The best Alexa compatible devices in 2021

The best Alexa compatible devices will raise your home’s IQ with the help of Amazon’s voice assistant. When you pair connect certain models of smart lights, locks, speakers, TVs, and more to Alexa, you can control them all using your voice.  

Once you get any of the best Alexa compatible devices online, you can command them without having to say anything at all, too. Within the Alexa app you can create ‘routines,’ which automatically trigger various smart home gadgets based on certain conditions. This will help you make your home intuitive, safer and more efficient. 

When you know how to use Alexa to create routines, you can make the assistant turn on your smart lights if it hears your smoke detector, or change the temperature on your thermostat when you leave or return home. Or maybe you just want to Netflix and chill; you can use an Alexa-compatible device to find your favorite show. 

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of smart home devices that work with Alexa, and advertise as such on Amazon. And while all purport that they’re the best, most don’t live up to that claim. So we’ve done the testing for you to come up with this list of the best Alexa compatible devices.

What are the best Alexa compatible devices?

After testing hundreds of options, we’ve picked some of the best Alexa compatible devices across a range of product types and uses.

One of the best Alexa compatible devices is one that has Alexa built in. The Amazon Fire TV Cube is a streaming device that plugs into your TV and lets you access content in 4K HDR from Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and dozens upon dozens of other streaming services. 

Chances are, if you want to set up a smart home, one of the first things you’ll want are smart lights, which are some of the best cheap smart home devices. We recommend the Philips Hue White LED Starter Kit as the best Alexa compatible smart lights; while these lights require you to set up a small Wi-Fi bridge, Philips’ lights not only look great, but come with an incredible amount of customization options. 

Of all the various smart home devices, smart plugs are the most ubiquitous, but the best Alexa compatible smart plug is the all-new Wemo WiFi Smart Plug. We like its compact size, Home/Away mode, and how it works all the major voice assistants.

The best Alexa compatible devices you can buy today

Like its predecessor, the Fire TV, the Amazon Fire TV Cube is one of the best streaming devices and best Alexa-compatible devices around. It lets you use Amazon’s assistant to control your TV, cable box and other streaming equipment. It comes with an intuitive interface, excellent 4K HDR picture quality, and every streaming app from Hulu to Sling and DirecTV Now. 

As a bonus, the Fire TV Cube ships with a new-and-improved Alexa remote, so you can still navigate manually if Amazon’s voice assistant can’t find what you’re looking for (or if you don’t feel like talking). Priced around $120, the Fire TV Cube is one of the more expensive streaming devices, so shoppers on a budget should check out our how to use the Fire TV Stick guide to master the more affordable Alexa-compatible Amazon streaming device.

Read our full Amazon Fire TV Cube review.

There are a lot of smart lights that work with Alexa, but we think the best Alexa compatible devices in this category are the Philips Hue smart lights. That’s because Philips has the widest range of bulb types, and the Hue app lets you do far more with those lights than ones from other companies.

Philips sells several different types of smart lights, but the company’s basic Hue White Starter kit includes two bulbs as well as a small hub that links the lights to your Wi-Fi. From there, you can command Alexa to dim the lights, and the bulbs will respond. The bulbs in this kit don’t change color, though; for that, you’ll want the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 bulb starter kit. In fact, Philips makes a wide range of smart LEDs and light fixtures; check out our guide to Philips Hue lights to see what each does.

Read our full Philips Hue White LED Starter Kit review.

When it comes to the best Alexa compatible devices, Philips Hue lights are tops, but they require you to also install a bridge for you to control them. By comparison, the Lifx Mini smart bulb can connect directly to your Wi-Fi network, which can make setup much easier. At just 2.2 inches long, the Lifx Mini bulbs will fit in a variety of desk lamps and small light fixtures. 

Using Alexa, you can turn the Lifx lights on and off, and set their brightness, color and schedule. You can also produce a number of cool lighting effects, too: The bulbs can flicker like a candle, flicker out for a spooky effect, strobe, and even change color with the beat of your music. In addition to Alexa, Lifx’s bulbs are some of the best HomeKit devices.

Read our full Lifx Mini review.

The Wemo WiFi Smart Plug is one of the best Alexa compatible devices under $30 and our top choice among the best smart plugs. It’s more compact than competing options out there, even its predecessor the Wemo Mini. And while it doesn’t have energy monitoring like some other smart plugs, the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug does work with all the major smart assistants.

This smart plug has a physical switch, so if you don’t want to ask Alexa to turn your appliance on or off, you can click the switch on the Wemo. It also has a clever Away mode. which can make it seem like you’re home even when you’re not by turning a lamp on intermittently. 

Read our full Wemo WiFi Smart Plug review.

Ever lie awake at night trying to remember if you locked the front door? As one of the best Alexa compatible device, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock can bring ease to your anxiety. Just ask Alexa if your door is locked, and it’ll tell you — and you can lock or unlock it using your voice. There wasn’t much to improve on in our August Smart Lock Pro review, but the company went ahead and tweaked its original to make it smaller and easier to use. 

As our new top pick among the best smart locks, the the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is 45 percent more compact than its predecessor, so it looks less obvious on your door. It also has Wi-Fi built in, so you can skip the August Connect bridge for linking your lock to your home network.

Read our full August Wi-Fi Smart Lock review.

Ecobee’s 5th-generation smart thermostat makes our list of the best Alexa compatible devices because among other things, it has Alexa built in. So, if you want to interact with Amazon’s assistant, but don’t want to install a separate smart speaker, you can simply use this thermostat.

With the Ecobee 5th generation smart thermostat, you get all of Alexa’s features, including calling, messaging, and Drop-In. The new Ecobee also has a much better speaker and Spotify support, so it’s now ok—but not great—for playing tunes if you’re looking for a device to provide some background music. Most importantly, the new Ecobee has redesigned remote sensors that have much better range and battery life.

Read our full Ecobee 5 smart thermostat review

The Arlo Q is the best home security camera for its ease of use and great 1080p video, day or night. It also comes with a generous 7-day storage plan, even if you don’t sign up for one of Arlo’s security camera cloud storage plans. 

If you have an Alexa device with a display, such as the Amazon Echo Show or an Amazon Fire TV, you can ask Alexa to stream a live feed from the Arlo Q, which is handy if you’re in one room of your house but want to hear what’s going on elsewhere. However, the Arlo Q is an indoor-only camera; for weather-resistant models, check out our best home security cameras page.

Read our full Arlo Q review.

LG’s CX OLED TV is one of the best TVs we’ve reviewed due to its truly impressive display in a super-sleek design, but what makes this one of the best Alexa compatible devices is that Amazon’s assistant is baked in, letting you can turn your TV on and off, adjust the brightness, switch channels, change volume, and even initiate YouTube streaming using nothing but your voice.

This 4K set also supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG, as well as HDMI 2.1. But TVs are more than just picture quality, and LG’s ThinQ AI makes this set truly smart. Don’t like Amazon? The CX supports Google Assistant too.

Read our full LG CX OLED TV review.

Like the Sonos One, the $399 Sonos Beam soundbar Is one of the best Alexa compatible devices because it has Alexa built right in. Not only is this device a high-quality Sonos smart speaker with four full-range woofers, but it also has an HDMI ARC port, which helps sync the speaker’s audio to your TV.

 At 26 inches wide and 4 inches deep, the Beam is pretty compact for a soundbar, so it will fit on most TV stands. As with other Sonos devices, you can use the Beam to play music even when your TV is off, and you can stream from hundreds of sources via Sonos’ app. While it lacks the bass oomph of the larger Sonos Playbase, this is an excellent soundbar for less than $400.

Read our full review of the Sonos Beam.

SimpliSafe is one of the best DIY home security systems because it’s a cinch to set up, has a ton of options when it comes to sensors and accessories—it even has its own smart lock—and offers optional professional monitoring for a reasonable price. But it’s also one of the best Alexa compatible devices because you can use Amazon’s assistant to arm your Simplisafe system as you walk out the door. 

Simplisafe Essentials costs around $200, and comes with a base station, a keypad, three door/window sensors, and a motion detector; you can purchase additional sensors if you so choose. Simplisafe’s professional monitoring fees start at $15/month, but if you want features such as smart home connectivity with Alexa, August, and Google Assistant, the fee increases to $25 per month.

Read our full Simplisafe Essentials review.

How to pick the best Alexa compatible devices for you

Just about every smart home product works with Alexa, so knowing which are the best can be tricky. Things you’ll want to consider include the following:

Design: Is this a well-made product? In the case of a smart plug, for instance, is it slim enough so that it doesn’t block your other outlet?
Functionality: What features does the smart home device have? If it’s a smart plug or a smart light, does it have a Home/Away feature, and can you schedule it to turn on at sunset?
Price: Often, the cheapest smart home device is not the best. You may be tempted by a $10 gadget, but make sure it meets your needs before buying it.

How we test the best Alexa compatible smart home devices

When reviewing any smart home device, we look at a few things before assigning it a rating:

• Ease of setup: How simple is the device to install? 
• Features: What features does the device have relative to others in its price range? 
• Performance: Does it actually work as advertised? Is its app easy to use, with a sensible layout?
• Price: How expensive is it when compared to similar devices? While this isn’t the most critical criteria, it is a factor in its final rating.