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These are the best smart plugs that work with Alexa and Google Assistant

Not only are LED smart bulbs more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, but you'll feel like Tony Stark walking through your home, controlling the lighting with just your voice. Google Home is one of the tentpole home assistant platforms, and all of the bulbs listed here pair perfectly with all of the best Google Home compatible devices available. The question you need to ask yourself as a consumer is how many bulbs you need for your home and how much are you willing to spend?

Full-feature smart lights

To experience the best that smart LED lights can offer, you'll want to start with ones that are entirely customizable with the full spectrum of colors available. Because these bulbs are way more expensive than any light bulb you've probably bought in your life, you're going to want to choose a brand that can satisfy all your smart lighting needs or piece together your house plan with bulbs that don't need a hub.

Light your home with color

Philips Hue Color Smart Bulb Starter Kit (4-pack w/ Hub)

Staff pick

Philips is the leading manufacturers of wireless LED smart bulbs, and for a good reason. Philips Hue bulbs are so easy to set up and work like magic with custom voice controls. A good starting point is the 4-pack of multi-color bulbs that come with the necessary Philips Hue Bridge for connecting all your bulbs. Once you get the Bridge set up, it acts as a hub for connecting more Philips Hue products and converting your whole home to smart lights.

$199 at Amazon

The other Philips bulb

Philips WiZ Connected Color Bulbs (2-pack)

I love Philips Hue bulbs, but there's no arguing with that price. They're super expensive. Philips's other brand, WiZ Connected, is a recent acquisition by parent company Signify and, surprisingly, is completely separate from the Hue ecosystem. These bulbs don't require a hub at all and, instead, connect directly to your home's Wi-Fi network. They're also perfect for pairing with any smart home service, not just Google Home, and maintain the quality that you expect from the Philips brand without the expected price.

$20 at Best Buy

No hub required

LIFX Wi-Fi Smart LED mini-bulb (4-pack)

LIFX's newest bulbs are much smaller than the older models, sporting the mini-bulb moniker and emitting 800 lumens of brightness. Each bulb has the ability to customize your spaces with 16 million colors and 1000 shades of warm to cool whites. No additional hardware is required to get things set up with Google Assistant as each bulb connects directly to your Wi-Fi network.

$159 at Best Buy

Budget bulbs that require a hub

Sengled Element Classic Smart LED bulbs (2-pack w/Hub)

Sengled offers the best value for budget-conscious consumers looking to invest in smart bulbs — but you're still going to need a dedicated hub. The good news is that once you have that hub, you're able to add up to 64 bulbs to your network, and Sengled has the best prices for buying bulbs in bulk.

$70 at Best Buy

Smart bulbs from China

Yeelight Smart LED Bulb (2-pack)

Xiaomi is a massive Chinese brand that offers smart bulbs through the Yeelight brand that doesn't require a hub to work with Google Home. These multi-color bulbs provide 800 lumens of brightness and can be synced to music or set in sync with your morning alarms. If you've already got a bunch of products from Xiaomi's Mi Home smart home line, this might be your best choice. Dimmable white bulbs are also available.

$50 at Amazon

Geek chic lighting

Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition Smarter Kit

Do the Nanoleaf light panels fit the description of a smart bulb? That's up for debate, but no doubt, these are the coolest smart lighting kit you can control with Google Assistant. This kit includes the Rhythm Module and nine panels, so you can mount a customized light fixture on the wall of any room in your home that will dance along with pulsing color to the ambiance of the room.

$199 at Best Buy

LED magic

Govee WiFi LED Strip Lights

These 16ft LED light strips are amazingly cheap and easy to install anywhere in your home. Each strip includes a dedicated on/off switch that also lets you change colors without your phone or smart speaker, but you'll use the Govee Home app. There's lots of customization available, and you can link your Govee account to Google Home to control it all with your voice.

$18 at Walmart

A dynamic change

Govee Immersion LED Strip Lights

Designed for 55-inch and 65-inch TVs, the Govee Immersion LED Strip Lights can dynamically change the color and brightness of each and every LED on the strip based on what's happening on your TV. How does it do this? A little camera sits either above or below your TV, which works with absolutely any kind of content or source on your TV. Deep integration with Google Home means you can make routines that change your lighting to set the mood for movie watching or game playing, and you won't even need a hub to connect to your home's Wi-Fi, either.

$74 at Amazon

Beautify your porch

Philips Hue Econic

If you're already planning on investing in a Philips Hue system — or already have — Philips Hue Econic is a phenomenal way to add smart lighting to your front porch without much fuss or cost. At under $160, this attractive light fixture sports a built-in LED array that ties directly into the Philips Hue hub and lets you run all the same routines and connections that Philips Hue supports. Econic supports any color you can think of, so Holiday decorating all of a sudden becomes way easier, and a standard dimmable white range of colors can be chosen for any other time of the year.

$159 at Amazon

A modern approach to lighting

ET2 IQ

Like the Philips Hue Econic fixture above, ET2 IQ features a built-in LED array that allows ET2 to design a fixture that would otherwise be impossible with standard lightbulbs. ET2 IQ is part of the Friends of Hue program, meaning it connects directly to your Philips Hue hub and can be used with Google Home and any routines you might want to incorporate it in. This one is style and substance.

$538 at Amazon

Dimmable white smart bulbs

Let's be real, not every smart bulb in your home needs to cycle through 16 million different colors; they just need to be dimmable and react to your voice commands. You can save some money buying white LED smart bulbs for the more mundane areas of your house like hallways and bathrooms and save the fancier color bulbs for the areas you entertain your guests. There are dimmable white smart bulbs available for each smart hub ecosystem, along with many options that only require a Wi-Fi connection.

Ease into the Hue ecosystem

Philips Hue White Smart Bulb Starter Kit 4-Pack

As long as you already own a Philips Hue Bridge, you can start adding smart bulbs to any room in your house. With this four-pack of dimmable white bulbs, you're able to schedule and automate your lighting to fit your daily needs or make it appear that your home is lived-in while you're out by scheduling lights in different rooms to turn on and off throughout the evening.

$90 at Amazon

Effective and efficient

Philips WiZ Connected Dimmable White Bulbs (3-pack)

Philips WiZ Connected is the other brand from Philips parent company, Signify, and works just as well with Google Home as you would expect the Philips Hue line to. The big difference here is that these bulbs tie directly into your home's Wi-Fi network instead of using a hub like Hue does. That means setup is simpler, and you don't have a single point of failure. Not only that, but the cost of entry is much, much lower. A win, win, win, really.

$36 at Amazon

Mini bulbs for lamps and light fixtures

LIFX Mini A19 Smart LED Bulb

LIFX bulbs don't require a hub, just a reliable connection to the Wi-Fi network. This bulb is comparable to a 60W bulb and is perfect for smaller lamps or lighting fixtures. The white variation offers the best value for your money, but there are mini color bulbs or day & dusk bulbs that will change the color and warmth of the lighting based on the time of day. These are sold individually and are perfect for lamps on bedside tables.

$20 at Amazon

Buy'em in bulk

Sengled Element Classic Smart LED bulbs (8-pack)

If you've already got a Sengled hub — or even a SmartThings or Wink hub — you can add eight bulbs to your network for the best price per bulb that you will find. That's a heck of a deal and a great option if you desire to replace every bulb in your home with a voice-controlled smart bulb without spending hundreds of dollars.

$77 at Amazon

For that retro Edison look

Meross Smart Vintage Edison Style LED Bulb (2-pack)

Check out this two-pack of Meross bulbs for an Edison bulb's retro look with all the convenience of a connected smart bulb. These are standard A19 bulbs that are controllable through your phone or with Google Assistant, are easy to dim, and can be set on scheduled timers. They connect directly to Wi-Fi and don't need a hub of any kind, making it easy to pick up a few without worrying about it not working with other types of bulbs.

$28 at Amazon

Best Wi-Fi bulbs on a budget

Kasa Smart LED Bulbs

For those of you who are okay with standard white, dimmable smart bulbs and don't want to spend a fortune, Kasa Smart bulbs are a good pick that offers the added benefit of no hub — just a reliable connection to your home's Wi-Fi network is required. Each bulb is priced affordably and make it easy to pick up lots without breaking the bank.

$14 at Amazon

Don't be afraid to mix and match

The best part about having so many smart lighting options available that all work with the Google Assistant is that you can have a hub set up and some individual Wi-Fi bulbs all running on your home network and still control everything using just your voice.

Our top recommendation is the Philips Hue Starter kit which gets you all you need to start building out your dream smart home. Hue certainly costs more than other brands, but the Philips Hue app and all its integrations make it simply smarter than other options. These bulbs tie in perfectly with Google Home, and you can use Google Assistant to control every single aspect of your lights, including powerful zone controls. The Philips Hue hub uses an ultra-reliable Zigbee wireless connection, a different wireless technology from Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. That means your bulbs will work properly even if your home Internet connection is out.

But just because you have some Hue bulbs doesn't mean you can't mix and match brands to your heart's content. Google Assistant works with every brand on here, including the ability to change colors, dim the bulbs, and add them to routines. Bulbs like Philips WiZ Connected are way cheaper than Hue without sacrificing much in the way of features, while accent pieces like the Nanoleaf Rhythm Smarter Kit add extra flair to your home that simply can't be achieved by any normal-style lightbulb.

AI-powered energy monitoring

Smart Plug WiFi Outlet with Energy Monitoring by Currant

Staff pick

Currant's WiFi Smart Outlet comes with two individually controllable outlets, but the most crucial part is the ability to build a Bluetooth mesh network of smart plugs. Currant's two-outlet smart plug offers the ability to see detailed breakdowns of your energy usage by the hour, day, month, or year. Additionally, Currant uses artificial intelligence to identify energy usage patterns to help suggest changes to help you save on your energy bill.

$40 at Amazon

No hub required

TP-Link Kasa Smart Two-Outlet Wi-Fi Plug

The Kasa Smart WiFi Plug offers an outlet on each end, allowing you to control two separate devices while leaving the second plug on your wall outlet free. This plug works with Alexa and Google Assistant, and thanks to the built-in WiFi technology, no hub is required to get things connected.

$20 at Amazon

Exclusively Alexa

Amazon Smart Plug

The easiest way to invest in the Amazon smart ecosystem is to invest in products from Amazon itself. The Amazon Smart Plug works exclusively with Alexa and is easy to set up out of the box. Just plug it in, open the Alexa app, and go.

$25 at Amazon $25 at Best Buy $36 at Walmart

Traditional design

D-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug

You're able to control devices plugged into the D-Link Smart Plug via the D-Link app on your phone from anywhere, but more importantly, you'll be able to control things with your voice via Alexa or Google Assistant. While not as compact as the TP-Link, the D-Link is still an excellent option for any room in your house.

$23 at Amazon

Best value

Wyze Plug (2-pack)

Wyze is known for making affordable and reliable accessories, and you won't find a better deal for smart plugs than this two-pack. These compact smart plugs are easy to set up in your home and work with Alexa or Google Assistant without needing a hub or subscription service.

$20 at Amazon

Control more things

TP-Link KASA Smart Power Strip

Instead of one smart plug, why not get a smart power strip? One that lets you plug in and independently control up to six different devices using Alexa or Google Assistant! You get proper surge protection built-in along with three USB ports for charging even more devices.

$65 at Amazon $65 at Best Buy $80 at Walmart

Watch that energy usage

eufy by Anker Smart Plug

If you live in a place like the five boroughs of New York City, saving money is a necessary survival skill. Tracking energy usage is the best way to do that, and Anker's Eufy Smart Plug can help with that with the EufyHome app. You can even set schedules for all your devices that are plugged in to eliminate unneeded power consumption.

$23 at Amazon $23 at Walmart

A full home kit

Samsung SmartThings Wi-Fi Smart Plug

Samsung's SmartThings is a very capable and customizable smart home platform. It supports a wide array of sensors and smart home products, including this cute and compact smart plug. You can control your connected lamp or appliance with the free SmartThings app. Each smart outlet also doubles as a ZigBee repeater that extends the range of your other ZigBee-enabled smart devices.

$18 at Best Buy

More space for more smarts

Gosund Wall Outlet Extender

This smart wall outlet expander allows you to plug in up to six different outlets at a time. It works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, features a fireproof shell, overload protection, and works with timers and countdowns.

$17 at Amazon

Smart patio party time

Teckin Outdoor Smart Plug

The Teckin Outdoor Smart Plug is made for taking your smart home experience outside of the four walls of your home. With an IP44 waterproofing rating, the Outdoor Smart Plug is ideal for those outdoor events that may result in some water being splashed or sprayed around a bit.

$20 at Amazon

The quickest and easiest smart home upgrade

There are literally thousands of smart devices that work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Of all the ways to upgrade your smart home, smart plugs offer the best multipurpose uses and are easy to set up. Being able to control your favorite reading lamp or other small appliance using just your voice and your preferred smart assistant legitimately feels like magic.

Currant's Smart Outlet offers two plugs and works with Alexa and Google Assistant to make sure your home is comfortable and smart at all times. Plus, it's beautiful!

In my experience, the Wyze Plug Two-Pack is your best bet if you're looking for reliable products at a great price. They've worked out great around my home and are extremely affordable.

For a more hardcore solution to upgrading a bunch of your favorite tech all at once, you'll want to consider the TP-Link Kasa Smart Power Strip. It offers surge protection and voice control for six outlets, which can be independently scheduled and controlled using Alexa or Google Assistant. Also, it includes three USB ports for powering or charging your other devices.



Source: androidcentral

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