Amazon's Echo, a digital assistant that can be set up in a home or office to listen for various requests, such as for a song, a sports score, the weather, or even a book to be read aloud, is shown, Wednesday, July 29, 2015 in New York. The $180 cylindrical device is the latest advance in voice-recognition technology that's enabling machines to record snippets of conversation that are analyzed and stored by companies promising to make their customers' lives better. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) Mark Lennihan/AP Amazon Echo is hands down one of my favorite gadgets.

Most people compare it to Siri, Apple's nearly five-year-old voice assistant that's available in iPhones, iPads, and the Apple TV. (Mac support is coming soon, apparently). But Amazon's solution, in my personal experience, is so much better than Siri.

Siri has some advantages over Echo: Since it's part of your iPhone, you can use Siri on the go and in most places. Also, you can't use Echo to place calls or send texts or emails. But for the most part, Amazon Echo's "Alexa" is the superior voice assistant.

These are the five most significant ways Amazon Echo is better than Siri.