Alexa Plus — here's the Amazon devices that will and won't support it

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Amazon has finally unveiled its upgraded Alexa Plus virtual assistant which features a more conversational tone, better personalization and AI smarts to help you get even more done.

While we initially thought all of this extra functionality might be locked behind yet another subscription service, Alexa Plus will be available for free for everyone with an Amazon Prime membership. Alternatively, if you don’t have Prime, Alexa Plus will cost $19.99 per month.

Amazon also revealed that you won’t have to wait too long to try out Alexa Plus for yourself as it will be released in the coming weeks. The initial rollout will be U.S. only and in order to get access, you’ll need to own or purchase an Echo Show 8, Echo Show 10, Echo Show 15 or an Echo Show 21. But what about the rest of your existing Echo devices and the best Alexa compatible devices?

If you’re wondering which of your Alexa-powered smart speakers, smart displays and other smart home gadgets will work with Alexa Plus, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything you need to know about which Amazon devices are compatible with Alexa Plus and which ones won’t support this new AI-powered virtual assistant.

Alexa Plus supported devices

The original Echo Show 15 and the new Echo Show 21 side by side on a table with their screens on — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Although you’ll need an Echo Show 8, 10, 15 or 21 to get access to Alexa Plus as part of the initial rollout, it will be available on all Echo devices with a few exceptions I’ll cover below.

These are the Echo devices you already own that will support Alexa Plus with a voice-only experience:

Echo (second gen and later)
Echo Dot (and Echo Dot Kids) second-gen and later
Echo Pop
Echo Spot (second gen)
Echo Show 5 (and Echo Show 5 Kids)
Echo Hub
Echo Studio
Echo Auto
Echo Buds

At the same time, you will also be able to access Alexa Plus through your web browser, using the Alexa app and on compatible Fire TVs and Fire tablets.

Alexa Plus unsupported devices

An Echo Spot showing a clock face on a table — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

With over 600 million Alexa-enabled devices sold so far, it’s understandable that the new Alexa Plus experience won’t be available on all of them. Many of them are close to a decade old or even older, so chances are, you might not even be using them anymore.

Here are all of the Echo devices that won’t support Alexa Plus:

Echo Dot (1st Gen)
Echo (1st Gen)
Echo Plus (1st Gen)
Echo Tap
Echo Show (1st and 2nd Gen)
Echo Spot (1st Gen)

What about Alexa Built-in devices?

Sonor Era 100 in white on a kitchen worktop — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

At its Devices event today unveiling Alexa Plus, an Amazon spokesperson explained to Tom’s Guide that its upgraded virtual assistant isn’t currently supported on Alexa Built-in devices.

These include products like the Sonos Era 100 smart speaker and the Ecobee Smart Thermostat as well as the company’s own Amazon Astro home robot. The good news though is that Amazon is looking to bring Alexa Plus to these devices in the future.

Standard Alexa still works (for now)

An Amazon Echo next to an Echo Dot with Clock — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Another great thing about Alexa Plus is that at least for now, it will be an optional upgrade and if you don’t want to use it, you don’t have to. In addition to those unsupported Echo devices, in the Alexa Plus FAQ on its site, Amazon explains that “if you prefer using the original Alexa, it will remain available on your devices.”

There are plenty of exciting new smart home features to try out in Alexa Plus but not everyone uses Amazon’s virtual assistant this way. For instance, you might have an elderly relative that you bought an Echo Dot or an Echo Show to check up on that’s using Alexa Emergency Assist for help in case of emergencies. Adding an AI-powered virtual assistant to the mix might overcomplicate things for them.

Amazon also hasn’t said when or even if the original Alexa will be discontinued in favor of Alexa Plus. Likewise, we don’t know yet if you’ll be able to easily switch back and forth between the two if you end up favoring one experience over the other.

Alexa Plus has been in the works for years and now that it’s finally here, we can’t wait to test it out for ourselves so stay tuned to Tom’s Guide for everything you need to know about this brand new Alexa experience along with when it will arrive on your Echo devices.

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Anthony Spadafora is the managing editor for security and home office furniture at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches to password managers and the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. He also reviews standing desks, office chairs and other home office accessories with a penchant for building desk setups. Before joining the team, Anthony wrote for ITProPortal while living in Korea and later for TechRadar Pro after moving back to the US. Based in Houston, Texas, when he’s not writing Anthony can be found tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.