Amazon to charge non-Prime consumers to use Alexa

⚠️ Article status notice: This article has been marked as incomplete

This article needs additional work for its sourcing and verifiability to meet the wiki's Content Guidelines and be in line with our Mission Statement for comprehensive coverage of consumer protection issues. In particular:

1. about half finished

This notice will be removed once the issue/s highlighted above have been addressed and sufficient documentation has been added to establish the systemic nature of these issues. Once you believe the article is ready to have its notice removed, please visit the Moderator's noticeboard, or the discord and post to the #appeals channel.

Learn more ▼

This Article Requires Additional Verification

---

This article has been flagged due to verification concerns. While the topic might have merit, the claims presented lack citations that live up to our standards, or rely on sources that are questionable or unverifiable by our standards. Articles must meet the Moderator Guidelines and Mission statement; factual accuracy and systemic relevance are required for inclusion here!

Why This Article Is In Question

---

Articles in this wiki are required to:

• Provide verifiable & credible evidence to substantiate claims.
• Avoid relying on anecdotal, unsourced, or suspicious citations that lack legitimacy.
• Make sure that all claims are backed by reliable documentation or reporting from reputable sources.

Examples of issues that trigger this notice:

• A topic that heavily relies on forum posts, personal blogs, or other unverifiable sources.
• Unsupported claims with no evidence or citations to back them up.
• Citations to disreputable sources, like non-expert blogs or sites known for spreading misinformation.

How You Can Improve This Article

---

To address verification concerns:

• Replace or supplement weak citations with credible, verifiable sources.
• Make sure that claims are backed by reputable reporting or independent documentation.
• Provide additional evidence to demonstrate systemic relevance and factual accuracy. For example:
  • Avoid: Claims based entirely on personal anecdotes or hearsay without supporting documentation.
  • Include: Corporate policies, internal communications, receipts, repair logs, verifiable video evidence, or credible investigative reports.

If you believe this notice has been placed in error, or once the article has been updated to address these concerns, please visit the Moderator's noticeboard, or the #appeals channel on our Discord server: Join here.

Amazon has introduced Alexa Plus (Alexa+), an upgrade to the Alexa voice assistant that uses generative artificial intelligence. The Alexa voice assistant is also available on Amazon's range of smart speakers, such as the Amazon Echo.

Background

Until 2025, Amazon Alexa had been using a revenue model centered around the sale of Internet of Things, with over half a billion units sold. In March of 2025 they introduced an Alexa+ subscription model to mitigate the $25 billion USD loss from Alexa devices over four years (2017-2021). In March of 2025, Amazon Echo changed the terms of voice usage, removing the "Do Not Send Voice" feature at the same time as Alexa's capabilities were expanded with generative AI features.

Adding a subscription cost

Amazon has rolled out it's "Alexa+" subscription model, costing non-Prime users $19.99USD per month to access and use their Alexa devices, in comparison to the $14.99USD monthly cost of an Amazon Prime subscription.^{[citation needed (1 Dec 2025)]}

This change comes at a time where many companies are adding a subscription fee, retroactive to user purchases, to access certain features.

Amazon's Response

^{[update needed]}

Consumer Response

Consumer and analyst sentiment around has been mixed.^{[citation needed (1 Dec 2025)]}

Analyst Reactions

• Tom Forte of Maxim Group sees Alexa+ as Amazon's shot at challenging ChatGPT rather than improving Alexa. If executed well, “maybe we’re talking less about OpenAI vs. Anthropic and more of Alexa vs. ChatGPT.”

• MarketWatch & TheVerge states that the Alexa+ model is bolstering Amazons' ability to monetize a platform they have lost billions on via subscription tiers and targeted ads, recognizes that there could be a larger play here to make Amazon a big game contributor to the AI/LLM arms race.

• Business Insider suggests Amazon’s multi-year Alexa restructuring and layoffs set the stage for a premium tier. Premium Alexa could unlock significant new revenue if a fraction of users subscribe.

See also

• Amazon Echo changes terms of voice usage
• Amazon