Comparison

Amazon Alexa vs SmartThings

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Amazon Alexa

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
Currently charting
Read full description

Use the Amazon Alexa app to manage Alexa-enabled devices, control music playback, view shopping lists on the go, keep track of upcoming reminders, check on active timers and much more. When you enable hands-free with Alexa, you can talk to Alexa by simply saying “Alexa” when the app is on your screen. The more you use Alexa, the more she adapts to your voice, vocabulary and personal preferences. DISCOVER MORE • Get more out of your Echo device through personalized feature recommendations from Alexa • Discover and enable recommended Alexa skills • Pick up where you left off directly from the home feed with lists, shopping, or recently played Music and Books MANAGE YOUR DEVICES • Set up your Alexa-enabled devices, control or check status of your compatible smart lights, locks and thermostats at home or on the go • Create routines to automate your smart home devices MUSIC & BOOKS • Connect to music services like Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio. Choose a song or playlist and listen on your Alexa-enabled devices • Create speaker groups to play music across your compatible Echo devices for multi-room music ORGANIZE YOUR DAY • View and edit shopping and to-do lists on the go, get weather and news updates, manage timers and alarms, and more STAY CONNECTED • Use Drop In from your app to connect instantly with your compatible Echo devices, like a two-way intercom • Call or message supported Alexa-enabled devices, at no additional cost. By using this app, you agree to Amazon’s Conditions of Use (www.amazon.com/conditionsofuse), Privacy Notice (www.amazon.com/privacy), and all of the terms found here (www.amazon.com/alexaterms).

About

SmartThings

Unify and manage all your smart home devices from a single application. Connect hundreds of brands, create custom scenes and routines, and control your home remotely. Monitor energy usage and even get meal planning assistance.

Highlights
  • Connect and control devices from multiple brands
  • Create custom scenes and routines
  • Remote home monitoring and control
  • Automated notifications and status updates
  • Voice control with Google Assistant
  • Energy tracking and saving features
  • Smart cooking and meal planning assistance
Features
Read full description

Quickly and easily connect and control your smart home devices through SmartThings. SmartThings is compatible with 100s of smart home brands. So, you can control all of your smart home gadgets in one place, including your Samsung Smart TV and smart home appliances. With SmartThings, you can connect, monitor and control multiple smart home devices quicker and easier. Connect your Samsung smart TVs, smart appliances, smart speakers and brands like Ring, Nest and Philips Hue - all from one app. Then control your smart devices using voice assistants including Google Assistant [Key Features] - Control and check in on your home from wherever you are - Connect your smart devices across many different brands to work together by setting ‘scenes’ - Build routines that are set on time, weather, and device status, so your home runs smoothly in the background - Allow shared control by giving access to other users - Receive status updates about your devices with automated notifications - Talk to your devices using Google Assistant - Track, monitor and save money on energy with SmartThings Energy. See how much your home and compatible Samsung devices cost to run, and try various energy saving features, such as AI saving mode, or schedule devices to run during off peak hours. - Receive recipe recommendations by scanning meal kits, wine, and meat. Plan, shop and prep meals with the help of SmartThings Cooking ※ Some features may not be available in all countries. [App requirements] Some mobile devices may not be supported. - iOS 17.0 or later / iPhone XR or later / iPad 6 or later ※ App permissions The following permissions are required for the app service. For optional permissions, the default functionality of the service is turned on, but not allowed. [Optional access permissions] • Apple Health : Used to sync with Apple Health data to give you better Family Care insights • Apple Music : Used to read music album information • Bluetooth : Used to scan for nearby devices using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) • Camera: Used to scan QR codes so you can easily add members and devices to SmartThings • Contacts : Used to get phone numbers of your contacts to send text message notifications • Location : Used to locate your devices, create routines based on your location, and scan for nearby devices using Wi-Fi • Local Network : Used to find Wi-Fi connected devices • Microphone: Used to add certain devices to SmartThings using high-frequency sounds • Notification : Used to provide notifications about SmartThings devices and features • NFC : Used to check information about devices that you intend to connect • Photos : Used to play photos and videos on SmartThings devices • Voice recognition : Used to convert voice to text

Screenshots

Amazon Alexa4 screens
SmartThings4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SmartThings at none against Amazon Alexa's 2. SmartThings also leads on review sentiment (31% vs 20%). Amazon Alexa's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and ratings volume (5.9M vs 845K). On price, rating, ads and chart position there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Amazon Alexa against 4.6 for SmartThings. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Amazon Alexa has 5.9M ratings behind it against 845K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 20% of Amazon Alexa's written reviews are positive against 31% of SmartThings's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Amazon Alexa ships an update weekly, SmartThings monthly. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Amazon Alexa versus SmartThings: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAmazon AlexaSmartThings
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (5.9M ratings)4.6 (845K ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.3% of reviews30.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.9M — better845K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#15#9 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size501 MB887 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperAMZN Mobile LLCSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Amazon Alexa

All ratings5,911,794 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews9,013 reviews
Positive20.3%
Neutral7.5%
Negative72.2%

SmartThings

All ratings845,252 ratings
Positive89.1%
Neutral2.9%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews7,634 reviews
Positive30.7%
Neutral6.5%
Negative62.8%

User reviews

Amazon Alexa

From 5.9M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 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

Room to improve

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

SmartThings

From 845K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Remote control functionality
  • 📚 Laundry cycle recommendations
  • 🤖 Automation and scheduling capabilities
  • 🔧 Customizable settings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent disconnections and crashes
  • ⏱️ Slow and laggy performance
  • 🔍 Difficulty connecting and configuring devices
  • 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive user interface
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with location tracking

Bugs and requests

Amazon Alexa

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Alexa unable to recognize routines and commands

Requested features

7 requests
  • 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
Show 2 more
  • Ability to easily manage and organize smart home devices
  • More advanced features for the elderly and disabled users

SmartThings

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to add or remove devices
  • Inconsistent device status updates
  • Notifications not working as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to control TV without remote
  • Improved photo/artwork management for Frame TV
  • More advanced automation and scheduling options
  • Better integration with other smart home platforms

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Amazon Alexa

Subscriptions2
  • Amazon Kids+1 Month trial$6.991 Month
  • Alexa+ Standard Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
None

SmartThings

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Amazon Alexa free?
Amazon Alexa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SmartThings free?
SmartThings is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Amazon Alexa or SmartThings?
SmartThings is rated higher. Amazon Alexa averages 4.5 out of 5 from 5.9M ratings, while SmartThings averages 4.6 from 845K ratings.
Do Amazon Alexa or SmartThings have ads?
Neither Amazon Alexa nor SmartThings shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Amazon Alexa or SmartThings?
Amazon Alexa ships an update weekly, and SmartThings monthly. Most recently, Amazon Alexa was updated on October 15, 2026 and SmartThings on October 15, 2026.
Which is more popular, Amazon Alexa or SmartThings?
Amazon Alexa currently peaks at #15 in the App Store charts, and SmartThings at #9. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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