Overall Findings
Both Siri and Alexa are great smart assistants. They both provide plentiful help throughout the day, whether it’s asking the system to turn your lights on, look up your next appointment, or simply convert some measurements for you hands-free. If you can only have one smart assistant, to an extent, it doesn’t matter which you choose. They’re both solidly dependable and if you don’t know any different, you’ll be happy with either. Having said that, Alexa is a little bit more practical than Siri. It’s not quite as intuitive to use at times and is a little finicky with how you phrase things, however, it’s typically much cheaper to get involved with, doesn’t require being part of the Apple ecosystem, and has more extensive music streaming support. Is Alexa better than Siri? It’s hard to say yes confidently to this, but it’s certainly cheaper to invest in. Although, Siri does have the benefit of better security and encryption.
Current Versions and Prerequisites: Siri Is Apple Only
While you might have an Apple device or two in your home, it’s likely that you have far more gadgets that support Alexa, providing you’ve bought them recently, that is.
Question Answering Skills: Siri Is Smarter and Funnier
Both Alexa and Siri do a pretty great job of answering all your questions. You can ask either of them to convert a measurement for you, to tell you the weather for the coming day, as well as connect them to your family calendar so they keep you informed of upcoming events. They do respond a little differently though. Siri is generally better at understanding you if you’re talking casually or quickly, while Alexa requires more precise sentences so that it fully understands what you mean. Also, Siri has a better sense of humor, often providing silly, lighthearted answers to things if you feel like asking something frivolous.
Phone Support: Siri Wins by a Mile
Siri was made with iPhones in mind. It started life as a standalone app before becoming a built-in feature on all Apple devices. That shows when you use it. It’s far more convenient to use on your phone than Alexa which requires you to install a separate app. Siri is so well built into your iPhone that it feels natural to use, while Alexa takes a bit of practice and poking around the app to fully understand. In particular, setting up smart home routines can be fiddly with Alexa and require a bit of time to learn.
Interaction With Other Gadgets: Alexa Has the Edge
Siri supports fewer devices than Alexa, but it’s also more privacy conscious. It require special encryption to hook up via HomeKit meaning Apple is a little more particular about who can use its services. While Alexa has had issues with snooping on conversations, Apple keeps your smart home data separate from your personal profile so your activity can’t be used to advertise things. Siri is also a little easier to set up smart home routines with, while Alexa can seem a bit unwieldy if you’re not very well versed with technology. Alexa also supports many, many more IoT devices than Siri, from things like a Nest thermostat to a Ring doorbell. That’s fast changing with some workarounds making it possible to use Siri but, ultimately, Alexa has the edge here. It’s simply more convenient.
Final Verdict: Both Are Pretty Good
You can’t exactly lose with either Siri or Alexa, but it does help to know what you want them for. If you’re already an avid Apple user then Siri is kind of a no-brainer option. It’s speedy, secure, and a little more likely to understand if you talk quickly or less precisely. It’s also quite funny at times. However, if you’re a big smart home enthusiast and you want to guarantee support for all your smart home devices then Alexa has the edge here, even more so as it’s cheaper to adopt. It simply supports more hardware, even if it might be listening in on what you’re doing in a bid to advertise more appropriate products. That’s not a certainty but paranoid folk may prefer the security of Siri instead. So, Siri wins on security and casual talking, but Alexa wins on flexibility and price. Either way, you’ll be happy with both services.
