Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: Which is the best virtual assistant?

Alexa, Crab e Google Assistant are now part of your family. You virtual assistants have become the right arm of “human” users. They are useful for making calls, sending messages, reading the news, listening to music, scheduling tasks and much more. 

In addition to finding them in smart speakers, these systems are in smartphones, tablets, televisions, headphones and even home appliances. 

But what is the difference between the Alexa, Crab and Google Assistant and which one will suit your needs? we from showmetech we prepared a comparison with the three main systems available in Brazil. Check below the main features and differentials of each system. 

Crab

A Crab is the oldest virtual assistant on the market. THE Apple acquired the system on April 28, 2010 and a year later it started working in a restricted way in iOS. Like its competitors, the Crab is able to perform everyday tasks and extract information from the services of the Apple , enabling more personalized experiences. 

Use the Crab to open apps, make calls, send messages to your contacts, add reminders, activate alarms, search for information on the internet and control (compatible) smart home devices. 

A Crab is well known for its “funny” way of interacting. She tells jokes, sings and is sometimes even a little rude. You can ask questions like: “Siri, what are you wearing?”, “Siri, beatbox me?”. When asking: “What do you think of Google Assistant?” She replies: "I have nothing against helpful assistants." Cute, no? 

Jokes aside, there are a few caveats to consider. THE Crab is a wizard restricted to the operating systems of the Apple , Ou seja, iOS (iPhone), iPadOS (iPad), macOS (MacBooks e iMacs), watchOS (Apple Watch), beyond the AirPods, HomePod and in cars that have Apple CarPlay.

To activate it, just say "Hey Siri" ou "Hey, Siri." If you prefer, you can still call her through the home button on the iPhone prior to iPhone X. To do this, simply press and hold the button for a few seconds. users of iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max ou iPhone 11, 11 Pro e 11 Pro Max must press the button on the side of the device. 

A Crab, just like the Alexa, works with the connected home concept. You can ask her to turn on the house lights with the command: “Hey Siri, turn on the living room lights”, ”Shows front door camera” to find out who rang the bell, or “Opens 'The Paper House' on Netflix” , to watch series on Netflix.

Siri pros and cons 

Pros

• Easy to use;
• It works on Apple CarPlay; 
• It can activate functions such as low power mode, do not disturb, read and send messages by voice command, among others; 
• Recognizes songs through command “Siri, discover this song”;
• Adds and suggests date and time reminders;
• Ability to recognize multiple languages: Portuguese, English (US, UK, Canada, India, UK, New Zealand and Australia), Spanish, German, Italian, French, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Thai, Mandarin, Cantonese, Swedish , Danish, Dutch, Norwegian and Turkish.

Cons

• It only works in the ecosystem Apple ; 
• A Crab, sometimes cannot understand voice accents or modulations;  
• Does not work without active internet connection, you need Wi-Fi or cellular data;
•  Voice is still robotic at times.

Google Assistant

O Google Assistant ( Google Assistant, in English) is one of the most integrated and advanced systems on the market. Launched in 2016, he is one of the freshmen of this comparison. 

O Assistant born as an extension Google Now. First, it was present on smartphones Google Pixel and on the smart speaker Google Home / Nest Mini. You can now find it on devices Android, Android TV, Nvidia Shield and smartwatches Wear OS. In addition to these, the Google Assistant is integrated with headphones (such as the JBL Everest 710GA), Lava and Dry (LG AIDD) and in cars through the Android Auto. 

With Google Assistant, you control your devices and leave your smart home, change your music, schedule appointments and send messages, make restaurant reservations, check the weather, news, read notifications, open apps on your smartphone, access information from your calendars and more personal information, plays content on the chromecast , and more. 

The partnership with other companies is a positive point in this system. the assistant of Google Can be used on devices: LG, Logitech, Samsung SmartThings, TP-Link, Philips Hue, iRobot, Honeywell, Of Mo e Osram. The user can also track their delivery made on iFood, for example, in addition to seeing the status of a delivery on Magazine Luiza, ask to watch movies and series on Netflix or listen to the main news of the day on FSP. 

Similar to Crab, to call the Google Assistant, just use a few words: “OK Google” ou “Hey Google”. Among the voice commands there are the options: “What is the weather forecast in São Paulo?”, “What is the closest restaurant to home?”, “Call So-and-so”, "Remember to buy my mom's gift next week." Fun commands are also part of the “personality” of Google Assistant. When asking: “how old are you?", it returns with the answer: “I was launched in 2016, I'm still quite young” and adds a baby emoji. 

In a room, when you talk to the Google Assistant and there is another person talking in the same environment, he can collect both conversations and not be as assertive. 

Google Assistant Pros and Cons 

Pros

• Works with both system Android , the iOS;
• It works on Android Auto;
• It is able to identify different voices; 
• even speaking low “OK Google”, it can understand the user; 
• It's a device that delivers more voice responses; 
• It is integrated with the house and its Gadgets.  

Cons:

• In environments where there are more people talking, it can collect multiple conversations, causing confusion in responses. 

Amazon Alexa

O Alexa, Amazon, has become increasingly popular among virtual assistants. Much of this success comes from family devices Echo (echo dot, Echo Show 5 e Echo) . THE Alexa arrived in the world in 2014 along with the company's smart speakers. 

A Alexa is similar to Google Assistant, it can help you with tasks, control compatible smart home devices, run counters, alarms and reminders, control your music, search the internet and read the news. In addition Alexa can play content on a device Amazon Fire. The system stands out and differentiates itself from the others for being more a friend of the user and not necessarily a robot. 

To activate it, just say "Alexa" and tell her what to do or ask things like: “Alexa, what's the news?”, “Alexa, what's the weather forecast in Rio de Janeiro?”, “Alexa, where are my orders?” ou “Alexa, call Mom”, “Alexa, wake me up at 6 AM tomorrow”, “Alexa, play Taylor Swift from Amazon Music”, “Alexa, put 'walk the dog' on my to-do list”. 

Privacy commands are also available. Are they: “Alexa, delete everything I said today”, “Alexa, speak what you heard”, “Alexa, delete what I just said” and others. 

A Alexa works with several skills (“skills”, in free translation). With it, you can ask for a Uber, listen to your favorite radio through the TuneIn, listen to music and podcasts on Spotify, check your fuel and battery level BMW, turn on f turn off the light Philips Hue room and much more. 

In addition to being “friends” with the user, the Alexa performs activities without you using your hands, which is very good. For example, you can ask her to change the song while you do the dishes. The same can be done to turn the light on or off in a room in the house. Just as the Lyon family does (by voice), in Years and Years (HBO series), Through a Amazon Echo Show, you can make video calls with your family members who have devices compatible with the Echo. 

Like its main competitors, the virtual assistant from Amazon contains funny commands; she even sings (really!). 

Among the cons of this system is, first of all, privacy issues. the company itself admitted that it saves user conversations. 

Alexa pros and cons 

Pros

• User friendly;
• It is the best artificial intelligence system for home use;
• Flawless Bluetooth pairing; 
• Integrated with various systems such as Amazon Prime, Uber, news portals and others;
• Use by voice only. 

Cons

• Privacy; 
• People outside your home can have access to your conversations from Echo (without a password, for example). 

Conclusion 

Crab, Google Assistant e Amazon Alexa are the leading virtual assistants on the market. But in addition to these, there are others, such as the Microsoft Cortana e Bixby, Samsung. Choosing the best among the top three is not an easy task. After all, each one has its positives, negatives and functions that differentiate between them. 

A Crab is a very smart system, fun and allows you to speak naturally. With each update it gets smarter. Will use Crab it's also very easy. As Siri shortcuts, you can still perform daily tasks more quickly on your smartphone. However, it loses a lot by being only in branded devices.

Already Google Assistant talks, in fact, with the user and this is very interesting. It is capable of making multiple queries thanks to the search power of Google behind the assistant. For those who frequently use other company services (gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, G Suite), this system is ideal, even more because it is compatible with iOS e Android, unlike the Crab. 

A Alexa, in turn, is not as dynamic as the Google Assistant, but for those who enjoy having the “connected home”, this assistant is great, as well as for those who use other company services, such as Amazon Prime. In general, the Alexa is a virtual friend to help you on a daily basis. She is her right arm. But it loses, however, in terms of security and privacy. 

With these particularities, we can conclude that, if you are looking for the most intelligent, the Google Assistant it is an interesting option; if you want the most integrated, consider the Alexa. If you are a regular product user Apple , go from Crab, and if she prides herself on humor, she also wins in this regard.

Which virtual assistant piqued your curiosity the most? And do you already use any of these? Share your impressions below in the comments.