Best Alternatives to Philips Hue Light Strips iMore 2021

Philips Hue's can give you everything you need with some of the best smart light bulbs, lamps, and accent lighting, but there's one place where it has some serious competition: light strips. There are tons of Philips Hue Light Strip alternatives today that cost less, offer the same colors and smart controls through HomeKit, Alexa, and Google. If you're looking to save while adding smart lighting to your home, check out these excellent Philips Hue Light Strip alternatives.

LIFX Z LED Light Strip

Best overall: LIFX LZTV1MUS Z-TV LED Light Strip

Staff Favorite

The LIFX Z-TV Smart Light Strip is easily the best choice for the best Philips Hue alternative. While shorter, this 3-foot strip has eight individual zones, so instead of a single accent color, you can paint your wall or entertainment center with multiple colors, creating all kinds of fun looks. The LIFX Z works with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant; plus, it cranks out 700 lumens of brightness with 16 million shades of whites and colors.

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip

Thread-ready: Nanoleaf Essentials 80-inch Lightstrip Starter Kit

Nanoleaf's light strip supports Bluetooth and the latest wireless connectivity standard, Thread, which offers blazing fast response times if you have a HomePod mini in your home. The Essentials strip is also extremely bright with the ability to produce up to 2,200 lumens of colorful lighting, and it works with HomeKit and the Google Assistant.

$50 at Apple
Govee H6179 Led Tv Backlights

Cost effective: Govee TV LED Backlight, 9.8 foot LED Lights for TV with App and Remote Control

Govee offers a unique light strip that gets its power from any USB port. Just plug it into your computer for quick and easy lighting for your desk or to that USB port on the back of your TV to give it a bias lighting upgrade. This light strip even features a microphone that automatically reacts to any music playing, creating an instant party.

$14 at Amazon
Cololight Strip Starter Kit

Dynamic colors: Cololight Strip 30LEDs/M 2 Meter (6.6 foot) Starter Kit Compatible with Alexa, HomeKit & Google Assistant

The Cololight Strip can display tons of neat effects with addressable zones that can make a room come to life. The six-foot, 400 lumens Cololight Strip also supports sound visualization right out of the box with flashes and pulses reacting to your tunes, games, and movies. Voice and app control through HomeKit, Alexa, and Google make this light strip a solid choice.

$60 at Amazon
Sengled Smart Led Multicolor Light Strip

Bright and colorful: Sengled Multicolor LED Strip Lights 6.56-feet

Sengled's Smart LED Multicolor Light Strip is one of the brightest strips around, with the ability to output up to 1,400 lumens of colorful goodness. This six-foot light strip uses Zigbee for wireless connectivity, just like Philips Hue, which provides high reliability, fast response times, and support for Alexa, Google, and HomeKit. Just make sure that you have the Sengled hub to make the magic happen.

Meross Led Strip Light Msl320HK

Great lengths: meross Smart LED Strip Lights Works with Apple HomeKit

The meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strip includes two colorful 16.4 foot LED strips in the box that work alone or together to create impressive light displays. It isn't all just about the length, though, as the meross light strip still matches others with millions of colors, as well as voice controls over Wi-Fi through HomeKit, Alexa, and the Google Assistant.

$42 at Amazon

Awesome alternatives

While it may be the most familiar name in smart lighting, there are plenty of Philips Hue Light Strip alternatives that are not only cheaper and just as capable, but some even go above and beyond with music detection and dynamic colors. The LIFX Z-TV Smart Light Strip is the closest to the Philips Hue strip as it sports almost identical features, brightness, and functionality. While its price is slightly higher, you will save a little without having to shell out for a separate hub.

If you're looking for a brighter smart alternative, then check out the Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip. This light strip can output a whopping 2,200 lumens of colorful lighting; plus, it works with HomeKit and the Google Assistant. Nanoleaf's strip also packs-in Thread wireless capabilities when paired with a HomePod mini, offering faster and more reliable connections over Bluetooth. Regardless of which option you go with, smart LED light strips will allow you to light your home your way.

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