Smart speaker assistants used to come with the hardware and nothing else to pay. Between February 2025 and June 2026, both of the big US platforms rebuilt their assistants on large language models, and both attached the full version to a plan. Amazon folded Alexa+ into Prime; Google put its most capable Gemini features and its camera AI into Google Home Premium.
That turns a one-time purchase of about $100 into a question about monthly fees. This is how the price of talking to your house changed, what the free tiers still do, and who ends up paying.
Trend Signal
72/100 Strong momentum
- Emerging
- Rising
- Mainstream
- Peaking
- Cooling
Free tiers widened in 2026, but the deepest features sit behind Prime or a Google plan
Amazon made Alexa+ free for all US Prime members in February 2026 while charging $19.99 a month otherwise, and 3.5 million people had opted into Gemini for Home early access by June 2026, when Google’s $99.99 speaker went on sale.
Our editorial reading of the cited data, not a forecast. How it is scored
By the numbers
- $19.99Monthly Alexa+ price for US customers without Prime, per Amazon, 2026Amazon
- 600M+Alexa devices in use, per Amazon’s Alexa+ page as updated July 21, 2026Amazon
- $10–$20Monthly price of Google Home Premium Standard and Advanced, launched October 1, 2025Google
- 3.5MPeople who opted into Gemini for Home early access by June 20269to5Google
How the assistant price changed
Amazon introduced Alexa+ on February 26, 2025 at $19.99 a month, free for Prime members, and ran it as an Early Access program that it says tens of millions of people joined. On February 4, 2026 it began rolling Alexa+ out to every US Prime member, MacRumors reported. Amazon’s overview page, updated in July 2026, says Alexa+ is available to all customers in the US and Canada and in early access in eight more countries, including Brazil, the UK, Germany and France.
Google moved on a parallel track. On October 1, 2025 it launched Google Home Premium, which replaced its Nest Aware camera subscription and carries the paid Gemini for Home features, in a $10-a-month Standard plan and a $20-a-month Advanced plan. Early access to Gemini for Home began in October 2025, and by June 2026 3.5 million people had opted in while the program expanded to 20 countries and 10 languages, 9to5Google reported.
The pattern is the same on both sides: a basic assistant stays free, while longer conversations, agent-style tasks and AI summaries of camera footage sit behind a plan.
The assistant is now priced like a service; the speaker is the cheap part.
Amazon: included with Prime, $19.99 without
Amazon’s math favors Prime. Alexa+ costs $19.99 a month on its own, while Prime costs $14.99 a month or $139 a year, MacRumors noted, so by our math twelve months of standalone Alexa+ ($239.88) costs about $100 more than a year of Prime that includes it. Amazon says Prime members get unlimited Alexa+ across all Alexa-enabled devices, Alexa.com and the Alexa app, for the whole household.
Customers without Prime get a limited, text-based Alexa+ chat on Alexa.com and in the app, with access “limited based on use,” Amazon says. The installed base is Amazon’s lever: it counts more than 600 million Alexa devices, and it says Early Access customers interacted with Alexa+ more than twice as much overall.
The capabilities Amazon lists go well beyond timers and music: Alexa+ can order takeout, make reservations, book a ride, schedule services, control smart home devices and work with Ring cameras. Those are the features that justify a fee.
Google: a free Gemini layer and a $10 or $20 plan
Google’s free tier covers more of the day-to-day speaker experience. On the Google Home Speaker, Google lists natural-language commands, multi-step requests, 10 new voices and Continued Conversation, which keeps the microphone open for follow-ups, without a subscription.
Premium Standard, at $10 a month or $100 a year, adds Gemini Live for free-flowing chats, the Ask Home automation helper, 30 days of camera video history and smarter camera alerts. Advanced, at $20 a month or $200 a year, adds AI descriptions of camera events, Home Brief summaries and searchable video history. Google AI Pro subscribers get Standard included and can move to Advanced for $10 a month; AI Ultra includes Advanced.
Because Premium replaced Nest Aware, households that already paid for Nest camera history are the natural buyers: the Gemini features arrive inside a camera plan they were paying for anyway. By our math, paying annually saves $20 a year on Standard and $40 on Advanced compared with twelve monthly payments.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexa+ with Prime | Included in Prime ($14.99) | Included in Prime ($139) | Full Alexa+ on devices, web and app |
| Alexa+ without Prime | $19.99 | — | Full Alexa+ |
| Alexa+ free chat | $0 | $0 | Limited text chat on Alexa.com and the app |
| Gemini for Home, free | $0 | $0 | Natural voice commands and follow-ups |
| Google Home Premium Standard | $10 | $100 | Gemini Live, Ask Home, 30-day camera history |
| Google Home Premium Advanced | $20 | $200 | AI camera descriptions, Home Brief, video search |
The hardware bill
Both companies launched hardware designed around the new assistants, and both start at the same price. When Amazon unveiled its Echo lineup in fall 2025, it set launch prices of $99.99 for the Echo Dot Max, $219.99 for the Echo Studio, $179.99 for the Echo Show 8 and $219.99 for the Echo Show 11, each with Alexa+ access out of the box. Amazon built new AZ3 and AZ3 Pro chips for them and says the AZ3 improves wake-word detection by more than 50%.
Google’s answer, the Google Home Speaker, which Google describes as built for Gemini, went on sale June 25, 2026 at $99.99, in Hazel and Porcelain worldwide plus Jade and Berry exclusively in the US. Google still reserves Gemini Live, Camera History Search and Home Briefs on that speaker for Premium subscribers.
The practical cost of entry is therefore about $100 for a speaker plus the plan you pick: nothing extra for the free tiers, nothing extra for Prime members on Amazon, and $100 to $200 a year for Google’s Premium tiers if you pay annually.
A $99.99 speaker plus a plan is the new baseline, so compare the plans before the hardware.
Who should pay, and for what
If you already have Prime, Alexa+ costs nothing extra, and Amazon says it works across Alexa-enabled devices, so the only open question is whether you want newer hardware. If you mostly use a speaker for timers, music and lights, both free tiers cover that without a plan.
Paying makes sense for two groups: households that want AI summaries and searchable history from their cameras, and people who actually use long conversations or delegated tasks such as booking and ordering.
Watch the fine print on cameras. Google ties AI event descriptions and video search to the $20 Advanced tier, and Amazon lists Ring camera integration among Alexa+ features. If cameras are why you are paying, price the camera plan and the assistant plan together before you buy a speaker for either.
What to watch next
- Whether Amazon changes the $19.99 standalone Alexa+ price or the Prime bundle as Alexa+ leaves early access outside the US and Canada
- Whether Google moves Gemini Live or camera features from Google Home Premium into the free Gemini for Home tier
- Holiday 2026 pricing on the $99.99 Echo Dot Max and Google Home Speaker, the entry points for both assistants
Where to start
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Smart speaker and display types for the new AI assistants
| Product type | Good fit for | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Smart display with Alexa | Fits kitchens and video calls | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| Compact Alexa smart speaker | Fits Prime households | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| Smart speaker with Google Gemini | Fits Google Home and Nest users | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
Product types that fit the trend described above, not tested models. Check the exact listing before you buy. How we pick them.
Smart display with Alexa
Where to look: Amazon
Amazon’s fall 2025 Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 use its AZ3 Pro chip for newer AI models. A screen matters most if you watch camera feeds or follow recipes.
- Screen for recipes and camera feeds
- Works with Ring cameras through Alexa+
- Costs more than a speaker
- Takes counter space
Compact Alexa smart speaker
Where to look: Amazon
For a Prime household this is the cheapest way into Alexa+. Existing Alexa devices also get it, so try it on what you own first.
- Alexa+ included with Prime
- Low entry price
- No screen
- Full Alexa+ needs Prime or $19.99 a month
Smart speaker with Google Gemini
Where to look: Amazon
Google’s $99.99 speaker handles everyday Gemini commands for free. Budget $10 or $20 a month if you want Gemini Live or camera search.
- Natural commands work without a plan
- Pairs with Nest cameras
- Gemini Live needs Premium
- Camera search needs Premium
More: Smart Home trends and how the Trend Signal is scored.
Sources
- Alexa+ now available to everyone in the US, and free for Prime members — Amazon
- Alexa+ overview and pricing, updated July 2026 — Amazon
- Amazon’s Alexa+ now free for all U.S. Prime members — MacRumors
- Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio, built for Alexa+, now available — Amazon
- Amazon just launched a new Echo lineup — Vice
- Introducing Google Home Premium and new benefits for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers — Google
- Meet the new Google Home Speaker, built for Gemini — Google
- Google: 3.5M users have tested the Gemini for Home assistant — 9to5Google
Questions readers ask
Is Alexa+ free?
It is free for Amazon Prime members in the US, who get unlimited access across Alexa devices, Alexa.com and the Alexa app. Without Prime it costs $19.99 a month, and Amazon offers a limited, text-based free chat on Alexa.com and in the app.
How much is Google Home Premium?
Standard costs $10 a month or $100 a year and Advanced costs $20 a month or $200 a year. It replaced Nest Aware in October 2025, and Google AI Pro subscribers get Standard included.
Do I need a new speaker for Alexa+ or Gemini for Home?
Not necessarily. Amazon says Alexa+ works across Alexa-enabled devices, and Google says Google Home Premium brings Gemini for Home to compatible devices. Both companies also sell $99.99 speakers built for the new assistants: the Echo Dot Max and the Google Home Speaker.
Which Gemini features on the Google Home Speaker need a subscription?
Google lists Gemini Live, Camera History Search and Home Briefs as Google Home Premium features. Natural-language commands, multi-step requests and Continued Conversation work without a plan.
