I have been using Amazon Echo for a few weeks and I am totally impressed with the replies it makes and smartness when more skills are enabled with it. However, I did not feel better for navigation as it provided results from Bing Maps. So I thought of trying out Google Home for a few days and check if I can feel any better than Alexa. Google Home after using Amazon Echo was like moving to a completely new platform but both do the same jobs. Alexa and Google both do same jobs like having reminders, controlling smart home appliances, playing music, managing shopping lists, or even more like calling another Home or Echo user. Calling is although applicable for only a few countries such as the United States and Canada, hopefully, it should reach other countries too.
Amazon Echo vs Google Home
Google Home vs Amazon Echo - both are best but in few places: Google Home wins at few places and Amazon Echo at few places, Amazon Echo takes the place. Let me share the differences that I felt after using both smart speakers.
1. Navigation
"How long will it take to reach Whitefield?" is the question you might ask before leaving from home if you are living in a city which is popular for over-traffic. I ask Google Home how long hours will it take to reach Whitefield, and all it does is a search via Google Maps and gives me perfect reply that I can rely on before leaving home. Echo, on the other hand, uses Bing Maps to navigate but still be perfect when the traffic is not that high. I cannot rely on navigation or travel time conveyed by Alexa, but I can get to know about the travel time roughly. Winner: Google Home
2. Sound Quality
Google Home vs Amazon Echo - both are great in terms of sound quality. Especially, I am talking about the big sized smart speakers and not the Google Home Mini or Amazon Echo Dot. If you are looking for a Bluetooth speaker with good sound quality and your budget is around $100, you can choose Google Home or Amazon Echo. I could find a slight good quality with Google Home but that is negligible. Hence, both scores equally in sound quality. Winner: Google Home and Amazon Echo
3. Ease of Understanding Language
Google uses a lot of words to train and has a lot of data than Amazon. The accuracy of recognizing words was better on Google Home than Alexa. The Amazon Echo sometimes misinterprets certain words and tells that she doesn't know about it, but after repeating to her slowly, provides a perfect reply. Echo can play music from Prime Music and play movies from Prime Video and it can interpret Indian Bollywood movies very well when Amazon Echo vs Google Home are battled. Winner: Google Home and Amazon Echo
4. Skills Store and Google Actions
If apps are for smartphones, skills are for smart speakers. Both Amazon and Google provide a store of various skills and actions. I could find several skills on Amazon Skills Store whereas Google Actions was not enormous like Skills Store. However, Google Actions had quality actions which are very helpful. This does not mean that Amazon Skills Store has skills which are not helpful. You need to find quality skills or spend some time to find quality skills. You do have a Microsoft's Cortana inside Skills Store. Cool, isn't it? An amazing Alexa skill is that you can ask Alexa to whisper. This is something that Google Home does not have but maybe in future, Google might provide developers with the ability to change the voice. Winner: Amazon Echo
5. Wake During Music Playback
While playing music, it is difficult for your smart speaker to interpret between the song which is playing loud and your noise that you make to wake Alexa or Google. I had to shout while playing music to wake them up. I did not find any difference between both waking up during music playback. This is something that should improve in both speakers in the next generation. Winner: None
6. Smart Replies
As you know that Google Search is one the best where you may get answers without even opening up any of the sites shown up in the search results. Google Home uses Google Search to provide replies whereas Alexa tries hard to find answers but if in case it doesn't find, it reads out the definition from Wikipedia. As it is known, in the battle of Amazon Echo vs Google Home, Google wins. Winner: Google Home
7. Customization of Wake Word
Echo provides 3 different wake words apart from "Alexa" with which you can choose from: "Amazon", "Computer" or "Echo" whereas Google Home provides you only a couple of wake words: "Ok Google" and "Hey Google" -- both are enabled. Thus you can wake Google Home by saying any one word. However, in the Echo, you need to set a wake word and it only wakes up when you say that wake word. One word to wake up the smart speaker is far better than using two words. Every time I want something from Google Home, I need to spend more energy on "Ok Google", "Ok Google", "Ok Google". One word to wake is better. Just "Alexa, connect my phone" and its simple. Winner: Amazon Echo
8. Voice Differentiation
Google Home can differentiate between your voice and your father's voice. This feature makes the communication between speaker and you more natural. If your father says, "OK Google, call my dad" will call your grandfather. If you say the same, Google Home can recognize your device and calls your dad which is stored on your phone's contacts. Winner: Google Home
9. Continued Conversation
"OK, Google" is hard to say than just "Alexa" as it contains two words. However, Google Home has a feature where it can hold up listening briefly for some time to listen to your further commands. This will make you easier to have continued conversation with Google Home without having to say the wake word. Winner: Google Home
10. Shopping
With Alexa, you can place an order on Amazon. This is one of the coolest features of Amazon Echo. Like Google is a pioneer in searching information around the globe, Amazon is a pioneer in the e-commerce industry and thus has provided an ability to place an order and also Alexa can track your ordered product. Winner: Amazon Echo
11. Media Integrations
Google Home has third-party media integrations. Link your account with Gaana, Saavn, Netflix and more. It has a default Media integration for Google Play Music, but you can switch to your favourite music streaming partner. Saavn is available on Echo as Alexa Skill, hoping that other streaming partners provide a skill for Alexa. By default, Alexa can play music from Prime Music but you need a Prime membership for it. Winner: Google Home
12. Bluetooth Speaker
Although the speakers connect via a WiFi connection, Google Home and Amazon Echo have the ability to act as a Bluetooth speaker. You can just tell them to connect your phone and it can automatically connect to your phone via Bluetooth. Winner: Google Home and Amazon Echo
Conclusion
Both do have advantages and disadvantages and thus it is all in your hands to decide which device to buy. If you want navigation, broad third-party music integrations and smart replies, it is wiser to buy a Google Home, but if you want your smart speaker doing crazy kinds of stuff and play music from Amazon Prime Music or movies from Prime Video, then go for Echo. Amazon has really tried hard to bring out a quality device competing with a big giant who is a pioneer in making Machine Learning software. Alexa can also do shopping on Amazon while Google Home can't. If you are into shopping, Alexa can help you with shopping. However, Google Home can manage and remind you about the shopping list. To experience the Alexa fully, buy an Alexa, make your home smart by installing smart home appliances and subscribe for Amazon Prime. To experience the Google Home fully, just buy Google Home and install smart home appliances. You will benefit a lot if you use Android. Some features on Google Home is not supported if you link to an iOS device. So what are your thoughts? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.