Sometimes all it takes is a fun new gadget to completely transform your home, whether it’s a smart speaker on your kitchen counter or a video doorbell to safeguard your front door. One of the most noticeable (and overlooked) upgrades for your space is adding smart strip lights, an affordable way to illuminate places like the underside of kitchen cabinets and along hallway baseboards.
After weeks of testing, the LIFX Lightstrip Color Zones (available at Amazon) is the best light strip thanks to the variety of lighting features, easy setup, and integration with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri for hands-free voice control. For an even more affordable alternative, Govee's RGB LED Strip Lights (available at Amazon) are full of fun lighting features and smarts. There are plenty of other intriguing choices too, each of which has something to offer.
These are the best smart light strips we tested, ranked in order:
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Govee Wi-Fi RGB LED Strip Lights
How We Tested Smart Light Strips
What You Should Know About Smart Light Strips
Privacy For Smart Light Strips
Other Smart Light Strips We Tested
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Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri
App doesn't offer two-factor authentication
Google Assistant and Alexa support
No support for Apple HomeKit
We fell in love with the LIFX Lightstrip with Color Zones for their incredibly simple set up, ease of use, and variety of awesome features.
The LIFX Lightstrip with Color Zones impressed us from the start. In what felt like a blink of an eye, we had these RGBW LED lights connected to Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit, using voice control to turn the lights on/off, change the color, and adjust the brightness. Additionally, the strip is instantly responsive when controlled with the LIFX app on iOS and Android devices (keep in mind that HomeKit is only available on Apple smartphones and tablets).
At 1,400 lumens, these weren't the most radiant lights we tested, but we had no issues illuminating a dark room even at 30% brightness. The best thing about this light strip, and what sets it apart from most others, is that it offers eight different color zones. Each zone can be set to a different color (there are millions to choose from), allowing you to get creative with your custom lighting setup. The strip light is available for purchase in two lengths: 40 inches and 80 inches. Additional 40-inch extension strips can be added for up to 33 feet, or you can cut the strip down to a smaller size.
The LIFX app is loaded with useful controls like scheduling, grouping, and accessing a bevy of fun lighting effects and preset color themes. You can even create an immersive movie night experience at home by enabling the visualizer effect in the LIFX app, which makes the lights dance to the beat of a song or sound of a movie via your phone or tablet's microphone.
Overall, the LIFX light strip is the best you can buy because it works with all three major smart assistants, offers impressively cool lighting features and effects, and color zones for a completely customizable lighting experience.
Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri
App doesn't offer two-factor authentication
Govee's smart light strip is the perfect blend of affordability and smarts.
With the option to connect over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, Govee’s RGB LED Strip Lights offer a slew of fun and useful lighting features, quick and simple setup, and an all-around pleasant user experience at a very affordable price. The newer version offers two 32.8-foot rolls of strip lights, which are all connected to one power adapter and can be trimmed to size to fit your space.
The lights work well with voice control via Alexa and Google Assistant (there’s no support for Siri), but the Govee Home app is what really makes these lights a pleasure to use. Within the app are options to adjust the brightness, create schedules, choose between warm and cool color tones from over 16 million colors, and pick from more than 60 preset lighting scenes.
But our favorite feature of these (and other) strips is the ability to use your device’s microphone to sync to the beat with whatever sound is playing—be it from a speaker, TV, or your own voice.
On the downside, these lights have the thinnest strip of any we tested. While it makes these lights easier to install and maneuver around corners we wouldn’t recommend moving these more than once or twice—they’re just too flimsy.
That said, if you’re looking to add an affordable splash of color to your home, Govee’s RGB LED Strip Lights offer fantastic value. They're bright, responsive, and boast plenty of useful features at a fraction of the price of other smart strip lights we tested.
Google Assistant and Alexa support
No support for Apple HomeKit
Hi, I’m Rachel Murphy, Reviewed’s smart home staff writer. I live in a smart home that’s full of smart home devices like cameras, plugs, speakers, and an oven. During my tenure at Reviewed, I’ve tested smart plugs, smart water leak detectors, and other gadgets that can be controlled remotely or via smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
For this roundup, we put each light strip through a series of in-depth, hands-on tests to fully understand each one’s capabilities, features, and downsides. We also looked for important app security features like two-factor authentication and reviewed what types and the amount of data the apps collect about you.
We set the lights up in a variety of indoor locations throughout my home, testing to see which ones work the best in low light, offer the best connectivity, and integrate with smart assistants to make your home easier to control. We also tested the companion apps on both iOS and Android devices to get a feel for their connectivity, ease of use, and features.
There are a few things to consider when purchasing smart LED strip lights for your home. First, check to see whether or not the light strip requires a hub. Unless you already have a compatible smart home hub, we’d recommend avoiding the extra cost and choosing a smart strip light that doesn’t need another device to work.
The second thing to remember is to select a strip light that easily integrates with your existing smart home environment. We tested models that work with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. However, not all of these strip lights are compatible with all three popular smart assistants.
Finally, while most of the lights we tested connect over Wi-Fi, some use only Bluetooth, and others can do either one. We found Bluetooth connections to be unreliable and slow at times, which is why we’d recommend selecting a strip light that offers Wi-Fi.
Govee's strip light (pictured in front) was the thinnest strip we tested, making it easy to install but less ideal for moving around multiple times. For comparison's sake, the C by GE light strip (pictured in back) is much thicker and harder to arrange around corners.
All of the smart light strips we tested had an adhesive backing. Before installing, make sure to dust, wipe down, and dry the surface where you’ll be placing the lights. Skipping this step can decrease the grip on the back of the lights, lessening their lifespan.
And on that note, you may be wondering if you can move the lights from place to place. The short answer is yes. During our tests, we relocated each light strip to a new location after the initial installation. Almost all of the strips had no problem sticking a second time, but we wouldn’t recommend doing this more than once because, of course, the more you move them, the less they stick.
If and when your lights do lose their stickiness, you can try replacing the adhesive backing heavy-duty double-sided tape for strip lights.
The bathroom and bedroom are two areas of the home where we tested smart strip lights.
This leads us to a final point you should consider: think strategically about where you need extra lighting. You may think that smart strip lights can only be used with a home theater setup, but the bendable and sticky lights are a quick and easy way to brighten up the dark spot in your home. During our testing, we installed the strip lights around TVs and mirrors, along baseboards and door trim, on bookcases and office desks, and under kitchen cabinets.
If you’re unsure about where to place your strip lights, try arranging them in an area of your home and lightly secure them in place with tape. We recommend using a gentle tape like painter's tape that won’t leave any damage behind.
Another factor to consider is whether or not the light strips can be adjusted to the size of your space. The good majority of strip lights we tested can be cut to size or extended with additional light strip sections. However, not all of the lights are as customizable.
LED strips are a versatile lighting option that can be added almost anywhere in your house (but not outdoors). Smart strip lights are also a popular choice to line the interior window sill when decorating for the holidays. Some smart strip lights we tested offer in-app, pre-made holiday light settings that flash red and white like a candy cane or orange and black for Halloween.
There’s always a potential privacy risk involved when you use internet-connected devices at home. To help safeguard your smart home, there are some steps you can take. First, look for devices that offer two-factor authentication, which sends a code to your mobile device to verify it’s really you. That way, if someone tries to hack into your account, you will receive an alert and can quickly take care of the problem. Many devices also allow you to activate email or other push notifications in the settings to alert you if someone has logged on.
Additionally, make sure to use a unique, strong password composed of multiple characters, numbers, and letters for each of your smart home accounts. Data breaches feel like the norm as of late, making it all the more important to use different passwords across multiple websites and apps.
When using any devices with smart assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, you can further protect your privacy by regularly deleting your voice recordings and muting the speaker’s mic when it’s not in use.
Looking for more privacy tips? Read our guide to securing your smart home.
Philips Hue makes the best smart bulbs, so we had high hopes for this light strip. TLDR: It’s wonderful, but unless you’re already invested in a Philips Hue ecosystem, we’d recommend skipping this light strip as it requires a Hue hub (an additional cost) to access the best features. Bluetooth-only control is available with the Philips Hue Bluetooth app, available for iOS and Android, but you’ll need to be within range in order to use it. The light strip works with like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Microsoft Cortana, SmartThings, and IFTTT.
Offering 1,600 Lumens, the Philips Hue Light Strip Plus is one of the brightest on the market. In the app, you can set the lights to one of 16 million colors or opt for one of the many awesome preset light settings.
One feature that impressed us is that the cut segment can be reused and reconnected to other portions of the strip using the Philip Hue connector. This is not the case for most smart light strips. You can sync them with your home entertainment system, which is a really cool feature, but the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is required to make it work.
Overall, we think this light strip is sleek, easy to use, and full of awesome features, but, due to cost, is best for people who already have other Philips Hue lights at home or those interested in creating a singular smart lighting system.
Robust lighting effects and presets
Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri
Hub required to access best features
The Govee Glide RGBIC Wall Light uses adhesive for installation and displays a lovely range of colors, but it's a bit of a different take on a light strip. Made from plastic, the 7-piece gadget snaps together to create a thick bar of light that's ideal for gaming and watching movies. It's made with Govee's RGBIC technology, which means it can display multiple colors at the same time in a really neat "flowing" effect.
While it took some elbow grease to lock the pieces into place, we soon forgot about the short-lived headache after watching the strip transform into an immersive lighting experience. The device features a built-in mic, which can listen for nearby sound to create a light show in real-time when music mode is enabled. (Alternatively, you can use any device running the Govee app to activate this setting if you don’t want to use the light’s built-in mic.)
The wall light, which connects over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, works well for hands-free voice control with Alexa and Google Assistant to adjust the colors, brightness, scene modes, and power. The wall light comes with six straight pieces and one angled corner piece. In total, it has 19 lighting segments that can display up to 57 vibrant colors at once.
One downside is the light's limited configuration options due to the positioning of the power cord, as it can only be installed going in one direction. Another downside is that you can’t connect multiple wall lights together. But as long as you don’t mind the limited orientation, this is a fantastic accent lighting option that can easily enhance any game room, home theater, or anywhere you want a quick pop of smarts and color.
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Great for gaming and watching movies
Can be hard to assemble
There's not much we didn't like about the TP-Link Kasa Smart LED Strip Lights. Offering 16 color zones, these multicolor lights were simple to set up with Alexa and Google, don't require a hub, and the app offers a slew of fun features to brighten up your home. The Kasa Smart LED Strip Lights offer 16 million colors, the ability to trim or extend the lights, and a brightness of up to 1400 Lumens.
What makes this light strip shine (excuse the pun) is the Kasa app. The app offers animated lighting effects, scenes and scheduling features, and the option to group the strip lights with other Kasa smart lights. The app also has detailed instructions about the setup process, which wasn’t always the case with other brands.
We found the installation information really useful, especially for smart home beginners.
These lights are thick and felt a lot like bending a garden hose during installation. It wasn’t impossible, but it did require more effort than others we tested to seal down the corners and edges. While it works best in a straight line, you can cut to size or extend the strip up to 33 feet.
Works with Alexa and Google
The new Cync Direct Connect LED Light Strip is an improvement over the previous version, which required a smart bridge to access features like remote access when you’re away from home and integration with smart assistants. Now, you can use hands-free voice control with Alexa and Google Assistant (but not Siri) to adjust the brightness to a certain percentage, change the color or scene, and power in the lights on/off without the need for any additional devices.
The strip is sold in one size, 80 inches, but a strip light extender can be added for additional length. In terms of brightness, it’s on the lower end of the scale at just 800 lumens, but it does a fine job of illuminating a dark room at full brightness. We also like that the Cync app sends email account notifications if someone attempts to log into your account, which helps keep your account secure.
The app, which can be slow to load on both Android and iOS, is where you can pick from a wheel full of colors, as well as a variety of white light settings like cool white, warm white, and sunset. Scenes and schedules are available in the app, but there are no preset lighting features, color zones, or home entertainment integrations.
Overall, the strip is responsive, easy to set up, and offers account verification, but it lacks certain lighting features and effects that make LED strips fun to use around the house.
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Email account verification for new logins
You may not be familiar with Minger but the brand is owned by Govee. While Minger’s lights don’t offer any integration with Alexa or Google, we had no problems controlling them in the Govee Home app. One thing to note is that the lights are Bluetooth-enabled and do not connect via Wi-Fi, limiting the connection range.
Minger’s adhesive LED lights have a built-in mic that automatically syncs with any nearby sound, including from a speaker or TV.
The bonding tape on the back of the lights started to lose its stick after a couple of days and we had trouble sticking the lights back in place after moving them once, but a small set of support hooks is included with the lights, so those can be used to hold the lights in place if the adhesive gives out.
Given the Bluetooth-only connection, it takes longer to connect and control these lights than other Wi-Fi-enabled options we tested. However, if you’re looking for smart lights that don’t require a smart speaker or smart assistant app, Minger’s DreamColor LED Strip Lights are the right choice.
App is easy to use
Light syncs with any sound
No integration with smart assistants
The Geeni Prisma Plus didn't give us any trouble during setup or installation. The light strip works with Alexa Google, and Microsoft Cortana. Geeni’s Strip Lights are uniquely waterproof, meaning they can be used outdoors, too.
Like others, Geeni’s strip lights can be trimmed to size or combined with extender pieces up to 9.8 feet. Creating schedules, choosing colors, dimming the lights, and selecting from one of nine premade lighting scenes are all possible with Geeni's Prisma Plus Light Strip.
These lights are attractive, fairly bright, and feel well-made, but the humming noise coming from the power adapter each time we adjusted the color seemed to cheapen the product.
Another thing we didn’t like was the lack of adhesive tape on the remote control, leaving no easy way to attach it to the wall. We were also unable to log into the Geeni app on both an iPhone and Android at the same time, which could create a problem for households with multiple users. However, the app does offer two-factor authentication to help secure your account.
Overall, Geeni’s Prisma Plus Strip Lights are a great option for anyone looking to add smart lights outdoors, but there are better options in our guide.
Works with Google Assistant, Alexa, Microsoft Cortana
Noticeable "hum" sound when changing between light colors
At 1800 lumens, the Eve Light Strip is among the brightest we've tested, offering a wide array of full-spectrum white and colors to choose from. While we had a nice and easy experience with the Eve strip, there are a few things upfront to know before you buy. This strip light isn’t as customizable as others on our list since it doesn't offer any fun lighting effects or presets—you're limited to single colors only.
The light strip also is not compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Instead, it works exclusively with Apple's Siri. When using Siri voice control, you can give commands to change the color, adjust the brightness, and turn it on/off. To control these lights away from home using Siri, you need an iOS device that functions as an Apple home hub, like an iPad, Apple TV, or Apple HomePod.
Given its compatibility with Apple products, the light strip also supports HomeKit Adaptive Lighting, a new iOS feature that automatically adjusts the color temperature of the strip light as the day goes on. Additionally, the Eve Energy app, which can also be used to control the light, is only available for iOS. For these reasons, Android users should avoid this light strip.
Like most strip lights, Eve's can be trimmed to a smaller size, or you can add a few of Eve’s extension strips up to 32.8 feet. We had issues with the adhesive backing, which tore off in a few spots during setup and made the lights hard to stick into place.
If you want a strip light that only works with Apple HomeKit, this is the one to buy.
Supports Apple HomeKit's Adaptive Lighting
Not compatible with Android devices
No Google Assistant or Alexa support
Sylvania’s Full Color Flex Strip is one of the few HomeKit-enabled light strips we tested. Unlike Philips Hue and Sengled, a hub isn’t required— and you don’t even need a Wi-Fi connection. However, as was the case with other Bluetooth-only lights we tested, response times were slow and the app takes a few seconds to connect to the lights.
Like others we tested, Sylvania's HomeKit strip lights come with millions of color options, adjustable white light, and dimming capabilities. To control these lights away from home using Siri, you need an iOS device that functions as an Apple home hub, like an iPad, Apple TV, or Apple HomePod.
We struggled to connect these lights with Apple HomeKit and, for that reason, would recommend out No. pick for a faster and simpler setup with Apple products. A couple of other things to note: the adhesive backing isn’t as strong it could be, and the plug is also larger and heavier than other models we tested.
Sengled’s Smart LED Multicolor Light Strip is easy to arrange and was overall a pleasant experience to use. The strip is 6.5 feet long but can be extended using Sengled's Smart LED Multicolor Light Strip Extensions or trimmed for a smaller space.
The Sengled app offers lots of features like scheduling, group control, color/temperature choice, and brightness. The app also offers email account verification, which sends an authentication code to your email address when a new login is detected. These lights also offer something unique that others we tested don't: energy monitoring. While it’s not a necessary feature for strip lights, it can be useful for tracking consumption.
One thing to know is that these lights do require a hub. While a compatible smart hub is an extra cost, it may be worth the money if you plan on expanding your smart home with other Sengled smart bulbs. We paired the strip lights with a Sengled Smart Hub and were almost instantly connected. Sometimes hubs can be tricky to get up and running and connected with smart home devices, but we were pleasantly surprised by the ease of the entire process.
All things considered, we’d recommend this LED multicolor light strip to anyone who already uses Sengled smart bulbs.
Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings
Rachel Murphy covers smart home for Reviewed. She lives in an actual smart home home full of smart plugs, smart lights, and smart speakers equipped with voice assistants Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. Murphy holds a journalism degree from the University of Central Florida and has over a decade of experience reporting and writing. Previously, she worked as a freelance writer for Business Insider, Mashable, Elite Daily, and other major publications. Prior to her work in online journalism, Murphy worked as an associate editorial producer for ABC News' Good Morning America in New York City.
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