If you’re looking for a way to control all your smart home devices, adding a smart display to your lineup is a great option. Not only do these gadgets make it easy to activate smart lights, smart thermostats, or smart cameras, but you can access a wide range of apps with them — including Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, and other popular software.
Shopping for a smart display for Alexa or Google Home is a bit more challenging than you’d expect, as so many of the products share overlapping specs. And if you’re entirely new to the world of smart homes, you’ll have to choose between Google Home and Amazon Alexa as your central smart home platform. Once you’ve done that, things are a bit easier to manage.
Here’s a look at the 6 best smart displays for Alexa and Google Home. Keep in mind that all of these products are specifically designed for either Google Home or Amazon Alexa, though you can use Matter on supported devices to broaden their reach.
The best smart displays for Alexa and Google Home
- Buy the Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) for the best Alexa smart display.
- Buy the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) for the best Google Home smart display.
- Buy the Echo Show 15 if you want a massive screen with support for Alexa.
- Buy the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) if you want a premium smart display.
- Buy the Nest Hub Max if you want a Google device for video calls.
- Buy the Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) for an affordable smart display.
Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen)
The best overall Alexa smart display
| Pros | Cons |
| Great audio quality | Small display |
| Built-in webcam | |
| Tons of supported apps |
The Echo Show 8 offers everything you’d expect from a smart display, yet does so without carrying an inflated price tag. Featuring an 8-inch touchscreen display, a built-in webcam, support for apps like Netflix and Spotify, and access to Amazon Alexa, there’s not much missing from its spec sheet. Its screen might be a bit small for large floorplans, but it’s easy to read from a few feet away and gives it a small footprint that’s easy to fit anywhere in your home.
Other standout features include robust audio from two 2-inch drivers with a passive bass radiator and the option to install Alexa Skills for additional functionality. Amazon loves to discount the smart display during big shopping holidays, so if you don’t need the unit today, consider waiting for a price cut.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Display size | 8-inches |
| Alexa or Google Home | Alexa |
| Webcam | 13 MP |
Nest Hub (2nd Gen)
The best overall Google Home smart display
| Pros | Cons |
| Great price | No webcam |
| Tons of supported apps | Small display |
| Sleep tracking |
At less than $100, the Nest Hub is one of the cheapest smart displays on this list. But despite the low price tag, it offers a bunch of great features. The one notable omission is a webcam — but if you don’t mind sticking with your laptop or smartphone for calls, there’s not much else missing on this excellent product.
Along with built-in support for Google Home and the ability to quickly view connected cameras, the Nest Hub serves as a sleep tracker. When placed next to your bed, it works much like a smartwatch does, giving you detailed information about your sleeping patterns when you rise in the morning. Toss in impressive audio, plenty of apps, and a streamlined design, and it’s easy to see why the Nest Hub is one of the best smart displays of 2024.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Display size | 7-inches |
| Alexa or Google Home | Google Home |
| Webcam | N/A |
Echo Show 15
The best mountable smart display
| Pros | Cons |
| Gigantic 15.6-inch display | Large footprint |
| Mountable to save countertop space | Expensive |
| Built-in camera shutter |
While its large size might make it difficult to place in cramped kitchens or busy living rooms, anyone looking for a large smart display should seriously consider the Echo Show 15. You’ll get everything available on the Echo Show 8 plus a lot more real estate for displaying photos, streaming Netflix, or taking video calls.
Because of its large 15.6-inch screen, you’ll likely want to mount the Echo Show 15 to your wall. Amazon includes screws and anchors and a mounting template, making this a fairly simple process. It can be mounted in either portrait or landscape orientation. The unit also comes with Fire TV built-in, making it a bonafide entertainment hub and slightly more capable than other displays on the market. You’ll pay a premium for the Echo Show 15, but there aren’t many other options if you’re looking for a display this large.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Display size | 15.6-inches |
| Alexa or Google Home | Alexa |
| Webcam | 5 MP |
Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)
The best premium Alexa smart display
| Pros | Cons |
| Sizable display | Large footprint |
| Auto-framing during video calls | Expensive |
| Unique design |
Unlike most smart displays that are designed to be stationary, the Echo Show 10 can (sort of) move. It won’t roll around your home following you like Ballie, but its display is designed to rotate up to 175-degrees and keep you in focus during video calls. That gives you a lot of freedom to move around the kitchen or living room yet remain the center of attention.
Aside from that cool feature, this is a fairly standard smart display. Alexa is supported natively, as are apps like Hulu, Prime Video, and Netflix. The unit also doubles as a robust security camera, allowing you to get a live stream of your home and rotate its camera to better protect your property. Its footprint is quite large — and it’s quite expensive — but those tradeoffs are worth it if you want access to this generous screen and unique rotating feature.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Display size | 10-inches |
| Alexa or Google Home | Alexa |
| Webcam | 13 MP |
Nest Hub Max
The best premium Google Home smart display
| Pros | Cons |
| Vibrant screen | Expensive |
| Built-in webcam | |
| Premium sound quality |
The Nest Hub Max is essentially a larger version of the Nest Hub. It’s picked up a few new tricks, however, as it features a built-in webcam and some impressive new audio equipment — making it a serious upgrade over its smaller sibling.
Equipped with a 10-inch HD touchscreen, webcam, and two tweeters and 30W woofer, the Nest Hub Max makes big strides over the standard Nest Hub. And since the standard Nest Hub doesn’t have a camera, this is the model you’ll need to get if you want a Google Home-enabled smart display that supports video chats. The biggest drawbacks? You’ll need to spend a bit more cash and clear a bit more space on your countertop.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Display size | 10-inches |
| Alexa or Google Home | Google Home |
| Webcam | 6.5 MP |
Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen)
The best affordable smart display
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable | Small screen |
| Built-in webcam | |
| Plenty of supported apps |
The Echo Show 5 is the cheapest item on this list. Clocking in at $90 (and often on sale for less), the biggest concession it makes is with its tiny screen. At just 5.5-inches, you’re not going to be scanning its display from across the room. But if you have a small kitchen or are tight on space, it’s a nice affordable option.
Aside from its tiny display, most of the Echo Show 8 features carry over. That includes a camera shutter button, support for Alexa, and support for apps like Prime Video and Spotify. It works great as a speaker too, with a 1.7-inch driver that sounds better than you’d expect (though still falls short of dedicated smart speakers). Shoppers living in a cozy studio or with a busy kitchen will find the Echo Show 5 to be a perfect fit, though consider stepping up to the Echo Show 8 if your space permits.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Display size | 5.5-inches |
| Alexa or Google Home | Google Home |
| Webcam | 2 MP |
How we chose these smart displays
There are a lot of smart displays to choose from, and many of them share the same specs and features. However, there are a few key factors to consider when shopping — here’s a look at how we put together the list of the six best smart displays for Alexa and Google Home.
Screen size
A smart display should be large enough to read from a distance but small enough to easily fit on your countertop. Most shoppers will find that a screen between eight inches and ten inches is ideal for their kitchen or living room, while anything larger likely needs to be mounted. Conversely, anything smaller than seven inches might be challenging to use unless you get within a few feet of the screen.
Supported apps
People use smart displays for a wide range of activities. Whether you want to catch up on a Netflix show while cooking or listen to Spotify, it’s important that smart displays offer support for a wide range of apps and services.
Smart home connectivity
Connecting to the rest of your smart home should be simple. The six products above are all built by either Google or Amazon, ensuring they play nicely with other Google Home or Amazon Alexa devices.
Additional features
A few smart displays offer unique features such as sleep tracking or swiveling to follow you during your video calls. While these typically won’t make or break a device, they can help give it an advantage over the competition.
