Alexa vs Google Assistant: Choose The Best Virtual Assistant

Typing for your queries online has become slightly boring these days. With the rapid technological improvement, many people prefer to search via voice assistants without taking a device in their hand. Today, I will compare Alexa vs Google Assistant, considered one of the most powerful voice assistants with their unique abilities.

I’m going to compare these two voice assistants in various categories so that you can decide which one is right for you. Okay, without wasting any time, let’s get started.

Alexa vs Google Assistant: Detailed Overview

This detailed comparison between Alexa vs Google Assistant will tell you exactly which is better and why. I have discussed their differences for different categories to help you understand better.

1. Voice recognition:

Voice recognition assistant

Regarding voice recognition, both Alexa and Google Assistant do an excellent job of completing tasks such as adding groceries to the list, calling someone, playing your favorite music track, or doing other similar stuff that you have to do manually by taking your phone.

The wake word for Google Assistant is: “Hey Google” or “OK Google” and I’m sorry to inform you there is no way to change this. However, you can change the wake word of Alexa from “Alexa” to a few different options.

To change the wake word on Alexa, you have to launch the Alexa app on your device, go to “Devices > Echo & Alexa > SPEAKER NAME > Settings Wake Word,” and select the wake word from the list. Currently, the wake word options on Alexa are Alexa, Amazon, Computer, Echo, and Ziggy.

After you say the wake word, you don’t have to say the same word again and again to request the voice assistant to perform multiple tasks. Saying that once is good enough, both voice assistants will follow up on the given tasks. If there are multiple people at your home, there’s nothing to be worried about, as both Alexa and Google Assistant can recognize up to six different voices.

Overall, both voice assistants are pretty good on their terms, and I would say it is a tie in this department.

2. Price:

voice assistant pricing

Pricing is one of the key factors when choosing the right assistant for you. Some people are willing to spend a few extra dollars on advanced features, whereas others want a basic voice assistant speaker for affordable pricing as they don’t want to spend more on this one.

Let me highlight some key points in this department without taking too much more.

The cheapest Alexa-enabled speaker available right now is the oldest Amazon Echo Dot Speaker, which will cost you about $39.99, and to get the latest Amazon Echo Dot, you’ll have to spend around $49.99, which is a difference of $10.

Regarding Google Assistant speakers, the cheapest option you have right now is Google Nest Mini 2nd generation, which will cost you about $49, $10 more expensive than Alexa’s cheapest option. If you want the flagship model of Google Assistant speaker, you can get  Google Nest Audio, which will cost you about $100.

I have just explained the pricing of these voice assistants by keeping in about the speaker to make it short for you. Finally, I want to mention that Amazon’s Alexa provides you with more options and is cheaper than Google’s, so Alexa is the clear winner here.

3. General Knowledge:

General Knowledge of alexa and google

General Knowledge is again one of the most important aspects of choosing the right voice assistant, and fortunately, both Google Assistant and Alexa do well in this department.

Even though Google Assistant provides good answers quickly, Amazon’s Alexa can answer some questions precisely without bluff. For example, when you ask about the highest building in the world, it’ll tell you the answer is “Burj Khalifa, but it’ll let you know that “Jeddah Tower” is being constructed right now and will beat this record once the construction of this building is completed.

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This is just an example I wanted to share with you, but don’t underestimate the knowledge of Google, the largest search engine in the world for more than 2 decades, and the information it has gotten over this period. It can answer anything you want with ease.

Overall, Amazon’s Alexa has a slight edge here because it gives some answers with more details than Google.

4. Music and Podcasts:

Music and Podcasts of assistant

One of the main reasons people buy voice assistant-enabled devices is that they want to play any music track or podcast without carrying the device. In this category, both Alexa and Google Assistant do pretty well, to be honest. Say, “Hey Google” or “Alexa,” and follow up with the music track you want to play; it’ll be able to play that without any issues.

Whether you want to listen to an 80’s classic hit or Taylor Swift’s latest album, these voice assistants have covered you. You are just a simple voice command away from listening to your favorite music tracks.

To give you a context, Amazon’s Alexa can play music tracks from Amazon Music (of course), Apple Music, Deezer, Gimme, iHeartRadio, Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify, TuneIn, Tidal, and Vevo. On the other hand, Google Assistant can also play music tracks from all of these streaming services except Gimme, Tidal, and Vevo but supports additional services like Google Play Music and YouTube Music.

Like music tracks, you can listen to any podcast on these streaming services without hassle. Finally, I would say there is a tie between these two assistants in this category, but you can tell me in the comments which one you like the most.

5. Smart home devices:

Smart home devices of assistant

Voice Assistant these days isn’t only limited to devices like a speaker. You can now control your smart home with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. You can turn on the lights and turn them off just from your office or anywhere else with just your smartphone, and not only that, you can do a lot of other cool stuff with voice assistant-enabled devices, which wasn’t possible a few years back.

Amazon’s Alexa supports brands like LIFX, Philips Hue, TP-Link (smart lights), Honeywell, Tado (Smart heating thermostats), Ring, Swann, and Arlo, and Google Assistant supports LIFX, Philips Hue, Arlo, and a few other limited brands. If you want a straightforward answer, Alexa is the clear winner here as it supports many brands compared to very few by Google.

We can expect a change of approach from Google in the future by supporting multiple other brands. Still, when writing this article, unfortunately, Google supports a limited number of brands, and there’s nothing we can do about it.

6. Ordering food:

Ordering food with alexa and google

The next aspect of picking the perfect voice assistant is the ability to do stuff like ordering food online, making a reservation at a nearby restaurant, or helping with cooking a new recipe. Well, many people don’t do this stuff on voice assistants like Alexa vs Google Assistant, but some do with this method, and If you happen to be one of them, I’ll briefly share what you can expect from them.

Ordering food online or making a reservation at a restaurant with these voice assistants is quite difficult. I know many people will be disappointed after hearing this, but that’s a fact you must know.

When cooking a new recipe, both Alexa and Google Assistant can help you with that. With Google Assistant, you can set a timer for yourself, whereas with Amazon’s Alexa, you can have multiple timers. From my experience, I can say that Alexa is a step ahead of Google Assistant for these tasks.

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7. Online Shopping:

Online Shopping using alexa and google

Another way to use voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant is for online shopping, which isn’t quite practical but worth trying.

As you already know, Alexa is owned by the giant e-commerce platform Amazon, and it has some advantages over Google Assistant. For example, when trying to buy things like “Mobile covers” from Alexa, you don’t need to have separate accounts on multiple e-commerce sites to confirm your order as you are already logged in on Amazon, the largest e-commerce in the world where you can buy almost anything with a few clicks.

Google Assistant can also handle your online shopping. However, you must have different accounts in multiple e-commerce stores to buy any product. Certainly, not everyone will have an account on different e-commerce platforms.

Even though Amazon’s Alexa does let you order anything you want, you can confirm the orders by taking your phone, or else you won’t be able to complete the order. Overall, I would rate Alexa as a superior online shopping option to Google Assistant.

8. Phone calls, Video calls, etc:

call with alexa vs google

Calling any contacts is perfectly possible with both Alexa and Google Assistant and is one of the most useful and practical features to use with these voice assistants. If you have an Echo Show, you can even make a video call to someone who has either an Echo Show or the user who has installed the Alexa app on their mobile device.

Android device is linked to Google Fi or Google Voice with credits; you can even make international calls, which isn’t possible in Alexa.

If you want to send a standard text message via Alexa, you can do that. However, you’ll have to install the Alexa app on your device, or else it is impossible.

On the other hand, it is almost impossible to send a text message via Google Assistant, which is one of the biggest drawbacks of this voice assistant. Overall, with the ability of video call support and the ease of texting, I would rate Alexa higher than Google Assistant.

9. Directions:

google map direction of assistant

The next important aspect of a perfect voice assistant is giving the right “Directions.” Using your voice assistant on your car, you’ll know exactly when you’ll reach your office, home, or restaurant. You no longer have to manually calculate the time it’ll take to reach a specific destination, and maps will automatically tell you the time it’ll take to reach there while keeping the distance and traffic in mind.

While the Echo Auto by Amazon works pretty well in a car, beating Google Maps on this territory could be a little difficult for Amazon. Finding directions to any place using Google Assistant is pretty easy, whereas the directions aren’t clear and precise on Alexa. To let you know, Google Maps is the most used map globally, with billions of users.

If I have to choose between Alexa and Google Assistant only for directions, I would always go with Google Assistant’s navigation over Alexa as I’m used to Google Maps on mobile/tablets, and following the directions from Google Assistant is pretty smooth and easy.

10. Languages:

Languages known by assistant

Opting for a voice assistant that supports many languages is useful as people from various parts of the world can access the voice assistant features in their native languages. Both Alexa and Google Assistant support a decent number of languages.

Currently, Alexa is available in:

  1. English (United States, United Kingdom, Canada & India).
  2. French.
  3. German.
  4. Italian.
  5. Hindi.
  6. Japanese.
  7. Portuguese.
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The languages that work with Google Assistant are:

  1. English (United States, United Kingdom, Canada & India).
  2. German.
  3. French.
  4. Danish.
  5. Japanese.
  6. Spanish.
  7. Norwegian.
  8. Korean.
  9. Swedish.

As you can see, Google Assistant does have a slight edge here because it supports a few extra languages. Also, it would be best to remember that the languages available in both Google Assistant and Alexa are subject to your current region/ location. Some languages may not support it due to the restrictions of your country/state. You must be aware of that.

Changing languages on both of these voice assistants is pretty easy. Simply launch their app on your device, find the respective setting from the menu, and then choose the language from the list, and that is it. After that, you can speak your favorite language to these voice assistants, which will help you with that language.

11. Privacy:

privacy of voice assistants

The last thing I want to discuss before wrapping up the article is Privacy. Many people will doubt these voice assistants’ safety because nobody likes it when their private data leaks online. If you have the same question, let me clarify a few doubts about this topic.

The main concern people have while using both of these voice assistants is that they are always listening to you; however, you can turn off this feature by telling them that, or you can use the mute button on your device, like a speaker or a display. Once you have done that, you can have a peaceful conversation with anyone without worrying about privacy.

Both Google and Amazon pay deep attention to user privacy, and it is safe to assume that using either voice assistant in your home is perfectly safe.

So, this completes my detailed comparison of Alexa vs Google Assistant. Let me talk about some of the frequently asked questions on this topic.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What percentage of Americans own an Alexa?

Around 15 percent of Americans own an Alexa device as their voice assistant in their home.

Can Alexa or Google Home call 911?

Calling 911 via Alexa or Google Home is quite a complicated task, and it is highly recommended not to use these voice assistants to call 911.

911 is an American emergency helpline, and calling this number 911 via Alexa or Google Home isn’t recommended by most people, and instead use their smartphone to do that.

Can you use Alexa and Google Assistant together?

Yes. It is perfectly possible to use both Alexa and Google Assistant together.

What age group uses Alexa the most?

The age group that people use Alexa is between 35-44.

Conclusion:

Choosing the right voice assistant between Alexa vs Google Assistant is tricky as different people have different requirements. If you are confused about which one to go for, I’m sure this detailed article will help you pick one and learn something new here.

If you have any other questions regarding these voice assistants, let me know in the comments below, and I’ll get back to you soon. Thanks.

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