Google Home vs Google Assistant: Difference and Comparison

As technology progresses, people have gotten more innovative, and as a result, technology has invaded numerous circles, which include both social and professional.

However, although all these technological advancements are widespread across various fields, several companies have tried to integrate them.

This leads to the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT). One of the main purposes of IoT is that it leads to a seamless connection between various devices, hardware, and software, leading to a better user experience.

Tech giant Google’s famous Google Assistant is a software whose leading utility is to act like a digital assistant that can sort your tasks, set reminders, show search results, etc.

Numerous devices, such as WearOS, Android, Google Home, and Google Nest, employ Google Assistant as a virtual assistant service.

Key Takeaways

1. Google Home is a physical device that allows voice control of smart home devices and acts as a speaker, while Google Assistant is a virtual assistant that can be accessed through various devices.
2. Google Home uses voice commands to control devices, while Google Assistant can also be controlled through text.
3. Google Home requires a power source, while Google Assistant can be accessed on mobile devices.

Google Home vs Google Assistant

Google Home is a mobile app for controlling smart home devices that work with Google Assistant. It works a lot like the Apple Home app or the Amazon Alexa app. Google Assistant may show you information from Gmail to help you get things done, like tracking a package or reordering food. It can also help you compose your emails or read them aloud. 

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Google Home	Google Assistant
Physical Presence	Google Home is hardware and hence has a limited physical presence.	Google Assistant is software and hence will be present on any device with which it is compatible.
Release Year	The first Google Home was released in November 2016.	Google Assistant was released as Allo in May 2016.
Compatibility	Google Home is compatible with smart home devices, smartphones, and Google Assistant.	Google Assistant is supported by any device which has WearOS, Android, Google products, etc.
Users	52 million Google Homes have been sold.	Google Assistant has 500 million users.
Generations	Google Home is the first generation of Google smart speakers, which evolved into Google Nest.	Google Assistant has no generations; it gets constantly updated to provide better search results.

What is Google Home?

Google Home is the first generation of smart speakers that have been made by Google, which was released in November 2016.

When Google released the Google Home, the smart speaker industry had already become quite trendy, and companies like Amazon had released their speakers, like Echo, which had already become insanely popular.

Since Google already has a smart assistant, the Google Assistant, by that time, it was smart to release the smart speaker, which would have the Google Assistant integrated into it.

With the introduction of Google Home, many smart home features can now be integrated with the speaker and work in synchronicity.

Suppose a person has smart lighting in their home, so now they can control the brightness of the light by using just their voice. This feature might not be very necessary. However, it is certainly a useful one.

When the Google Home was first released, it was a cylindrical shape that had a few coloured LED lights on top, which showed the current status of the device.

Then about a year later, Google went on to release two variants of the original Home: the Google Home Mini, a smaller puck-shaped version of the Google Home, and the Google Home Max, which was larger than the original Home.

After that, in 2019, the second generation of Google’s smart speakers was released, and this generation of speakers was called Google Nest.

The Nest brought a sturdier design, better feedback, more microphones, and better connectivity. Since then, the Nest has been the latest smart speaker offered by Google.

What is Google Assistant?

The Google Assistant is a smart virtual assistant made by Google and was released in May 2016. Initially, it was a feature exclusive to the Google Pixel phones and was released as an app called Allo for other devices.

To use the assistant in Allo, one needed to open the app to use it, in contrast to the customary ‘Okay Google’ or ‘Hey Google’, which activates the assistant instantly.

The Google Assistant is compatible with smart devices, Android devices, and WearOS. The Google Assistant is also compatible with an app on the Apple AppStore.

However, this app is only compatible with iPhones and IPads.

The main mode of interaction with Google Assistant is voice. However, the assistant might not always understand what the person might want to search or want the assistant to do.

This might happen for numerous reasons, such as too much background noise or incorrect perception by the assistant. To tackle that problem, the assistant also provides a keyboard input option. 

Google is working on making the assistant a better personal assistant by designing it to make calls and talk on calls, place orders in restaurants, etc.

Main Differences Between Google Home and Google Assistant

1. The main difference between Google Home and Google Assistant is that Google Home is a smart speaker, which makes it a physical piece of technology belonging to the hardware section. At the same time, Google Assistant is a software that is compatible with Google Home.
2. Google Home was released in November 2016, and Google Assistant was released in May 2016.
3. Google Home is compatible with smart devices, while Google Assistant is compatible with devices running on WearOS, Android, iOS, etc.
4. Google Home has around 52 million users, while Google Assistant has 500 million.
5. Google Home is the first generation of Google smart speakers, while Google Assistant is a single generation. However, it keeps updating itself regularly.

References

1. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chanwoo_Kim/publication/319185148_Acoustic_Modeling_for_Google_Home/links/59a702fe0f7e9b41b78916be/Acoustic-Modeling-for-Google-Home.pdf
2. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-60366-7_23