Each of the three major voice assistants has its advantages and disadvantages, but it is difficult to determine which one performs when you need it. We tested Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to help you decide which one is most able to understand and provide the best answers.
Here are the measurements we made to determine which assistant was the best.
The Competitors
This test will use the three most popular voice assistants currently on the market: Siri on the iPhone, Alexa (Amazon Echo), and Google Assistant with the Google Nest Mini.
Siri was launched on Apple’s App store in 2010. Apple purchased it shortly after and began integrating it into its phones.
The Echo smart speaker from Amazon was where Alexa started. It was released for the first time in 2014. Now, it is integrated into many Amazon devices.
Google Assistant was introduced to Android phones for the first time in 2016 via the Google Pixel phone. It’s now available on all Android phones running version 6 or higher.
The Process
We used the following method: we asked each voice assistant 25 questions, and then rated the assistant’s understanding and response.
We asked our assistants questions about local, music, entertainment and food.
Each assistant received a score between 1-10 for context and response. All questions were then added together to determine the winner.
Siri vs. Alexa vs. Google Assistant Questions
These are the questions that we asked voice assistants.
Local
1. I need to find the closest restaurant.
2. Are you going to see it rain?
3. What’s the weather like today?
4. What is the traffic situation on (X)?
5. When is the closest target open?
Music
6. Bob Dylan’s “Play Like a Rolling Stone” song.
7. Mariah Carey is the artist.
8. Listen to Abbey Road.
9. Play 90s grunge.
10. Try some new music.
Entertainment
11. Who was the winner of the Grammy for Best New Artist 2004?
12. Who was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz’s original Wizard of Oz film?
13. Which movies are currently in theaters?
14. Which year was The Shining released?
15. Which movie is this quote taken from?
Food
16. What is the weight of one ounce?
17. I need an Italian recipe.
18. Find a recipe to make chicken parmesan.
19. What is the internal cooking temperature of pork loin?
20. How can I make soy sauce?
Communication
21. Call Mom.
22. Text Mom: “I’ll Be Home Soon!”
23. Compose a new email.
24. You can remind Mom to call you on Sunday.
25. Add a contact.
The Winner is…
Alexa is the winner with 483 points after adding up all five categories. With 461 points, Google Assistant was second and Siri third, respectively.
The most significant difference in positions is Siri’s restriction on Apple phones, while the other two devices were separate devices.
Siri will pull up three top sites to help you navigate when you ask Siri questions. You would get a link to another platform, and it would also give you an answer verbally.
Siri would make you go back to Safari to search for the answer. Nearly always, the websites were relevant to the question. Siri was the worst at answering questions it didn’t know. Siri would simply display an error message instead of saying verbally that it did not have the ability.
Alexa gave incredible feedback and information. Alexa provided a lot of information and feedback when asked about traffic on a particular road. It gave general advice, then detailed the areas that were experiencing more delays.
While Google Assistant provided very good answers, they were extremely short. Google Assistant couldn’t provide additional information to answer a question such as “Is it going rain today?”
It was obvious that Amazon’s Alexa is more helpful than the other voice assistants in the battle for the big three.
Amazon’s Alexa reigns supreme
Alexa is the voice assistant you should choose if you want to make your home more comfortable.
It will not only provide verbal answers to most of your queries, but it can also anticipate what you may want to know in addition to your questions.
