What is Alexa+ and what can it do?

Alexa+ is Amazon's new version of Alexa, built on generative AI. Amazon calls it a personal AI assistant that gets things done, and its documented features are mostly tasks: keeping your lists and calendar up to date, controlling your smart home, and working with documents you upload. It costs $19.99 a month, or nothing if you already have Amazon Prime.

Alexa+ is the next generation of Alexa

Amazon introduces Alexa+ as "the next generation of Alexa," powered by generative AI ¹. The company describes it as a personal AI assistant that gets things done ². That phrasing is the clearest statement of what changed, and the features below show what Amazon emphasizes most.

Amazon's announcement does not give a feature-by-feature comparison with the older Alexa. To know what your device gets, check the Alexa app, because the features depend on your device and region.

What Alexa+ can do

Household tasks. Amazon says Alexa+ can help with tasks such as managing your to-do list, updating your family calendar, controlling your smart home and making reservations ³. These are the tasks Amazon highlights first.

Documents. On alexa.com you can upload documents, emails and images. Amazon says Alexa+ can extract the key details from documents and add appointments to your calendar ⁴.

The web. Alexa+ is available in a web browser at alexa.com ⁵, so you can use it at a computer as well as on an Echo device or in the app.

Connected services. Amazon says Alexa+ can connect with products and services from Philips Hue, Uber Eats, OpenTable and Spotify ⁶. Each connection needs its own account link and setup.

Notes. You can ask Alexa+ to remember things, and Amazon's help page says there is no limit to the number of notes you can create ⁷. The same page describes Remember This as mainly a conversation feature. You retrieve a note by asking, and you can archive notes in the Alexa app.

What it costs

Amazon says Alexa+ costs $19.99 per month, and that all Amazon Prime members get it for free ⁸. If you already pay for Prime, you do not need a separate subscription. If you do not, the monthly price is the figure to compare against what you would use it for.

Alexa+ and the older Alexa

The clearest documented differences are the task features above, the web access at alexa.com, and the document and calendar tools. Amazon does not publish a side-by-side test of Alexa+ against the older Alexa, so the honest comparison is to try the same request on both. Ask each one to add a calendar entry, set a reminder and answer a factual question, then note which one completes the job without a repeat.

It depends on what you need

• You want household help. Alexa+ is the one whose documented features match that job.
• You want to use it at work. The web access at alexa.com helps, but check your company's rules before you upload work documents.
• You want to write long text by voice. Alexa+ does not document a mode for long dictation. The question on whether Alexa can take long dictation explains the limits and the alternative.

What to do

1. Check whether your Alexa device or account has Alexa+, since rollout varies by device and region.
2. Try one household task, such as adding an item to a list or a calendar entry from a document.
3. Before you upload personal documents, read what Amazon keeps and for how long. The question on whether Alexa stores voice recordings covers the retention settings.

For the wider picture, read the guide to voice assistants versus dictation and our overview of speech to text and AI. If you are choosing among assistants, the question on which is the smartest AI voice assistant explains why there is no reliable single ranking.

A voice assistant acts on what you ask, which is the job Alexa+ is built to do.