TL;DR: Smart plugs and bulbs both under $20 offer easy smart home entry, but smart plugs win for versatility across multiple appliances - buy the smart plug first.
Want to start a smart home but not sure where to begin? The two lowest-barrier entry points are the smart plug and the smart bulb. Both cost under $20, both take minutes to set up, and both work with voice assistants right out of the box.
But which one gives you more value as your first purchase?
What is a smart plug?
A smart plug goes between your wall outlet and any appliance, letting you control power remotely via app or voice assistant (Google Home, Alexa, Siri). It adds timer and scheduling capabilities to any "dumb" device — fans, heaters, humidifiers, lamps, you name it.
The killer feature is making existing appliances smart without replacing them.
See our smart plug review for the full story.
What is a smart bulb?
A smart bulb replaces your existing light bulb, giving you remote control over brightness, color temperature, and sometimes 16 million RGB colors. It's purpose-built for lighting automation — things like "dim to warm at 11 PM" or "gradually brighten at 7 AM as a wake-up light."
Check out our smart bulb review for details.
How do smart plugs and bulbs compare?
| Feature | Smart Plug | Smart Bulb |
|---|---|---|
| Main function | Remote on/off for any appliance | Remote lighting with dimming/color |
| Scope | Any plug-in device | Lighting only |
| Setup | Plug into outlet | Replace bulb |
| Dimming | No (on/off only) | Yes |
| Color change | No | Yes (model dependent) |
| Power monitoring | Yes (some models) | No |
| Price range | $8~20 | $10~30 |
| Voice assistant | Google/Alexa/Siri | Google/Alexa/Siri |
Which smart device should you choose first?
Start with a smart plug if you
- Want to automate existing appliances (fans, heaters)
- Often forget to turn things off when leaving
- Want to monitor power consumption
- Prioritize versatility over lighting features
Start with a smart bulb if you
- Want to control room ambiance through lighting
- Like the idea of a sunrise wake-up light
- Want RGB color options for mood lighting
- Already have a smart plug
What's the final recommendation?
Smart plugs offer versatility; smart bulbs offer lighting specialization.
For your first smart home device, I'd recommend starting with a smart plug. It works with any appliance, so the use cases are endless: "auto-off the fan when I leave," "kill the heater at midnight." Those small automations make a surprisingly big difference.
Once you've tasted automation, add a smart bulb for lighting ambiance. Both are under $20, so there's no reason you can't have both eventually.
What other smart devices should you consider?
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