What's the best alternative to Philips Hue? Here are our favorites!
smart lights are some of the coolest on the market and they're definitely some of the most popular, but they can be quite expensive, especially once you get into colored bulbs. If you're looking for a less expensive alternative or just something other than what's popular, then check out these other awesome options.
GE Link Starter Kit
This starter kit from GE features two A19 LED bulbs and a link hub, allowing you to control all GE bulbs through the . Although these bulbs only come in a soft white, they're great for general use around your home, while still having complete control over scheduling. The GE Link starter kit is also compatible with , but requires the . Pricing starts around $35.
LIFX A19 Wi-Fi Smart Bulb
The LIFX Wi-Fi bulb provides 16 million colors and 1,000 shades of white, connecting over your Wi-Fi network without the need for a hub. Simply download the and gain control of lighting effects and custom schedules to suit your needs. Each A19 bulb only consumes 17 watts of energy and has a lumen count of 1017. LIFX bulbs even work with Nest Protect and Thermostat, flashing the lights when smoke is detected or switching the lights on and off automatically to make it appear as if someone is home while you're away on vacation. You can order the LIFX bulb starting at $50 for one. LIFX bulbs are Amazon Certified to work with Alexa.
Lucero A19 Smart Bulb
This colorful LED Bluetooth bulb from Lucero can be customized through the , where you can sync with your music and even control up to 50 bulbs in various groups (up to five). With over 16 million colors, there are plenty of options to suit your mood while managing to stay energy efficient at only 7.5 watts. These affordable smart bulbs are available for just $32 each.
Cree BA19 LED Bulb
The daylight (5000K) dimmable Cree LED bulb is compatible with multiple platforms, including Amazon Echo, Wink, WeMo, and more. After setting up with a compatible hub, you can schedule your Cree bulbs to turn on and off at any specific time, adjust brightness, or even customize them to work while you're away from home as an extra security measure. Each Cree bulb is only 11.5 watts and is available for about $15 each — not bad for its 22-year lifespan.
Sylvania Lightify by Osram
The best feature of the Lightify bulbs by Osram is that they're compatible with Alexa. If you have an in your house, then these will work right out of the box (so long as you have a hub), so you can control your lights with just your voice!
Lightify comes in RGBW, tuneable white, and soft white, so you have your choice of light temperature to best suit your room. Just download the Lightify app, and you're on your way. These bulbs fit into standard sockets, and you can adjust color temperature in the RGBW and tuneable white bulbs to best fit your mood or needs (soft white when it's time to chill, daylight to help you stay awake). Pricing starts at $40 for a bulb, but you can get a 2-pack for $70.
Flux Bluetooth Smart LED bulb
Flux bulbs are color-changing bulbs that work via Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi like the other bulbs on this list, which means you won't be able to control them with you're not at home. That being said, you can still schedule actions, like having the bulbs turn on when you're away from home or to wake you up in the morning.
Flux bulbs feature over 16 million colors, which you control directly from the Flux app. You can control the mode (strobe, shifting colors, etc.), and these will even sync with music on your phone to add some extra atmosphere to your dance party.
Flux bulbs come in 7 or 10-watt iterations and are available for around $30.
Z-Wave
Z-Wave isn't a bulb, but a technology that allows many switches to be used to wirelessly control normal, everyday lightbulbs. With , you can control not-smart bulbs via a — no need to pay through the nose for smart bulbs that last decades (though they are a pretty solid investment).
The light of your life
Which smart lights do you use? Sound off in the comments below!
Updated July 2017: These are still the best available alternatives to Philips Hue.