Amazon has announced that its generative AI-powered digital assistant Alexa Plus is now accessible to all Prime members within the US through any Alexa-enabled system, Alexa.com, and the Alexa cellular app. Should you don’t have Prime, you may entry the assistant on a brand new free tier on the internet and app, or pay $20 a month for limitless entry to Alexa Plus, with out Prime.
Alexa Plus initially launched in March 2025 in an Early Access program and, during the last yr, has slowly expanded to tens of thousands and thousands of customers, Daniel Rausch, vp of Alexa and Echo, instructed The Verge in an interview.
Now, the smarter, extra conversational assistant is transferring out of Early Entry and is formally accessible to anybody within the US. Early Entry not too long ago launched in Canada and Mexico, and in accordance with Rausch, a closed Beta program is being trialed within the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, with Early Entry anticipated to observe.
Within the US, the brand new tiers for utilizing Alexa Plus are as follows:
- Alexa Plus for Prime: This provides you and your family limitless entry to Alexa Plus in every single place, throughout Alexa-enabled units, Alexa.com, and the Alexa app, as a part of the $14.99 a month / $139 a yr membership.
- Alexa Plus: For $19.99, you get the identical entry as Prime members, however you pay $5 extra monthly and don’t get the opposite Prime advantages.
- Alexa Plus Chat: This new, free choice lets non-Prime members attempt Alexa Plus by way of a chat expertise at Alexa.com and within the Alexa app. That is principally a chatbot the place you may ask questions and do analysis, very similar to ChatGPT or Claude. Rausch says this tier might be restricted primarily based on use.
If in case you have Prime and use any Echo units, Alexa Plus will arrive shortly (or might already be there) through a software program improve. You can even say “Alexa, improve to Alexa Plus” or log in to your Amazon account at Alexa.com. Rausch says you may select to choose out of the improve. And in the event you determine you need to revert to the old Alexa after upgrading, that’s nonetheless an choice.
Should you don’t have Prime however need to attempt Alexa Plus, you may go to Amazon.com/AlexaPlus.
Based mostly on a completely new structure and powered by large language models from Amazon Nova and Anthropic, Alexa Plus is a ground-up rebuild of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. It has moved from being a fundamental command-and-control voice assistant to a “foundational AI assistant” that may perceive and reply to pure language.
Now, along with setting timers, enjoying music, and controlling sensible dwelling devices, the voice assistant can reply extra advanced queries, reply to extra in-depth requests, and make it simpler to manage your sensible dwelling by creating routines with your voice.
It will probably additionally handle your loved ones’s calendars and meal plans, provide step-by-step recipe directions, make restaurant reservations, e book an Uber or a house restore individual, or buy concert tickets.
You can even use Alexa Plus as a text-based chatbot through Alexa.com on the internet, the place it’s designed for deeper analysis, planning, and producing content material.
Since its launch, Rausch says individuals have been utilizing the Alexa Plus voice assistant twice as a lot. “We proceed to see week-over-week buyer engagement with Alexa Plus going up.”
The chatbot model of Alexa Plus is newer; the online interface launched last month, and the Alexa app was not too long ago redesigned to place the chatbot entrance and heart. “Lots of prospects aren’t certain about subscribing to a further AI chatbot expertise for a further $20 a month,” says Rausch. “I’m excited that Prime prospects simply have limitless entry to a world-class foundational AI assistant as a part of their Prime advantages.”
