Every Echo speaker and display just got more expensive, and the hardware is no longer really the point.
In August 2026, Amazon raised prices across nearly its entire Echo lineup, from the $49.99 Echo Dot (now $79.99) to the $399.99 Echo Show 21 (now $499.99). Every device in between went up too, with increases ranging from $10 on the Echo Show 5 to $100 on the Echo Show 21. Amazon has blamed the increases on a broader memory crisis hitting the tech industry, which also pushed up Kindle prices the same month. The hikes land as Amazon leans harder on Alexa+, the AI-upgraded assistant it rolled out across Echo devices in March 2025.
That timing is not an accident. Alexa+ is free for Prime members but costs $19.99 a month otherwise, and it can now hold a conversation, plan a date night, or book a restaurant reservation instead of just reacting to commands. Amazon is betting the subscription, not the speaker, is where it makes its money back.
Buy the hardware on sale during Prime Day or Black Friday like always - the real cost of owning an Echo in 2026 is what you pay every month after.