What can Google Home do that Amazon Echo can’t?

Get your research on

A pretty decent chunk of Americans are now asking Google or Amazon to turn up the air for them if they’re chilly. Home assistant devices were all the rage this holiday season, with millions of Amazon Echo and Google Home units sold. So who should you look to as your new robot overlord?

Here’s where Google Home takes Echo to the parking lot after school and metaphorically beats it up.

Major considerations

Price point
At $130, Google Home is less expensive than Amazon’s top-tier Echo option. Its Chromecast add-ons are also less expensive than Amazon’s TV options.

Speakers
You can set up Chromecast Audio to speakers throughout your house and play music in specific rooms. You can achieve this through grouping speakers, a feature only available with Google Home. And friends, this is one hell of a quality speaker, beating out standard home audio systems in our opinion.

Voice Control
The Google Assistant is more conversational than Alexa, with the ability to learn from your questions. Natural conversations are likelier due to its “memory” for things you have previously brought up.

You can ask Google Home a question like, “OK Google, what is the real name of the singer in Blondie?” then “OK Google, where is she from?” and it will remember the context of your previous question.

Where Google takes home the prize

Music
Unlike the Echo, Google’s AI tool has access to YouTube. It also seems to have a better understanding of more complicated commands regarding music. For example, CIO reported that asking both Alexa and Google to play Indian music left Alexa baffled, even though it definitely had access to that music. Google Home was able to process relatively vague requests and access a wider variety of music.

Search
While the Echo is understandably Amazon-centric, shopping with Google Home allows users to research more in-depth information about products they’re interested in purchasing.

Google Home’s search capabilities surpass Alexa’s, because duh, Google is Home’s parent. Of course a device filled with the knowledge of an omniscient creator is better at searching things, not just shopping.

Privacy
You can tell Google Home to stop listening in addition to using a physical button. Right now, Alexa only offers a physical button to turn off listening. Additionally, you can see all the data Home has sent by checking your Google activity.

Appearance:
Although it is a matter of personal preference, I think the Google Home has Amazon beat in terms of appearance. Where the Echo looks like a small tubular fan, the Google Home is sleek and customizable. Ability to customize appearance of Google Home with optional bases purchasable in variety of colors and finishes.

On the whole, Google offers more in terms of a robot friend you can ask semi-complicated questions and hold a conversation with. The Google Home also seems like a better bet for those who are more interested in the “I’m sick of typing things into Google” vibe.

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