Smart bulbs are a simple way to upgrade your home, as they're both cheap and easy to install. Most will let you change their color or temperature, but the best smart bulbs offer additional features like programmable schedules, preset "moods" or "scenes" to achieve a specific ambiance, and the ability to quickly sync with the rest of your smart home.
Picking the perfect smart bulb for your home is challenging, however, as there are dozens of products to choose from — and many of them share similar specs. Ideally, you'll want a smart bulb that's affordable, reliable, offers heaps of functionality, and works with your preferred smart home platform.
Since most smart bulbs are LED bulbs, they're all incredibly energy efficient (which gives you one less thing to worry about during your search). They also typically all follow the same installation process, which involves inserting them into your lamp and connecting them to your smartphone. Some are now designed to also work with Matter.
If you need help sifting through your options, here's a look at the best smart bulbs, ranging from premium starter kits to budget-friendly alternatives. You'll also find products that work with all the best smart home platforms, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
If you're looking for something more festive, be sure to check out the best holiday lights to brighten up your home. We've also put together a selection of the best smart lamps for your office, living room, and other spaces.
Best smart bulb kit
Philips Hue Smart Light Bulb Starter Kit
- Useful features
- Great range and responsiveness
- Extensive third-party app compatibility
- Works with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant
- Bridge must be plugged into your router
- Expensive
Though it's a bit expensive, the Philips Hue White Ambiance Smart Light Bulb Starter Kit is the best by far. The kit comes with four A19 LED smart bulbs that project a soft, white light, that can be warmed up or cooled down to your liking, from “warm white to cool daylight.” Up to 50 bulbs can be linked together using the Philips Hue Bridge that comes in the kit. To change the brightness, put the lights on a schedule, or dim the bulbs, you can use the Hue app on iOS or Android.
While the kit works with the app, the Philips Hue Smart Light Bulb can also be controlled with a wide range of hubs, such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod and more. This means you can control the bulbs using just your voice.
The best budget kit
Sengled Element Classic A19 Kit
- Affordable
- Energy efficient
- Support Alexa and Google Assistant
- Not as premium as other options
The Element Classic A19 Kit by Sengled is an affordable all-in-one kit that includes two bulbs and one hub as well as an Ethernet cable. Emitting the power of 800 lumens on a mere 9 watts of energy, these super-efficient bulbs will last up to 25,000 hours. They also connect to your Amazon Echo and Google Home devices, allowing for hands-free voice control.
The Element Home app is compatible with both iOS or Android, and the group control function lets you turn all the lights in your home on or off at the same time. You can also schedule when you want your lights to turn on, and plan your mornings with the Wake-up Time feature. The performance section shows you how much power you are using relative to the money you are saving. The Sengled Element Classic A19 is the perfect kit for newbies.
The best starter bulb
Sengled Wi-Fi Smart Bulb
- Easy installation
- Intuitive smartphone app
- Affordable
- Lacking some smart home integrations
The Sengled Wi-Fi smart bulb connects to your 2.4 GHz network without a hub. It is super easy to set up. You just download the Sengled Home app, twist in the bulb, and the bulb flashes on and off to indicate it is ready to set up. Once you go through the usual steps (log in, connect the device to Wi-Fi, etc.), you have dimmable smart lights you can control with your phone or with your voice via Amazon Alexa.
The low cost and easy setup make the Sengled Wi-Fi Smart Bulb the perfect starter bulb. The Sengled WiFi bulb comes in 2700K soft white.
The best budget bulb
Wyze Color Bulb
- Really bright output
- Colors are very saturated
- Doesn't require a bridge
- Ridiculously low-priced
- Basic scene modes
At under $10 (and under $40 for a four-pack), the Wyze bulb is a no-brainer. You can control all of your bulbs, or just one, using your Alexa or Google Assistant or the Wyze app. The bulb is dimmable and you can control how cool or warm the light it emits is to set the mood you want in a room. The Wyze Bulb’s temperatures range from 2,700k – 6,500k and a dimmable 800 lumen (60W equivalent).
If you love everything about the Wyze Bulb Color but only need various shades of white, be sure to look at the standard Wyze Bulb.
The best smart bulbs for Matter
Nanoleaf Matter A19 Smart Bulb
- Tons of color options
- Full support for Matter
- Control with voice or app
- Expensive
They're a bit expensive at $20 a bulb, but the Nanoleaf Matter A19 Smart Bulbs are a solid pick if you need something with support for the interoperability standard. Featuring more than 16 million color options, easy control using the Nanoleaf app or voice control, and dozens of ways to customize their performance, these bulbs are among the best on the market. They're also one of the few smart bulbs that actually support Matter, putting them ahead of the curve and making them stand out from the competition.
