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Best Overall
Cync Full Color Direct Connect Smart Bulb
A Great White-Only Bulb
Wyze Bulb White
An Upgrade Kit
Philips Hue Starter Kits
Best for Apple Home
Lifx A19 Smart Bulbs
Remember the allure of the Clapper? No more getting out of bed to hit the light switch! It seemed cutting edge on ’80s late-night infomercials, but thankfully technology has come a long way since then (though you can still buy it). You can now control the lights, set timers and schedules, and change colors with your smartphone or your voice if you have a voice assistant—no clapping required.
Smart bulbs are a great place to start when creating a smart home. Most options are relatively cheap, they’re easy to install, and they’re something you use every day already. Plus, there are no cameras or door locks for someone to hack into and no wiring to mess with. Do you want to try voice controls? Consider getting a smart speaker or smart display, but you can always use the smart bulb’s app.
I test each model of bulb for one to five days on two small Ikea lamps in my living room, with the tests lasting longer when the bulbs perform well in earlier tests. My tests start with color tests for vibrancy, color range, and brightness, paying special attention to how easy the app controls are. I then connect each bulb to my full smarthome setup and smart speakers (depending on compatibility). Of the dozens of bulbs I’ve tested over the years, these are the best smart bulbs.
Updated June 2024: We’ve added Lifx A19 bulbs as our pick for Apple Home users and Philips Hue Soft Warm White bulbs as our recommendation for smart filament bulbs.
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Photograph: Cync
Best Overall
Cync Full Color Direct Connect Smart Bulb
It’s hard to pick the absolute best smart bulb because they’re all quite similar, but the Full Color Direct Connect from Cync was the easiest to set up—it took less than a minute in the Cync app from start to finish. Controlling the bulb is easy, as the app has a straightforward way to switch colors, activate Light Shows, and control power. You can also set up scenes and schedules within the app. Cync’s Direct Connect lineup pairs easily with most voice assistants (except Siri) and you can control them remotely away from home without the need for a hub. You can also get a two-pack of bulbs for less than $25.
Cync is formerly C by GE, so you may still find products under the latter name. All of those products, aside from the Sol lamp, will continue to work through the new app and get updates as usual.
Works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
★ An Alternative: If you want even brighter colors, the Cync Reveal HD+ bulbs ($15) are just as easy to use and install but are a little more vibrant.
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Photograph: Wyze
A Great White-Only Bulb
Wyze Bulb White
Wyze consistently rivals larger smart-home brands with affordable but easy-to-use devices—we love its security cameras and smart plugs—and its bulbs are no different. The price has gone up a few dollars since we first tried it, but it’s still one of the cheapest ways to smarten up the lighting in your home if you don’t want any colors. The company has since released a color bulb ($23 for two) that we haven’t tried but are confident will work just as well.
Compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
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Photograph: Philips
An Upgrade Kit
Philips Hue Starter Kits
The Philips kit is more expensive than other kits, but it’s available at a variety of retailers and is compatible with most assistants. This pack is the cheapest with just two bulbs (perfect for starting in a single room!) and a Hue Bridge hub that lets you connect the bulbs to your phone or voice assistant. There’s also a larger, more expensive kits from Philips Hue that have more bulbs or include a dimmer switch. You can choose many colors and brightness levels, as well as preset scenes to set the mood, or create your own scenes. The app includes helpful how-to videos that explain the bulb’s extra functions, like using one as a timer (it blinks!).
The hub lets you connect older Philips bulbs as well as other first- or third-party accessories, like the outdoor motion sensor. WIRED staff writer Boone Ashworth says he’s had issues connecting some of his Philips Hue bulbs, but I (Nena) did have some delays with getting the hub set up, but after about 10 minutes everything worked smoothly and quickly. Go with this if you want to use one system for all your smart home devices.
Compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (via Hue Bridge), Samsung SmartThings
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
Best for Apple Home
Lifx A19 Smart Bulbs
Lifx’s bulbs have fantastic colors and a great range of effects, and they don’t need a hub. They’re designed with the Apple Home universe in mind—the bulbs work with the likes of Amazon and Apple but will default to HomeKit onboarding for the first 15 minutes of setup, so it’s a little annoying to have to wait if you aren’t an Apple Home user.
Lifx has both a 1,100-lumen A19 ($33) and a 800-lumen A19 ($25), both of which are plenty vibrant in both whites and colors. I’d choose the 1,100-lumen model if it’s for a statement light that you want to have the absolute brightest colors for or the only light in a room, and the 800-lumen if it’s one of a couple of lights in the room. The 800-lumen is a little cheaper, so you can more easily buy multiple for a single room. The app is easy to navigate, has tons of fun colors and effects, and makes it easy to control lights together with the Groups function (and just as easy to control a single light.) I wish they were a little cheaper, but it’s no surprise that the easiest Apple bulb is a little more expensive.
Compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
Philips Hue Soft Warm White Filament LED Smart Bulb
The Philips Hue Soft Warm White lights have been in my bedroom for years. These bulbs are beautiful filament bulbs that you’d never guess are smart lights at first glance. I also really like that they work with a Philips Hue Bridge or can work over Bluetooth with the Philips Hue app. Those Bluetooth controls only allow for you to control them when you’re in range rather than with a larger smart home ecosystem, but you can still create and save scenes or have home automations based on time of day. It’s all I need for my bedroom lights and nice to have an option to skip the hub if you’re just looking for pretty bulbs you can control over an app (but you’ll get way more control options if you do use the hub!).
The Soft Warm White line has a few other sizes if you wanted an E12 candle bulb ($35) or true Edison-style bulb ($60 for two) for your home with the same control options.
Compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (via Hue Bridge), Samsung SmartThings
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
More on Philips Bulbs
Philips Smart Bulb Collections
The Philips Lighting brand—now owned by Signify—offers a lot of different smart bulbs, and it can be confusing to figure out what you want. Here’s a short breakdown. Try to stick with one type, as they are (confusingly) controlled by different apps, but we like and recommend all of these.
- There’s the Philips Hue kit we recommend above. It’s expensive, and it needs a hub that connects to your router, but they’re good bulbs powered by a comprehensive system. These are controlled via the Philips Hue app (on iOS and Android).
- The Philips Hue A21 bulbs are less expensive at about $22 each. You can integrate these into the hub if you already have one, but if not, you’ll need the same Philips Hue app (on iOS and Android) to control a room. You can also connect it to Alexa or Google Assistant.
- Then there’s the budget Wiz-Connected bulbs. They also don’t need a hub and cost around $11 each. There’s a handful of quick-control colors like cozy and relax, but we didn’t like them as much as we hoped–they were a little too dark and dull, so we usually had to click to get to the color control panel. Some of their other features, such as a flickering candle, aren’t that impressive, but these work fine as simple bulbs. You’ll need to download the Wiz app (iOS and Android) to control them, and they also work with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts.
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Photograph: Govee
Best Light Strips
Govee RGBIC Pro LED Light Strips
Light strips on the back of furniture or underneath cabinets bring a futuristic feel to any living space, and adding them to your setup doesn’t have to be expensive. Thanks to hip TikTok teens putting LED strips back on the map, you can find a ton of options, but WIRED writer Simon Hill highly recommends Govee’s light strips.
There’s a simple control box for power, color cycling, and music mode, while the app digs deeper with color temperature, brightness, scheduling, preset scenes, and the option to create effects. Hill says to prep the area properly and be careful when applying the adhesive backing. He likes Govee’s Immersion TV Backlights and Flow Pro light bars too, and has a detailed guide to shopping Govee’s lighting options.
Compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
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Photograph: Amazon
Best Ambient Lighting Kit
Nanoleaf Shapes Kits
Nanoleaf’s Shapes Kits aren’t the best for brightening up rooms, but they’re a fun way to add ambient lighting and set a mood. You can choose from hexagons and two different triangle sizes, and each one is an individual light that connects to the others, allowing you to create your own patterns. Through the app, you control the color scheme, make it change to music, and set schedules. You can also get help designing a layout. These lights attach to the wall with adhesives; it’s possible to remove them without taking the paint off, but you have to be careful. We recommend deciding on a design before installing them (use a level to make sure they’re straight).
These work almost anywhere, even in a kid’s room, where they can double as a fancy nightlight. The set price ranges depending on what shapes you want – seven mini triangles is $99, while hexagons and larger triangles will run you anywhere from $170 to $220. You can add more pieces if you have a particular design in mind. We also like the company’s LED strips, which you add as bias lighting behind the TV or computer monitor or as accents in any room. Don’t miss our guide to all of Nanoleaf’s light bulbs and wall panels.
Compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
Honorable Mentions
More Smart Bulbs
There are a lot of good smart bulbs that work perfectly well but don’t outshine our top picks. We’ve tested the bulbs below and like them, so if nothing above caught your eye, maybe one of these will.
- Sengled Classic 2-Pack for $17: Sengled bulbs are affordable and easy to use. These work with Wi-Fi, but the brand has Bluetooth- and Zigbee-connected bulbs as well.
- Nanoleaf Essentials for $20: This bulb has a cool hexagonal design, with lots of colors to choose from. It’s a fine bulb, but a little pricey compared to other options, and we didn’t love the interface as much as other smart bulb apps. But if you have more Nanoleaf products in your home, it can pair with them for colorful light scenes. They’re Matter compatible, and work with every major smart assistant except Amazon Alexa.
- Nooie Aurora Bulb 2-Pack for $28: Medea Giordiano really liked these bulbs, but the price has risen since she tested them, and they’re not as easily available to buy anymore either. Still, they’re good bulbs if you find them on sale.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
If You Can’t Swap Bulbs, Try a Smart Plug
TP-Link Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini (TP15)
If you want the pros of using a smart bulb without switching out all your lights—maybe you use specialty bulbs, are already stocked up and don’t want to let them go to waste, or just can’t change the lights in your lamp of choice—consider a smart plug. They use your home’s Wi-Fi network to let you remotely control the power to the bulb. Using the corresponding app, you can control your lights and schedule on and off times, or you can connect to a voice assistant for voice control. We’ve tested a bunch of smart plugs, and the TP-Link Tapo Mini (TP15) ($20) is my current favorite.
You can also replace your light switches with smart ones, but that requires a little more work. We haven’t tested these, but Lutron and TP-Link’s options come with solid recommendations.
Compatible with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Matter
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Photograph: Philips
How to Choose a Smart Bulb
Lighting Tips
You’ll typically see smart bulbs categorized by full color, dimmable white, and tunable white (bright white and warm tone options). All the color bulbs we tried have multiple white and warm settings, so if there’s any chance you might want to try out colors occasionally, we recommend sticking with the color options. If you’re buying lighting for an office or other professional space where pink or blue shades would be frowned upon (or you just want the most affordable bulb), you can choose white-only versions of the bulbs we recommend. The lights we recommend are all indoor-only options.
The real factor you should be considering is if you have a specific voice assistant you want your lights to work with, and how many bulbs you need to buy. It’s easiest to outfit an entire room in smart lights to get the best experience, but easy options to start are statement lights you’d want cool colors out of or rooms with single or two primary lights. We’ve also listed which ecosystem each bulb works with so you can keep that in mind.
