Amazon's generative AI-powered voice assistant Alexa+ has reached a major milestone, surpassing 1 million users in its early access phase just months after its February 2025 debut.
The upgraded assistant represents Amazon's first significant overhaul of Alexa since its introduction in 2014. Alexa+ offers substantially improved capabilities, including more natural conversations, personalized responses, and the ability to handle complex multi-step tasks across various services and devices.
"Alexa+ is that trusted assistant that can help you conduct your life and your home," said Panos Panay, Amazon's head of devices and services, during the February launch event. The system uses powerful large language models (LLMs) from Amazon Bedrock, including both Amazon's Nova models and those from AI partner Anthropic.
The rapid user growth—from 100,000 in May to over 1 million by early July—signals strong market interest despite a somewhat rocky rollout. Some early users have reported mixed experiences, with praise for its advanced capabilities compared to competitors like Siri, while others note it's still undergoing refinement.
Alexa+ is currently free during its beta testing phase but will transition to a subscription model upon full release. It will be included at no additional cost for Amazon Prime members (currently $139/year), while non-Prime users will pay $19.99/month—matching the pricing of competing AI services like ChatGPT Plus and Google's Gemini Advanced.
The service initially rolled out to Echo Show devices (models 8, 10, 15, and 21) with plans to expand to more Echo devices, Fire TV, and Fire tablets. Amazon has also introduced a refreshed Alexa mobile app and a new browser-based experience at Alexa.com.
This milestone comes at a critical time for Amazon's voice assistant business, which has reportedly lost billions of dollars since its inception. By leveraging advanced AI and integrating Alexa+ as a Prime benefit, Amazon aims to monetize its assistant technology while strengthening its position against competitors in the rapidly evolving AI assistant market.