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Alexa seems to be everywhere. As of early 2019, Alexa is on 100 million devices around the world (and counting), it has over 15,000 “skills,” and it is quite possibly the first name you think of when a digital assistant comes to mind (which is some really bad news for Siri).

If you haven’t tried Alexa yet, you may be interested in picking up one of Amazon’s many Echo device, or the growing number of Alexa-ready speakers that are made by other companies. At this point, there are a whole lot of options that all do slightly different things and give Alexa slightly different abilities. Here are the differences between them and why you might want to pick one over the other.

If you want a speaker

If the main thing you want from an Alexa device is a loud, clear speaker for playing music and podcasts, you have a lot of options. For most homes, the Amazon Echo (second-gen, pictured above) is the way to go. The Echo is built upon being a smart speaker, and before Alexa became well-versed at doing all kinds of other things, being a solid speaker for listening to music was what the Echo excelled at.

Now in its second iteration, the Echo is still not the best speaker you can buy (though at $100, it’s now far cheaper than its $180 predecessor). It’s tough to do much better at this price point, but spending a little more is wise if pure sound quality is all you’re looking for. It might not be an Echo, but the Sonos One has Alexa voice recognition, and it sounds great for $199.

For something that’s smaller and cheaper, but no less smart, there’s the Amazon Echo Dot (third-gen, pictured above). The latest revision boasts an improved design, it can be paired up for a surprisingly immersive experience, and, best of all, it’s really cheap. It retails for $49, though it’s usually found for less. Amazon and other retailers frequently run a “buy two for $50” promo for this model.

If you already own speakers that you like, Amazon’s Echo Input can make them smarter without much in the way of added costs. For $35 at most (it’s commonly discounted), it connects via Bluetooth or with its 3.5mm cable, and its built-in microphone gives it similar abilities to that of an Amazon Echo.

Related How to set up multiroom music playback with Amazon Echo

No matter what you buy, a speaker with Alexa is always listening for its cue to take commands, answer questions, and operate one of thousands of skills, so you can have it read the weather or news or have it hail you a cab. It can also use Alexa’s calling and messaging system, which lets you send voice messages to some of the other Echo devices.

If you want a screen

Sometimes, you actually want to read the news, watch a video, or view the ingredients in a recipe. That’s what the Echo Show (second-gen) is for.

The Echo Show takes the regular Echo’s voice-first approach to Alexa and tries to give everything a simple interface, so you can look at the information it’s presenting, too. This is really great in instances where there’s a lot to look at, like your calendar, detailed weather information, or instructions.

There are new things the screen can be used for, too. It’s able to play YouTube (though it’s a ham-fisted experience, thanks to a spat between Amazon and Google) and Amazon Prime videos. If you know someone else with an Echo Show or any other device running the Alexa app, you can video chat with them. Like the traditional Echo, Alexa is always listening for commands here, too.

As you might have expected, the $229 Echo Show is more expensive than every other Echo, though it’s not your only option if you’re looking for an Echo with a display. Amazon’s Echo Spot is a spherical smart screen that is smaller, shaped like a bedside alarm clock, and stocked with nearly all of the Show’s functionality — camera and all. It’s cheaper, too, at $129. There are compromises here, but none are unexpected. Compared to the larger Show, the Spot’s smaller screen and audio performance match the lower price.

If you want something a little different

Fortunately, Amazon lets other companies build Alexa into their products. So if you’re interested in Echo devices but don’t think they’re perfect for you, there are a lot of other places to look. Here are a few of them:

Lenovo Smart Tabs, Android tablets that effectively transform into an Echo Show when docked

Amazon Echo Auto, an in-car Echo that aims to use far-field microphones to make the experience better than what your phone can provide

Big Mouth Billy Bass, an animatronic fish that comes to life when you summon Alexa through an Amazon Echo and wiggles while you play music via Amazon Music

Updated 4:51PM ET, Thursday, January 24th: The Alexa ecosystem of hardware has changed quite a bit, so we’ve refreshed our buying advice based on what’s currently available.