The Best Smart Lights of 2021

We love Philips Hue smart bulbs because they are easy to set up, offer a robust suite of features, and can be controlled using Philips Hue’s intuitive app, making them the best smart bulbs you can buy.

Set them to a schedule, sync them to your existing Nest or Samsung SmartThings system, choose from 16 million colors and shades of white—these smart bulbs really can do it all.

Hue bulbs also support smart assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. The lights can also be paired via Bluetooth, but a Philips Hue Bridge is required to control the bulbs when you’re out of range. Additional hardware isn’t usually a strong point but it’s a small price to pay for the sheer performance and reliability that Hue offers—especially if you opt for the Starter Kit that comes packaged with the hub.

See more of the best smart bulbs we tested and reviewed.

If you’ve never used a smart bulb before, the Geeni Prisma Plus LED smart bulb is a great budget pick for beginners that doesn’t skimp on convenient features. It supports hands-free voice control via smart assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana (but not Siri).

In the Geeni app, you can change the color, saturation, and brightness of the bulb. The tunable bulb offers millions of colors, as well as several shades of white, and the light is bright and crisp in almost every setting. It also offers preset light scenes like rainbow, cocktail, night, reading, and rave. You can also create your own scenes and automations—like automatically turning the lights off when you leave home—and set the bulbs to a schedule. No hub is required, but you do need a 2.4GHz internet connection.

If you need a value-packed smart bulb on a budget that still offers plenty of smarts, Geeni’s Prisma Smart Bulb is the one you want.

LED light strips are a fun and easy way to add smart lighting just about anywhere in your home like under kitchen cabinets, around TVs, or along baseboards. For the very best, you've got to go with the LIFX Lightstrip Color Zones.

These RGBW LED lights are quick and simple to connect to Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit for voice control when turning the lights on/off, changing the color, adjusting the brightness, and activating lighting scenes. The best thing about the LIFX, and what sets it apart from most others, is that it offers eight different color zones. Each zone can be set to a different color (there are millions to choose from), allowing you to get creative with your custom lighting setup.

In the LIFX app are features like scheduling, grouping, and accessing a bevy of fun lighting effects and preset color themes. The strip puts out a bright 1,400 lumens and is available in two lengths: 40 inches and 80 inches. Additional 40-inch extension strips can be added for up to 33 feet, or you can LIFX the strip down to a smaller size. For a versatile and impressively cool light strip, LIFX is the way to go.

See more of the best smart light strips we tested and reviewed.

For a smart light strip that’s full of features and value, check out the Govee RGB LED Strip Lights.

During our tests, the lights performed well when using voice control with smart assistants Alexa and Google Assistant (there’s no support for Siri). Within the Govee Home app are options to adjust the brightness, create schedules, choose between warm and cool color tones from over 16 million colors, and pick from more than 60 preset lighting scenes. You can also sync the lights up with the beat of a song or sound of a movie for a totally immersive experience.

The strips are on the flimsy side, so we don’t recommend moving them more than once. The newer version offers two 32.8-foot rolls of strip lights, which are all connected to one power adapter and can be trimmed to size to fit your space. Govee’s RGB LED Strip Lights offer an affordable splash of color (and smarts) to any home.

Replacing every light in your home with smart bulbs can get expensive quickly, which makes smart dimmers and switches an appealing option for multi-bulb light fixtures. For dimmable fixtures, ​​Lutron’s Caséta Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch Starter Kit is the best you can buy right now.

The sleek lighting system sets up in minutes and works with all three major smart home ecosystems: Amazon Echo, Apple HomeKit, and Google Home. Additional integrations with Ring, SmartThings, Logitech, IFTTT, Sonos, and more make this one of the more expansive smart home lighting setups on the market.

It also does not require a neutral wire like most smart dimmer switches. Neutral wires are uncommon in older homes, making this dimmer switch a compatible choice for your home’s electrical wiring no matter the age.

Although there’s no native three-way switch support (where you have multiple switches for the same light), Lutron offers Pico wireless remote kits to mount its remotes over additional switch boxes, which is included in the dimmer starter kit. The kit also includes the required hub. While additional hardware isn’t usually a selling point, Lutron’s system is sleek, smart, and versatile enough for anyone to use.

See more of the best smart in-wall dimmer switches we tested and reviewed.

The second-gen Meross Dimmer Switch doesn’t skimp on features or value. This version works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri (the previous generation did not offer HomeKit compatibility). The installation is among the easiest of any smart dimmer we’ve tested and the included wire-label sheet is a nice touch for novices.

If you live in a home full of Amazon Echo devices, this dimmer will automatically link up with Alexa after connecting to your Wi-Fi network. The single-pole switch doesn't need a hub, supports SmartThings, and requires a neutral wire.

The app is simple and offers just enough options to get your lights operating on routines and schedules, as well as an auto-shutoff feature. Though it doesn’t offer any customizable fade on/off rates, it’s an uncomplicated, well-constructed smart dimmer switch that fits nicely with any smart home ecosystem.

One simple way to upgrade your home’s lighting system is with Lutron’s smart switches. The system consistently ranks at the top of our testing for its reliability, versatility, and overall lighting smarts.

It supports the big three: Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. It also integrates with a number of smart home ecosystems like SmartThings, Sonos, and Ring—something many switches don’t offer. Though it’s wired for single-pole, it can easily be turned into a three-way switch when paired with Lutron’s Pico remote, which is included if you opt for Lutron’s starter kit.

The Lutron app is full of convenient smart home features like geofencing, scheduling, and scenes. The light switch requires a neutral wire, but if your home doesn't have one, check out the Lutron Caséta Smart Dimmer, which also works as an on/off switch but does not require a neutral wire. Overall, this system is really smooth and offers a plethora of connected lighting possibilities (beyond just light switches), making the extra cash worth spending if whole-home smart lighting is what you’re after.

See more of the best smart switches we tested and reviewed.

Only in need of a switch or two? Check out the value-packed Geeni TAP Smart Light Switch. It supports hands-free voice control with smart assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana (but not Siri).

This single-pole switch is easy to install and maintains a reliable connection. Additionally, Geeni’s companion app is one of the only ones we tested that offers two-factor authentication, an important privacy feature that helps keep your smart home secure.

Within the app are useful features like scheduling, remote control, and the ability to group the switch with other Geeni products for easy home automation. This switch is designed to control a single light only and a neutral wire is required.

Geeni’s switch has a budget look and feel to it, but that’s part of the trade-off for a low-priced switch. If you’re in search of a dependable smart switch that’s more affordable than other options, the Geeni TAP switch offers great bang for your buck.