Best LED Strip Lights 2024: Tested Picks to Add Style to Your Bedroom, Living Room, Kitchen, and More
Light up your space with our pick of the best LED strip lights
Available in a range of bright, usually user-customizable colors, the best LED strip lights can enliven your space with their colorful, ambient illumination. They can help light your kitchen cabinets, television surrounds, or car interiors, but they can even elevate your TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram videos.
Our picks have been carefully selected after some meticulous research on manufacturer websites, checking out customer reviews and data sheets, along with conducting our own rigorous testing. Our method involved cutting the strips to a range of different lengths, attaching them to various surfaces (such as cabinets and television surrounds), and then testing each feature via their remote or smartphone app connectivity. We played around with their different colors, lighting patterns, general brightness settings, and even voice-command control when the lights offered that option.
Toward the bottom of the page, you will find our brief buying guide, illuminating the key features and elements to focus on when searching for the best LED lights. However, if you already know what you’re in the market for, you can skip straight ahead to our round-up.
Best LED strip lights: At a glance
| Best LED strip lights under $50 | Tapo TP-Link RGBWIC Smart Light Strip (~$37) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best Philips Hue LED strip lights | Philips Hue Smart Lightstrip (~$65) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best LED strip lights for kitchens | Wobane Under Cabinet Lighting Kit (~$31) | Check price at Amazon |
The best LED strip lights you can buy in 2024
1. Tapo TP-Link RGBWIC Smart Light Strip: Best LED strip lights under $50
Price when reviewed: $37 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… a large variety of colours, home hub compatibility
- Not so great for… those wanting a cheaper option
The Tapo TP-Link Smart Light Strip is an incredibly well-rounded LED lighting kit. It’s easy to install – with strong adhesive backing tape, robust connectors, and a dedicated controller – while the companion smartphone app is quick to set up and intuitive to use.
The LEDs are super bright, punchy, and – once they’ve connected to the app – can be set to your choice of 16 million different colors. Unlike some LED strip lights, the Tapo light lets you display more than one color at a time. There are a number of themes already built-in, or you can use the color painting option to create your own custom patterns. It even offers effects, including the ability to sync to music. Of course, for more neutral settings, you can precisely dial in the color temperature of the white light to match against the ambient lighting in the room.
These smart lights can be scheduled and synced with other TP-Link devices and then controlled via Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit, without the need for an additional hub.
Key specs – Total pack length: 16.4ft; Self-adhesive backing: Yes; Color: User selectable multicolored; Dimmable: Yes; Remote control: No; App control: Yes
2. Govee LED Smart Wi-Fi App Strip Lights: Best budget app-controlled LED strip lights
Price when reviewed: $25 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… budget-friendly, app controlled
- Not so great for… not the brightest
Govee’s smart LED strip light takes everything we love about its standard LED strip – a competitively priced, no-fuss, lighting solution with wireless control – and adds app support. Once paired with your smartphone, you’re able to control the brightness, color temperature, color combination, and even have the lights pulse in sync with your music.
In addition, the lights are compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for voice-controlled operation.
Key specs – Total pack length: 16.4ft; Self-adhesive backing: Yes; Color: User selectable multicolored; Dimmable: Yes; Remote control: No; App control: Yes
3. Philips Hue Smart Light Strip: Best Philips Hue LED strip lights
Price when reviewed: $65 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… use with a Hue home system
- Not so great for… those on a budget
While Philips’ Hue Light Strip is certainly pricey, if you’re already invested in the Hue ecosystem then this strip is the obvious choice. The base kit contains a 6ft Hue Light Strip, a mains adapter, and a Hue connector. Once you’re set up with the base kit, extra Hue Light Strip Extension strips can be added on using the Hue connector.
The lights can be controlled using the Philips Hue app, over Bluetooth, or by voice control using Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit. There are 16 million color options available, along with color temperature and dimming options and, being a Hue light, they will integrate seamlessly into any existing Hue system.
Key specs – Total pack length: 6ft; Self-adhesive backing: Yes; Color options: User selectable multicolored; Dimmable: Yes; Remote control: No; App control: Yes
4. Wobane Under Cabinet Lighting Kit: Best LED strip lights for kitchens
Price when reviewed: $31 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… a more subdued option
- Not so great for… no app control
Most of the LED strip lights in this lineup are fairly flashy, but if you’re after something a little more restrained and tasteful, this kit from Wobane may be the perfect fit. It includes six 20in LED strip lights, along with a variety of connectors to allow you to arrange them in your desired pattern. These lights are ideal for installing under kitchen counters and cabinets, along shelves or inside cupboards.
While they’re limited to a single color – these strips are available in warm white, bright white, or natural white – the included remote still allows you to control the brightness and set illumination timers.
Key specs – Total pack length: 9.8ft; Self-adhesive backing: Yes; Color: Warm white, bright white, or natural white; Dimmable: Yes; Remote control: Yes; App control: No
5. Foeska USB LED Strip Lights: Best budget USB LED strip lights
Price when reviewed: $14 (6.56ft) | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… versatility, runs from a USB-port
- Not so great for… needing lots of length
This may not be the longest light strip in our round-up but it’s one of the most versatile. Rather than requiring mains power, this strip from Foeska can be run directly from a standard USB port, which means it can easily be set up next to a PC or a games console, behind your television, or even in your car. If there’s no USB port within easy reach, it can even be powered using a USB power bank.
The strip features 16 different color options selected via wireless remote along with several multicolored modes. And, if you do need a longer strip, there is a 9.84ft length available for very little extra.
Key specs – Total pack length: 3.28ft; Self-adhesive backing: Yes; Color: 16 colors to select; Dimmable: Yes; Remote control: Yes; App control: No
6. Elgato Light Strip: Best LED strip lights for video makers and streamers
Price when reviewed: $50 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… content creators, flicker-free and super bright
- Not so great for… not the most affordable option for general purpose
Elgato’s Light Strip is aimed squarely at YouTube video makers, Twitch streamers, and social media content creators on Tik Tok, Instagram, or Snapchat.
At 2,000 lumens, it’s the brightest LED strip light we’ve tested, and it offers up punchy, saturated color that’s ideal for video and live stream backgrounds. Crucially for content creators, the lights are flicker-free on camera, allowing you to avoid any distracting strobing effects that can occur while filming with cheaper lights.
Elgato’s Control Center app gives you full control over the brightness and color of the strip – with 16 million different colors, as well as a clean white light mode with adjustable cool-to-warm white balance – from any device, even via Stream Deck. If you’re looking for a general all-purpose light then there are more affordable options out there, but if you need something bright and flicker-free for video and streaming, Elgato’s Light Strip is worth paying the premium.
Key specs – Total pack length: 6.5ft; Self-adhesive backing: Yes; Color: User selectable multicolored; Dimmable: Yes; Remote control: No; App control: Yes
How to choose the best LED strip lights for you
How easy are LED strip lights to install?
Installation couldn’t be simpler. The flexible nature of LED strip lights means you can shape them to a wide range of environments, and their adhesive backing allows you to stick them to just about anything and anywhere, from the floor to the ceiling. The backing should be strong enough to give you a secure, long-lasting fit, but will still let you remove the strip later, if needed.
Can you control, dim, or change the color of LED strip lights?
The amount of control you’ll have over the strip light varies from model to model, but even the most basic types generally offer some control over the color and intensity. On more budget-friendly options, this control is usually handled via a dedicated remote, while the more premium strip lights will be able to offer more advanced wireless control via a companion smartphone app, or even voice control via Alexa or Google Assistant.
Can you combine LED strip lights?
Most LED strip lights have connection cutting points that allow you to trim the strip down to the size you need but, should you need a longer run of lights, it’s usually possible to combine multiple strips by using a compatible connector. Many manufacturers sell strip extension kits that are compatible with their strip lights, allowing you to extend the length of your strip without having to buy an entirely new kit; however, you generally can’t mix and match strips from different manufacturers.
