Google Nest Audio vs Sonos Five

The Google Nest Audio wins on price and adds a Matter bridge and safety alerts, making it the value Google Home pick. The Sonos Five is a much larger hi-fi speaker with a line-in and Ethernet, so choose it only if big, room-filling sound is your priority.

Size and purpose. The Sonos Five is a heavy, audio-first speaker (six amplifiers, three woofers, three tweeters) meant to replace a stereo system, while the Google Nest Audio is a compact Google Assistant speaker for everyday music and voice control at a lower cost.

The Sonos Five has no Bluetooth, streaming over Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2, but it adds a 3.5mm line-in and Ethernet for turntables and wired networking. The Google Nest Audio has Bluetooth and a Matter bridge but no line-in.

Google Home users who want an affordable, room-filling speaker with deeper bass than a Nest Mini, easy multi-room grouping, and optional glass-breaking and smoke/CO alerts, under a 1-year warranty.

Sound-quality seekers and vinyl fans who want big, balanced audio with a line-in and Ethernet, wide platform support, Alexa and Sonos Voice Control, and a 1-year warranty. It is best as a stereo pair in a Sonos system.