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Aug 04, 2023

Best smart plugs 2023: Google, Alexa and Apple HomeKit control of your home

Our guide to the best smart plugs money can buy. The best plugs to control your devices from your phone, with scheduling, remote control, and more. Some smart home devices can make you wonder how you

Our guide to the best smart plugs money can buy. The best plugs to control your devices from your phone, with scheduling, remote control, and more.

Some smart home devices can make you wonder how you ever lived without them. Watching a robot vacuum cleaner tidying your house for you is truly like living in the future and may give you the urge to make more of your home a little smarter.

The trouble is, a lot of the devices in our homes don't have any smart capabilities built in. Thankfully, you can make many dumb devices a little smarter with just one simple gadget: a smart plug.

Smart plugs allow you to remotely control the power so that you can turn a device on or off with just a tap of your smartphone. Not only that, but you can create schedules for your smart plugs, so that your espresso machine will power on at the same time each morning and you can wake up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, or you can turn lamps on and off when you aren't home.

If you're ready to make your home a little smarter, then here are some of the best smart plugs available right now.

A great smart plug for any use

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini is compatible with Alexa, Google Home, and IFTTT, and can be controlled via app on Android or iOS. It also offers energy monitoring to track your usage.

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini with Energy Monitoring is compatible with popular smart home systems such as Alexa, Google Home, as well as automation services such as IFTTT. Although it's not Apple HomeKit compatible, if you're an iPhone user, you can still control your smart plugs through the Kasa app.

The smart plug also includes energy monitoring. This allows you track how much energy the device that you've plugged into your smart plug is using. It's useful to determine which devices are using the most power; you can then use the smart plug to set up a schedule for these devices to ensure that they're only on when you need them. There is a more expensive TP-Link Kasa smart plug that offers Apple HomeKit integration also, if needed.

Ideal for Apple HomeKit integration

If you're all-in on the Apple ecosystem, then the Wemo Smart Plug with Thread will work seamlessly with HomeKit, thanks to Thread compatibility.

If you're an Apple HomeKit user, then the Wemo Smart Plug with Thread is a great option. Thread is a smart home communication protocol that is designed to allow different smart devices to communicate with each other. This allows the Wemo smart plug to be controlled using the Home app on your iPhone, or even by Siri voice commands. You'll need an Apple TV 4K or an Apple HomePod to act as a Thread border router.

Setting up your Wemo smart plug is also incredibly easy. All you need to do is tap your unlocked iPhone on the smart plug, and thanks to the magic of NFC, the set-up will commence. Follow the on-screen instructions and your smart plug will be connected to HomeKit quickly and easily. You can also control the smart plug over Bluetooth if you don't have any devices that support Thread.

Perfect integration with Alexa

Amazon's own smart plug is perfect for controlling your smart plug with your voice via Alexa. You can also set up routines and schedules through the Alexa app.

If you have Amazon Echo devices and are looking for a smart plug that you can easily control with your voice, then you can't go far wrong with the Amazon Smart Plug. It's quick and easy to set up through the Alexa app but is designed to work exclusively with Alexa. This means that whilst it will work seamlessly with your Echo devices, you won't be able to control the plug with Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit.

As well as being able to control your plug with your voice via Alexa, you can also set up routines and schedules in the Alexa app. So, for example, you could set up a routine to turn on your Christmas tree lights and play Christmas music on your Echo with just a single voice command.

A versatile Matter-compatible smart plug

The TP-Link Tapo Smart Plug Mini uses the Matter protocols meaning that it is compatible with a wide range of services including Google Home, Alexa, and Apple HomeKit.

For some reason, TP-Link offers smart home devices under a variety of sub-brands. This means that you can find TP-Link Kasa smart plugs, and also TP-Link Tapo smart plugs, all from the same parent company. This smart plug supports Matter, which is a communication protocol that runs on Thread, and means that the smart plug is compatible with Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, and more.

Another benefit of Matter is that the smart plug can communicate without needing to be connected to the internet, so even if your Wi-Fi goes down, you can still control your smart plug. Local control also reduces the risk of bad actors gaining access to your smart plug.

A great value smart plug for most needs

A low-cost smart plug that works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT, or can be controlled via a smartphone app.

If you're looking for a low-cost Wi-Fi smart plug, then the Wyze plug may be just what you need. It's compatible with Alexa, Google Home, and IFTTT and whilst there's no HomeKit support, the smart plug can be controlled via the Wyze app from any smartphone.

You can set custom schedules through the app and group multiple plugs together so that you can control them all with a single tap. It's also possible to control your smart plug remotely, even when you're not at home. If you want to give smart plugs a try, at this price you can't go far wrong.

Ideal for turning lamps into smart lights

If you already have some Philips Hue lights, this smart plug allows you to add any lamp with a plug to your set up and control it through the Hue app.

If you already own some Philips Hue lights, you may quickly become frustrated with having to still control some of your lights manually. Adding a smart plug to your lamps allows you to power them on and off remotely, but a Philips Hue smart plug takes things one step further.

That's because a Philips Hue smart plug allows you to control your smart plug via the Philips Hue bridge and power it on and off as it were any other Philips Hue light in your home. It means that you can control all of your lights from one app, even those lamps that don't fit the range of Philips Hue bulbs. What's more, since the smart plug uses the Zigbee communication protocol, it will act as a repeater, passing on control signals to other Philips Hue devices in your home where the signal might otherwise be weaker.

A great smart plug for local control

If you don't like the idea of using cloud-based accounts to control your smart plugs, the Shelly Plus Plug allows you to take complete local control of your plugs, even if you're not connected to the internet.

One issue with many of the smart plugs on this list is that they require the use of cloud-based accounts. Your commands from your app are sent over the internet into the cloud, where they are processed, and the relevant commands are sent back to the smart plug. This means that there is a risk that your account could be compromised, and other people could take control of your smart plugs. Whilst unlikely, the consequences could be serious.

The Shelly Plus plug removes this risk by offering the ability to control the plug completely locally, without needing to use any cloud-based accounts. Even if you're not connected to the internet, you can still control your smart plug without issue, and no one can hijack your smart plug from outside your network. It also makes the Shelly Plus a good choice for local home automation when combined with software such as Home Assistant. The smart plug can still be used with a cloud account if you wish, however, and is compatible with Google Home and Alexa.

If you're looking for a smart plug that can do pretty much everything you could want, then the TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini is our top choice. It's compatible with Google Home, Alexa, and IFTTT, and although it's not directly HomeKit compatible, you can control it via the Kasa app from your iPhone or iPad. On top of that, it offers energy monitoring to help you keep track of your power usage. If you're looking for a low-cost smart plug without any bells or whistles, then the Wyze smart plug will do a good job.

A great smart plug for any use

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini is compatible with Alexa, Google Home, and IFTTT, and can be controlled via app on Android or iOS. It also offers energy monitoring to track your usage.

When selecting this list, I tried to ensure a good mix of smart plugs that were compatible with various popular smart home systems, such as Apple HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home. I also aimed to choose plugs that would work with kit that people may already have, such as Echo devices, or Apple HomePods.

Finally, I wanted to ensure that I included a range of communication protocols such as Zigbee, Wi-Fi, and Matter.

If you're looking for a smart plug, there are a few things you'll need to bear in mind to ensure that the plug is compatible with your home.

Most smart plugs offer their own dedicated apps that you can use to turn your smart plug on or off, set up schedules for when to turn on or off, or even to monitor how much energy the device connected to the smart plug is using. Some plugs, such as the Wemo smart plug in this list, will only work with a specific smart home app, such as Apple Home.

Most smart plugs will also offer the ability to control the power using a voice assistant such as Alexa or Siri.

Different smart plugs are compatible with different voice assistants. Whilst some smart plugs will work with all the major voice assistants, many will not be compatible with them all. You should look for a smart plug that explicitly states that it is compatible with the voice assistant that you use, such as Alexa, Google Home, or Siri.

There are a number of different ways that your smart plug may communicate with other smart home devices. Many smart plugs use Wi-Fi and can be controlled via an app, even if you're away from home. Some smart plugs use different communication protocols such as Z-Wave or Zigbee which will often require a dedicated hub. There are also smart plugs that use the Thread protocol; these can be controlled from a device such as an Apple TV 4K or an Apple HomePod.

You should be aware of the communication protocol that your smart plug uses before you make your purchase; if you buy a Zigbee smart plug, for example, then you may find that you need to purchase an additional hub to make it work. If in doubt, a Wi-Fi smart plug is the safest bet.

Adam joined the Pocket-lint team as a Feature writer in 2023. He has a passion for all things tech and frequently loses hours of his life tinkering with his home automation setup.