Smart lighting is one of the easiest ways to add smart tech to your home. Unscrew your light bulb, add a smart light bulb in its place, and your home just got a little smarter. The ability to use an app to turn the light on and off, change the brightness, or even change the colour all from the comfort of your armchair is appealing, but there is so much more that you can do with the right smart bulbs. You can set up automations to have your lights turn on at set times, set lighting scenes to change multiple lights at once, or even schedule your lights to come on and off when you’re away to deter break-ins. If you’re ready to get started in the world of smart lighting, then here are some of the best smart bulbs that you can get your hands on right now.

Our picks for the best smart bulb in 2023

Philips Hue is probably the biggest name in smart lighting and rightly so. The company sells a huge range of smart lighting products, from lamps to spotlights, along with a wide selection of smart bulbs that are all excellent. There are bulbs to fit almost any circumstance, from candle bulbs to in-ceiling spotlights, but the company’s standard smart bulbs are a great fit for most homes.

The white and colour bulbs can replace your standard white bulbs, but can also display 16 million colours. The colours really pop, and you can choose pre-set white colours for when you want to read, relax, or concentrate. The smart bulbs work over both Bluetooth and Zigbee, so you can control them with your phone without the need for an additional hub. You can add up to 10 smart bulbs via Bluetooth; if you want more, by purchasing the Hue hub you can connect as many as 50.

One issue with filling your home with Philips Hue bulbs is that they don’t come cheap. If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative, you might want to check out the WiZ Connected LED bulbs. They’re made by the same company that produces the Philips Hue bulbs – Signify, but these connect over Wi-Fi, so there’s no need for a hub. The bulbs offer both white and colour output.

You can control your lights via the Wiz app, but the bulbs also integrate with other smart home systems to allow you to control your smart bulbs with your voice using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri. Being able to turn the lights on with your voice without getting out of your seat is something that you’ll never get tired of. A couple of the Pocket-lint team use Wiz bulbs in their homes and they love them. The app isn’t as comprehensive as the Philips Hue app, and more basic in its design, but the perfornance of the Wiz bulbs is excellent.

One of the most useful things about smart bulbs is the ability to control them from anywhere. If you’re in bed, you don’t have to get up to turn the light off and then climb back into bed in the dark; you can just open the app. If you have smart speakers, things are even easier; you can use your voice to turn the light off. Different brands of smart bulbs work with different ecosystems, but if you decide to change from Google Assistant to Alexa, for example, then your bulbs may no longer be compatible.

The LIFX Wi-Fi Smart Bulbs remove this problem by working with all the major voice assistants: Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri via HomeKit. You can set it up to work with all three systems at once if you wish. The bulbs offer beautiful colours and at 1100 lumens, are bright enough for most needs.

One criticism of the otherwise excellent Philips Hue smart bulbs is that they don’t come cheap. Replacing a standard light bulb that cost you virtually nothing with an expensive smart bulb can feel a little painful. Thankfully, there are some excellent smart bulbs out there that won’t break the bank.

TP-Link Kasa is a popular name in the smart home field, with products including smart plugs and smart cameras, and the TP-Link Kasa smart bulbs are an excellent choice if you’re looking for smart bulbs that are a competitive price. The colour smart bulbs connect via Wi-Fi, so there’s no need for an additional hub. They’re compatible with Google Assistant and Alexa, although they don’t work with Apple HomeKit. If you need multiple colour smart bulbs, there are multipacks available for even bigger savings.

Colour smart bulbs can make your home look incredible, but you might not need the ability to turn your dining room purple. If you’re just looking to replace your current light bulbs with a smart equivalent, then you can opt for smart bulbs that only produce white light rather than a range of colours. If this is the case, these Sengled bulbs are an incredibly cost-effective option.

The bulbs connect via Bluetooth and create a mesh network. That means that each bulb can pass signals on to the next, extending the reach of the network each time you add a new bulb to the mix. You can control the smart bulbs using the Sengled app, or with voice control via Alexa, although you’ll need an Echo device to be able to send Bluetooth signals to the bulbs. They’re not compatible with Siri or Google Assistant, however.

Colour smart bulbs can produce an incredible range of colours, but when you’ve set your lights to a dark blue, it can feel a little gloomy. If you’re looking for an inexpensive colour smart bulb that offers high brightness levels, then these Wyze bulbs can do a great job.

The bulbs have an output of up to 1100 lumens, which is equivalent to the brightness of 1100 candles, or about the same as a 75W bulb. If you need good brightness levels, or are using your smart bulbs in larger rooms, then these bulbs should feel brighter than many smart bulb models. The bulbs communicate over Wi-Fi, so you don’t need a hub, and they’re compatible with Alexa and Google Home, but won’t work with HomeKit.

Using colour smart bulbs in your home allows you to create some impressive lighting scenes, especially if you have multiple bulbs in one room set to a range of colours. If you really want the wow factor, however, then smart lighting panels can take things to the next level. Smart lighting panels are flat panels that come in tessellating shapes such as hexagons or triangles. You attach the panels to your walls and connect them together to create stunning designs.

Nanoleaf is probably the most well-known brand in the world of smart panels, and they produce a wide range of panel designs. These hexagon tiles are simple to install, and allow you to create your own layouts. The panels can be programmed with specific static colours, or you can have the panels play colour animations. You can even set the panels to dance to your music.

Nanoleaf smart panels aren’t the only option out there. If you want to try out the world of smart panel lighting at a competitive price point, then the Govee Glide Hexa panels are definitely worth a look. The hexagon shape allows you to create a huge number of designs to fit the space in your home.

The Govee smart panels also do something that the Nanoleaf panels can’t; they are able to display multiple colours within the same panel. This allows you to be even more creative with your designs, or create animations that feel even smoother as the colours flow across your panels. You can control your panels with Alexa or Google Assistant, but they’re not compatible with HomeKit.

Best smart bulbs 2023: The bottom line

With so many brands of smart bulbs available, it can be hard to know where you start. Our top pick is the Philips Hue White and Colour bulbs. Although they’re not the cheapest smart bulbs on the market, the quality of the bulbs is undeniable, with bright whites and stunning colours. If you want to build your smart lighting set up, they fit perfectly into the Hue ecosystem. You can add a huge range of other types of lights, and control them all from your Hue hub.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to try our smart bulbs in your home, then the TP-Link Kasa smart bulbs offer white and colour lighting at a competitive price.

How I chose the best smart bulbs

When choosing smart bulbs for this list, I wanted to ensure that there was a range of smart bulbs at different price points. Whilst you can go all out with Philips Hue lights, if you have a lot of bulbs that you want to turn smart, there are much cheaper options out there. I also tried to include a range of different types of bulbs, including colour bulbs, white bulbs, and smart panels. Finally, I aimed to ensure that there were options that supported the major voice assistants: Alexa, Google Home, and Siri (via HomeKit).

What to consider when buying the best smart bulbs

If you’re looking for smart bulbs for your home, then there are a few things you’ll need to consider before you make your purchase.

Do I need a smart hub?

Many smart bulbs communicate over Wi-Fi. This means that you don’t need any additional equipment to control them; your phone can talk directly to your bulbs to turn them on and off, change the colours, or dim the brightness. Some smart bulbs use different communication methods, however, such as Zigbee. Since your phone can’t send signals directly to these bulbs, you’ll need a smart hub to act as a translator. If you don’t want to use a hub, opting for Wi-Fi bulbs is the simplest option.

Are my smart bulbs compatible with Alexa/Google/HomeKit?

Being able to control your lights with your voice is incredibly satisfying. In order to do so, however, you’ll need to be sure that your smart bulbs are compatible with your smart assistant of choice. Some bulbs will support all the major voice assistants: Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. Many however, will only support one or two of the options and won’t support the others. The smart bulbs should state clearly which voice assistants that they do support; if you don’t see your voice assistant listed then it probably won’t work with these bulbs.

Do I need white or colour bulbs?

Being able to turn your living room pink is fun, but it’s not for everyone. If you don’t think you’ll get much use out of the colour options, then you can purchase bulbs that only offer white light. These bulbs can often be a little cheaper, so it’s something worth thinking about before you buy. If you do opt for colour bulbs, they will be able to offer white light too.

What are smart light panels?

If you’re looking for lighting that’s a little different, then smart panels certainly fit the bill. These are flat panels that you can attach to your wall that can display different colours on each panel, or even multiple colours per panel. You can create some truly stunning designs. The panels on their own won’t be enough to fully light your room, however; you’ll still need additional lighting.