Last checked 26 October 2026. Amazon changes prices and features often, so check Amazon UK before you buy.
The short answer
An Alexa speaker suits a parent who is comfortable speaking to technology, enjoys music and asking questions, and has someone to set it up. A parent who has stopped using phones, tablets and remotes often needs something that asks nothing of them at all.
Bondnow is built for that second parent. Your family calls, their tablet announces your name and answers on its own, and they never have to speak, press or remember anything. It is £9.90 a month, free for the first month, and runs on a tablet they already own.
If you are weighing an Alexa for your mum or dad this Christmas, for the right person it can be a lovely present. This guide is a fair look at who benefits from Alexa, where it can be hard going, and what Bondnow does differently for families who live apart.
What an Alexa gift actually is
Alexa is a voice assistant. An Echo speaker listens for the word “Alexa”, and only then sends what you say to Amazon’s servers, which work out the request and send an answer back. Amazon says the device checks for the wake word on the speaker itself and does not send audio to the cloud until it hears it or a button is pressed. An Echo Show adds a screen for video calls, and shows a blue bar when it is listening.
It needs Wi-Fi, a set-up using the Alexa app, and an Amazon account. The key idea is that everything starts with the person speaking to it.
Who benefits from Alexa
Alexa is genuinely good for an older person who:
- Likes asking questions out loud: the weather, a recipe, the news, a spelling, the football score.
- Loves music or radio on demand, without finding a remote.
- Is comfortable with technology, or has a family member nearby who set it up and can fix it.
- Wants to control the home by voice: lights, heating, a smart plug, a video doorbell.
- Has limited sight or movement and may find a voice easier than a screen. The RNIB publishes an introduction to Echo devices and Alexa.
- Wants a general assistant: timers, shopping lists, reminders they set themselves.
If that sounds like your parent, an Echo Dot or Echo Show can be a very good gift. Amazon’s newer, conversational Alexa+ is free during its UK Early Access, and Amazon says it will cost £19.99 a month afterwards, free for Prime members.
Can Alexa do video calls with family?
Yes. On an Echo Show, a feature called Drop In lets an approved contact start a call without the owner answering. The caller’s picture typically starts blurred and fades in, and the parent does not have to touch anything. It is a real strength, and worth knowing about.
It does come with set-up steps that are easy to underestimate:
- Your parent needs their own Amazon account, and the permission is switched on on their side, in the Alexa app.
- For relatives in other homes, Amazon’s help says both people must grant each other Drop In permission.
- Each relative needs the Alexa app or an Echo Show of their own.
- Amazon Family, the feature that links accounts, shares benefits with one other adult who lives at the same address. Relatives at other addresses are added as contacts instead.
- A caller cannot choose which device in another home to reach.
Alexa also has a free feature called Care Hub that lets a relative see when someone last used Alexa, and a paid caregiver service, Alexa Together, which Amazon’s own page says is no longer available (notice dated 21 May 2025). Both were launched in the US. We could not find a UK version of either from Amazon. If you know of one, tell us and we will update this page.
What an Echo Show costs in the UK
Prices checked on 26 October 2026, from Amazon UK’s launch announcement and product listings. The two sources differ for some models, so we show both.
- Echo Dot (speaker, no screen): about £55 list price, often reduced.
- Echo Show 5 (small screen): £99.99.
- Echo Show 8: £179.99 at launch, £199.99 on the current listing.
- Echo Show 11: £219.99 at launch, £249.99 on the current listing.
- Stands for the Show 8 and 11: sold separately (about £35 for the Show 11’s).
- Alexa+: free during Early Access, then £19.99 a month, or free with Amazon Prime (£8.99 a month or £95 a year).
The standard Alexa is free with the device. Alexa+ is optional.
Where Alexa can be hard for some parents
None of this makes Alexa a bad gift. It is simply built around one idea, and it helps to know where that idea can stop working.
- It depends on speaking to it. It acts when addressed. If your parent cannot speak, or has stopped remembering to, it sits quietly. Caregiver guides note that as dementia progresses, remembering the wake word and the right commands can get harder.
- Setting it up takes effort, and the usual advice is to do it in person, with their Amazon account and Wi-Fi password to hand, and to keep the commands few.
- The permissions are set on your parent’s side. Alexa Together, the paid US service that let a caregiver set things up from a distance, has closed.
- A family spread across several addresses is linked through individual contacts, each with their own account, rather than one shared circle.
What Bondnow solves instead
Bondnow starts from the other end. It is not a voice assistant. It is an app that turns a tablet your parent already owns into a screen your whole family can reach, and it asks nothing of them.
- Calls that answer themselves. You call from your phone. Their tablet says your name out loud, then connects on its own in about ten seconds. They press nothing and say nothing.
- Photos and videos all day. Anyone in the family can share, and it appears on their screen within seconds, like a living photo frame.
- Their radio, on time. Any station, any language, started on a schedule you set.
- Spoken reminders that you set from your phone, from anywhere.
- They can call you. If you switch on two-way calling, their screen shows up to four faces, and one touch rings that person.
- An optional red Alarm button that rings the one person you choose. It is not an emergency service and does not call 999.
- One circle, any address. One person sets it up. Relatives, grandchildren and carers join from their own phones, wherever they live, with one subscription.
- A minute to set up. You download the app and create your account, and their sign-in is created at the same time. They never need an email address or an Amazon account.
It costs £9.90 a month or £99 a year, with no card needed for the first month. There is nothing to buy, as it runs on an Android tablet or iPad they already have. If they do not have one, any reasonably recent Android tablet will do.
An honest note on iPads: Apple limits what an app can do on its own, so on an iPad a call may need one tap to answer. On an Android tablet it answers hands-free.
Alexa or Bondnow? How to choose
- Choose Alexa if your parent enjoys talking to technology, wants music, answers and smart-home control, and you or someone nearby can set it up and look after it.
- Choose Bondnow if your parent has stopped using phones and tablets, you live far away, several relatives want to be in touch, or you want something that works without anything being asked of them.
- Choose both if you want the smart-home and music side of Alexa as well. They do different jobs and sit happily side by side.
How to give Bondnow at Christmas
Bondnow is not a boxed present, so the gift is the connection. A simple way to do it:
- Before you visit, download Bondnow on your phone and create your account. Their sign-in is created for you.
- On Christmas Day or Boxing Day, install it on their tablet and sign in. It takes about a minute.
- Invite the family from your phone, so everyone can call and share photos from day one.
- Make the first call before you leave, so they see it work.
The first month is free and we never take a card, so there is nothing to cancel if it is not right.
Please read this. Neither Alexa nor Bondnow is an emergency service or a medical alert system. Bondnow does not call 999, is not monitored, and does not detect falls. If your parent has a pendant alarm or telecare, keep it exactly where it is.
Frequently asked questions
Is Alexa a good Christmas gift for an elderly parent?
It can be, if they like speaking to technology and someone can set it up for them. If they have stopped using phones and tablets, a gift that needs them to speak, remember a wake word or manage an Amazon account may sit unused.
How much does an Echo Show cost in the UK?
As of 26 October 2026: about £100 for the Echo Show 5, and roughly £180 to £200 for the Echo Show 8, depending on whether you use Amazon’s launch price or the current listing. Stands for the 8 and 11 are sold separately. Check Amazon UK for today’s price.
Can Alexa auto-answer video calls from family?
Yes, with Drop In on an Echo Show, once the parent has an Amazon account and has given permission to each contact. Each relative also needs the Alexa app or an Echo Show.
Can I add several relatives and a carer to my parent’s Alexa?
Relatives at other addresses are added as contacts, and Drop In permission must be granted both ways. Amazon Family links only one other adult at the same address. We found no carer role. Check Amazon UK for the current position.
What does Bondnow cost?
£9.90 a month or £99 a year, with the first month free and no card. There is no set-up fee and no device to buy if they already have a tablet.
Does Bondnow work on an iPad?
Yes, with a limit. On an iPad a call may need one tap to answer, and a spoken reminder may not play if the screen is locked. On an Android tablet both work without anyone touching it.
Is Bondnow an alarm or a medical device?
No. It does not call 999 and is not monitored. The optional red Alarm button rings one family member you choose.
See how Bondnow works, read the FAQ, or try it free on Android or on iPhone and iPad. Two-way calling is new: read how it works.
Sources
- Amazon UK: Introducing Alexa+ in the UK
- Amazon UK: New Echo lineup coming to the UK (launch prices)
- Amazon UK: Echo Show 8 listing
- Amazon UK help: Alexa, Echo Devices and Your Privacy
- Amazon UK help: What Is Amazon Family?
- Amazon: Alexa Together (service no longer available)
- Amazon UK: Echo Show and Drop In
Bondnow is not affiliated with Amazon. Alexa and Echo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. Prices and features were correct when checked and may change.