questions and Performing Tasks

Amazon Echo

Alexa can answer many simple questions and is ready to give you quick facts about dogs, cats, birds, etc. She can also tell jokes.
You can access calendars on multiple platforms using Echo. That includes the Google Calendar and Apple’s iCloud Calendar too.
Alexa’s abilities get expanded with 25000+ third-party skills.
You can create your own skills by using Alexa’s new blueprints.
You are not allowed to create a shortcut for a more extended command.
You can change the Alexa’s name to any of Amazon, Alexa, Computer or Echo.

Google Home

Google Home has a wide range of answers to your questions, and it is the best at digging the web for information.
It allows you to create shortcut phrase for more extended commands, unlike the Echo.
Google Assistant can remember the context of your questions, and that allows you to ask followup questions easily.
You can combine two commands together with Google Home and get results like “Hey Google, play the Perfect and set the volume to 4”.
You are not allowed to change the wake phrase.
Google’s own services in key areas like the calendar are limited in Google Home.

Smart Home Hub

Amazon Echo

Echo allows you to schedule a routine to go off at a set time such as turning on the lights and playing your favorite song set for your arrival home.
The Echo’s Alexa app lets you give smart home commands, which makes you control some aspects via app or voice.
You can combine multiple commands without needing to set up a routine.

Google Home

Just like in Alexa, Google Home now supports multi-step routines.
You can cast a wider net of supported devices with Chromecast support, and you can, of course, cast Netflix and other apps to your television.
You are not allowed to schedule multi-step routines to go at a certain time.

Amazon Echo vs Google Home – What is Better?

Both Amazon Echo and Google Home are good at different tasks. You can now choose the best smart speaker that suits your requirements by considering the facts given above.

Google Home and Apple HomePod both are smart speakers that assist you in many things. Apple HomePod was released after the release of Google Home, but they are very much closer in their age. If you want to pick the smart speaker out of HomePod and Google Home, well, that depends on the way you plan to use it. Both these speakers assist you in the same kinds of things such as setting timers, answering questions, controlling smart home devices, streaming music, etc. But the tools they use and the ways they do them can be different. In this article, we are comparing the key features of Google Home and Apple HomePod. You can decide which smart speaker fits you the best after reading this article.

google home vs apple homepod

01) Intelligent Assistant

Google Home

Google Assistant is a powerful and flexible tool that draws information from Google’s vast database. So it is very good at answering questions. It supports third-party apps/ actions as well.
Google Home doesn’t support secondary calendars. If you have more than one device nearly, they can all respond to the “OK Google” launch phrase, and that is confusing.

Apple HomePod

“Hey, Siri” gives the correct device respond when prompted.
When comparing with the Google Assistant, Siri is more limited in accessing information and performing tasks.
You can add third-party apps or skills on HomePod because Apple doesn’t allow you to do so.

02) Streaming Music

Google Home

Is compatible with Google Play Music and YouTube Music, which are not compatible with most of the other smart speakers.
It as the built-in support for iHeartRadio, Spotify, and others.
It doesn’t support Apple Music.

Apple HomePod

Supports for Apple Music.
Can stream other music services using AirPlay.
Apart from Apple Music, deficiency to support other music services.

03) Sound Quality

Google Home

It supports for multi-room audio so that all the Google Home devices in your house play the same audio.
Has a lower-quality sound than the HomePod.

Apple HomePod

Many different tests have verified that HomePod has the best sound quality among all the other smart speakers. Whether the audio volume is high or not, Siri can very well hear you so that you don’t have to shout.
There is no stereo-pair, multi-room, or audio support right now.

04) Smart Home

Google Home

Can control major smart home devices like Philips Hue light bulbs and Nest Thermostat.
Google Home natively supports Chromecast.
When comparing with the Amazon Echo, compatible devices are fewer.

Apple HomePod

Can control major smart home devices such as Nest and Hue lights, using Apple’s HomeKit standard.
When comparing to Amazon Echo, the compatible devices are fewer.

05) Messaging and Calling

Google Home

Can make calls directly from the Google Home.
It doesn’t support text messaging.

Apple HomePod

Sir assists you to read text messages and to send them.
It supports multiple texting apps, such as Apple Messages and WeChat.
You can’t make calls directly with Apple HomePod. Instead, you can transfer called which were started on iPhone to HomePod.

06) Form Factor and Use in the House

Google Home

Is available in three different sizes for different rooms and uses. The Original Home is 6” tall, and the cylinder is available in different colors. Home Mini is like a small lump of pizza dough. Home Max looks like the Sonos PLAY or a larger Bluetooth speaker, has 3 colors.

Apple HomePod

Available in two colors; black and white.
Has an attractive styling.
Super-quality materials and construction.
It has one size, shape, and style.
Available in limited colors. (as mentioned in the first point)

07) Multiple Users

Google Home

Supports multiple users, up to 6 users, and separately recognizes their voices.
Can respond with personalized content, like playlists and calendars.
However, it can’t delete, edit or cancel events by the voice.

Apple HomePod

You can add Reminders, Notes, and other content to the HomePod.
It doesn’t support multi-users.
It only works for the original owner of the iPhone that used to set up to the device.

08) Apple/Google Ecosystem Integration

Google Home

Deeply integrated with Google services and devices, like Chromecast.
It doesn’t have any connections to Apple services.

Apple HomePod

Deeply integrated with Apple services such as Apple Music, iMessage, and iCloud.
There is no connection to Google services.

Google Home vs. Apple HomePod – What is Better?

In the comparison of Google Home vs. Apple HomePod, the Google Home stands out thanks to its advanced features, third-party app support, and multi-user support. Most of all, the Google Assistant is a lot smarter than the assistance of Siri, and that is a significant advantage of the Google Home. If you primarily want to use a smart speaker for music and other audio playback, Apple HomePod is a great device. But if you are looking for a smart speaker that is able to adapt to many different functions or activities, Google Home is the best pick.