# Google Home vs Amazon Alexa

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Google Home at none against Amazon Alexa's 2. Amazon Alexa's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (5.9M vs 1.4M). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Amazon Alexa sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Google Home asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Google Home against 4.5 for Amazon Alexa. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.4M and 5.9M respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 16% of Google Home's written reviews are positive against 20% of Amazon Alexa's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Google Home | Amazon Alexa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.4M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-home/id680819774/reviews)** | [4.5 (5.9M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amazon-alexa/id944011620/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1.4M | **5.9M** |
| Positive reviews | 15.6% of reviews | **20.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | #14 |
| Size | 630 MB | 501 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Google](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [AMZN Mobile LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/297606954) |

## What reviewers say

### Google Home

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-home/id680819774)

**Currently charting:** #11 Top Free · Lifestyle (US App Store)

Manage your smart home devices and stay updated on home activity.  Easily control devices with voice commands and view live camera feeds. Organize your home into custom dashboards for quick access.

**Highlights:** Home status overview, Device grouping into dashboards, Live camera view and history, Voice control with Gemini for Home, Streamlined settings navigation

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent camera quality
- 👍 Secure home monitoring
- 🚀 Reliable notifications

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent disconnections
- 🐛 Buggy app performance
- 👎 Lacking advanced features
- 👎 Unintuitive user interface

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to remove 'ghost' devices
- Inconsistent connectivity between app and devices
- Unreliable motion detection

**Requested features**

- Ability to customize notification settings
- Integration with more smart home devices
- Improved video history browsing


### Amazon Alexa

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amazon-alexa/id944011620)

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Free · Lifestyle (US App Store)

Manage your smart home devices, control music, and organize your day with voice commands. This app allows you to set up and interact with compatible devices, discover new skills, and stay connected with others. It learns your preferences for a personalized experience.

**Highlights:** Manage Alexa-enabled devices, Control music playback, View and edit lists, Set reminders and timers, Discover and enable skills, Connect with other devices

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amazon Kids+ | $6.99 | per month |
| Alexa+ Standard Monthly | $19.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient for controlling smart devices
- 🚀 Helpful for managing reminders and playing music
- 👍 Alexa is a great companion
- 👍 Alexa is funny, nice, and kind
- 👍 Alexa is a lifesaver for the elderly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Inconsistent voice recognition
- 🐛 Cluttered and unintuitive interface
- 🐛 Slow and unresponsive app
- 🐛 Alexa sometimes ignores commands or gives irrelevant responses

**Reported bugs**

- Alexa unable to link to Apple Music account
- Alexa unable to properly control smart plugs and lights
- Alexa unable to maintain connection with Bluetooth speakers
- Alexa unable to consistently set alarms and timers
- Alexa app crashing or becoming unresponsive

**Requested features**

- More customization options for routines
- Better integration with third-party apps
- Ability to control Alexa devices without voice commands
- Option to set custom sounds/music for alarms and timers
- Improved music playback controls in the app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Google Home free?

Google Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Amazon Alexa free?

Amazon Alexa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Google Home or Amazon Alexa?

Google Home is rated higher. Google Home averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.4M ratings, while Amazon Alexa averages 4.5 from 5.9M ratings.

### Do Google Home or Amazon Alexa have ads?

Google Home shows ads; Amazon Alexa does not.

### Which is updated more often, Google Home or Amazon Alexa?

Google Home ships an update weekly, and Amazon Alexa weekly. Most recently, Google Home was updated on October 18, 2026 and Amazon Alexa on October 18, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Google Home or Amazon Alexa?

Google Home currently peaks at #11 in the App Store charts, and Amazon Alexa at #14. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*