Best smart lights in 2023

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We updated this roundup in August 2023 to guarantee that our best smart light bulb picks are in stock and reflect up-to-date prices.

If you’ve ever been around a friend’s house and left in awe of how they could just say "Alexa, turn on the lights” to brighten up the room, you may also think a smart home is quite complex. But making things a little more connected isn’t difficult, especially when it comes to lighting. The best smart lights are fun, convenient, and the ideal place to start when making your home smarter.

While you can smarten ceiling fittings, you’ll probably want to start with a smart bulb or two for bedside lamps or that floor lamp in your living room. From there, you’ll be able to create schedules to turn them on when you get home or to wake you up in the morning, and you’ll be able to control them while you’re out via an app.

Here are our top recommendations for the best smart lights in 2023:

We test the best smart light systems the same way you would use them at home – checking how easy they are to set up, how quickly you can change the colour and brightness, and how simple it is to save your preferred settings.

We check whether you can set daily schedules, if it lets you set favourite colours, control a group simultaneously, and if there are options for different ceiling fixtures. We also look at how the lights integrate with smart home platforms such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit.

This list contains top-performing models based on a combination of hands-on testing and rigorous research by the GH Tech Team.

Why we like them: WiZ’s smart lights are much more affordable than market leaders like Philips Hue, but the brand has a smaller range and just offers bulbs and light strips, in a range of different fittings.

On test, we found them quick to set up, and it’s simple to change the colour or brightness via the app. We were impressed that you can set them up to automatically mimic natural light throughout the day, too. They also come with an energy monitoring feature that shows you just how much electricity leaving the lights on is using up.

There’s a "vacation mode" that turns the lights on and off at random times too, which is good for deterring burglars, although we were unable to choose those random times ourselves.

How they connect: The lights connect to your wifi directly, rather than needing a central hub.

Why we like them: If you like the idea of Nanoleaf’s shaped wall art but want a few bulbs to go with them, the brand has a second range of smart lights, which you can set to automatically mimic natural light throughout the day. Alternatively, you can set a schedule so you can wake up and go to bed with the same tones.

We were impressed by the unique geometric design of the bulb, which looks stylish even if used without a light shade. On test, we found the lights were easy to set up, and took less than a second to brighten, dim or change colour using the app or voice assistant. They’re compatible with Siri or Google Assistant, too. The Essentials range consists of one bulb with either screw or bayonet fittings and a light strip.

How they connect: The smart lights use wifi and don’t need a central hub. However, if your home wifi is poor, they may struggle to connect.

Why we like them: If all you need are white lights without colour changing, these budget bulbs are worth considering. On test, it took less than a second to turn the bulb on/off or dim or brighten it using the app. You can choose from pre-selected brightness levels or manually adjust it by dragging your finger on the image of the bulb in the app.

We found the bulb, which is only available in either standard screw or bayonet fittings, simple to set up. And we liked that you can set a schedule for the bulbs to turn on or off, and get the lights to come on automatically at sunset. They’re compatible with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, too.

How they connect: They connect via wifi without the need for a central hub. Once the bulb is in a light or ceiling rose, follow the instructions in the app.

Why we like them: If you just need a handful of wifi-controlled bulbs for the living room and aren’t looking for the fuss of a hub or starting up a whole smart home, try these budget lights.

For £12 bulbs, we were impressed with how fast they turned on and off during testing - it took less than a second when using the app, both when connected to the home wifi network and when on a mobile data connection.

They’re only available as bulbs or strip lighting, but they’re simple to set up and it’s easy to select your favourite colour or brightness combination in the app, too.

We like that you can create automatic actions, such as the lights turning off when you leave the house or coming on when you arrive home (although you’ll need your phone with you, as the lights use its GPS to identify where you are). One downside is that there’s no “away mode” to switch them on and off at random times, which is handy to get any would-be burglars to think twice.

How they connect: They connect via wifi without the need for a central hub. It’s just a case of inserting the bulb into a light or ceiling rose and following the instructions in the app. But if your home wifi is poor, you may struggle with connection. While they integrate with Alexa and Google, these ones don’t connect to Siri via Apple HomeKit.

Why we like them: If you’re looking to completely automate your home, sticking with one brand can make things simpler. Hive offers a complete smart home system, so go for these bulbs if you already have plugs, a thermostat or security cameras from the brand. For example, you can get the lights to turn on if the wifi security camera detects motion, or use a plug to start the kettle boiling as soon as you walk through the door.

We like how these bulbs play well with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, although they can’t connect to Apple’s HomeKit unfortunately. The app lets you turn the lights on and off, change the colour and set schedules. There’s also a “mimic mode” that makes it look like someone’s home while you’re out.

On test, we found there was a slight delay in the bulb changing colour after selection in the app, but that’s a minor niggle.

How they connect: You’ll need to attach the hub (included in the starter kit) to your router with an ethernet cable. Then just download the smartphone app and follow the on-screen instructions. Once you have the hub, you can install other Hive products with ease.

Why we like them: Philips Hue’s smart lighting is known as the best for good reason. It’s compatible with all voice assistants, the lights are quick to connect, and there’s a wide range of options, including bulbs, wall-mounted lights and outdoor lanterns.

Set schedules to have them turn on or off when the sun rises and sets, or have the lights come on automatically when you get home based on your smartphone's location.

We also love that you can easily set your favourite colour combinations and you can name them for easy access using voice control. The only downside is that they’re a bit expensive compared to rivals with prices starting from £69.99 for a two-bulb kit or table lamps, or from £40 for outdoor lights.

How they connect: You’ll need to attach the Hue bridge (the hub), which comes with the bulb and LED strip starter kits (but not with any of the lamps) to your router with an ethernet cable. Then it’s a case of downloading the smartphone app and setting it up using your home’s wifi.

Why we like them: After something a little more distinctive? These tiles come in three different shapes: squares (called ‘canvas’), hexagons (called ‘shapes’) and triangles (called ‘light panels’). Most of the shapes are plastic, but the brand makes wood-grain panels under its ‘Elements’ range. They’re all designed to attach to a wall using sticky pads and create a piece of interactive art that lights up. You can keep them lit in one solid colour or several complementary tones that cycle through.

The tile colours can also pulse in time to music, or you can tap them to temporarily change the colour. Simple to set up, we found the “layout assistant” function, which allowed us to virtually preview the formation we wanted before actually sticking the panels down, very handy. They can be used with all voice assistants, too.

These lights do lack the features traditional smart bulbs offer, such as controlling them when you’re not at home, and they’re mains powered, so you’ll need to be able to hide the cable.

How they connect: They connect via wifi without the need for a central hub.

They’re a great way to transform how your home works and can make life more convenient. Whether you want them to turn on automatically when you get home in the evening, or to ask your voice assistant to set a certain mood for movie night, it’s possible once you’ve got everything connected and created scenes, schedules and automations. They can have an added home security benefit too, by making it look like you’re home when you’re not.

Setting up your smart home might feel intimidating at first, but these bulbs can replace any of your traditional ones. They come in a lot of different sizes and types, including bayonet and screw fit, so they’ll fit into your existing ceiling fixtures or lamps.

The way they work can differ from brand to brand. Some connect to a central hub that’s usually included as part of a starter kit. This hub connects to your wifi router and then wirelessly hooks up to everything linked to it (sometimes including other smart devices, depending on the hub). Other bulbs have built-in wifi, so they’ll “speak” directly with your router and you won’t need a hub.

The difference in connectivity can affect how easy they are to set up and how many lights you can control at once (some hubs can manage over 60), but whether they have a hub or not, you’ll still be able to manage your lights from your phone or tablet.

Before you buy, make sure you’ve checked whether the bulbs are just white or have colour-changing abilities. Many brands have a mix of colour and white bulbs. Double-check whether they’re dimmable too, as colour control and dimming can be ideal if you’re setting a mood for a date night or a party.

It’s also worth checking if they connect to the likes of Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit for centralised control via the voice assistant or app. Not every bulb connects to every voice assistant, so we’ve listed their compatibility in our specifications.

Simon Cocks is our Technology Ecommerce Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy across a range of titles including Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Digital Spy and more.

Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, charging kit and smartphones.

Previously, Simon was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team, conducting price comparison research, writing detailed advice guides and editing thousands of in-depth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.

When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.

You can follow Simon on Instagram at @simonrcocks and on Twitter at @simoncocks.

Carrie-Ann Skinner is a technology and smart home reviewer with over 15 years of experience. She's tested everything from wi-fi security cameras and video doorbells to smartphones and laptops, making her best placed to offer advice on gadgets to buy, how to use them, and how to get better deals.

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