Looking to learn how much Alexa costs? Amazon’s Alexa pricing varies depending on how much you want to spend, and ultimately, what you want to do with it. When looking at Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa, you have a ton of different ways to get started. And if you’re already a Smart Home veteran, there’s always more to learn to get the most out of Alexa.
To get started with Amazon Alexa, all you need is your smartphone and the Alexa app. That’s it! Alexa has no required monthly fee or even one-time fee. But chances are, what you’re looking to do with the voice assistant involves needing an Echo device and an internet connection. The device itself is where costs comes into play.
Psst. Do you know the difference between Amazon’s voice assistant and the devices it’s on? If not, learn the difference between Alexa and Echo.
But to cut to the chase, let’s dive in with how much Alexa really costs.
The answer: well, it depends! At the low end, you can get an Echo dot (3rd gen) for about $15 plus tax. On the higher end you can buy an Echo Studio for about $200 plus tax. How much Alexa costs really depends on what you want to do, like watching videos or playing music. Although Alexa doesn’t have a required monthly cost, there are a few subscriptions you may want to consider when getting the most out of Amazon’s voice assistant.
Stick around and I’ll go into detail about the different kinds of Echo devices and their associated costs, as well as breakdown simple commands that really shine on each device.
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Alexa Pricing Considerations
Use these links below to jump to different sections.
- Alexa Pricing Considerations
- How much does Alexa cost?
- Entry Level Echos
- Intermediate Level Echos
- Music Focused Echos
- Other Interesting ways to get Alexa
- More Alexa Pricing Considerations
How much does Alexa cost?
Alexa is free to use, if you have a smartphone. With your iPhone or Android phone, just download the Alexa app. That gives you access to Alexa for timers, news, music, Smart Home control, and everything else Alexa can do.
But if you want to use Alexa within your home, you’re going to need a smart speaker, called Echo, in order to use Alexa. That’s where the associated costs come into play. Amazon makes many different Echo models that have different features and price points.
To give you a better idea, look at below’s price breakdown of Echo devices that give you access to Alexa.
Entry Level Echos
To start off, let’s look at the Echo Dot (5th gen), Amazon’s latest budget-friendly Echo. And let’s also look at the Echo Dot (3rd gen), which is the cheapest Echo that Amazon sells today.
Echo Dot (5th gen)
If you’re looking to test out Alexa, while not sacrificing too much on quality, I recommend you start with the Echo Dot (5th gen). This is Amazon’s latest budget-friendly device (although not the cheapest) which regularly goes on sale for $28 plus tax. This Echo gives you a solid speaker for music and the ability to use Alexa for timers, news, Smart Home control, and everything else that Alexa can do right out of the box. It’s a good way to get started with Alexa in your home, but without breaking the bank.
I use an Echo Dot for kitchen timers anytime I’m cooking with:
“Alexa, set a timer for 30 minutes.”
Echo Dot (3rd gen)
If you’re looking for the most affordable option, look no further than the Echo Dot (3rd gen), which sells for $15 plus tax. It has a slimmer, hockey-puck like design than its golfball-like sibling. And compared to the Echo Dot (5th gen), it also has slightly lower sound quality with a few less Smart Home features built-in, like a temperature sensor and an eero wifi extender (not useful unless you have an eero network). That all said, you still get all of the standard Alexa features that all Echo devices can do.
Echo Dot is also handy for getting a quick weather report:
“Alexa, tell me the weather.”
Intermediate Level Echos
The intermediate level is where Alexa really shines, but with that, the Alexa price does go up. At this level, Amazon provides a better sound quality and a few different ways to access Alexa that aren’t through smart speakers.
Echo Show 5
Echo Show 5 is where you start to see Alexa on devices that aren’t just smart speakers. This is the first Echo on the list that also includes a screen. The screen makes a few specific Alexa features nicer, such as looking at cooking recipes and watching videos. It also supports video calls to other Alexa users. The price for this device is roughly $35 plus tax. In case you’re interested in a deeper dive of its capabilities, learn how to make calls with Alexa.
Echo Show is especially helpful when changing brightness on smart lights. After setting the brightness, you can use the Echo Show screen to change the brightness even further.
“Alexa, make the TV Light brighter.”
Fire TV Stick
Fire TV Stick lets you add Alexa to your TV. You simply engage with Alexa via your TV remote to turn on music, ask questions, set timers, or control Smart Home devices. It goes for about $40 plus tax, but the price changes depending on what sort of TV resolution you want to support. For example, if you watch Amazon Prime Video often, this is a no-brainer way to access Alexa.
Alexa on the Fire TV is really handy for when you need to quickly search and find a show, like my toddler’s favorite show:
“Alexa, search for Mr. Rodgers.”
Music Focused Echos
If you’re looking primarily to use Alexa for music, Amazon sells a few Echos that deliver varying sound quality.
Echo
Echo (4th) gen looks similar to the Echo Dot 5th gen in its golf ball shape; it’s just a bit larger. With that size increase comes much better sound quality. So if you’re planning on using Alexa for music, this is a good device to grab at around $100 plus tax.
Psst. Check out these 7 Alexa music commands that all new Echo owners should know.
Echo Studio
Echo Studio is at the top of the line. You’ll get the best sound quality out of all Echo devices for around $200 plus tax. Audiophiles take note: for the extra cash, you’ll get a much deeper and fuller base as well as much more crisp treble. Not to mention the increased volume, which no other Echo can really match.
Other Interesting ways to get Alexa
Echo Auto
Echo Auto lets you add Alexa to your car. Alexa is especially handy when you don’t have hands available, like when you’re driving–or in my case, when I’m handing my toddler her third cracker for the ride. You can snag one of these for roughly $50 plus tax.
Not sure if a store is open? Alexa Auto is good for answering that on the way there.
“Alexa, what are the hours for Target?”
Echo Show 15
Echo Show 15 gives you a big 15 inch screen with Alexa built-in. It provides you all the benefits of the smaller Echo Show devices, but with more screen real estate to show things like your calendar and to-do lists all at once. Think of it like a calendar replacement. One of these goes for about $215 plus tax.
Calendars are especially handy with a large screen like this.
“Alexa, what’s my calendar look like today?”
More Alexa Pricing Considerations
There are a few other services and devices you can get that will let you get even more out of Alexa.
Prime
Amazon’s Prime service is the big one for all things related to Amazon. Prime adds a few features that improve Alexa in a few ways, such as:
- Prime Video: Nice if you have an Echo with a screen
- Prime Music: Some music support
- Prime Photos: Unlimited photo storage (my personal favorite!)
Prime costs $120 a year, but you might qualify for cheaper options.
Music
Alexa’s music library is fairly limited without some sort of subscription service. Amazon has one of its own, called Amazon Music Unlimited. However, if you’d prefer to stick with the streaming service you already have, Alexa supports many other music services too:
Smart Home
And finally, we get to my favorite feature. Although Alexa does support Smart Home control out of the box, you are missing one more thing: the smart devices themselves! To get started here, learn about Smart Lights, Smart Plugs, and other Smart Devices that Alexa can control for you.
Which Echo device are you currently eyeing? Let me know if the comments below.
