We Tried a Bunch of Smart Plugs. These Are the Ones We Liked Best.

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Adding a few inexpensive smart plugs around your home can help increase security, save energy, and make everyday living more convenient. An open outlet and a smartphone are all you need to gain remote control of everything from fans and lighting fixtures to coffee makers and other small appliances.

While most smart plugs look the same, you can’t count on their compatibility with your smart home platform of choice. Another differentiating factor is performance, as a smart plug is only as good as the app that supports it.

That’s why we got our hands on some of the best smart plugs out there to see how they compare in terms of features, ease of setup, and overall design. Read on for our top recommendations, plus tips on the best ways to use smart plugs and shopping advice to consider before you buy.

Looking for more smart home devices and gadgets? Check out our stories on the best smart locks and smart bulbs.

The Best Smart Plugs

• Best Overall: Kasa Smart Plug Mini 4-Pack

• Best Value: Kasa Smart Plug 2-Pack

• Best for Lighting: Lutron Caseta Smart Plug

• Best for Alexa Users: Amazon Smart Plug

• Most Universally Compatible: TP-Link Tapo Smart Plug with Matter

What to Consider

Bettering home security and monitoring energy consumption are perhaps the most common reasons people initially seek out smart plugs. But once these handy gadgets are in your possession, figuring out creative ways to use them is sure to follow.

To kick off brainstorming, think of all the appliances and gadgets that would be helpful to automatically turn on or charge before you open your eyes or get home: a coffee maker, your hair straightener, a heated blanket, a Crockpot. Likewise, think of what you might want to power down or switch off for safety after you fall asleep or leave the house.

Another great way to use smart plugs is to control electronics that are physically out of reach—things like an attic fan or ductless air conditioner may be contenders, or modems set on a high shelf or under the sofa that need occasional restarting.

Compatibility

As mentioned above, it’s essential that the smart plug you buy is compatible with your smart home setup. Not all work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit—or not yet, anyway, though there are up-and-coming universal standards. One of the smart plugs we cover below, the TP-Link Tapo, features that universal standard.

Power

Take stock of everything in your house you want to connect to determine how many amps you need for each appliance or device you want to connect, because every smart plug has a limit. For gadgets and smaller appliances, you’ll probably be fine with a plug that caps off at 10 or 12 amps. For large appliances like air conditioners or space heaters, it’s best to buy a smart plug with 15 amps or more.

App Features

It’s also imperative that the smart plug app is intuitive and offers features that meet your needs, including things like scheduling and Away Mode. We checked out the apps for the smart plugs we tried out to ensure the user interface is easy to understand and use.

How We Tested

We dug into our own smart home expertise and consulted colleague Stefan Vazharov, who has reviewed smart plugs for Best Products (another Hearst publication) to inform our initial research. Then we called in samples of the latest smart plug models available from top brands, such as Kasa, Lutron, Amazon, Wemo (made by Belkin), and Wyze.

After unboxing each and noting first impressions of overall quality and clarity of instructions, we got to work to see how each measured up, taking into account metrics like compatibility, user experience, power, size, and aesthetics. Our final selection represents the best smart plugs in each category, which include the best overall and the best bang for your buck, along with specific use cases such as the best smart plugs for lighting and power strips.

Smart Plug Mini with Energy Monitoring (4-Pack)

Kasa’s app is its calling card, as it has an intuitive, user-friendly interface that’s easy to set up and makes scheduling a snap. It also consistently performs well and includes an energy-monitoring feature that helps you track the connected device’s real-time and past energy consumption.

The app’s homepage gives you a visual on all the connected devices and appliances in your home, and there are cute icons for customization. As an alternative, we love that you can also snap pics of your bedside lamp or coffee maker to keep the app organized.

This smart plug four-pack is our best overall pick for all those reasons—plus you can’t beat the value at roughly $12.50 per plug. There’s no physical hub required, and setup is easy, plus the Mini is compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit.

Smart Plug (2-Pack)

This Kasa smart plug is slightly larger than our best overall pick, and the two-pack is an excellent value at about $10 per plug (when it’s not discounted).

Although it lacks the Mini’s energy-monitoring feature and isn’t compatible with Apple HomeKit, it pairs with the same reliable, user-friendly Kasa app as the Kasa plugs we tested. It also doesn’t require a hub for set up, so there’s no extra cost.

Caseta Smart Plug

If you’re in the market for a smart plug that specifically controls lighting, this one is your best bet. Unlike other smart plugs, the Lutron Caseta allows you to dim the lights in your house—rather than simply turn them on or off—and easily adjusts lighting to seasons.

The Lutron app is as intuitive as the Kasa app and perhaps even more sophisticated given the nature of its functionality. However, the interface isn’t as much fun to use as Kasa’s.

Another highlight is that it works with Apple HomeKit, in addition to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, plus other smart home products and devices, including the Ring video doorbell camera and the Sonos home sound system.

The smart plug comes with a remote, but using it requires a Lutron Smart Bridge, which might be a dealbreaker for some.

Smart Plug

If you live in an Alexa smart home, there’s really no reason to buy any other smart plug than this one. Everything about it—from setting it up to scheduling routines, timers, and other functions—works seamlessly through the Alexa app. Plus, it’s fairly compact and handles up to 15 amps, so you can use it with appliances that require more energy.

Tapo Matter-Compatible Smart Plug

Among other favorable attributes, TP-Link’s Tapo smart plug is great buy because it supports Matter, a universal smart home protocol that connects devices across all platforms, making them compatible with each other. Another huge plus: Anything connected to this smart plug continues to work even if you’re offline because Matter uses a mesh network technology called Thread, so devices communicate locally as opposed to via the cloud.

The simple design and compact size are also highlights, and we appreciate that this smart plug comes with a two-year warranty. Like other smart plugs we cover, scheduling happens through the app and there are special settings like away mode. You can’t beat the price, plus it’s available in value packs and with other related TP-Link devices.

The only drawback is that, while the Tapo app allows you to group several smart plugs together, if you want to set a schedule, you need to do so for each individual plug—hopefully something Tapo fixes in future updates.

Smart Plug Power Strip

Here’s another highly rated smart plug from Kasa that’s well worth considering if you need a power strip. While it may be relatively pricey compared to others here, you get what you pay for—and this thing delivers.

Along with surge protection, it has six smart outlets, three USB ports for charging phones, tablets, and laptops, and it allows you to monitor energy for each plug. Plus, it has all the benefits of other Kasa products, including reliability and a great app.

The three-prong plug’s slim profile keeps it flush with the wall, which is a nice design detail for any surge protector, and the smart strip works with Alexa and Google Assistant, though not Siri.

Outdoor Smart Plug

Kasa’s outdoor smart plug works brilliantly for everything from swimming pool pumps to driveway lighting to sprinkler systems.

It’s weather-resistant—though not waterproof—and has a Wi-Fi range of 300 feet. Plus you can control the outlets individually and each can handle up to 15 amps. It comes with all the perks of other Kasa products, including easy set up, a user-friendly app, and a reliable connection.

It supports Alexa and Google Assistant, but not Apple HomeKit.

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