In an hilarious twist of events, my siblings and I purchased the Amazon Echo dot for my parents and they purchased the Google Home for us for Christmas. We decided to put both of them through a month-long test to determine which is better.

(Important Note: This is an unsponsored, unbiased opinion)

For two popular devices, they are both marked with relatively similar features: voice recognition, wake word (Google: “Ok Google”, Echo: “Alexa – “), music streaming options (Google can access Google Play Music, Youtube, Pandora, while the Echo can access Amazon Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, and others), “personal assistant highlights” (Google Home can be connected to your TV – allowing you to adjust the volume without searching for a remote, while the Echo can purchase items off of Amazon for the consumer). However, when it came down to choosing which is better, we determined that it really boils down to personal preference. Both are capable of searching the Internet, pulling up music, and helping out – but I found Alexa (the Amazon Echo) to be faster at understanding verbal cues and pulling information up straight away.

Overall, both the Google Home and the Amazon Echo are demonstrations of how far our technology has developed, and how useful it can be in one’s daily lives. Google Home is currently selling for $130, while the Amazon Echo is selling for $180 (and the Echo dot is selling for approximately $50).