USA
If you have Prime, Alexa+ comes at no extra cost. Without Prime it is $19.99 a month, so compare that with the price of Prime itself before you decide.
Real World: Home
Alexa+ And AI Smart Speakers: What Changes At Home
Amazon's Alexa is getting an AI upgrade called Alexa+. It can hold a more natural conversation and do tasks such as booking a table. In the USA it costs $19.99 a month or is free with Prime. In the UK it is in early access and will cost £19.99 a month, free with Prime.
Last checked 16 October 2026. Every figure on this page links to its source below.
What Is Alexa+?
Alexa+ is Amazon's new version of its voice assistant, powered by generative AI, the same kind of technology behind chatbots like ChatGPT. Amazon first announced it in February 2025. You can talk to it in a more natural way, with half-finished sentences, and it remembers context during a conversation.
Amazon says it can also do things for you, such as booking a restaurant through OpenTable, controlling lights and heating, playing music and ordering shopping, asking you to confirm before it buys.
How Much Does Alexa+ Cost?
Alexa+ at a glance
- $19.99a month in the USA, or free with Prime
- £19.99a month in the UK after early access, or free with Prime
- 600 million+Alexa devices worldwide (Amazon)
- 56 millionsmart home devices connected to Alexa in the UK (Amazon)
Amazon says Alexa+ is now available to all customers in the USA and Canada. In the UK it is in an invite-only early access programme and is free during that period. You need an eligible Echo device or the Alexa app.
What Can It Do For Older People?
A voice assistant can be handy if typing or reading small screens is hard. Amazon says you can set up routines entirely by voice, such as turning on lights, reading the weather and playing the radio in one go. Alexa+ also works through the Alexa app and on the web at alexa.com, so a conversation started on a speaker can carry on from your phone.
What About Privacy?
Alexa+ is more personal than the old Alexa. Amazon says it knows what you have bought, what you have listened to and watched, and your delivery address, and you can ask it to remember things such as family birthdays or dietary needs.
Amazon's Alexa Privacy dashboard lets you listen to what Alexa heard, review what you have shared and change how long voice recordings are kept. It is worth spending ten minutes there when you set it up.
What It Means For You
UK
You can ask for an early access invite at amazon.co.uk/newalexa if you have an eligible Echo. After early access it will be £19.99 a month unless you have Prime.
Wherever you are, turn on purchase confirmation or a voice code for shopping so nobody can order by accident, and check the privacy dashboard. Our guide Is AI listening to me? explains what smart speakers hear.
Common Questions
Is Alexa+ free?
It is free for Amazon Prime members. Without Prime it costs $19.99 a month in the USA. In the UK it is free during early access, then £19.99 a month unless you have Prime.
Can I get Alexa+ in the UK?
It is in an invite-only early access programme. If you have an eligible Echo device, you can sign up at amazon.co.uk/newalexa.
Does Alexa+ record everything I say?
Echo devices listen for the wake word. Amazon's Alexa Privacy dashboard lets you hear what Alexa recorded and choose how long recordings are kept.
Can Alexa+ buy things without asking?
Amazon says it confirms with you before ordering. You can also set a voice code for purchases in the Alexa app.
New to all this? Our free AI Starter Guide walks you through the basics, and you can print it.
Read Next
Sources
Last checked 16 October 2026.
Updated 19 October 2026