Which Amazon Echo Device Is Worth Grabbing for Your Setup?

Best for
Kitchens wanting Fire TV in less space

Best for
Big kitchens and family command centers

Best for
Desks and nightstands wanting a small screen

The Amazon Echo Show 5 is the third-generation model released in 2023, and it is the most compact Echo with a camera in this list. It has a 5.5-inch touch screen for weather, song titles and short clips, and a 2 MP camera for video calls. Amazon says the latest version has twice the bass and clearer vocals than before, driven by a single 1.75-inch full-range speaker.

It runs on a MediaTek MT 8169 B processor and supports dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy Mesh and Matter for smart home devices. Privacy controls include a mic and camera off button plus a built-in shutter, and it can show compatible video doorbells and end-to-end encrypted Ring video. When idle it can cycle a photo slideshow. The fabric is made from recycled polyester yarn and the aluminum from recycled aluminum.

The Echo Show 5 suits a desk or nightstand where you want a glanceable screen and occasional video calls. If you want the best-sounding bedside clock and no camera in the bedroom, the Echo Spot is the better fit.

• 5.5-inch touch screen
• 2 MP camera with built-in shutter
• Matter and Bluetooth Low Energy Mesh support
• 22W power adapter in the box

Best for
Bedside alarm clock with good sound

The Amazon Echo Spot is the 2024 smart alarm clock, and Amazon pitches it for nightstands, offices and kitchens. The screen is a 2.83-inch touch display at 240 by 320 pixels under a half-circle tinted glass cover. You can pick clock faces and colors, see song titles and tap to control music. There is no camera, which many people prefer next to the bed.

Sound comes from a 1.73-inch full-range speaker that Amazon describes as having clear vocals and deep bass, with Lossless High Definition audio. A standout extra is eero Built-in: the Spot can act as a mesh Wi-Fi extender, adding up to 1,000 square feet of coverage to an existing eero network. It also supports routines that wake you with music and gradual light, and motion detection that can trigger smart home actions.

The Echo Spot is the pick for a bedroom where music and a clean clock matter more than video. If you want to make video calls or view cameras, step up to the Echo Show 5.

• 2.83-inch customizable clock display
• No camera, mic off button
• eero Built-in mesh extender for up to 1,000 sq. ft.
• Motion-triggered routines

The Amazon Echo Show 21 is Amazon’s largest smart display, with a 21-inch Full HD screen at 1920 by 1080 that works in landscape or portrait. Built-in Fire TV brings apps like Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube and Apple TV, with a Fire TV remote included (subscriptions may be required). For entertainment fans, this is the Echo that doubles as a kitchen TV.

Audio comes from two 2-inch woofers and two 0.6-inch tweeters. The 13 MP camera has auto-framing, a wide field of view, 3.3x zoom and noise reduction for calls, plus a shutter. It works as a smart home hub with Zigbee, Matter and a Thread Border Router, and runs on an octa-core chip with the Amazon AZ2 neural network engine. Widgets for calendars, shopping lists and weather make it a family organization hub. One caution: the listing’s size and weight entries (1.5 by 5.6 by 0.7 inches and 45 g with two AAA batteries) appear to describe the remote, not the display, so the listing does not clearly specify the screen’s own dimensions.

Choose the Echo Show 21 if you have a large kitchen wall and want the biggest screen. If space is tighter, the Echo Show 15 offers the same feature set on a smaller panel.

• 21-inch 1080p display, landscape or portrait
• Built-in Fire TV with remote included
• Zigbee, Matter and Thread Border Router hub
• 13 MP auto-framing camera with 3.3x zoom

The Amazon Echo Show 15 shares its feature list with the Echo Show 21 but uses a 15.6-inch Full HD screen at 1920 by 1080. It also has built-in Fire TV with a remote, customizable widgets, a photo slideshow mode and a smart home dashboard for lights and live camera feeds.

The listing gives the same audio setup of two 2-inch woofers and two 0.6-inch tweeters, the same 13 MP auto-framing camera with shutter, and the same Zigbee, Matter and Thread Border Router hub support. As with the Echo Show 21, the listed size and weight appear to belong to the remote, so check the display dimensions elsewhere before planning a wall spot. It carries a 90-day limited warranty.

This is the right kitchen hub for most homes: big enough for recipes and a show while you cook, but easier to place than the 21-inch model. If you only need a screen for time and weather, the Echo Show 5 is far smaller.

• 15.6-inch 1080p display
• Built-in Fire TV and remote
• Smart home hub with Zigbee, Matter and Thread
• Photo slideshow and family widgets

Best for
Kids’ bedrooms and bedtime routines

The Amazon Echo Dot Kids is the fifth-generation Echo Dot in an owl design, released in 2022 and made for kids ages 3 and up. It has no screen, which is the point: it gives children music, audiobooks and bedtime routines without another display in their room.

It includes one year of Amazon Kids+, which unlocks kid-friendly audiobooks, ad-free podcasts from Wondery Kids & Family and ad-free iHeart Radio Family stations. Songs from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify or Pandora are filtered for explicit lyrics. The new Sleep Studio brings calming content from Calm, Headspace and Moshi, and parents manage everything through the Amazon Kids Parent Dashboard. With Alexa+, kids can co-create stories and play learning games. Amazon backs it with a 2-year worry-free guarantee.

It suits parents who want structure at bedtime and control over content. Note that Spanish is not available in Amazon Kids, and older kids who want a screen may be better served by a supervised Echo Show 5.

• 1.73-inch front-firing speaker
• One year of Amazon Kids+ included
• Sleep Studio bedtime content and parent dashboard
• 2-year worry-free guarantee

Best for
Adding voice control to lamps and fans

The Amazon Smart Plug is the simplest way to extend Alexa to something that is not smart. Plug it into an outlet, plug a lamp, fan or coffee maker with a physical on/off switch into it, and you can control that device by voice through any Echo or the Alexa app. No smart home hub is required.

It supports schedules and timers, routines, and plain-language setup with Alexa+. It automatically reconnects after power or Wi-Fi outages. The limits are clear in the listing: it runs on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only, it is for indoor use only, it is rated 15A max at 120VAC, and it works exclusively with Alexa, not other assistants or hubs. The compact design leaves your second outlet free. If you like building out sensors too, our guide to a plug-and-play motion sensor pairs well with routines like this.

This is the best add-on for anyone who already owns an Echo and wants a quick smart home win, such as game-room lights that switch on with one command.

• No hub required
• Schedules, timers and routines
• 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only, indoor use
• 1-year limited warranty