Best Wi-Fi speakers of 2020: Apple, Sonos, JBL and Ikea

id=”article-body” class=”row” section=”article-body”> Wireless audio for the home has been around for a long time, but in the past few years we’ve seen a big spike in speakers using Wi-Fi streaming as an alternative to Bluetooth. One of Wi-Fi’s biggest selling features is the ability to control music in a multiroom environment, but even better, almost all Wi-Fi speakers also offer voice control via Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri. 

Note that if you are worried about privacy, ????? it’s a challenge to find a budget speaker that doesn’t have microphones onboard, but they do all come with mic switches. Either that or you can opt for a “dumb” speaker like the Sonos One SL.

With so many options out there, where should you start looking for the best Wi-Fi speakers for your needs? Right here, in fact. We’ve outlined our favorite Wi-Fi speakers, and we’ve included a short buying guide at the bottom of the page if you have additional questions. See also CNET’s guide to the best smart speakers.

Read more: Best Sonos speakers from $100 and up | Best mesh Wi-Fi system

Best speaker under $100

Ikea Wi-Fi Symfonisk Bookshelf

Sarah Tew/CNET For $100 there’s a couple of smart speakers to choose from, such as the Amazon Echo and the Google Home, but if you want an affordable, musical speaker, it’s Ikea’s Sonos range all the way. The Wi-Fi Symfonisk Bookshelf looks smart and after calibration pulls way ahead of the Echo in terms of sound quality. It’s not going to get your party started but this “dumb” speaker is perfect for background music or kids’ bedrooms. Read our Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf WiFi Speaker review.

$99 at Ikea Best speaker for ????????????? the money

Sonos One

Sarah Tew/CNET At under $200, and with both Alexa and Google Assistant as well as excellent sound quality, the Sonos One is the smart speaker to get and will please any music fan. Pair it with another Sonos One and you have a flexible, high-quality stereo system which responds to voice commands for less than the price of the Play:5. Read our Sonos One review.

$199 at Amazon $200 at Best Buy $199 at Crutchfield Now playing: Watch this: ?Sonos One is the best sounding smart speaker you can… 1:44 Best lifestyle speaker

Ikea Symfonisk Lamp

Sarah Tew/CNET The problem with most speakers is they don’t fit in with the rest of your decor. They’re boxy and they’re usually black. The Ikea literally thinks outside the box and delivers a Sonos-compatible lamp that sounds better than most speakers at the price. It’s not smart but it will respond to Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa commands. Read our Ikea Symfonisk Table Lamp with WiFi speaker review.

Best for Apple fans

Apple HomePod

Mark Licea/CNET Now $50 off its original $350 price tag, the Apple HomePod is a lot more competitive with other Wi-Fi and multiroom speakers. It’s one of the best-sounding all-in-one wireless speakers with plenty of spaciousness and deep bass. Read our Apple HomePod review.

$299 at Apple $200 at Best Buy $299 at Adorama Best indoor/outdoor speaker

Sonos Move

If you want a wireless model that’s portable and water resistant, the Sonos Move offers great sound in a very large box. Read our Sonos Move review.

$399 at Amazon $400 at Best Buy $399 at Crutchfield Best Chromecast streaming sound bar

Polk MagniFi Mini

Sarah Tew/CNET Featuring a compact bar and excellent sound, the Polk MagniFi offers almost everything you need in a streaming TV speaker, including Chromecast built-in. We picked the MagniFi over the Yamaha YAS-209 because it offers a robust multiroom system, but if you want Alexa built-in, the Yamaha is an excellent speaker. Read our Polk MagniFi Mini review.

$239 at Walmart $202 at Amazon $340 at Best Buy Bluetooth vs. Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi delivers the same basic convenience as Bluetooth: using your phone to play music over an external speaker or sound system. Just like Bluetooth, it can work with a subscription app like such as Spotify (via Spotify Connect) or Apple Music, a radio service like Pandora or TuneIn, or your own music collection. Here are the best reasons to get a streaming Wi-Fi speaker:

Wi-Fi sounds better than Bluetooth due to its higher bandwidth.

Wi-Fi has better range.

Wi-Fi doesn’t take over your phone’s audio channel — so you can take a call without interrupting the song, for example.

It also works great for multiroom audio, allowing playback from multiple speakers all over the house via your Wi-Fi network, all controlled by a single phone app.