Cortana vs. Siri vs. Google Now

This morning, Cortana for Windows Phone 8.1 was unleashed to the US through the Preview for Developers program. Microsoft’s new personal voice assistant is taking aim against Apple’s Siri on the iPhone and Android’s Google Now.

But how well does Microsoft do out the gate? Will Cortana’s beta status hold her back?

We pitted Cortana against an iPhone 5S and a Motorola Moto X to see just how good (or bad) the new flagship Windows Phone feature compares. Head past the break to catch the video!

Our seven minute trial will take all three voice assistants through some basic tasks. We tried to be fair and give them all a chance to perform and sure enough, they all did. Such tasks given included:

  • “Call Sam Sabri on Skype”
  • “What is the weather like on Tuesday?”
  • “Navigate to Dunkin Donuts”
  • “What is the best rated Indian restaurant around me?”
  • “Post a new Tweet”
  • “Foursquare check-in”

What’s the take away? We’ll let you decide but from our hands on tests, we can definitely say that Microsoft’s Cortana, even as a beta, can go head to head with Apple and Google. While there is still room for improvement, Microsoft has done a commendable job of offering a similar service to their competitors, and it shouldn’t be too long before they surpass them.

How are you liking Cortana? Did you think our test was fair? Let us know below and don't forget to check out our Cortana forums!

Video credit: Mark Guim

Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.