Mamun_Sheikh/Shutterstock
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
One of the cornerstones to Amazon’s commanding presence in the tech sector is its Alexa smart assistant, allowing you to network smart tech devices in your home into a seamless setup. Naturally, you need Alexa-compatible devices to use the assistant, and while there are plenty of cool third-party devices that are compatible, the simplest approach would be to use Amazon’s own Alexa-ready devices. While some Alexa devices can be a bit expensive, you can find gadgets like smart plugs, streaming sticks, and smart speakers on Amazon for more reasonable prices if you know where to look.
Many Alexa-ready devices sold by Amazon can be on the pricey side, with the major standbys like smart displays and smart speakers easily exceeding $100 if you go for the latest and greatest models. If you don’t mind downgrading a little bit, though, you can find a variety of first-party Alexa devices worth buying that don’t cross the $100 threshold in just about every smart device category, all without sacrificing overall quality or usability.
Amazon Smart Plug
Setting up any kind of smart, Alexa-powered tech in your home naturally requires Alexa-compatible devices, and not everything you own is going to be. Luckily, one of the cheapest Alexa devices you can get at $24.99 is also one of the most generally useful: the Amazon Smart Plug.
The Amazon Smart Plug can be plugged into any regular outlet in your home, then have any other device or small appliance plugged into it. When the plug is plugged in, it can be detected by your Amazon Alexa app, allowing you to add its functions into your smart home framework. You can use your phone or a smart speaker to issue commands to Alexa, allowing it to control the plug and, by extension, whatever’s plugged into it. It’s great for simple devices like lamps, fans, and anything else that would normally begin running as soon as it’s turned on.
As Amazon users in the reviews attest, setting up one of these plugs is very easy, as it’s simple to sync them up to the Alexa app right out of the box. Besides controlling your home with your voice and phone, they’re also useful for remotely disabling devices when you’re out of the house.
Amazon Fire TV Stick HD
Alexa can be used via an Amazon Fire TV, allowing you to not only sync and manage your Amazon Prime Video preferences, but get recommendations from Alexa itself on new shows to watch. If you don’t have a standalone Fire TV, you can add Alexa functionality to any regular TV with an open HDMI port. All it takes is an Amazon Fire TV Stick, the HD version of which only costs $34.99.
While this particular model doesn’t provide quite the same visual fidelity as the 4K Fire Stick models, that’s the only department where you’d be compromising. The HD model has all of the other important features, giving you access to a massive library of streaming apps in a compact, portable package. More importantly, you can access all of Alexa’s functions via the included voice remote. Just press the microphone button on it and you can issue commands and make requests, whether you want to run something on a different device or just want Alexa to recommend you something to watch.
Users agree this particular model makes a great budget replacement for an older Fire Stick. That’s especially true if you’ve got a smaller TV with a lower resolution that wouldn’t be able to effectively use the more expensive models.
Amazon Echo Pop Smart Speaker
Smart speakers are one of the signature devices of the Alexa ecosystem. They’re what allow you to issue commands to Alexa from just about anywhere in your home, even if you don’t have a screen handy. Compared to some other Alexa devices, smart speakers aren’t especially expensive, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with saving some cash wherever you can. To that end, the cheapest Alexa smart speaker you can get is the Amazon Echo Pop, which costs just $39.99.
The Echo Pop is the smallest smart speaker in Amazon’s repertoire, designed to be compact and inconspicuous enough to suit small rooms like bedrooms. While its audio isn’t as powerful as the higher-end Echo Dot speakers, it’s still perfectly good at its primary job: listening for your commands to Alexa. You can have Alexa set alarms and reminders, play music, give you the news, and just about anything else with a quick vocal command, with the small light bar at the top indicating when the device is and isn’t listening.
An Amazon user in the reviews explained that, compared to the Echo Dots, the Echo Pop doesn’t have as much sound projection ability. However, what sound it does have comes through crystal clear, and its small size makes it great for finding a spot on a shelf in an otherwise cramped room.
Amazon Echo Spot Smart Alarm Clock
The regular Alexa smart speakers can set alarms to help wake you up in the morning, but they’re still just speakers, with no display functionalities. If you need your bedside or desktop smart speaker to have an actual clock face you can read, but don’t want to go all the way up to a full smart display yet, there is a middle ground. That middle ground is Amazon’s sole smart alarm clock, the Amazon Echo Spot, which will run you $79.99.
The Echo Spot boasts all of the same features as the Echo Pop and Echo Dot smart speakers, but with a small, yet healthy pinch of smart display functionality mixed in. The customizable clock display can show the current time, of course, but it can also display the current date, the weather, the titles and artists of whatever music is playing, and the names of any other smart devices it’s currently networked with. It’s also handy for helping you to wake up in the morning, as the display can gradually illuminate alongside your programmed alarm.
If you’re in the market for an alarm clock that’s just bright enough to read at night without flash-frying your eyes, plus all of the functions and sound quality of an Echo speaker, the Echo Spot is a sound choice. That’s especially true if you’re not looking for the full smart display experience yet.
Amazon Echo Show 5 Smart Display
Smart displays are Alexa’s most advanced and, naturally, most expensive department. The majority of Amazon Echo Show smart displays will easily exceed $100 at the bare minimum, if not significantly more than that. However, don’t think you’ve been priced out of this particular sector just yet. You’ve still got an attractive option: the Amazon Echo Show 5, which is a comparatively affordable $89.99.
The Echo Show 5 may be the lowest-end model of Echo Show currently available, but it’s no slouch, packing a variety of hidden Alexa features you can utilize. From its 5.5-inch display, you can make video calls, check feeds from connected video doorbells, display weather and news headlines, and even stream music and shows. Naturally, it doubles as a smart speaker in its own right, allowing you to issue commands to Alexa in order to easily facilitate all of those functions. The Echo Show 5 even has its own built-in camera, allowing it to double as a security or pet camera you can connect to from other Alexa-compatible display devices or your smartphone.
The addition of a screen helps make checking information and keeping tabs on your smart home setup easier than relying on sound alone. In the reviews, one user noted enjoying its convenient assistance for everyday tasks like answering questions and setting reminders.
