Amazon Alexa’s Smart Home ecosystem has grown exponentially over the past few years. With it, you can integrate numerous smart devices and automation from multiple manufacturers and standards to make your home more intelligent. A key aspect of making your home smart with Alexa is to implement smart lighting utilizing smart light bulbs.
Adding smart lightbulbs to your home is one of the best, quickest, and energy-efficient ways of making your home a smart home. Amazon Alexa has the fantastic ability to allow automation and control over smart bulbs effectively. Therefore, we have researched and tested to create this curated review of the 10 best smart bulbs for Alexa.
With Alexa light bulbs, you can control your lighting via your voice or smartphone, schedule your lighting, set alarms, link them to motion sensors, create lighting profiles to reflect certain moods in separate rooms and situations, and much more.
How do Smart Light Bulbs Work with Alexa?
The way these light bulbs work with Alexa is either through a Wi-Fi connection between your Alexa assistant device and the bulb or via a smart hub that serves as an intermediary between Alexa and the smart bulb. Once you set it up, which is quite simple, you can switch on, turn off, dim, change the colors, and adjust the brightness of your smart bulbs via Alexa’s voice control feature or through the app with your smartphone.
For example, rather than having to get up and walk across the room to turn off the lights, you can just say “Alexa turn off the lights” and the lights in that room will instantly turn off without you having to move a muscle. However, you’ll first need smart light bulbs that work with Alexa. This is why we’ve created this list of Alexa compatible smart bulbs.
Best Smart Bulbs for Alexa
Phillips Hue High Lumen Smart Bulb
Verdict: Best overall
The best overall smart Bulb for Alexa, Phillips Hue’s powerful A21 bulb provides extended compatibility and functionality packed into a robust and aesthetically pleasing design. It is not too pricey, durable, and easy to set up. The only caveat is that you need a Hue bridge to control it when you’re not home!
Specifications
Compatible with: Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Homekit(via Hue Bridge), Microsoft Cortana (via Hue Bridge) | Bulb Type: A21| Hub Required: Only for additional features | Lifetime: 25,000 hours | Brightness: 1600 lumens | Color temperature: 2,700K(dimmable) | Power consumption: 17 wattsBenefits
- Compatible with a wide range of Smart Home assistants, including Microsoft’s Cortona
- Easy to set up
- Can use two specifications: Low Power Bluetooth and Zigbee
Drawbacks
- Needs a Hue Hub for Remote Connectivity and additional features
Phillips Hue’s High Lumen Smart Bulb offers compatibility, functionality, and power, all packed into a sleek and smooth design. The bulb uses Zigbee and Bluetooth as its communications protocol, both of which provide complete connectivity within your home. However, if you plan to use the bulb remotely, you’ll need to connect it to a Hue Bridge. The bulb is more powerful than most on our list, providing 1600 lumens at 17 Watts consumption. You can hook it up to Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple’s Homekit, or Cortona.
Hue’s mobile app (compatible with iOS and Android) offers a range of functions you can fiddle with, such as voice commands, timer for turning on/off, interconnectivity with other Smart bulbs, and much more.
Sengled Smart Light Bulb
Verdict: Best value
The best value Smart Bulb for Alexa, Sengled’s multicolored Smart Bulb offers a wide range of colors to set different moods, is energy-efficient, lightweight, and durable. Connect it to several Smart Home assistants to get extended functionality in the mobile phone app.
Specifications
Compatible with: Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings | Bulb Type: A19| Hub Required: No | Lifetime: 25,000 hours | Brightness: 800 lumens | Color temperature: 2000K – 6500K| Power consumption: 9 wattsBenefits
- Multicolor RGB Lighting, up to 16M colors
- Extended functionality from Mobile App
- Lightweight
Drawbacks
- Not compatible with Cortana
- Some users have had problems setting it up
Sengled’s Multicolor Bulb is a natural mood-setter that’ll translate what you feel into your home lighting. The bulb offers a broad palette of colors to chose from for (16 million), has above-average brightness, and is lightweight and portable as well.
The bulb uses Zigbee protocol and can be connected to Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTT, and Samsung SmartThings. The mobile app offers a range of functionality such as changing colors and shades, setting timers, voice commands, and custom-designed color lighting profiles. You can keep tabs on how energy efficient your lighting is via the app too.
Wyze Labs WLPA19 Smart Wyze Bulb
Verdict: Best budget
The best budget Smart Bulb for Alexa, Wyze’s WLPA19 Bulb offers instant connectivity, dimming, and multiple Smarthome Assistant-enabled features at a lower price than its competitors. It does have slightly less lifetime and temperature range, but the cost is still impressively low.
Specifications
Compatible with: Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT | Bulb Type: A19| Hub Required: No | Lifetime: 20,000 hours| Brightness: 800 lumens | Color temperature: 2,700K – 6500K | Power consumption: 9.5 wattsBenefits
- Low cost
- No hub required (connects to 2.4 GHz WiFi)
Drawbacks
- Not as durable
- A smaller temperature range
Wyze Labs’s WLPA19 is an excellent option for someone on a budget who still wants to use Smart Lighting. The low-cost bulb connects with Google Assitant and IFTTT in addition to Alexa and offers voice commands, grouping, timers, and dimming through the Smart Home Assistant. You don’t need a hub, just a 2.4GHz WiFi connection for the bulb to hook up to. All control is done via the Smart Assistant.
The bulb’s temperature range is slightly less than other bulbs on our list, but it still offers 800 lumens of brightness using 9.5W of power. The bulb’s life is less than Phillips Hue or Sengled, but that is expected in this price range.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Smart Bulb
Verdict: Best color changing
The best color-changing bulb for Alexa, Phillips Hue’s Color Ambiance Smart Bulb has a wide range of colors and temperatures to light up your home. You can get started with standard functionality using the Bluetooth app and connect to a Hue Hub for remote connection and additional features. The bulb is durable, energy-efficient, and sharp in design.
Specifications
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa Google Assistant Apple HomeKit (Via Hue Bridge) Microsoft Cortana (Via Hue Bridge)| Bulb Type: A19| Hub Required: Only for additional features | Lifetime: 25,000 hours| Brightness: 800 lumens | Color temperature: 2,000K – 6500K | Power consumption: 9.5 wattsBenefits
- Up to 16 million colors in lighting
- Wide temperature range for dimming
- Additional Cortona connectivity to pair with your Windows Laptop
Drawbacks
- Needs to be connected to a Hue Hub for additional features
- Expensive
Phillips Hue is one of the high-end manufacturers in the Smart Lighting world, and its Color Ambiance Smart Bulb fits that description. The bulb can be connected to Alexa and Google Assistant. The bulb communicates via Bluetooth and Zigbee, so you can get the complimentary Hue app on your phone and use it to control the bulb without going through a Smart hub or Assistant. This method offers dimming, voice commands, and color adjustments. However, if you want additional features such as setting routines, grouping, and timers, you’ll need to get a Hue Hub.
The bulb offers a wide range of dimming temperatures, is durable, and has a very sleek and smooth design. Its range of 16m colors is more than enough for setting up any mood in your home.
Cree Lighting Connected Max Smart LED Bulb
Verdict: Best outdoor
The best Alexa bulb for outdoor usage, Cree’s Smart LED bulb is robust, powerful, and easily connectible to your WiFi and Bluetooth network without the need for a hub. The bulb provides interesting features on its phone app, in addition to 1200 lumens of light and a wide range of light colors.
Specifications
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri| Bulb Type: PAR38 | Hub Required: No | Lifetime: 25,000 hours| Brightness: 1200 lumens | Color temperature: 2,200K – 6500K | Power consumption: 14 watts | IPS Rating: UL Wet RatedBenefits
- Higher brightness and wet rated for outdoor usage
- Connects to Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri
- Interesting lighting modes to compensate for natural sunlight
Drawbacks
- Higher power rating
Cree’s Smart Bulb is a robust and powerful product to be used outdoors. The bulb can connect directly to your WiFi or Bluetooth network, and the mobile app can be used for several features such as timers, dimming, color change, and routines. The bulb also has an exciting feature to compensate for natural light by changing its temperature gradually throughout the day.
The bulb provides 1200 lumens of light at 14 watts of actual power usage. Its UL wet rating means you can use it outdoor, and it’ll stand in direct contact with the weather. The bulb is quite durable for an outdoor product. Cree offers a wide range of colors like other bulbs but does not specify 16 million color options.
Geeni LUX Amber ST19 Edison WiFi LED Smart Bulb
Verdict: Best Edison
The best Edison Smart Bulb for Alexa users, Geeni’s product offers instant connectivity through WiFi without a hub, excellent energy efficiency, and a decent range of wireless features. The bulb has a decent life and temperature range and is your best option if your heart is set on Edison.
Specifications
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant | Bulb Type: ST19 | Hub Required: No | Lifetime: 15,000 hours| Brightness: 800 lumens | Color temperature: 2,700K – 6500K | Power consumption: 8 wattsBenefits
- Consumes less power for an 800 lumens bulb
- Complete functionality through 2.4GHz WiFi (No hub required)
Drawbacks
- Geeni does not say the bulb is compatible with Apple Homekit or Samsung SmartThings
Geeni’s Edison Smart Bulb is a viable option for Edison users. The bulb offers a decent temperature range, 800 lumens of brightness, and is more energy-efficient than most 800-lumen bulbs. The bulb might not be as durable as Phillip Hues or Sengled, but 15000 hours is still enough for most users.
You can connect the bulb to a 2.4GHz WiFi setup and use the mobile app (iOS and Android) to manage an assortment of features such as timers, groupings, voice commands, etc. The bulb does not require any additional hun, simply plug it in and download the app to use it.
LIFX Mini White (A19) WiFi Smart LED Light Bulb
Verdict: Best mini bulb
Best mini Smart bulb for Alexa (for desk lamps and other small light fixtures): LIFX mini white Smart LED bulb offers excellent brightness and temperature range along with a nice beam angle, making it an intelligent choice for desktops and other smaller fixtures. WiFi connectivity makes the bulb easier to use and personalize too.
Specifications
Compatible with: Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant | Bulb Type: A19 | Hub Required: No | Lifetime: NA| Brightness: 800 lumens | Color temperature: 1500K – 9000K | Power consumption: 9 wattsBenefits
- Small and portable, it can be used in a desktop setting as well
- A good dispersion profile OF lighting (250 degrees of beam angle)
- Extensive temperature range
Drawbacks
- Some users find it hard to set up with WiFi
LIFX’s Smart mini-bulb is one of the best portable bulbs out there and can be used efficiently for table lamps and other workspaces. The bulb connects to WiFi and is compatible with Alexa, Apple Homekit, and Google Assistant. It also provides an extensive temperature range making it ideal for desktop settings.
The bulb has a larger beam angle than most which helps disperse light better to avoid irritation in the eyes. 800 lumens of brightness is quite impressive for a mini-Bulb too. Multiple features such as timers, routines, and dimming profiles can be adjusted via the mobile app.
Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition Smarter Kit
Verdict: Best light panels
The best Smart Light Panels for Alexa, Nanoleaf’s Rythem Smarter Kit offers a wide color pallet and temperature range, customizable profiles, and music detection, all in a sleek and stylish design. The panel is compatible with most Smart Home assistants and simply needs a WiFi connection.
Specifications
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, IFTTT, physical controller, Nanoleaf Remote, Razer Synapse, SmartThings, Homey | Bulb Type: N/A | Hub Required: No | Lifetime: 25000 hours | Brightness: 100 lumens | Color temperature: 1200K – 6500K | Power consumption: 2W per panelBenefits
- Rythem kit can detect sound and music to change the lighting
- Compatible with a wide range of Smart Home assistants
- Intelligent color animations based on panel layout
Drawbacks
- Requires 2W of power per panel
- It cannot be used outdoors or in humidity (like above the stove or in the bath)
Nanoleaf’s Rythem Lighting Panel is a customizable lighting panel/strip used to create a more intense and stylish environment for work, gaming, or simply everyday use. The kit has 30 panels that can be interconnected. The panels can detect sound and music to change lighting (these profiles are customizable too). The kit is also compatible with most Smart Home assistants and does not require an additional hub; it simply needs a 2.4GHz WiFi connection.
Each panel gives about 100 lumens of light at 2W power consumption. The light can be adjusted to a wide range of temperatures and RGBW (+16M) coloring.
Govee Smart LED Strip Lights
Verdict: Best lighting strip
The best smart lighting strip for Alexa, Govee’s Smart LED strips are compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant and provide a customizable lighting experience with more than 16 million colors and a wide temperature range. The lighting strip is perfect for setting up different lighting moods instantly and is easy to install.
Specifications
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant | Bulb Type: N/A | Hub Required: No | Lifetime: N/A| Brightness: N/A(adjustable in-app) | Color temperature: N/A (adjustable in-app) | Power consumption: 24W/16.4fBenefits
- Lighting is sensitive to sound and can adjust with music
- Easy to set up
- Multiple lighting on a single strip
Drawbacks
- Not very flexible
- Power consumption is a bit higher than expected
Goove’s lighting strips provide a broad color palette and temperature range. In the RGBIC strip, each light contains its own IC, which means a single strip can display multiple colors instead of connecting different strips together. The lights can detect sound and adjust accordingly.
The strip is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can use voice commands to control the lights. Each strip needs a 12V/2A power adapter, and multiple strips can be connected together using splitters sold separately by the manufacturer.
Philips Hue White LED Smart Candle
Verdict: Best candelabra
The best Candelabra bulb for Alexa, Phillips Hue’s LED Smart Candle, can connect with Alexa and Google Assistant, is easy to set up, durable, and can be controlled using the Hue app as soon as you plug it in. The bulb provides just the right amount of light and temperature needed to give that candlelight experience.
Specifications
Compatible with: Alexa, Google Assistant | Bulb Type: Candle | Hub Required: Only for additional features | Lifetime: 25,000 hours | Brightness: 450 lumens | Color temperature: 2700K (dimmable) | Power consumption: 5.5 WattsBenefits
- Can be controlled via the Hue app
- Durable
- Easy to set up
Drawbacks
- Needs a Hue hub for additional features
Phillips Hue’s LED Smart Candle provides durability, decent brightness, and easy-on-the-eye color temperatures, which is what we’re looking for in a Candlelight bulb. It can be connected via Bluetooth to your phone, and the complimentary Hue app can be used for controlling the bulb. You can use this basic app for turning the bulb on/off, the dim, time, and interconnecting up to ten bulbs.
The bulb easily connects with Alexa and Google Assistant. If you want more functionality and want to control the bulb remotely, you’ll need to get a Hue hub.
Final Thoughts
There’s an assortment of Alexa compatible lighting available, and the exact product you buy will depend on what kind of setting you’re using it in. You can create a mesh of smart bulbs of different types and use them to light up your home the way you want.
