Which is best for you?

All of these devices are actually a proxy to the real battle: the platform wars.

With the “connected home” market expected to grow to more than $50 billion by 2022, finding ways to get consumers familiar with one platform over another can lead to a bigger piece of the market.

Amazon was first to market with the Echo, but being first doesn’t always ensure that you’ll end up being the market leader. And the gap between Amazon and the rest of field is narrowing.

Echo vs. Google Home

Google’s entry into the market is a smaller device called Google Home.

As expected, Google Home is designed to integrate with many of Google’s services, such as like search, YouTube and Chromecast, as well as popular services such as HBO Now and Hulu.

The Echo has substantially more “skills” than Google Home, so you can ask it to do more things.

Amazon has more than 10,000 skills, while Google only offers a couple hundred. This may sound like a huge deal, but it’s likely that the most useful skills — such as ordering a car or a pizza and getting your favorite playlist to start playing — are available on both.

Google’s responses to information found on the Web is generally more robust but, as you would expect, the Echo excels when it comes to shopping-related questions.

If you plan on using the device as a music speaker, Home has a fuller sound, and it’s smaller, so it’ll fit in smaller bookshelves and nooks.

What was once a no-brainer choice (Echo) has now become a little more complicated as each platform has added features and capabilities.

The best way to determine which is best for you is to review the supported services and devices for each. Start with your preferred streaming service.

Apple’s upcoming option

Apple users will be able to add a third option in December, when Apple will reportedly release the HomePod powered by Siri.

As usual, Apple’s option will be the most expensive ($349) versus Amazon Echo ($179) or Google Home ($129), and we really won’t know what it will actually do until it’s released.

If you’d like to dip your toe in the smart home assistant pool but you’re not ready to spend the big bucks, I’d highly recommend getting the Amazon Echo Dot ($49) as a primer.

Ken Colburn is founder and CEO of Data Doctors Computer Services. Ask any tech question at: facebook.com/Da taDoctors or on Twitter @TheDataDoc. Dilbert online at comics .azcentral.com