The best smart speakers, according to hackers

19 smart speakers recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.

All smart speakers

SiriHandy for timers, reminders, smart home control and hands-free use while driving, but many find it unreliable, prone to mishearing, and long behind rival assistants.165recommend
Amazon AlexaGood at timers, weather, lights and shopping by voice, and cheap with smart home gear. Critics say the newer LLM version is less reliable.45recommend
Bose SoundTouch smart speakersPraised for solid build and sound, and for Bose's open API docs and keeping old speakers usable after end-of-life. Critics say the app is sluggish and the docs are incomplete.37recommend
Google AssistantPeople recommend it for reliable timers, alarms, reminders and music control, especially the older non-LLM version. Most common caveat: critics say it has worsened since Gemini was added.33recommend
Apple HomePodPeople recommend it for good sound and tight integration with Apple devices and home automation. The most common caveat is that Siri is weak and the speaker can misbehave.30recommend
Google HomePeople recommend it for voice control, home automation and fairly affordable speakers with good sound. Critics most often say it misreads commands and has become less reliable.19recommend
Meta PortalRecommended for easy family video calls, with good hardware, camera tracking and speaker quality. Critics say Meta ended support and the software raises privacy concerns.17recommend
HomePod miniPeople like its sound for the size, its reliable timers and its smart home control through Apple Home, but critics say it is weak for music and unreliable on connections.15recommend
Sonos speakersRecommended for multi-room synced audio that works well when it works. Critics say the app and software are unreliable and that older speakers lost support.14recommend
Home Assistant Voice Preview EditionRecommended as an open-source local voice assistant with a near Alexa or Google Home feel. Critics agree its microphone and speaker fall short of Echo and Google Home devices.14recommend
Grok voicePeople like its fast responses and intelligence, and find it less dumb than rival voice modes. The most common caveat is usage quotas that can cut off a conversation.9recommend
JarvisFree open-source voice assistant that controls your apps and computer with local or hosted models. Critics say results lag OpenCode with the same model.7recommend
Amazon Echo ShowRecommended as a cheap video-calling and clock display, once set up. Most common caveat: it shows ads, sometimes even when set to no ads.7recommend
ChatGPT LiveRecommended for voice conversations that feel close to talking to a person, with quick responses and web search. Common caveats: realtime transcription is still weak, and it can be janky on poor connections.7recommend
Claude VoicePeople like its conversational voice mode, which they find smarter than some rivals and pretty good on Opus, though critics say it is buggy with tool calling and loses connection in long chats.6recommend
Amazon EchoPeople praise its wake word and voice pickup, but critics object to ads, Alexa+ upselling and listening or data-collection practices.6recommend
Amazon Echo DotPeople recommend the Echo Dot as a cheap, reliable smart speaker that is easy to use once set up. Critics warn about setup problems and the always-listening microphone.6recommend
Atticus voice assistant for macOSHold-to-talk voice assistant for macOS that runs on Claude; people say it works well. Possible caveat: voice transcription may get things wrong.6recommend
Samsung BixbyRecommended for quick reminders and alarms set by holding a button and speaking naturally, though critics find it pre-installed, hard to turn off and annoying.5recommend