The best Google Assistant smart speakers you can buy

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Google makes several smart speakers and many well-known audio companies also put the Google Assistant in their smart speakers.
We've rounded up the best smart speakers with the Google Assistant onboard to help you find the one that's right for you.
The original Google Home is our top pick because it is a top-notch Assistant-powered speaker that looks good, sounds great, and has a reasonable price tag.

Google Assistant is one of the best digital assistants along with Alexa. If you own an Android phone and you use other Google products and services, there’s plenty of reason to buy into the Google ecosystem and get a smart speaker that's powered by the Google Assistant. The Assistant boasts excellent voice recognition, access to a huge range of third-party services, the power of Google's search engine, and more.

Of course, ever since the launch of the original Google Home, plenty of smart speakers with the Google Assistant have been released by traditional audio companies, too. All of these speakers are great for different situations. You might, for example, want a speaker with slightly better audio quality. Or, you might want something a little cheaper or more portable. Thankfully, there are plenty of options, and we think there is a Google speaker for everyone.

There are a number of things to think about before buying a Google Assistant-powered speaker. Perhaps the first and most important thing, however, is your budget. As long as you’re willing to spend $50 or more, there will be a speaker for you, but if you’re willing to spend more than $100, you’ll likely find a great sounding speaker. You’ll also want to think about whether you want a stationary speaker or something that's portable.

Here are the best Google Home and Google Assistant smart speakers:

Best Google Home speaker overall: Google Home
Best Google Home speaker on a budget: Google Home Mini
Best Google Home speaker for audiophiles: Google Home Max
Best Google Home speaker with a screen: Google Home Hub
Best portable Google Assistant speaker: JBL Link 20

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

The best Google Home speaker overall

Why you’ll love it: The Google Home is well-designed and classy, plus, it sounds good and doesn't cost a ton of money.

The original Google Home may be a few years old that this point, but it’s still arguably the best value-for-your-money Google Assistant smart speaker you can buy. It boasts a relatively classy and modern design that should fit in with any decor. The speaker also sounds good for its size.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Google Home speaker is its lovely design. It has interchangeable bases, so you can swap the base to fit the color-scheme of your home decor.

Although design is important, the sound quality is an even bigger deal since it's a speaker. Luckily, the Google Home sounds quite good, especially for the size and price. The speaker does extend the bass a little, which is good for bass fans but not great for those who like a more natural sound. It also offers 360-degree sound and a solid amount of clarity in the high-end.

So what about downsides? Well, apart from the boosted bass, there aren’t too many. At launch, Google Assistant didn’t work with as many services as Alexa, and while that may still be true, we think the vast majority of people will be happy with what the Assistant can do.

The digital assistant is arguably better than Alexa at answering questions, thanks to the power of Google's Search engine. It also works with many of the best smart home devices, including Nest products and Philips Hue light bulbs.

Put simply, the Google Home is a great device. It’s versatile, modern, and not too pricey.

Pros: Nice design, not too expensive, decent sound-quality

Cons: Bass boost may not be for everyone

Buy the Google Home on Best Buy for $129

The best budget Google Home speaker

Why you’ll love it: The Google Home Mini may not sound as full as other Google Home speakers, but it still boasts all the same smart features, plus it comes at a fraction of the price.

Looking for the advantages of the Google Assistant in a speaker but don’t have a huge budget? The Google Home Mini is a great way to go. It’s cheap, well designed, and it offers all the smart features you'd find in any other Google Assistant speaker.

Let’s start with the design. The Google Home Mini is a small puck-shaped device that's covered with a classy-looking fabric that comes in Coral, Chalk, or Charcoal. We think all the colors look good, though if you like a splash of color, the Coral is definitely the way to go.

Then there’s the sound quality, and although it’s not great, it's not bad. We found that while the Home Mini wasn’t terrible in terms of sound quality, the overall tone was a little tinny and thin, with a lack of bass all-around. That's to be expected for such a small speaker, though.

This device is really more for those who want the smart features of the Google Assistant in their homes than those who like listening to music all the time. If you’re a music fan, it’s worth looking elsewhere.

Still, despite that single downside, the Google Home Mini is a great option. It’s not overly expensive, it's very smart, and it integrates very well with Google’s other apps and services, which is super important for Google fans.

Pros: Inexpensive, works with smart home, looks good

Cons: Sound-quality isn’t amazing

Buy the Google Home Mini at Best Buy for $49

The best Google Home speaker for audiophiles

Why you’ll love it: The Google Home Max gets much louder and offers a far superior sound quality compared to the other speakers in our guide.

Perhaps the sound quality of your smart speaker is important to you — and if that’s true for you, then the Google Home Max is the way to go. The speaker is big, loud, and seriously powerful.

The first thing to note about the Google Home Max is its design — it’s very clearly a Google-built product. It features the same design sensibilities as other Google Home speakers, including fabric accents and a clean, simple design. The Max is a large speaker, so it will take up a good amount of space in your home.

Of course, the best thing about the Google Home Max has nothing to do with its design. It’s about the overall sound quality. The speaker not only gets super loud, but it boasts a great frequency response, too.

Like the original Google Home, there’s a ton of bass, but that can thankfully be adjusted in the Google Home app. Also, if you want a seriously high-quality sound, the Google Home Max can be paired with another Google Home Max for stereo sound, making it a great option for audiophiles who like a clear, detailed sound.

So what about downsides? Well, the main one is that the speaker is quite a bit more expensive than the other Google Home speakers. On top of that, the speaker is big, so you may have to set aside a solid amount of space for it. However, that’s to be expected for such a powerful speaker.

Pros: Well-designed, excellent sound-quality, can be paired with second Home Max

Cons: Big and expensive