Amazon’s Echo range of Alexa-powered smart speakers is great for controlling smart home devices. With smart bulbs installed throughout your house, you can use Alexa to turn individual lights and even entire rooms off and on, change the colors of your bulbs, and more. The only trouble is deciding on the right bulbs to buy — luckily, we’re here to help.
Best overall
LIFX Color
Staff pick
LIFX bulbs can be controlled remotely by Alexa without the need for a hub — the bulbs connect directly to Wi-Fi. The LIFX Color supports 16 million colors and is available with threading for either A19 or BR30 lighting fixtures. It’s also the brightest and most vibrant bulb of the bunch. Put that all together, and the LIFX Color is our top recommendation.
$44 at Amazon
Most popular
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance
Philips Hue’s new range of smart bulbs has built-in Bluetooth so you can control your lights without a hub. But to use them with an Amazon Echo, you’ll still need a Hue Bridge. The most significant advantage of Philips Hue bulbs is its support for a broad ecosystem of accessories. You can easily add motion sensors or smart switches to your home setup.
$47 at Amazon
Affordable bulb
Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED
Sengled’s smart bulb connects directly to your Wi-Fi without the need for a hub. It also works with Amazon Alexa to let you turn off or dim the lights, choose from 16 million colors, and change to different scenes and routines with your voice. It reaches up to 800 lumens, and costs significantly less than other options from LIFX and Philips Hue.
$22 at Amazon
From batteries to bulbs
Eufy Lumos White & Color by Anker
Anker may be known for its battery packs and charging accessories, but the company also makes smart bulbs under the Eufy brand. Like options from LIFX and Philips Hue, the White & Color displays 16 million colors and outputs up to 800 lumens. Of course, it works with Amazon Alexa without a hub and can sync with your music for interesting lighting effects.
$17 at Amazon
White-only bulb
Wyze Bulb
The Wyze Bulb isn’t as bright as the LIFX Color at just 800 lumens, nor will it change to any crazy vibrant colors. But for nearly a quarter of the price, it offers a lot of bang for your buck. You can control the Wyze Bulb through Alexa without any hub, adjusting brightness and color temperature, and Wyze even offers a motion sensor that attaches to your doorframe.
$12 at Amazon
Great for desk lamps
LIFX Mini Color
The LIFX Mini Color is an excellent alternative to the standard LIFX Color if you only need to replace the bulb in a desk lamp or any other small fixture. It’s dimmer than its larger counterpart at just 800 lumens, but otherwise nearly identical in functionality, with the same 16 million colors and hub-free compatibility with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant.
$30 at Amazon
Voice assistance is a crucial feature for smart bulbs
Being able to control your lights using your voice is easily one of the most compelling parts of owning smart bulbs. Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant is compatible with a wide range of bulbs from companies like LIFX, Philips Hue, and Eufy by Anker. And for the most part, each bulb is remarkably similar in functionality.
You can expect that just about any bulb capable of displaying both white and color will connect to voice assistants like Alexa. And they will allow you to dim or change the color of your bulbs with a simple command. If it were our money, we’d recommend LIFX’s Color bulb, which is brighter and more vibrant than any other light in this list. Of course, it works without the need for a hub, as well.
If you plan on outfitting your house with accessories like motion sensors, however, you’re better off buying the White and Color Ambiance bulb from Philips Hue, which supports a much more extensive range of both first- and third-party accessories. Lastly, shoppers on a tight budget should strongly consider options like the Wyze Bulb; it won’t change colors, but you can at least dim it and adjust the temperature of white it outputs from the convenience of your Echo speaker.
