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The best cheap smart bulbs

Sengled smart bulb in dining room.
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Updated less than 1 day ago

Smart lighting has taken over. With just a single smart bulb and some Wi-Fi (and maybe a little help from Alexa), you can transform a drab and dim living room into a pulsating, kaleidoscopic disco. OK, maybe that’s a bit extreme. Smart lighting truly is an awesome investment for any home, though. Smart lighting can increase your home security, help cut down on your energy bill, and be customized to adapt and change with your lifestyle. In terms of investment, though, major smart lighting starter kits can tend to be on the pricey side.

Thankfully, there are a number of great companies that make budget smart bulbs and lighting systems that work just as well as some of the big brands, but at a fraction of the cost. Which budget smart lights are worth buying? We’ve put together a working list of some of the best budget lights out there and what we love about them.

LIFX Mini White (A19) Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb
Lifx Mini White
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Wyze Bulb Color
Wyze Bulb Color
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Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED Soft White A19 Bulb, No Hub Required
Sengled Smart LED Soft White A19
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Roku Smart Bulb SE
Roku Smart Bulb SE
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Lifx Mini White

Pros
  • Easy install
  • Dimmable
  • Versatile smartphone app
Cons
  • No colors, only shades of white

Our favorite thing about the Lifx Mini is that it’s truly twist-and-play. Once your bulb is screwed in, just download the Lifx app and connect straight to Wi-Fi — no hub required.

This powerful little bulb puts out a pretty mighty 8 watts and a solid 650 lumens at full brightness. The Mini is dimmable, and its level of shine can be easily adjusted with the Lifx app, as well as commands to popular voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.

The app also lets you set routines for the bulb, turning on, off, or fading the lights on a set schedule. Further IFTTT experimenting can even have the bulb react to sunlight, weather conditions, and even the ring of your doorbell. For under $25, you really can’t go wrong with the Lifx Mini White.

LIFX Mini White (A19) Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb
Lifx Mini White
Wyze Bulb Color in lamp green
John Velasco / Digital Trends

Wyze Bulb Color

Pros
  • Really bright output
  • Colors are very saturated
  • Doesn't require a bridge
  • Ridiculously low-priced
Cons
  • Basic scene modes

We’ve covered these bad boys before, but they deserve a big second mention, as Wyze is such a solid bet when it comes to smart lighting.

This is another hub-less contender. Just connect the bulb straight to Wi-Fi and start controlling with your favorite voice assistant (Alexa and Google-capable) or the Wyze app on your mobile (available for Android and iOS). The Wyze app lets you adjust color temperature and brightness of a single bulb, or more than one at the same time with the very responsive grouping feature.

To top it all off, Wyze Bulb even gives you a programmable “vacation mode” that turns lights on and off while you’re away to keep the cat-burglars at bay.

Wyze Bulb Color
Wyze Bulb Color
The Sengled bulb installed in a kitchen.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sengled Smart LED Soft White A19

Pros
  • Great price
  • 800 lumen
  • No hub required for basic use
Cons
  • Optional hub needed for Alexa and Google Assistant

Sengled’s 800-lumen A19 is truly one of the best buys on this list. The bulb can be controlled with or without a hub, and you can do quite a bit with just the Sengled app and the Wi-Fi-connected A19. Adjust brightness, create light schedules and scenes, view energy stats, and more.

If you want to crank things up a hair, you can buy the Sengled hub for around $40 to add voice control options from Alexa and Google Assistant to your Sengled Smart LED Soft White A19. Better yet, if you already own an Amazon Echo Plus, SmartThings hub, or a Wink bridge, you can use Zigbee to pair your bulbs with your preferred voice assistant.

Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED Soft White A19 Bulb, No Hub Required
Sengled Smart LED Soft White A19
The Roku Smart Bulb installed in a bedroom.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Roku Smart Bulb SE

Pros
  • Affordable
  • Set custom schedules
  • Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Roku Voice
Cons
  • Opting for the Color Bulb SE is a bit more expensive

Roku has a larger smart home presence than you'd expect, and its Smart Bulb SE lineup is arguably one of the best options on the market. Not only is it affordable (a four-pack is just $24), but it works with a variety of smart assistants to give you easy control of its performance.

Toss in access to vaction mode, sleep mode, or even a sunlight match feature, and it's clear that Roku can hang with the best despite its rock-bottom pricing. A color variant is also up for grabs, although it's a bit more expensive than the standard white bulb.

Roku Smart Bulb SE
Roku Smart Bulb SE
Michael Bizzaco

Michael Bizzaco has been selling, installing, and talking about TVs, soundbars, streaming devices, and all things smart home for the better part of 15 years. He even knows a thing or two about how to fix this stuff when it starts misbehaving (because no tech is perfect!).

Mike has been writing for Digital Trends and several other publications since 2020. Fortunately, he’s still able to write after he got his index finger stuck in a vending machine at the Ramada Inn the summer before fourth grade! From hands-on reviews to best-of roundups, Mike does his best to share his expertise in a friendly and informative way with all readers, and loves staying on top of the latest AV and smart home trends.

When he’s not thanking his father for dislodging his finger from that vile vending machine in New Jersey, Mike enjoys playing guitar, reading, and indulging in horror films with his girlfriend.

The 12 best smart home products that support Matter
The Echo Show 15 on a wall.

Matter is arguably the biggest thing to happen to smart homes since their inception. The interoperability feature lets devices from different ecosystems interact with each other, giving you the freedom to shop for your favorite products regardless of manufacturer. Unfortunately, not all devices have rolled out support for Matter – and not all of them will.

Many notable products support Matter as of today, and dozens more are expected to add support in the future. For now, here are the 12 best smart home products that support Matter. For a full list, head over to the official Matter website. We've seen massive adoption of the technology over the past few years, so there's a good chance your favorite devices now support Matter.

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Best Buy has a fantastic deal on light strips today
Govee Strip Lights in a box on a white background.

If you’ve just snagged one of the many Amazon Echo deals around and you’re keen to continue making your home smarter on a budget, we’ve spotted some great smart lighting deals. Today at Best Buy, you can buy Govee LED Strip Lights on slae: just $25 for a 10 foot strip instead of $30, or $41 instead of $50 for 25 feet. We’re focusing on the 50 foot Govee LED Strip Light for $55 instead of $65, as it’s the best discount and you get a huge string of lights for the price. If all that sounds exciting, read on and we’ll tell you all about how well Govee lights work.

Why you should buy the Govee LED Strip Light
While the ruler of the best smart light bulb world is Philips Hue, I’d argue Govee is the best for light strips. I have a lot of Govee lights at home, and they were much more affordable than alternatives and work very well. The only disadvantage is the app isn’t quite as simple to use, but you soon get used to it.

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My Best Buy members save $55 on a Philips Hue A19 Smart Bulb 3-pack
People gather in the living room under lighting by the Philips Hue recessed downlight.

Philips Hue deals are at their best when they kit out many rooms in your home at once. Today at Best Buy, you can buy the Philips Hue A19 Smart LED Bulb 3-Pack for $55 off, provided you’re a My Best Buy member. A My Best Buy Plus membership costs just $50 for the year, so you’d still be saving $5 and a heap more over the coming year if you sign up today. The Philips Hue A19 Smart LED Bulb 3-Pack normally costs $135, but with the membership it’s down to an incredible $80, working out at just over $26 per bulb. Want to learn more? Let’s take a look.

Why you should buy the Philips Hue A19 Smart LED Bulb 3-Pack
Philips Hue bulbs are some of the best smart light bulbs. Much of my house is controlled by Philips Hue light bulbs, and it’s super useful any time you want to adjust how bright the room is, control the lighting via your phone, or set up timers for when you’re away.

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