Winner
Currently unavailable on Amazon USA
Updated October 2026
Data from the official Google and Sonos sites.
2026 verdict
Everyday voice listening, not a hi-fi shelf, is the job, and the Google Nest Audio is the smart speaker that matches it.
It brings Google Assistant, a Matter bridge and subscription sound alerts in a 1200 g cabinet. The Sonos Five is the large music speaker, at 6300 g, with a native 3.5 mm line-in, Ethernet, Alexa and Sonos Voice Control, and no Bluetooth, no Matter and no alert listening. It does join Apple HomeKit, Google Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant. Keep the Google Nest Audio for voice in a Google house. Keep the Sonos Five when a turntable or a full-range Sonos speaker is the reason to buy.
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| Feature | Google Nest Audio | Sonos Five | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integrations | Google Home, Home Assistant | Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant | Sonos Five |
| Hub | Matter Bridge | None | Google Nest Audio |
| Voice Assistant | Google Assistant | Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Sonos Five |
| Alerts | Glass breaking, Smoke/CO alarm | None | Google Nest Audio |
| Rating | 4.4 | 4.4 | Tie |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year | Tie |
| Connectivity | 2.4 GHz WiFi, 5 GHz WiFi, Bluetooth | 2.4 GHz WiFi, 5 GHz WiFi, Ethernet | Tie |
What the differences mean
Voice versus hi-fi shelf
The Google Nest Audio is a 1200 g Google Assistant speaker. The Sonos Five weighs 6300 g and is built as a music speaker, with Alexa and Sonos Voice Control but not Google Assistant. Ask the Nest a question. Put the Five where you want the recording to sound large. They are not two sizes of one idea.
Line-in, Ethernet, Bluetooth
The Sonos Five has a 3.5 mm line-in and Ethernet built in, and it has no Bluetooth. The Google Nest Audio has Bluetooth and dual-band Wi-Fi, and it has no line-in and no Ethernet. A turntable plugs into the Five. A phone streams to the Nest over Bluetooth, which the Five cannot do.
Matter and sound alerts
The Google Nest Audio bridges Matter, and glass-break plus smoke or CO listening are available with a subscription. The Sonos Five supports none of those three. It also has no motion, temperature or humidity sensor, and neither does the Nest Audio.
Which platforms connect
The Sonos Five works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant. The Google Nest Audio works with Google Home, has partial Home Assistant support, and lists Alexa, Apple HomeKit and SmartThings as unsupported. Google Assistant itself lives only on the Nest Audio.
Which one to buy if
- you want Google Assistant in a medium room
The Google Nest Audio has Google Assistant and a Matter bridge. The Sonos Five has neither Google Assistant nor Matter.
- a turntable or other wired source must plug in
The Sonos Five has a native 3.5 mm line-in and Ethernet. The Google Nest Audio has no line-in and no Ethernet.
- you stream from a phone over Bluetooth
The Google Nest Audio has Bluetooth. The Sonos Five lists Bluetooth as unsupported and stays on Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2.
- it should appear in both Apple HomeKit and SmartThings
The Sonos Five supports Apple HomeKit and SmartThings. The Google Nest Audio supports neither.
Winner
Currently unavailable on Amazon USA
- + Hub: Matter Bridge
- + Alerts: Glass breaking, Smoke/CO alarm
- - Integrations: Google Home, Home Assistant vs Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant
- - Voice Assistant: Google Assistant vs Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control
$584.94
- + Integrations: Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant
- + Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control
- - Hub: None vs Matter Bridge
- - Alerts: None vs Glass breaking, Smoke/CO alarm
What owners say
Owners agree these are leave-in-place speakers, then they split on what the box is for. Google Nest Audio owners single out bass and clarity above a Nest Mini, a short Google Home setup, and grouping with other Nest speakers for multi-room or stereo. They complain about Bluetooth dropping during playback and voice commands that slip when the music service is not Google's favorite. Sonos Five owners single out room-filling sound, six amplifiers behind three woofers and three tweeters, Trueplay, and a line-in they use with a turntable. They complain that there is no Bluetooth, that one box is not true stereo, and that past Sonos app registration trouble put some of them off. They also describe it as a music speaker rather than a voice-first one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better overall: Google Nest Audio or Sonos Five?
The Google Nest Audio for everyday Google Assistant listening, with a Matter bridge and a much smaller cabinet. The Sonos Five for full-range music, a turntable on the 3.5 mm input, and Ethernet, without Bluetooth or Google Assistant.
How does the Google Nest Audio compare with a Sonos speaker like the Sonos Five?
The Google Nest Audio is the voice speaker: Google Assistant, Bluetooth, a Matter bridge and subscription sound alerts, at 1200 g. The Sonos Five is the music speaker: 6300 g, line-in, Ethernet, Alexa and Sonos Voice Control, AirPlay 2, and no Bluetooth. Sonos versus Nest here is a choice of job, not of size alone.
What is the biggest difference between the Google Nest Audio and the Sonos Five?
The Sonos Five is a large music speaker with a wired input and no Bluetooth. The Google Nest Audio is a Google Assistant speaker with Bluetooth, no line-in, a Matter bridge, and about a fifth of the weight, 1200 g against 6300 g.
Does the Sonos Five work with Google Assistant the way the Google Nest Audio does?
No. The Google Nest Audio has Google Assistant built in. The Sonos Five supports Google Home integration, but its voice assistants are Alexa and Sonos Voice Control, not Google Assistant.
Who should buy the Google Nest Audio?
Google Home households that want voice control, Bluetooth and a Matter bridge in one room speaker, without paying for a hi-fi cabinet.
Who should buy the Sonos Five?
Listeners who want room-filling Sonos sound, a turntable or CD player on a 3.5 mm input, Ethernet, and Alexa or Sonos Voice Control rather than Google Assistant.
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Compare all 20 Speakers side by side
You are looking at two of them. The full table lines up all Speakers in the catalog with the same specs, so you can filter by what you need and sort by price or rating.
- 20 Speakers
- 35 specs compared
- 32 filters
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AmazonEcho (4th Gen)
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SonosEra 300
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AmazonEcho Spot
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AmazonEcho Studio
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SonosArc Ultra
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AppleHomePod (2nd gen)
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SonosEra 100
$219.00
SonosBeam (Gen 2)
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Five
$584.94 
SonosMove 2
$480.00- Google
Nest Audio
Unavailable 
SonosPlay
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AmazonEcho Dot Max
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GoogleNest Mini (2nd gen)
$104.99
SonosRoam 2
$179.00
AmazonEcho Studio (2025)
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AppleHomePod mini
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CamerasGoogleNest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery)
4.1(6,089)$199.00
CamerasGoogleNest Cam Floodlight
4.4(1,914)$278.88
CamerasGoogleNest Cam Indoor (Wired, 3rd Gen)
4.5(1,107)$129.00
CamerasGoogleNest Cam Outdoor (Wired, 2nd Gen)
4.4(803)Unavailable
CamerasGoogleNest Cam (indoor, wired)
4.4(5,430)$99.95
DisplaysGoogleNest Hub (2nd Gen)
4.2(1,155)Unavailable
DisplaysGoogleNest Hub Max
4.3(215)Unavailable
DoorbellsGoogleNest Doorbell (battery)
4.2(5,096)10% OFF$199.99$179.99
DoorbellsGoogleNest Doorbell (wired, 3rd Gen)
4.4(1,129)$199.00
DoorbellsGoogleNest Doorbell (wired, 2nd Gen)
4.3(1,048)18% OFF$179.99$147.50
Door LocksGoogleNest x Yale Lock
4.2(2,029)$219.00
RoutersGoogleNest WiFi Pro
4.0(2,498)15% OFF$199.99$169.99
Smoke & CO DetectorsGoogleNest Protect (Battery)
4.4(7,507)Unavailable
Smoke & CO DetectorsGoogleNest Protect (Wired)
4.6(4,630)Unavailable- SpeakersGoogle
Nest Audio
4.4(225)Unavailable - SpeakersGoogle
Nest Mini (2nd gen)
4.3(2,162)$104.99 
Streaming DevicesGoogleTV Streamer (4K)
4.3(4,315)$149.00
Temperature & Humidity SensorsGoogleNest Temperature Sensor (2nd gen)
4.4(1,335)$39.98
Temperature & Humidity SensorsGoogleNest Temperature Sensor
4.6(16,636)Unavailable
ThermostatsGoogleNest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)
4.4(2,615)21% OFF$279.99$220.00
- SpeakersSonos
Arc Ultra
4.5(732)$1099.00 - SpeakersSonos
Beam (Gen 2)
4.4(1,997)$494.99 - SpeakersSonos
Era 100
4.4(2,816)$219.00 - SpeakersSonos
Era 300
4.6(1,307)$497.00 - SpeakersSonos
Five
4.4(1,228)$584.94 - SpeakersSonos
Move 2
4.4(1,137)$480.00 - SpeakersSonos
Play
4.4(202)$299.00 - SpeakersSonos
Roam 2
4.3(1,698)$179.00 - SpeakersSonos
Sub Mini
4.6(1,066)$499.00