Alexa+ is no longer chained to an Echo speaker.
Amazon has opened up its generative AI assistant to anyone with a browser via a free early access site at Alexa.com, putting it in the same low-friction category as ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
Until now, the rebooted Alexa+ was only available in early access on supported hardware, which Amazon first rolled out in February. The web launch means you can try the new assistant without buying an Echo, Fire TV, or other Alexa device.
Free for now, but a paywall is coming
Amazon is not promising that free access will last.
When the early access phase ends, Alexa+ will be bundled with Amazon Prime memberships, which start at 15 dollars per month, or sold as a standalone subscription for 20 dollars per month. Amazon has not said when early access will close.
The pricing structure makes the strategy clear: Alexa+ is another reason for people to keep or add Prime, while still being available to non‑Prime customers if they pay more. Because Alexa+ is tightly woven into Amazon shopping, grocery delivery, and Whole Foods, every interaction is an opportunity for Amazon to drive more spending on its own services.
Back to the browser
A browser-based Alexa is not new territory for Amazon.
For years, a basic version of the assistant lived at Alexa.Amazon.com. That site quietly disappeared around the time Amazon began talking publicly about a generative AI overhaul of Alexa in 2023.
With the reboot, Amazon is bringing that concept back. Alexa+ is now reachable both at Alexa.com and Alexa.Amazon.com.
Amazon describes the web client as a new interaction model that complements Echo speakers and the Alexa mobile app. Together with a redesigned app that puts the AI agent front and center, the company wants Alexa+ to feel present on every surface: at your desk in a browser, on the go on your phone, and at home on smart speakers and screens.
Household operating system ambitions
On the web, Amazon is pitching Alexa+ less as a novelty chatbot and more as a household command center.
The company is emphasizing features for:
- Trip planning
- Meal planning
- To‑do lists and reminders
- Calendar management
- Smart home control
Crucially, chats and preferences sync across devices. You can start planning a vacation on your laptop at Alexa.com, continue the conversation on an Echo in the kitchen, and pick it up again in the mobile app, with context and personalization carried over.
Screenshots shared by Amazon show the browser interface organizing multiple lists and tasks, with sidebars for conversations and quick access to planning tools.
Chasing profitability after billions in costs
Alexa has been widely reported to have cost Amazon billions of dollars over the past decade, even though the company says more than 600 million Alexa-powered devices have been sold.
With Alexa+, Amazon is betting that more powerful generative AI features, combined with a monthly fee, will turn the assistant from a money sink into a business. The hope: if Alexa+ becomes good enough at handling everyday, high-value tasks, people will use it more often and accept paying for the privilege.
Amazon is also exploring advertising inside Alexa+ conversations, which would add yet another revenue stream on top of subscriptions and commerce.
Early access reality check
The vision is ambitious, but the execution is still catching up.
While Alexa+ remains in early access, testers have reported that it can be slower to respond than expected and that it sometimes makes mistakes or gives inaccurate answers. Some of the headline capabilities Amazon executives previously talked up are also missing today, including things like making restaurant reservations or ordering takeout.
Those gaps matter more now that Alexa+ is being positioned directly against mature chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini. A free browser launch lowers the barrier for curious users to compare them side by side.
The next phase will be crucial: Amazon has to prove that Alexa+ is not only smart enough to justify a subscription but also fast, reliable, and genuinely useful across the web, phones, and the tens of millions of Alexa devices already in people’s homes.
