Amazon Smart Plug

Our editorial rating, not aggregated user reviews

This sits in the 'narrow case only' band because two limitations rule it out for most buyers, and reviewers say so consistently. It talks to Alexa and nothing else. Google Home, Apple Home and SmartThings cannot see it, and Amazon has not shipped Matter support on this model, so the lock-in is permanent rather than a wait-for-firmware problem. It also has no real energy monitoring: Android Authority found the Alexa energy dashboard only estimates consumption if you lie to it and reclassify the plug as a light. Rivals at the same money or less do both jobs properly. Engadget's overall pick, the Kasa EP25, is roughly half the price per plug and works on all four major platforms, and TP-Link's Tapo mini adds Matter. TechGearLab scored it 57/100 and ranked it seventh of the eight plugs it compared, marking it down hardest on the app interface. Reviewers do agree on the one thing it is genuinely good at, which is setup: if you already own an Echo, the plug arrives pre-associated with your account and is working in about a minute. That is worth something, just not a price premium over a better-specified plug. Reviewers contradict each other on the physical design, with Android Authority praising the horizontal shape for leaving the second socket free while TechGearLab found the forward-facing outlet awkward in tight spaces. Both note it fouls chunky AC adapters.