The Smart Light Bulbs Worth Buying in 2026: Cync, Meross, Tapo

In each home I've had successful the past decade, I've installed astute airy bulbs. Over and implicit again, betwixt 4 antithetic apartments and 1 townhouse, I was impressed by however casual astute lights were to usage and however useful they were astir the house, particularly erstwhile cardinal lights are plugged into outlets without a switch. No much switch-hunting; I conscionable inquire my astute talker to crook the lights disconnected for me.

After my latest circular of investigating 9 antithetic bulbs, my favourite remains the GE Cync Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb ($36 for two). The app is beauteous and comes with chill extras, including amusive airy shows and adjacent euphony shows. Because yes, this bulb tin respond to euphony and dependable astir it acknowledgment to a built-in microphone. If you're an Apple user, the Meross Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb ($29 for two) connects easy to your Apple HomeKit setup without needing a abstracted app to power it. Looking to get much bulbs without spending more? Check retired the TP-Link Tapo Smart Light Bulbs ($32 for four).

Read connected to spot however each of these astute airy bulbs was chosen and what makes utilizing 1 truthful great. While you're astatine it, drawback much of our astute location tips with our guides to the Best Smart Speakers, Best Video Doorbells, Best Smart Locks, and Best Permanent Outdoor Lights.

What Makes Smart Bulbs Great

Smart bulbs are truthful casual and affordable to adhd to your home. You're utilizing airy bulbs determination successful your location close now, truthful a astute bulb is casual to swap successful without processing a caller wont oregon mounting up thing beyond a azygous app (or not adjacent that, sometimes). I trial a batch of astute location cogwheel for work, but my astute lights person been a full must, adjacent erstwhile I'm not working. They crook lamps connected to random outlets into easy-to-control devices. They besides adhd dimmability and colour without needing to rewire the power for that capability, and you tin adhd routines for lights to automatically crook themselves connected and disconnected to marque your evenings and mornings easier (or marque strangers deliberation you're location erstwhile you aren't).

How Smart Bulbs Work

Smart bulbs link to Wi-Fi oregon different devices successful your location utilizing astute location protocols similar Zigbee and Matter, positive usually Bluetooth for archetypal setup, truthful you tin link the bulb to an app, astute speaker, and the net to power it astatine immoderate time.

You usually request the brand's app to acceptable up a airy bulb and entree the afloat controls, but you don't usually request a hub. Philips Hue, a fashionable astute bulb line, inactive requires a hub and has for a agelong clip (though its WiZ enactment doesn't), but astir each different astute bulb that comes retired doesn't necessitate it. It mightiness inquire for a hub if it needs 1 for a Matter connection, but a Matter transportation means you tin skip a abstracted app and fto devices similar your Alexa talker power the airy bulb instead. Still, you get amended controls with an app for astute lights, similar super-specific colour controls, schedules, and, for immoderate apps, amusive customized airy shows oregon adjacent the quality to respond to music.

The Best Smart Bulbs We’ve Tested

After my latest circular of testing, these are my newest favourite astute bulbs.

This bulb has been my favourite for a while, and inactive retains its spot aft my latest circular of testing. The Cync app is beauteous and intuitive to use, and it offered to link the bulb to my Amazon Alexa close aft I finished setup. Cync has a batch of large airy products I like, truthful I already had the app acceptable up, but it's casual to get started if you're caller to the Cync world.

It has each the classical controls, similar assorted shades of achromatic and color, and you tin besides acceptable up Scenes and Schedules successful the Routines button. The app has a ton of amusive options, including Cync's Light Shows, which diagnostic vibrant, moving colour sets that enactment champion with a mates of bulbs acceptable up, and Music Shows, which respond to euphony and dependable successful the room. My favourite is Candle for cozy ambiance. It ever responds rapidly to my dependable commands, doesn't necessitate a hub, and tin besides respond to schedules I acceptable successful the Alexa app.

Are you an Apple Home user? Meross is usually my favourite Apple-focused brand, and Meross' MSL120 airy bulb is nary exception. It has a fast, painless setup with Apple Home (a speedy scan of the bulb's barcode, a infinitesimal oregon 2 of waiting, and you're done), adjacent if you don't person a dedicated Apple hub similar the HomePod oregon Apple TV.

While I usually similar the brand's dedicated app for afloat control, particularly since I chiefly trial with an Amazon Alexa setup, Apple does a bully occupation showing a scope of whites and makes it casual to customize a colorful option. You tin besides link this bulb to Alexa, Google, and SmartThings if you determine to power disconnected HomeKit down the line.