The Best Smart Bulbs of 2021

The C by GE Full Color Smart Bulbs are an excellent choice for anyone who wants to quickly set up a few lights that they can control from an app without necessarily diving headlong into smart home tech. The reason? You can connect to these bright and colorful bulbs out of the box using Bluetooth. It's a quick and simple option for anyone who doesn't want to bother with additional gadgets.

Optionally, you can extend the bulbs' capabilities and grow your smart home by adding the C-Reach Bridge or C by GE Smart Plug. Importantly, you must have one of those accessories to use a smart assistant, such as Apple HomeKit (which requires the C-Reach Bridge) or Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant (both work with the Smart Plug, which is what we used in testing). You also need the bridge or plug to control the lights when you're not in range of them, like when you're away from home. Be sure to factor in the additional cost before jumping on these bulbs.

No matter how you connect, the C by GE Full Color light bulbs are exquisitely bright and the app has great features. Tap anywhere on a color wheel to choose the exact shade and hue you want, or keep the light white and select the warmth or coolness that suits your mood. You can also save your favorite colors so you can choose them quickly next time, adjust the brightness with a slider bar that also shows the percentage, and create automations that turn your lights on, off, or to particular color and brightness settings at the times and days you set. You can even add a fade so that the lights go out slowly, up to a 30-minute period.

We found lots to love about the Sengled A19 smart bulb. It's a color bulb that works smoothly with Alexa, Google Assistant, and the SmartThings platform. The setup process is quick, and the app is intuitive. One common complaint among smart bulb users is that some turn back on at the previous brightness level and some turn on at full power. Sengled's bulb remembers your last setting and turns back on at that level. Depending on your needs, that might be a positive or a negative.

Power consumption monitoring is another noteworthy feature of this bulb. Light bulbs don't tend to use a lot of electricity, but if you're interested in tracking energy usage, the Sengled app graphs your smart lighting's power consumption over time, and you can view that data for each bulb or all of them together.

The Sengled Smart LED Vintage Edison Bulb has both looks and smarts. It's especially well suited for hanging pendants. With the design of an old-school filament lamp, the Vintage Edison fills any room with a warm chrome color. It looks sunny at 100 percent brightness, and you can dim it down from the connected app for a more cozy, candlelit atmosphere. It's compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, and IFTTT. It doesn't work with Apple HomeKit (unless you happen to own an older version of the Sengled Smart Hub that supports it).

The bulb comes with a three-year warranty and has an estimated 22-year life span. This particular bulb from Sengled requires a hub, and it currently works with four of them, including: the Sengled Smart Hub, which you connect directly to a router using an included Ethernet cable; the Echo Plus; the Echo Show 2nd Gen; and SmartThings hub. Be sure to factor in the cost of a hub before making a purchase. We set up for testing with a Sengled hub and found the process quick and straightforward.

It's equally simple to turn the bulb on and off, adjust the brightness, create a schedule for the lights to go on or off automatically, and use other controls in the app. You can turn the lights on and off when you're not home or set them to run on a schedule to make it appear like you're home when you're not, although there isn't a randomized away-from-home option.

Nanoleaf, which made a splash with its decorative Nanoleaf Canvas and Panels, has expanded beyond squares and triangles to now offer new shapes. Fittingly called Nanoleaf Shapes, the new and improved version kicks off with Hexagons. These aren't light bulbs but rather flat light panels that you mount on your wall in whatever design you like. The multicolored light-up hexagons link to one another in the back using small circuit strips, which are sturdier in Shapes than the previous models.

The starter kit includes seven panels, but you can upgrade to 13 or 19 panels, or more with expansion packs. Just as with the Nanoleaf Canvas, Shapes also supports touch-enabled interaction. Put your hand on a hexagon and the lights twinkle or ripple through a little light show. While the connected app can be a little confusing to navigate, it allows you to choose different color schemes, such as Northern Lights—which splashes through a wheel of colors—or your own custom scene.

The lights can sync to music, too. In addition to connecting with music and touch, Shapes works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, IFTTT, Razer (for videogames using Razer Chroma accessories), and other systems. Shapes has an improved mounting system compared with the previous models, but regardless, be prepared to put in some time, patience, and focus to get your design on the wall. Additionally, the sticky mounting strips don't work on some surfaces so you may need to buy an additional screw-mounting kit for certain wall types and ceilings.

With a flat-top design, similar to what you find in the Philips Hue Starter Kit, the Yeelight LED Bulb 1S (Color) is a long-lasting, full color light bulb that connects to a wide range of other apps and services and comes with some neat features. It's rated to last 25,000 hours, which is a little more than 22 years based on three hours per day average use. Additionally, it uses 15 percent less power than the previous generation bulb from Yeelight. It works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, IFTTT, and other apps, such as Tasker for Android.

The Yeelight app can be a little difficult to navigate, but it has some neat features if you explore. For example, a Flow State cycles the bulb through a rainbow of colors at a speed that you choose. A quick-action button called Flash Notification causes the bulb to blink, a useful way to get someone's attention in deaf or hard or hearing families, or when other people are sleeping. While the price of a single bulb may seem a little high, you don't have to buy a bridge or hub, which helps make up for it.

The Ring A19 Smart LED bulb is an inexpensive, white smart lightbulb that's easy to set up, including the bridge. You'll need the bridge, which uses a simple USB plug and brick in an ordinary outlet, to control the light from the app or connect it to Amazon Alexa. It doesn't work with other voice assistants such as Google Home or Apple HomeKit.

Picking up a couple of Ring A19 bulbs plus a bridge doesn't cost much, and you can set up your new lights in the blink of an eye, but the setup is a little light on features. While dimmable, the Ring A19 system doesn't have warmth or coolness settings (in other words, it's not tunable), much less any options to have the lights fade to darkness slowly. You can create custom schedules for when you want the lights on and off, but there isn't a setting that turns them on at random times to make it look like you're home when you're not. If you're a Ring household, however, the A19 Smart LED is a solid, low-cost addition to rooms where you don't need anything fancy.

Lifx White is an inexpensive, tunable white smart bulb that doesn't require a hub and works with all the three major home assistants: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit. Setting up is easy and fast. If you get started with an Apple mobile device, the Lifx app automatically prompts you to connect with HomeKit and Siri, making for an extremely smooth process no matter your level of expertise.

Features in the app range from handy and functional to quirky. For example, you can set an on/off schedule for your lights, create fade timers, and even view all the scheduled actions for the day in a timeline. On the quirker end, there's a strange Flicker setting that makes it seem like there's something wrong with the wiring in your home, plus two other presets called Spooky and Strobe that do the same thing only with increasing intensity. A seizure warning accompanies the last one.

Another preset called Visualizer dims and brightens the bulb based on music or ambient sound using the microphone on your mobile device. With an expected lifespan of roughly 22 years, the Lifx White is a good bulb to choose if you don't care too much about special features and want a long-lasting, tunable white bulb that works with your smart home.

The Wyze Bulb is the best bulb for you if you meet these three requirements: 1) You want to buy a handful of smart light bulbs without spending too much. 2) You're ok with a tunable white bulb that has no other color options. 3) You don't need to connect to Apple HomeKit. This low-cost bulb sells singly or in four-packs for a very attractive price. You can control it from an Apple or Android mobile devices, as well as Google Home and Amazon Alexa using an Alexa Skill.

The setup process is simple, but it helps to know a few tips in advance. For example, the bulbs connect to your WiFi network, so be sure to connect your mobile device to a 2.4 GHz band (rather than 5 GHz) before you start. Additionally, when installing multiple bulbs, you can keep track of them easily if you screw them in one at a time rather than all at once. Otherwise, it's tricky to figure out which bulb you're connecting and name it appropriately because there aren't any visual identifiers.

Once setup is complete, operating the bulbs is straightforward. You can adjust the brightness as well as the coolness and warmth, although there isn't much variation in the latter. A handy vacation mode turns the lights on and off at random intervals when you're away from home to give the impression that someone's there. Another feature not seen in many other smart bulb apps is a sleep timer, which lets you schedule the light to turn off in however many minutes you choose.

Kasa’s bulb offers all the features we'd expect from a smart bulb: WiFi connectivity; app control on Android, iOS, and Microsoft; Alexa and Google Home compatibility; and the ability to control the bulb from anywhere. Less common is the Kasa’s compatibility with Cortana. This bulb’s performance in our testing, however, was subpar. Setup was slightly more involved than our favorite bulbs but worse than that, it wouldn’t stay connected to our internet despite being only about eight feet away from our router. No internet connection means no app or voice control. It only functions as a standard bulb at that point. This is one of your few options if you need a smart bulb that can be controlled by Cortana, but let's get real—that's pretty unlikely.

Each of the Philips Hue bulbs has a near-identical app experience and setting up each one was about as flawless and painless as it could be. The only real difference in each kit lies in the level of control you get over each type of bulb.

The Philips Hue White Ambiance bulb lets you adjust the color temperature of the bulb. That means you can adjust the light through a range of warm yellow and cool blue/white colors. There are also four default “recipes” that alter the light based on whether you’re relaxing, reading, concentrating, or looking to get energized. If you don’t need a bunch of flashy, vivid colors, the White Ambiance is a great runner up that gives you some white color options without paying for the premium package.

• Get additional Hue White Ambiance bulbs on Amazon.

While the White and Color Ambiance and the White Ambiance smart bulbs topped our charts, the standard White bulb came in a little lower on our list. While the app and setup were identical to the higher ranking Hue bulbs, the lack of features or control left us a little disappointed.

You’ll still be able to set a schedule, control them remotely, and dim them (the same as the other Philips Hue bulbs), but that's about it. The Hue White bulbs are the definition of a regular bulb that’s gotten only the barest bit of smart features, which is reflected in the starter kit's low price. While that might be all some people are looking for, in a roundup of the top-performing smart bulbs, it just doesn’t compare.

The Sengled bulbs, like most of the others on this list, are exceptional because each one offers a variety of excellent features. The Element Plus kit includes a tunable bulb that will let you adjust the color temperature of the bulb from a warm yellow to a cool white. It's compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and can create scenes and schedules via the app.

Sengled also includes a nice touch by promising to plant one tree per bulb that's set up—with more promotions coming soon. While it shouldn't be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing the smart bulb that's right for you, it'll certainly make you feel good.

• Get additional Sengled Smart LED bulbs on Amazon

In terms of features and setup, the Element Classic Kit is nearly identical to the slightly more expensive Element Plus Kit. The only real difference is that the Element Classic bulb is not tunable and you'll only be able to control brightness. At around $35, this kit is an absolute steal if you're just looking for a reliable smart bulb that isn't bogged down with extraneous features.

• Additional Sengled Element Classic bulbs - $9.99 at Amazon

The smart bulbs from Ikea are cut from a slightly different mold than the others that appear on this list. In addition to using your phone to control the bulbs, you can also pair them with one of the remotes Ikea offers. There's a small disc remote for dimming that's about the size of a half-dollar, or a larger disc remote that's more akin to a hockey puck. Through the latter, you can control brightness and color temperature, as well as turn them on or off.

While the remotes are definitely a different take on the smart bulb concept, I found them a little awkward to handle. Smart home tech is all about simplifying your life and making it more convenient. A remote that can easily be lost in couch cushions or misplaced around the house is pretty much the opposite of that.

Still, the Ikea bulbs worked like a charm when it came to response time and handling different brightness settings. They're a solid choice if you're not a fan of the others on our list.

The LB120 is nearly identical to the LB100 we mentioned earlier. The only difference is that you're able to change the temperature of the bulb from a warm yellow to a cool blue/white light. It might not seem like much, but having even that amount of customization in your lights can go a long way—especially when paired with the ability to dim the lights for the time of day.

Like the other TP-Link bulbs though, the LB120 was disappointing in how responsive the lights were to commands from the app. While on/off worked like a charm, dimming or changing the temperature noticeably took a few seconds longer than we would have liked to see.

Another entry in the realm of affordable smart bulbs is the TP-Link LB130. For a mere $40 you can get a bulb that doesn't require a hub, can cycle through the full-color spectrum, and is easy to set up. So why didn't it earn top marks? Well, like the other bulbs from TP-Link, the LB130 wasn't very responsive. There was a serious delay when it came to dimming the bulb or changing colors that made the whole experience more frustrating than convenient. Still, at such a low price, there's only so much you can ask for.