Of all the different smart home gadgets out there, smart plugs might be our favorite. Having the ability to add connectivity and smart features to practically anything that plugs into the wall is fantastic. We use smart plugs to control fans, space heaters, coffee makers, exercise equipment, and even things outdoors like landscape lighting. The possibilities are endless, but which smart plugs should you get? The expert product reviewers at BGR tested almost 100 different models to find you the best smart plugs for your needs.
Our top picks
- Best overall: Kasa EP10 Smart Plug Ultra Mini
- Best cheap smart plugs: Govee Smart Plug
- Best outdoor smart plug: TP-Link Tapo P400M Outdoor Smart Plug
- Best Siri-enabled smart plug: TP-Link Tapo P125 Apple Home Smart Plug Mini
- Best Matter-enabled smart plug: meross Matter Smart Plug
We’ve covered all the bases, and you can’t go wrong with any of those smart plugs. If you want to learn more about what makes each option so good, you’ll find our quick reviews down below.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Voice control: Kasa smart plugs that work with Alexa and Google Home Assistant. Enjoy the hands free convenience of controlling any home electronic appliances with your voice via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant
Easy set up and use: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection required. Plug in, open the Kase app, follow the simple instructions and enjoy
Scheduling: Use timer or countdown schedules set your smart plug to automatically turn on and off any home electronic appliances such as lamps, fan, humidifier, Christmas lights etc.
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Shop Now Pros: Affordable, compact design, great app, easy to set up, reliable
Cons: Doesn’t support Matter or Apple Home
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Out of nearly 100 different smart plugs that we’ve tested over the past decade, the Kasa EP10 Smart Plug Ultra Mini is by far the best one.
For those unaware, Kasa is a smart home spinoff brand from TP-Link. Needless to say, TP-Link is known far and wide for making high-quality networking gear, and it has been around for nearly 30 years.
The same great quality that we’ve come to expect from TP-Link can also be found in Kasa smart home products. And that’s definitely true of the Kasa EP10 smart plugs, which are our favorites and the ones we use personally here at BGR.
These ultra-compact smart plugs have a great design and only take up one space in a wall outlet. That way, you can plug in two of them, or you can leave an outlet free for a power strip.
The Kasa EP10 smart plug can be controlled manually with a button on the side, but you’ll obviously spend more time in the Kasa app for iOS or Android. It’s an outstanding app that’s well-designed, and it’s easy to control all of your smart plugs from one screen. You can also create schedules, automations, and more. Plus, these smart plugs integrate with most smart home platforms like SmartThings, and they support voice control via Alexa and Google Home integration.
There’s really only one reason you shouldn’t choose these plugs over the rest of the indoor smart plugs on this list: if you need Matter or Apple Home compatibility. Otherwise, Kasa EP10 smart plugs are easily the best choice.
Kasa – Shop Now Rating: 4.5 Stars
More Stable Connectivity: Use Govee Home App to access the Smart Plug via WiFi and Bluetooth, enjoy powerful control and convenient features with wifi plug control all your home appliances and devices anywhere & anytime. Note: Don’t support 5G WiFi.
Smart Voice Control: Simply say a few words to Alexa or Google Home for true hands-free control of wifi smart outlets, meaning more time resting on the sofa, gaming and watching movies. Note: Please download Govee Home App to control wifi plugs.
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Shop Now Pros: Cheap, easy to set up, easy to use, reliable
Cons: Doesn’t support Matter or Apple Home, clunky app
Finding the best cheap smart plugs was probably the most difficult task we had in this guide. There are soooooooo many options out there, and they’re all pretty similar. In the end, we chose the Govee Smart Plug .
To be clear, this isn’t the cheapest smart plug out there… but it is the best cheap smart plug. The Govee Smart Plug retails for $7.50 each when you buy a 4-pack. While it does go on sale fairly often for even less than that, you can easily find smart plugs that cost around $3 or $4 each. Those plugs are always made by no-name Chinese brands, though, and we have trouble trusting brands like that when it comes to electricity. We would much rather spend an extra few bucks for a smart plug from Govee, a company we know very well for its high-quality lighting products.
The Govee Smart Plug is very similar to other smart plugs on the market. It works with common smart home platforms, and it also supports voice controls and automations courtesy of Alexa or Google Home. In our testing, we found that these smart plugs were easy to set up, easy to use, and they worked reliably.
You won’t get support for Apple Home, Siri, or Matter with this plug, but that should be expected. It’s also worth noting that the Govee Home app is a bit clunky.
Govee – Shop Now Rating: 4.5 Stars
【Matter: All-Round Compatibility】Matter devices work with any certified platform such as Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home & SmartThings.
【2 Independent Outlets】Two independent AC outlets allow you to control connected devices individually through your apps or home assistants.
【Long-Range WiFi Coverage】With dual antennas, the outdoor plug’s signal reaches up to 300 ft in an open field and transmits 164 ft through three concrete walls2, offering you stable connection over longer distances.
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Shop Now Pros: Weatherproof, affordable, reliable, easy to use, Matter & Siri support
Cons: We don’t like the Tapo app
We tested about a dozen different outdoor smart plugs, and the TP-Link Tapo P400M Outdoor Smart Plug was our favorite one.
Tapo is another one of TP-Link’s smart home brands, like Kasa. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why this outdoor smart plug is so impressive.
First and most importantly, the Tapo P400M is weatherproof. Needless to say, an outdoor smart plug would be pretty useless if it couldn’t get wet. It also has two individually controlled outlets, and you can seal them with built-in covers when they’re not in use.
Another thing we like about this model is its wide compatibility. Alexa and Google Home support are expected in any smart plug, but this model also supports Apple Home and Matter.
The only real downside we discovered while testing this model was the app. The Tapo app is clunky and poorly designed, which stings even worse when you consider how great TP-Link’s Kasa app is.
TP-Link Tapo – Shop Now Rating: 4.5 Stars
【Apple HomeKit Support】This Apple HomeKit compatible smart plug fully integrates into your Apple ecosystem, just ask Siri to turn on/off the devices in your home. (Apple HomeKit remote control requires an additional networked Apple device at home such as an iPad, HomePod or Apple TV.)
【App & Voice Control】Control your WiFi smart plug from anywhere, anytime via the free Tapo App or just give voice commands to Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Samsung SmartThings. Your favorite smart assistant enables you to have a truly hands-free experience.
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Shop Now Pros: Affordable, easy to use, easy to set up, Alexa & Google Home support in addition to Siri
Cons: Some people had connectivity issues
In addition to winning the outdoor smart plug category, TP-Link’s Tapo brand was also our pick for the best smart plug that works with Siri. It’s called the TP-Link Tapo P125 Apple Home Smart Plug Mini , and it’s an excellent option for all you Apple fans out there.
Just about every basic smart plug out there supports Alexa and Google Home, which makes sense because it doesn’t cost manufacturers anything to support those platforms. Apple Home support is a bit less common, which means you won’t be able to use Siri voice commands or the Apple Home app with most cheap smart plugs.
The TP-Link Tapo P125 smart plug is great because it supports all the same platforms as cheap smart plugs, plus is adds in Apple Home and Siri support without costing much more money. At full retail, these smart plugs are only $1.25 more expensive than their cheaper counterparts when you buy them in a 4-pack. Plus, they go on sale at a discount pretty often.
In user reviews, some people complained about connectivity issues where the smart plugs would drop their Wi-Fi connections. We didn’t experience anything like that in our testing. If we had to guess, it likely boils down to poor Wi-Fi coverage or a low-quality wireless router.
TP-Link Tapo – Shop Now Rating: 4.5 Stars
𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Discover the power of Matter! Never limited to any platform anymore. Matter plug works seamlessly across all certified smart home platforms such as Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, and SmartThings, enabling interoperability of all platforms and all Matter products, to easily build your Matter smart home.
𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: Track real-time power consumption and access historical data with the built-in power meter in the Matter Wi-Fi outlet via the 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽. Gain insights into usage patterns to make informed decisions and save on energy bills.
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Shop Now Pros: Matter support & support for other common platforms, affordable, compact, easy to use
Cons: Some people had connectivity issues
As is the case with Apple Home, Matter is less common in smart plugs. If you want a great option that includes Matter support, we recommend the meross Matter Smart Plug .
Matter is a universal smart home standard that is interoperable across every other major platform. For that reason, people who want to future-proof their smart home purchases should always make sure the devices support Matter. This meross plug is an excellent choice because it works great with every major smart home platform, including Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, and SmartThings.
The meross Matter Smart Plug has a design that’s nice and compact, so it only takes up one space on your outlet. For whatever reason, many other Matter smart plugs we tested were rounded, so they blocked the second plug on an outlet.
Just like the TP-Link Tapo smart plugs we covered in the previous category, some user reviews mention connectivity problems with this meross model. But even at the very edges of the Wi-Fi networks we tested, we didn’t have any problems with the smart plugs disconnecting or not responding to commands.
meross – Shop Now The post Our experts tested nearly 100 smart plugs to find the best ones appeared first on BGR .
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