Select independently determines what we cover and recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more. Smart bulbs can transform your space and your daily routine in ways that regular bulbs can't. For years I've been using smart lights to change the mood of my apartment, automate the lighting based on the time of day and dazzle friends on a movie night, all with a few taps on my smartphone or simple voice control with a smart home hub .SKIP FORWARD How we chose our favorite smart bulbs | Our favorite smart bulbs of 2023 | How to Buy a Smart Bulb To find the right smart lighting for your space, we talked to smart home experts about what to look for when shopping for smart bulbs. We also share Select employees' favorite smart bulbs for shopping. Our top picks How we picked our favorite smart bulbs To recommend the best smart bulbs, Select staff tried multiple smart bulbs and considered the following criteria based on guidance from our experts: Product: We only included products with an average rating of at least four stars from major retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy and Target. App compatibility: Almost all smart bulbs can be linked to the brand's own app. We made sure that the companion app received at least an average rating of four stars from reviewers on the App Store for all of our bundled products. Compatibility: We've added bulbs that are compatible with various smart home ecosystems such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Samsung SmartThings. Hue: Smart bulbs are usually available in white, tunable white, and full-color. White lamps cannot be adjusted, but are often the cheapest. Tunable White bulbs have an adjustable hue, meaning they can be cooler or warmer depending on your preference. Full-color bulbs can be customized to almost any color or tone, but tend to be more expensive. We've trialled color models and added white and tunable white versions when available. Bulb Type: All of our recommended bulbs are A-type bulbs, also known as standard household bulbs, which are the most common and compatible bulb type in the US. favorite smart bulbs of 2023Our top picks come from established smart home brands such as Kasa, Cync and Nanoleaf. We've tried and recommended full-color bulbs, but also paired white and tunable white versions when available. With all of our recommended bulbs you can control settings and schedule them to turn on and off remotely using your smartphone. We include important details we think you should know, such as bulb type and compatibility, at the bottom of each recommendation. Editor's Pick: Cync A19 Color Smart Bulb These smart LED bulbs from Cync are what Select associate commerce editor Nishka Dhawan uses at home. They took her minutes to set up and they were easy to pair with her Google Nest Audio smart speaker. Similar to apps like Amazon Alexa and Google Home, the Cync app lets you set a schedule or routine for one or more lights. "During the dark winter months, I set a schedule so that my house is already lit up by the time I get back from work," says Dhawan. , soft white and tunable white. Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home | Bulb type: A19 | Hue: Full-colorCync A19 Color Smart BulbGE Lighting CYNC Smart LED Bulb, Color Changing Lights, Bluetooth & Wi-Fi Lighting, Works with Alexa and Google Home, A19 Bulb (1 Pack) (AMAZON)Cync A19 Color Smart Bulb $ at AmazonCync A19 Color Smart Bulb $ at TargetCync A19 Color Smart Bulb $ at Best BuyRunner Up: Kasa A19 Color Smart Bulb (KL125) These smart bulbs from Kasa are a favorite of Select editorial project manager Rebecca Rodriguez, who uses them throughout her apartment to control various to set moods. "My favorite color to use is red, especially when I'm watching an action-packed show or movie," says Rodriguez. "When I have friends over, we switch to more festive alternating colors." The lights connect easily to her Google Nest Hub and they respond very quickly to voice commands from the Google Assistant, says Rodriguez. She especially loves that she can control them from the comfort of her couch or in bed instead of using a light switch. You can set this lamp to turn on and off at fixed times via the Kasa app. They are available in full color and a dimmable white version. Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home | Bulb type: A19 | Hue: Full-colorKasa A19 Color Smart Bulb (KL125)New Kasa Smart Bulb, Full Color Changing Dimable Smart WiFi Light Bulb Compatible with Alexa and Google Home, A19, 9W 800 lumens, 2.4Ghz only, no hub required, 1- pack (KL125), multicolored (AMAZON) Good price: Wiz A19 Color Smart Bulb These smart bulbs are priced a little lower than our other picks and are a great choice if you're looking for a more affordable option. Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin exclusively controls these smart LED lights in her apartment using the Wiz app or her Amazon Echo smart speakers. She also uses the app to group lights and create routines in different rooms — she has device groups for her bedroom, living room, bathroom, office, and hallway. Malin also easily sets schedules for her Wiz lights through the app. During the week, her bedroom light turns on a few minutes after her alarm goes off, helping her get out of bed. During the winter, she adjusted her living room lights to turn on automatically when the sun goes down. "Everyone who visits me wants to buy these lights after seeing how they work," says Malin. The lamps are available in colours, daylight, soft light and adjustable versions. Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings (via Matter) | Bulb type: A19 | Hue: Full ColorWiz A19 Smart Color BulbWiZ 60W A19 Smart LED Bulb - Pack of 2 - E26, Indoor - Connects to your existing Wi-Fi - Control with Voice or App + Activate with Motion - Compatible with Matter (AMAZON)Wiz A19 Color Smart Bulb $ at AmazonWiz A19 Color Smart Bulb $ at Lowe's For Wide Compatibility: Nanoleaf Matter A19 Color Smart Bulb If you're looking for wide compatibility, consider these Nanoleaf Matter smart LED bulbs. They have the greatest compatibility of our recommendations and can connect to Google, Apple, Amazon and Samsung smart homes. I can adjust the color temperature, brightness and schedule through the Nanoleaf or Apple Home app. I use these smart bulbs in accent lights in my living room and kitchen, scheduling them to turn on with a warm tone when the sun goes down. You can set up these smart bulbs through the Nanoleaf app or through Matter, a new smart home protocol that simplifies the setup process in my experience. To set up Matter, you must own a Matter-supported smart home hub, such as an Echo (4th generation), HomePod Mini, or Nest Hub. If so, open your favorite smart home app, scan the QR code printed on the side of the plug and the app will do the rest. This process took me about two minutes with my Apple HomePod Mini. Works with: Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa (via Matter), Samsung SmartThings (via Matter) | Bulb type: A19 | Hue: Full ColorNanoleaf Matter A19 Color Smart BulbNanoleaf Essentials Smart LED Color Changing Light Bulb (60W) - RGB & Warm to Cool White, App & Voice Control (Works with Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings) (Matter A19 (1 Pack) ) (AMAZON)Nanoleaf Matter A19 Color Smart Bulb $ at AmazonNanoleaf Matter A19 Color Smart Bulb $ at Best BuyHow to Shop for a Smart BulbIn my experience, smart bulbs work very similarly. There may be hundreds of brands to choose from, but most of them offer their own app, adjustable colors and shades, scheduling functions and voice control. our experts. Price point When it comes to smart bulbs, you get your money's worth. According to Patrick Miltner, vice president of software product management at Savant, a home automation company, there can be many subtle differences between bulbs in different price ranges that you don't notice until you compare them side by side. "If you buy the cheapest full-color bulb you can find and compare it to something more expensive, you'll often find that the more expensive bulb has significantly more light output, especially for colors," he says. Light and Smart Home Compatibility Just like when buying a regular bulb, pay attention to the type of outlet your fixture uses and check the product page details or packaging to determine if the smart bulb is compatible. While most of the Select staff's lamps and light fixtures use A19 bulbs, double-check your existing fixtures and product packaging to make sure a new bulb is compatible with your home, says Melissa Mohr, the director of smart home at Amazon. For example, decorative lighting such as chandeliers and sconces often use less common B- or C-type bulbs instead of A-type. . We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without any undisclosed financial conflict of interest. Patrick Miltner is the vice president of software product management at Savant, a home automation company. Melissa Mohr is the director of smart home at Amazon .Why rely on Select? Harry Rabinowitz is a reporter at Select who has covered consumer technology for many years. For this piece, he drew on his personal experience and the Select team's experience of using smart bulbs in their daily lives. He also spoke to experts from the smart home industry and thoroughly researched other top-rated smart bulbs. Stay tuned for Select's in-depth coverage of personal finance, technology and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok to stay updated.