You have already heard about Smart Assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri in Smart Devices. Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa— which one is best? Managing interpersonal relationships is already challenging enough, now taking the advantage of smart home devices we have to manage our talking to artificial people as well.
By asking all three virtual assistants — Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri — a series of questions and analyzing their smart home capabilities, ability to provide directions, entertainment options, shopping features, and more.
Besides offering many of the same features, these three assistants have their own advantages and disadvantages. And also these three assistants are all developing at a rapid clip.
After evaluating the results, it is found that Google Assistant is one of the best virtual assistants compared to Alexa. But the best Google Home compatible devices and the best Alexa compatible devices are at the top as the best HomeKit devices. Also, every home is different, so a smart assistant is needed as per home requirements. You can even use more than one if you want.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Which is Best?
Old days, when any question arose, we asked parents or teachers, and either they gave the answers or told us to look it up in the books. But nowadays, you can ask for a computer or smartphone. Here, the digital assistants come to use and answer the general knowledge questions.
Alexa took top honors for providing additional context along with the answer to the question. Alexa failed on a couple of questions like It couldn’t tell the name of the person who held the all-time record for stolen bases in Major League Baseball. Instead of this, it gives the active player with the most career stolen bases.
And it provided the current secretary-general of the U.N. while asking it about the first person who held this post. So, the answers and comprehension of Alexa as well as Google Assistant were spot on, with little rephrasing requirements and rarely forced to ask more than once.
Here, Siri is the worst in general knowledge. Although Apple employees have explained that the assistant was not designed to provide the general knowledge questions-answers. In a quick talk with Siri on the HomePod, they apologized and couldn’t answer the question. Also in other few cases, it couldn’t provide as expected information such as in stolen bases it provided the current baseball season’s leader. Also sometimes responded with useless information like when asked what was the middle name of Harry S. Truman, it answered, “I found Harry and S.”
By asking the same question again and again to the iPhone, Siri provides the answer via Wolfram Alpha the list of results instead of identifying the first U.N. secretary-general (Trygve Lie). Most interestingly, Siri comes with the best info about the result of last year’s American League Championship Series. While asking about the length of the movie The Avengers, Siri – the only assistant who asks for clarification between many of the movies in the Avengers franchise.
Google Assistant and Alexa both provide almost the same results. Although Google’s AI failed to understand the question – why the sky was blue, the Google Assistant generally gave solid, fast answers in the context of previous shootouts. Google Assistant was the only one to identify the all-time leader – Rickey Henderson, in stolen bases correctly. Also, he is the only player to ever cross the 1,000-stolen-bases mark. It also provided an additional context where the number of steals he logged has given.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Music and podcasts
Music is a strong prospect for any smart assistant. Three of them integrate with their company’s music services. Besides this, it also offers third-party ties with other music services as well. With the subscription to Amazon’s Music Unlimited streaming service, Alexa adroitly handled a request to play the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black.”
Siri also provides the same service as the subscription to Apple Music. And even if you don’t subscribe to any music services supporting Google Assistant, you can still play “Paint it Black” and a playlist on YouTube containing other Rolling Stones songs.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Supported music services
| Music Service | Siri | Google Assistant | Alexa |
| Amazon Music | No | No | Yes |
| Apple Music | Yes | Only on iOS devices | Yes |
| Deezer | No | Yes | Yes |
| Google Play Music | No | Yes | No |
| iHeartRadio | No | No | Yes |
| Pandora | No | Yes | Yes |
| SiriusXM | No | No | Yes |
| Spotify | No | Yes | Yes |
| TuneIn | No | No | Yes |
| Tidal | No | No | Yes |
| YouTube | No | Yes | No |
All three assistants can respond as per request to play 80s songs and West Coast jazz, offered by stations that matched the descriptions.
In terms of finding and playing podcasts, Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant – all three assistants have improved a lot. Although some problems have still left. While all three assistants easily played the most recent episodes of both “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” and “The Incomparable” podcasts, Alexa struggled with the latest episode of the podcast “Dragon Friends,” instead of playing a podcast on a similar topic.
All three assistants offer some form of multiroom audio functionality, including creating groups of speakers via your smartphone. Alexa also supports audio playback from some music services in Sonos speakers, while Google Assistant can communicate with any Chromecast-connected speaker. And so the HomePod has AirPlay 2 functionality so that Siri can play audio on speakers from any corner of your house as well as from your Apple TV.
However, you can get Google Assistant as well as Alexa into a variety of third-party smart speakers; but you will get Siri as a smart speaker when you purchase Apple’s HomePod.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Entertainment
One of the coolest features of a virtual assistant is the integration with home entertainment equipment. You can control your Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Edition, or Fire TV Stick with Alexa by opening apps, jumping around in time, playing, and pausing. Similarly, Google can control playback on Chromecast-connected devices, and TVs with an in-built Chromecast.
It offers only a few services. To access the services, firstly you have to download some apps and link them via your smartphone. However, Google Assistant and Alexa both use a third-party intermediate such as Logitech’s Harmony Hub to control devices.
Apple Siri is in a peculiar position compared to Alexa and Google Assistant. But the recent software update makes Siri so useful that you can control music, and podcast playback on your iPhone, the HomePod, an Apple TV, and other AirPlay speakers. The drawback of using Siri is that you can’t handle other functions such as turning on or off the device, opening apps, and playing videos.
The current Apple TVs have in-built Siri via the remote. So you can do things like skip some parts in a video, turn on captions in the videos, and open apps too. But the things are less convenient to do in the case of finding the remote as the Apple TV-based Siri doesn’t provide any third-party integration.
To Continue the entertainment track, I tried to order movie tickets using virtual assistants but ended up with more work on any of the platforms rather than using an old-fashioned browser. Alexa offered a slow and quite difficult Atom Tickets skill that kicked me back out whenever I tried to authorize the use of Amazon Pay. But, at the time of resuming later, Atom Tickets allows me to pick up where I left off and also helps to handle theatres with reserved seating.
Whereas Google Assistant could handle the requests of movie times at my nearby theaters. But it was also sent back to the phone and suggested some third-party movie ticket apps to complete the seat booking as per choice. Although Google is approaching new improvements recently, we’re still lacking in purchasing tickets by voice.
Here, Siri on the HomePod couldn’t help to get tickets. However, the iPhone’s assistant helped a little bit to get a few screens and use the launched Fandango app.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Ordering food, Making Reservations, and Getting recipes
While trying a handful of queries related to making reservations, ordering food, and getting recipes – all three assistants offered good Indian restaurants with varying details like address, rating, and prices in the neighborhood as per recommendations.
None of the three assistants could place an order for Chinese food. They can only provide a list of nearby restaurants. With Alexa, you can try to order food packages from Amazon. While using Google Assistant, it seemed to stick on the Indian food for some reason – a bit puzzling. But, trying later, the Google Assistant gave a correct list of Chinese restaurants.
Making reservations at a restaurant through Alexa required a frustrating multistep process at times. Siri on the iPhone also required some interaction including the use of OpenTable. While Google Home kicked towards the Assistant app on the smartphone. Sometimes also, Siri on the HomePod refused the request straightly.
For example, during making “chocolate chip cookies” Google comes first in case of providing the recipe and guiding step by step to test with flying colors. Alexa came in second, with the multiple recipes, offers a list of ingredients, and provides the option to get the recipe in the app. Whereas Siri on the HomePod couldn’t provide any recipe, and even Apple’s Assistant on iPhone just kicked toward the web search.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Online shopping
By using voice if you can shop online and buy things then, it would be a good feature. But, practically it’s still difficult. In such cases, Alexa has the advantage as it is tightly integrated with Amazon.
Alexa can handle most purchase requests by default via searching the Amazon catalog on the basis of something matching a query. Then you can add more products to your Amazon cart which provides unintended results.
Alexa skilfully handles the ordering of some paper towels, although it has asked for a copy of Destiny 2. The assistant added an art book for the video game, then made a totally separate book. Finally, after specifying a copy of the video game for Xbox, Alexa provided the limited edition to the original one. It still needs an Amazon app to complete the order through the phone.
Google Assistant also did the same as Alexa did. But, Google AI offered a nice explanation of how online ordering worked before jumping in. It was able to add both a copy of Destiny 2 and paper towels to the shopping cart.
It can also inform whether my order is qualified for free shipping or not. But then, it stucked into a loop of accepting terms of service, and for completing the order you need to use the Google Assistant app.
Here, Siri works on the HomePod, asking for paper towels, Siri provides nowhere. Even when asking for Destiny 2, Siri said that it couldn’t look up books. Luck on the iPhone is worse.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Communications
Sometimes interacting with a robot makes you tired and you want to talk with a real person. In such cases, all three virtual assistants help you to keep in touch with your contacts.
By using Alexa the user can call and send both the audio and text messages to other Alexa users having only the smartphone app in their contacts. The user can also call other phone numbers except for the Alexa app and any phone number that is saved in their contacts.
If you have an Alexa app on your Android phone then only Standard text messages can be worked. The call will also come to your actual phone number, once you’ve set it up.
The user can make video calls also if they have an Echo Show. But, responding to that video call other users also need Echo Show or people should have the Alexa smartphone app. Including this, Alexa also offers an intercom feature that allows the user to broadcast a message to all other Echo devices present in their home.
Similarly, Google Assistant lets the user make calls to the people in their contacts via the smartphone. But, the user has to configure it for getting the calls from your Google Voice number, or another phone number of your or an unlisted phone number.
Without a workaround using IFTTT, the user can’t send text messages by using Google Assistant. Google Assistant also can make international calls, if linked to a Google Fi account or Google Voice account which is not possible in Alexa.
On the HomePod, Siri allows the user to make calls and send texts. Even the interface can be convoluted later somehow if there are many ways of reaching the contact. On the iPhone, Siri is more streamlined and can compose emails for the user. It can read the text messages and emails back to you as well.
Apple’s AI also integrated with some third-party apps like Viber, and WhatsApp for calling and messaging with others having those apps. Siri can also make international calls. It is the only assistant which can place calls to emergency services.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Directions
When you’re leaving out for any new place, you may need to use a virtual assistant to find the best route for you.
Siri on the iPhone does a great job of providing directions. Not only it will give the user a sense of how long time will need to reach someplace, but it can also provide the user directions automatically as soon they start GPS navigation on the device. As Siri can get the transportation directions, it does a mediocre job of answering questions related to traffic. Even it kicks the user to the iOS Maps app for more.
In HomePod, Siri can provide an estimated time and a suggestion of a major route to the user via a specific highway or any other. But the drawback is that it can’t send directions to the user’s device either automatically or by request.
It seems like a missed opportunity. It can’t handle the direction of public transportation. While asking about the traffic on the local interstate, with honesty Siri told about its shortcomings and provided the information about the conditions of the general traffic.
Here, Google Assistant is at the top of the heap. Not only does it provide solid time estimates in most cases, but it can also handle public transportation. It is the one and the only Assistant to do like that and provide reasonable suggestions. It can also provide the best overview of traffic conditions in the region. Including that, it can send directions to the Google Assistant app on your phone to make it easy to start navigation from Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze.
In this area, Alexa stands at the bottom. Although the AI’s directions to spot the local places were reasonable, it is unable to handle public transport at all. While asking about the traffic on the local interstate, Alexa provides some direction 2,500 miles away from the actual spot.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Smart home
Smart home devices have become the most important places where virtual assistants are integrated. All three Assistants have focused their attention on it and work with a huge breadth of connected products. Many third-party products work with a minimum of two Assistants, otherwise, all three Assistants will be there.
Among the most common smart-home gadgets, the biggest exceptions might be Logitech Harmony Hub which doesn’t work natively with Apple’s HomeKit, and Nest’s smart thermostat which is also not compatible with HomeKit recently. There is another third-party software called Homebridge that can help, but it’s not for the weak-hearted people.
Smart home integration with the three Assistants seems to close competitor of each other. In most cases, a competing product does work with the assistants in question. It’s wise to check Google’s, Amazon’s, and Apple’s full list of supported devices to see whether it works with the assistants in question. At this moment, Google and Alexa might be even, but Siri is pretty competent, although it is missing out on a couple of major facilities.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Availability
A voice assistant isn’t worth much if it cannot work to your need. Including broad offerings from the Dot to the Echo Plus, Amazon has the many third-party partners that come with Alexa. Whether you buy a cheaper speaker like Anker, you can get a decent sound. For better sound quality, you can purchase the Sonos One.
It has in-build Google and Alexa smart assistants. Even smartphones like the LG V35, Moto X, and Moto G7 have Alexa. Amazon also offers a smart display. The Echo Show is one of them which uses the screen for everything starting from displaying timers to showing videos and allowing users to make video calls.
Google has released their smaller versions of the Home named Google Home Mini at a cheaper price. For delivering the better sound quality Google has its Google Home Max. Google is also working with third parties. Google Assistant is broadly available on smartphones like Android and iOS. Although some features are limited on that.
Google offers a smart display in the Home Hub just like Amazon. Later, this year Nest Hub Max, a second model, has a larger screen, including a camera for supporting video calls. Just like the Lenovo Smart Display. Google Assistant also works with a handful of third-party smart displays.
However, Apple has widely distributed its virtual assistant Siri to all of its company’s devices like iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Mac Laptops. The company has only a single smart speaker which is HomePod. Although HomePod sounds great but has limited features that Siri can do, Apple also doesn’t offer a smart display. Siri has a screen at its disposal on iOS devices only.
The only place where Siri can rule is in availability by country. The voice assistant of Apple is available in more than 30 countries with 20 languages. In some cases, several different dialects sometimes. Although Siri’s features are available in every region it’s worth noting all.
By comparing Google Home and Google Home Mini, both are available in only 20 countries. It can speak English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, and Japanese. Google Assistant also supports multiple versions of some of those languages.
The Google Home Hub and Google Home Max are available in fewer countries, supporting fewer languages. However, Alexa can manage only English (the U.K. and the U.S.) and German, although it’s available in many countries.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Voice recognition
Reliability is important for any type of assistant whether it’s virtual or not. By tracking the often need to repeat or rephrase a question for an assistant for providing results. In this partition, all three assistants did pretty well. Occasionally the assistants required a repeated or rephrased query but generally, they gave answers as per requests promptly and to the best of the device’s abilities.
If there are multiple people in a household when it can be quite confusing for each assistant that tries to tackle this problem in their own way. Google Home as well as Amazon Echo have recently offered multiple voice profiles. So that users have to train their devices to recognize their specific voice and provide some personalized response based on it.
With the most sophisticated approaches, Google’s Voice Match offers personalized calendars, photos, flights, payments, and more. Also, the user can set their own default media services. However, you will not encounter the problems of recognizing voice occasionally and it refuses to give access to the information until you’ve retrained your Voice Match. Meanwhile, Alexa offers only personalized calling, shopping, and some media options currently.
With Siri, Apple has taken a slightly different approach. Before activating the ability to use the wake phrase “Hey, Siri” on an iOS device, the user must train Siri to recognize only their voice. It will make the assistant as security and prevents giving any personal information of the user to someone else. It also avoids the assistant from responding on, says, both the iPhone and iPad.
On the other hand, Siri on the HomePod tends to avoid this feature. It will respond to “Hey, Siri” requests if it’s in range, otherwise, the user has to use their iPhone actively. Also, it doesn’t have any sort of multiperson features. So that Siri stands at the bottom of this criteria.
Alexa and Google Assistant both have two voice-related features worth noting. Firstly, an optional “follow-up” mode, in which both assistants remain active for a few seconds after answering the query. It will help the user to deliver another command without saying the wake word again. As it leads to some false positives, so this mode is kept off by default in the case of both assistants. Secondly, both the assistants can understand “in commands” and “in items” – so that the user can say, “turn on the lights of the living room and turn off the lights of the office.” Also, they can add milk and bananas to their shopping list without saying a single item labelled “milk and bananas.”
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Extendability
Although in-built features are well and good, sometimes adding a feature is so needful that it isn’t part of the package. In such a case, you need to go for a third-party app. And these sites differ in that area significantly.
Alexa has more than 70,000 third-party features. All of these aren’t great, but you will get something that fulfills your needs. And if you fail to get anything, then there is an option to create some basic integrations using the IFTTT web service. Also, the user can create their own simple routines using the Alexa app. The company offers templates for some apps like game shows, information for houseguests, and many more via the all-new feature of Alexa blueprints.
Google has made a different aim with its dubbed actions. The Google Assistant claims its features are more than a million, as they basically include both first and third-party offers to make all possible queries. So, it’s hard to make a straight comparison between Alexa’s library and Google’s Hub. Google also offers the best integration with IFTTT that will allow users to create custom actions without acquiring the real knowledge of programming.
In the past few years, Apple has greatly expanded the customization of their smart assistant Siri. It works with third-party apps in a few different ways offered by Apple. The small handful of apps with Apple’s approval in some categories like calling and messaging, sending money, ride-hailing, and creating to-do lists. With the addition of Siri Shortcuts, the user is able to create custom phrases that can trigger actions in a compatible way via first- and third-party apps.
Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Verdict
In final counts, Google Assistant and Alexa are very close to each other. But Google narrowly edged out Alexa in terms of first-place finishes. Meanwhile, Siri landed in third place in both measurements although it was slightly behind the other two smart assistants i.e. Alexa and Google. Overall, all of three virtual assistants are more capable than in previous editions, revealing improvements all over the industry.
There is still no winner among voice assistants as all three Assistants are good in their own ways. You can pick the one which succeeds in the categories most important to you. It also works with the devices you want and in the ecosystem you use.
With the rapid pace of innovation in all of these technologies, it’s hard to go wrong using the voice assistants and spending time behind them. Here, that’s all as per my knowledge. If you know more and want to share your knowledge then comment below as I’m always looking forward to it.