Both Cortana and Alexa have their own unique features and capabilities. However, if you are using a Windows 10 or Windows 11 devices, Cortana is already built-in and can be easily set up. If you are using an Amazon device, Alexa would be the better choice.

Last December, the company tested Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Assistant and Microsoft Cortana against 800 questions to find out which was superior. Google answered 88% of questions correctly, while Apple scored 75%, Alexa scored 72.5%, and Cortana came in with 63%.

Cortana, Microsoft's virtual assistant, has been removed from Windows 11.

Siri, on the other hand, can be activated by holding down the Home button on your Apple devices. They're equal in this regard. Verdict: As for speed in accessing information, Siri currently has the upper hand and fetches information just a wee bit faster than Cortana currently does.

As you probably guessed, Siri pairs with Apple products, where Cortana is only an option on Windows laptops , tablets, and smartphones. Google Assistant , on the other hand, is an exception.

She had a voice. She was the face of Windows for years, even if she was eventually transformed into something of a monster in the Halo games themselves. Now, Microsoft has replaced Cortana with Bing Chat and Windows Copilot, which is now sort of a soulless corporate bot, there to help you and not much more.

What killed Cortana? AI. Microsoft didn't explicitly say so, but it appears that the company believes that other AI-infused services, such as Windows Copilot and the Bing Chat services within Microsoft Edge Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot can fill the bill.

The problem is that Cortana is always listening. Although this is meant to make your life easier, it means that anyone can issue voice commands to the computer. Normally it would be impossible to install malware or hack the computer while it is locked.

Cortana was a major addition to Windows 10 when the OS released but has since fallen in relevance. Microsoft later began reducing Cortana's prevalence in Windows systems, with Cortana no longer being used in the device setup process and no longer being enabled by default in Windows 11.

We're making some changes to Windows and Microsoft 365 that will impact Cortana users. Cortana in Windows as a standalone app is deprecated. Support for Cortana in Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams display, and Microsoft Teams Rooms will end in the fall of 2023.

According to The Verge, this decision comes as part of Microsoft's ongoing strategic shift towards AI-driven solutions, aiming to provide users with enhanced productivity and efficiency tools.

Ultimately, Cortana struggled to compete with rivals like Alexa or Google Assistant, despite a large redesign for iOS and Android.