Converting your house into a smart home has many advantages, not the least of which is using products that save on energy. One of the devices that can help you with saving on electricity costs are smart LED light bulbs. These bulbs are designed to use as little energy as possible while providing you with as much light as it can. Some models can even be programmed to give off only certain amounts of light, so you can control just how much electricity you use in a month.
For this list, we tested more than a dozen of the best smart LED light bulbs under $20 in the market today. One of the things we took into consideration was the price of smart bulbs: “premium” models can go up to 50 or 100 dollars, depending on the brand, its capabilities, and other features. For this list, we stuck with base models that anyone can afford. After extensive research, we collected the best ones that give value-for-money while keeping your house lit up.
Sengled A19
Right off the bat, the Sengled A19 requires an additional compatible gateway or hub for it to operate, bumping up its price and making it just that more of a hassle to set-up. However, once you do, the Sengled makes up for this setback with great features.
The Sengled A19 has voice control integration, which we tested with Alexa and Google Assistant. It worked smoothly and without a hitch, letting us control its brightness from anywhere in the house. It uses 80% less energy than conventional incandescent lighting, which, coupled with the brightness control and scheduling features of the A19, means you get to save even more energy.
Its most attractive feature for us its support of 5000k daylight brightness, all without using up extra electricity (although it does overheat if kept at this setting for too long).
Price: $8.49
Eufy Lumos
For the adventurous home owner who wants to add a little zing and flair to their house, the eufy Lumos can help you set any mood you want with its programmable, dimmable, and customizable LED bulb. The Lumos can be programmed to shine with over 16 million colors, pretty much the entire spectrum!
With the EufyHome app, homeowners can program the Lumos to do just about anything: change colors at given times, simulate non-vacant home lighting when away, dim/brighten lights according to time, set lights on a timer, and many more. It is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can control it via voice control.
Price: $15.74
MagicLight
Much like the other bulbs on this list, the MagicLight is fully compatible with virtual assistants like Echo, Echo Dot, and Google Assistant. It also has a multi-color light palette that can be controlled via an app, although the app itself is tricky.
What separates the MagicLight from the other bulbs on this list, however, is its compatibility with IFTTT. IFTTT, or If This Then That, is a free online service that lets people create simple chain commands based on certain conditions. This can be created via any web browser or through its mobile app.
Price: $15.95
Lumiman
Inexpensive, durable, and versatile, the Lumiman smart LED bulb is equivalent to an A19 E26 Edison bulb in terms of brightness, but with the added feature of being able to control its brightness and tune its light appearance. The light can be adjusted from a soft, white light to a full 6500k daylight brightness.
The Lumiman smart LED bulb is wifi-capable and is compatible with most virtual assistants like Alexa. Setup was easy, with the whole thing taking 20 seconds to connect. It uses only 60w of electricity, making it very energy efficient.
Price: $15.99
Lombex Lux Nova
Operating at 9watts, the Lombex Lux Nova is the most energy-efficient smart LED bulb on this list. Despite its low power requirements, the Lux Nova is capable of producing 680 lumens of brightness that can be fine tuned anywhere between 2700k to 6000k color temperature. It can produce 16 million colors and tones, and is fully programmable via iOs and Android Devices.
It works with most virtual assistants (we tested with Alexa and Google), as well as supports IFTTT. It doesn’t need a central hub, and it’s guaranteed to pump out 20,000 hours worth of light and covered by a 2-year warranty.
Price: $18.99
TP-Link Kasa Smart Light Bulb
Touted as a complete smart LED bulb solution, the TP-Link Kasa smart LED light bulb has all the features of a “premium” smart bulb, but without the hefty price tag.
They’re not overselling with that whole “complete solution” thing either: the TP-Link Kasa Smart Light Bulb is an LB100 bulb that pumps out 600 lumens of white light brightness that is controllable via a virtual assistant like Amazon Alexa, Google Mini, or other smart home apps and devices. It connects to your smart home devices via wifi, and can be programmed to turn on/off, dimmed or brightened at certain times, have countdowns, and even a timer.
It doesn’t need a hub so it can be managed remotely. It also has a built-in Kasa app to help you control it via an interface (although it can be tricky to use at times).
Price: $19.99