Look, I’m an Apple guy through and through. I’ve had an iPhone for nearly 10 years. I write on a MacBook, my iPad lives on the couch, and yeah, I wear an Apple Watch daily. HomeKit should’ve been the obvious pick for my smart home. But after unifying all my smart devices under one app, I landed on Alexa instead — which caught me off guard. Siri and Google Assistant do certain things well, sure. For running an actual connected home, though, Amazon keeps winning in the ways I care about most.
Device compatibility leaves competitors behind
“Works with Alexa” dominates the smart home market
Sure, Apple and Google’s smart speakers have beautiful aesthetics compared to the Amazon Echo Dot. But walk into any store selling smart home gear and check the box. “Works with Alexa” appears on almost everything. That ubiquity matters when you’re mixing brands to build a setup that fits your needs and budget.
My house runs Ring cameras and sensors alongside Philips Hue bulbs, Amazon Smart Thermostats, Govee LED strips, ThirdReality Zigbee sensors, and Intermatic ABRA switches. Everything plays nicely together because Alexa supports all of it natively. HomeKit’s certified device list is significantly shorter, and while Google lands somewhere in the middle, neither matches Amazon’s reach. When budget-friendly devices can integrate without hassle — like the Ring Alarm Contact Sensor at roughly $19, or the Amazon Basics Smart Plug at roughly $7–$8 each — building out becomes way less intimidating.
Routines handle complexity without extra apps
Chain triggers and actions across every brand you own
The real power shows up when devices work together automatically. Alexa Routines let you chain triggers, conditions, and actions across every connected brand without touching code or downloading additional software.
My setup includes automations I set up to genuinely make my life easier — my garage doors that close themselves at 9 PM, my bathroom lights that dim after midnight, and my porch lights are tied to actual sunset times. One bedtime command kills lamps from three different manufacturers simultaneously. Apple’s Home app handles basic scheduling fine, but building anything layered feels clunky. Google has improved its routines, though the ecosystem limitations hold it back. Alexa just gives you more room to get creative.
Zigbee support means fewer hubs cluttering your shelves
Several Echo models include Zigbee radios, which eliminated an entire category of hardware from my shopping list. The ThirdReality Zigbee Garage Door Tilt Sensor connects directly through my Echo — no SmartThings hub and no extra bridge eating up an outlet.
This matters because sensors and triggers form the backbone of any responsive smart home. Each additional hub introduces another failure point, another app, another thing to troubleshoot at 11 PM when something stops working. Amazon baking Zigbee directly into their speakers simplified my setup considerably. Apple requires a HomePod or Apple TV acting as a hub. Google’s situation involves more confusion than clarity. With Matter support now rolling out across Echo devices, the future looks even more flexible.
Hardware exists at every budget
Voice control in every room without breaking the bank
Putting voice control in every room gets expensive fast — unless you’re buying Echo devices. The entry-level Echo Pop costs around $40. A basic Echo Dot at $50 still gives you routines, Zigbee, and full smart home control.
Apple wants $99 for a HomePod Mini and $299 for the big one. Google falls somewhere in the middle, though its speaker lineup shifts around so much I’ve stopped paying attention. The point is, spreading voice control across multiple rooms matters for a smart home, and Alexa lets you do that cheaply. Pair those Echo devices with something like the Ring Indoor Cam at roughly $60, and you’ve got solid home security coverage without spending hundreds.
Skills and integrations fill the gaps
Third-party support catches what native compatibility misses
Native support covers most devices, but the Alexa Skills marketplace catches everything else. Tens of thousands of third-party integrations exist for situations where direct compatibility falls short.
My myQ garage openers lack native Alexa support thanks to an ongoing issue between Amazon and Chamberlain that shows no signs of ending. IFTTT bridges that gap, letting me include garage status in my routines despite the incompatibility. HomeKit’s ecosystem stays more locked down by design, which Apple frames as a security feature. Google Assistant offers skills, but with fewer options overall. The flexibility to solve weird edge cases keeps Alexa ahead when your setup inevitably includes something that doesn’t cooperate out of the box.
Voice recognition that actually understands you
Natural phrasing works without memorizing syntax
After years of talking to various assistants, Alexa consistently understands what my household means. Natural phrasing works reliably. Visitors figure out the voice commands immediately — nobody needs a tutorial or a cheat sheet to operate the lights. It’s even better after upgrading to Alexa+.
That consistency matters for adoption. My wife and kids use voice commands because they work predictably, not because they care about the underlying technology. Siri’s smart home commands feel awkward by comparison — the phrasing requirements seem stricter. Google Assistant handles general knowledge queries better, but for device control specifically, Alexa responds more reliably to casual requests.
Where the competition genuinely wins
Concessions to Apple and Google
I’m not going to sit here and tell you Alexa does everything best. Apple handles more processing on-device, and if privacy ranks high on your list, that genuinely matters. The Home app looks way nicer than Alexa’s messy interface, too. Siri on my Apple Watch handles quick commands smoothly when my phone sits in another room. HomeKit Secure Video includes camera recording if you’re already paying for iCloud+ storage.
Google Assistant remains smarter for general questions and web searches. If you’re asking about recipes, trivia, or calculations, Google answers better.
Home Assistant is my eventual goal — maybe in the next few years, once life calms down. Running everything locally without cloud dependencies sounds appealing, and the customization possibilities go way beyond what Alexa offers. Between the kids and work, I just can’t justify the hours it’d take to set up a Raspberry Pi and figure out a whole new platform. Alexa already does what I need.
Why Amazon keeps earning the spot
Here’s what it comes down to: I don’t care which company made my smart home assistant. I care whether the lights turn on when I ask, whether my routines actually run, and whether new devices connect without a headache. That’s the stuff that matters day to day.
So yeah, Apple gets my phone, my laptop, my tablet, and my watch. But Amazon gets my smart home. The open ecosystem just works better for this specific job — more devices supported, fewer hoops to jump through, and voice commands that land consistently, no matter which company manufactured the bulb I’m talking to.
