3 Best Echo Shows for Seniors
By Kutubuddin, Founder & Senior Care Researcher Updated October 2026In this guide
An Echo Show is the simplest video-calling screen most families can buy: an older parent says “Alexa, call Sarah” and the call starts, with no app to open and no number to dial. With permission, family can Drop In for a quick video check-in that connects without anyone pressing anything.
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. Read our affiliate disclosure.
Top 3 Picks — Find Your Situation
#1 · Best Overall
Echo Show 8 (2025)Best for: Most older adults, in a kitchen or living room, who want voice calling and family check-ins
#2 · Best for the Bedside
Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen)Best for: A bedside clock and alarm that can also take a call, or the lowest-cost way to try an Echo Show
#3 · Best Bigger Screen
Echo Show 11Best for: Older adults with low vision who want the largest countertop screen
For most people the Echo Show 8 (2025) is the right size. The Echo Show 5 suits a bedside table and is the only current small model with a sliding camera cover; the Echo Show 11 gives the biggest text and faces on a countertop.
Two things to know before buying. It is not an emergency device on its own: Amazon’s Emergency Assist adds a 24/7 helpline as a paid extra, but it is not a 911 call and does not work in a power or internet cut. And the screen shows ads — Amazon says sponsored content cannot be switched off completely.
A closer look at the Echo Show 8 (2025)
Echo Show 8 (2025)
Best for: Most older adults, in a kitchen or living room, who want voice calling and family check-ins
- Screen
- 8.7 in
- Camera
- 13 MP, follows you in the frame
- Camera cover
- No — camera/mic off button
- Best spot
- Kitchen or living room
Independently researched · Updated October 2026
The Echo Show earns its place in an older person’s home for one reason: it takes the steps out of a video call. There is no app to find, no contact list to scroll and no green button to press. “Alexa, call David” starts the call, and an incoming call can be answered with “Alexa, answer”.
The Echo Show 8 is the size that gets that right. Faces are big enough to see from a chair across the room, the camera keeps a moving person in shot, and the speakers are clear enough for someone with mild hearing loss — helped by live captions on calls.
Drop In is what makes it a family tool rather than a gadget. Once both of you have allowed it, you can open a video connection from your phone without your parent having to answer — useful for a quick daily check. Agree it with them first, and they can always turn the camera off with one button.
What we love
- Big enough to read from across a room
- Calls start by voice, no buttons or apps
- Camera keeps them in frame on a call
- Fuller sound than the smaller Echo Show 5
Things to consider
- No sliding camera cover — only a camera/mic off button
- Shows ads and sponsored content on screen
- Needs Wi-Fi and an Amazon account
Right for you if
- ✓Your parent will talk to a device but will not use a tablet or smartphone.
- ✓You want to video-call them, or check in, without them having to do anything.
- ✓There is reliable Wi-Fi in the home.
- ✓The kitchen or living room is where they spend the day.
Maybe skip it if
- !You need help to be called in an emergency. An Echo Show is not a medical alert device; see our [medical alert systems](/reviews/best-medical-alert-devices-for-seniors).
- !Your parent cannot cope with any interface at all, even voice. A frame that answers calls by itself may suit better — see our [video calling devices](/reviews/best-video-calling-devices-for-elderly).
- !A camera without a physical cover is a dealbreaker. Choose the Echo Show 5 instead.
- !There is no Wi-Fi, or it often drops.
Getting started
- →Set it up yourself before you hand it over, on your own Amazon account or a household account, so your parent never sees a setup screen.
- →Add the family as contacts and allow Drop In both ways in the Alexa app.
- →Turn on call captions in the accessibility settings if hearing is an issue.
- →Tape a card next to it with the three phrases they need: “Alexa, call…”, “Alexa, answer” and “Alexa, hang up”.
How it compares
The Echo Show 5 is the better choice for a bedroom: it is small, works as a clear bedside clock, and has a sliding camera cover. It is a weaker calling screen, though — the screen and camera are much smaller — so for the main device in the home the Echo Show 8 is worth the step up.
How we picked
We compared 3 options. We do not own or test these devices, and this page makes no claim to hands-on testing. We compared the Echo Show models Amazon currently sells on what matters for an older user — screen size and legibility, calling and Drop In, privacy controls, accessibility features and setup effort — using Amazon’s own specifications and help pages, and independent reviews from 2025 and 2026. Features and subscriptions change often, so check the current details on Amazon before you buy.
Reviewed by Kutubuddin — who researches senior-care products and the real-world needs of caregivers and older adults.
Other picks, reviewed
Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen)
The small one, and the right choice for a bedside table. The 5.5-inch screen works as a clock that is easy to read at night, a tap on the top snoozes the alarm, and a physical shutter slides over the camera — a reassurance many older people want in a bedroom. It does everything the bigger models do for calls and Drop In, but the 2 MP camera and small screen make video calls less clear, so it is a second device or a bedroom device rather than the main one.
What we like
- Physical camera shutter
- Tap the top to snooze the alarm
- Small enough for any bedside table
- Lowest-cost Echo Show
Keep in mind
- Small screen is hard to read for poor eyesight
- Video calls are less clear than on the larger models
- Smaller speaker
- Screen
- 5.5 in
- Camera
- 2 MP
- Camera cover
- Yes — sliding shutter
- Best spot
- Bedside table
Echo Show 11
The pick when eyesight is the problem. The 11-inch, high-resolution screen makes faces on a call and on-screen text noticeably bigger than on the Echo Show 8, without needing a wall mount. It has the same 13 MP camera and speakers as the Echo Show 8 and the same Alexa+. Like the Echo Show 8 it has no sliding camera cover. If you want something larger still, the wall-mounted Echo Show 15 adds a physical shutter.
What we like
- Largest countertop screen in the range
- Sharp, high-resolution display
- Same camera and sound as the Echo Show 8
Keep in mind
- No sliding camera cover
- Takes more counter space
- The adjustable stand is sold separately
- Screen
- 11 in
- Camera
- 13 MP, follows you in the frame
- Camera cover
- No — camera/mic off button
- Best spot
- Kitchen counter or desk
What to look for
Which size: 5, 8 or 11 inches
Size decides most of this. The bigger the screen, the easier it is to read and the better a video call looks — but the more counter space it takes.
- Echo Show 5 — a bedside clock and alarm that can also take calls. Too small to be the main calling screen for someone with weak eyesight.
- Echo Show 8 — the all-rounder for a kitchen or living room.
- Echo Show 11 — the largest that still sits on a counter; the one for low vision.
- Echo Show 15 — wall-mounted and larger still, with a physical camera shutter. Worth a look if there is a wall by their chair.
Calling and Drop In: what your parent has to do
Almost nothing, once it is set up. Calls to and from family contacts start and end by voice. Drop In goes further: when two people have given each other permission, either can open a video connection that starts without the other answering. The device shows when someone has dropped in.
Live captions can be turned on for calls and Drop Ins, which helps a great deal with hearing loss.
Privacy: the camera and microphones
The Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) and Echo Show 15 have a sliding cover over the camera. The 2025 Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 do not — they have a single button that turns the camera and microphones off. A light shows when Alexa is listening and sending audio.
Since March 2025, voice requests on Echo devices are processed in Amazon’s cloud; the option to keep them on the device was removed. You can review and delete voice recordings in the Alexa app, and set them not to be saved.
Emergencies: what an Echo Show can and cannot do
On its own, an Echo Show cannot call 911. Amazon sells Emergency Assist as a monthly or yearly subscription: say “Alexa, call for help” and a trained 24/7 Urgent Response agent answers and can send police, fire or an ambulance, while your emergency contacts are notified.
- It is not a 911 call, and it needs both power and internet — it will not work in an outage.
- There is no fall detection: the person has to be able to speak the request.
- It only works within earshot of the device.
For someone who lives alone and is at risk of falls, a medical alert system or a medical alert smartwatch is the right tool; an Echo Show is a good companion to one, not a replacement.
Read more:Hearing & Vision Support Guide for SeniorsHow Hearing Loss Increases Fall Risk in SeniorsSigns Hearing Loss Is Getting Worse in Seniors
Setting it up for a parent who won’t touch it
The aim is a device your parent never has to configure. Do all of this before it reaches their home:
- Set it up on the device itself with the Amazon account it will use; the phone app is only needed for contacts and Drop In.
- Add family members as contacts, and give Drop In permission both ways.
- Set up any reminders they want — medication, appointments, trash day.
- Turn on call captions, and in Accessibility turn on any vision features they need (below).
- Set the screen to show family photos, and switch off the home-screen content you can in Settings.
- Write the three phrases they need on a card next to it.
The ads you cannot fully remove
Echo Show screens show sponsored content, including full-screen ads between photos in photo-frame mode, and since late September 2026 short autoplaying video ads on Echo Shows running Alexa+. Amazon says sponsored ads cannot be completely turned off. You can reduce what appears by switching off home-screen content categories in Settings, but you cannot make it ad-free. For some older users this is confusing — it is worth showing them what an ad looks like and that it can be ignored.
Alexa+: worth turning on?
Alexa+ is Amazon’s newer, more conversational assistant. It is free with Prime and a monthly subscription without it, and the 2025 Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 come with it. It understands more natural requests and remembers context, which can make it easier for an older person to use. Independent reviewers have also found it slower and prone to mistakes, so treat it as a convenience, not something to rely on for anything important.
Help for low vision and hearing loss
Echo Show has more accessibility features than most families realise, all under Settings → Accessibility:
- Show and Tell — hold an item up to the camera and Alexa says what it is. Useful for tins and packets; not for reading medicine labels you need to rely on.
- VoiceView screen reader, Screen Magnifier, and color inversion and correction for low vision.
- Tap to Alexa — use the screen instead of speaking, for anyone whose speech is hard for Alexa to understand.
- Call captions on calls and Drop Ins, for hearing loss.
For more on sight loss, see our guide to smart glasses for low vision; for hearing, our hearing aid picks.
Frequently asked questions
For most older adults, the Echo Show 8 (2025). Its 8.7-inch screen is easy to read across a room, calls start by voice, and family can Drop In for a check-in. The Echo Show 5 suits a bedside, and the Echo Show 11 is better for low vision.
Yes, with Drop In. Once you and your parent have given each other permission, you can open a video connection from the Alexa app that starts without them answering. The device shows that someone has dropped in, and the camera and microphones can be turned off with a button. Agree it with your parent first.
No. With Amazon’s paid Emergency Assist subscription, “Alexa, call for help” reaches a 24/7 agent who can send emergency services, but it is not a 911 call, it has no fall detection, and it does not work without power and internet. For someone at risk of falls, use a medical alert system.
No. Calling, Drop In, reminders and the basic assistant work without one. Alexa+ is free with Prime and a monthly fee without it, and Emergency Assist is a separate paid subscription.
Amazon ended Alexa Together, its caregiver subscription, in 2024 and replaced its urgent-help features with Emergency Assist. Family can still manage contacts, Drop In and routines through the Alexa app.
The Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) and Echo Show 15 have a sliding shutter. The 2025 Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 do not; they have a button that turns off the camera and microphones together.
The final verdict
For most older adults, the Echo Show 8 (2025) is the one to buy: big enough to read across a room, calls by voice, and Drop In for family check-ins. Put an Echo Show 5 by the bed if you want a clear clock with a camera cover, and choose the Echo Show 11 if eyesight makes the bigger screen worth it. Whatever you buy, set it up yourself first, agree Drop In with your parent, and do not rely on it in an emergency — that is what a medical alert system is for. Building out the rest of the home? See our smart home devices for seniors. Comparing it with a companion robot? See ElliQ vs Alexa.
Our overall winner is the Echo Show 8 (2025). You can check the current price on Amazon.
Our Top 3 Picks at a Glance
Ready to choose? Here are the top 3 again.
Best Overall
Echo Show 8 (2025)
Best for the Bedside
Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen)
Best Bigger Screen
Echo Show 11
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission.
