Highlights in LED Technology: Year 2024

LED light strips are a great way to illuminate your home while filling it with color and fun. Whether you want to add a splash of color to your work or entertainment space or take your gaming setup to the next level, here are some of the best LED light strips you can purchase.

• 
  
  Razer

Razer Chroma Light Strip Expansion Kit

Best Overall
$70 at Amazon

• 
  
  Nanoleaf

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip

Best Budget
$40 at Amazon

• 
  
  Corsair

CORSAIR RGB LED Lighting PRO Strip Kit

Best for Gaming
$30 at Amazon

• 
  
  Govee

Govee RGBIC LED Permanent Outdoor Lights

Best Outdoor LED Strip Light
$190 at Amazon

• 
  
  Philips

Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus

Best for Behind the TV
$67 at Amazon

Best LED Strip Light Overall: Razer Chroma Light Strip Expansion Kit

Razer

If you want the best of the best, the Razer Chroma Light Strip Expansion Kit is a great choice. This light strip package features 120 individually addressable LEDs that offer spectacular RGB lighting. The kit includes one 100cm 60 LED light strip and two 50cm 30 LED light strips, as well as three individual controllers.

To achieve the ultimate gaming setup, you can place the Razer Chroma Light Strip Expansion Kit around your desk, on the back of your monitor, or wherever you like. This LED strip light offers universal compatibility with any ARGB device and is easy to expand since it supports daisy-chaining.

The Razer Chroma Light Strip Expansion Kit is expensive, but you’ll find that every cent you spend on it is worthwhile.

Razer Chroma Light Strip Expansion Kit

Best Overall

$70$80 Save $10

Versatile, luminous, and durable: the Razer Chroma Light Strip Expansion Kit is everything you could want from an LED light strip. The kit boasts three LED strip lights and all the wall-mounting essentials you could need, guaranteeing that the ideal light setup is just one purchase away.

Pros

• Easily expandable
• Quality construction
• Features three individual LED strips

Cons

• Expensive
• Requires an RGB hub

$70 at Amazon

Best Budget LED Strip Light: Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip

Nanoleaf

With Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant compatibility, the Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip works with other smart home products. You can control the lights via Bluetooth, or via the included controller.

You can expand the strip up to 10 meters if you like. However, the starter kit is ideal since it’s budget-friendly. With customizable lighting, you can add dynamic scenes or mirror the lights from your TV or monitor.

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip

Best Budget

$40$50 Save $10

This affordable lighting solution offers seamless compatibility with all major smart home ecosystems and fantastic color customizability. The Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip’s combination of quality and affordability makes it the smart pick for anyone lighting their home on a budget.

Pros

• Affordable
• Fantastic color versatility
• Compatible with major smart home ecosystems

Cons

• App connectivity is sometimes spotty

$40 at Amazon

Best LED Strip Light for Gaming: CORSAIR RGB LED Lighting PRO Strip Kit

CORSAIR

If you’re looking to upgrade the inside or outside of your PC with some cool RGB lighting, the CORSAIR RGB LED Lighting PRO Strip Kit is a great choice. Four light strips are included, with 10 individually addressable LEDs on each strip.

When you combine the PRO strips with a CORSAIR Commander controller, you can adjust the colors of the LEDs on the fly. CORSAIR’s iCUE software allows you to do this seamlessly, even allowing you to sync the lights to match your other peripherals.

The CORSAIR RGB LED Lighting PRO Strips are incredibly easy to use thanks to their built-in mounting tape backings and magnetic fasteners. Once you plug them into your CORSAIR iCUE controller and set them up, you’re all set to use your PC in style.

CORSAIR RGB LED Lighting PRO Strip Kit

Best for Gaming

$30$45 Save $15

The CORSAIR ecosystem of products excels in vibrancy and ease of use, and the CORSAIR RGB LED Lighting PRO Strip Kit is no exception. These affordable strips are ideal for lighting up your PC, provided that you’re up to the challenge of installing a CORSAIR LED controller.

Pros

• Affordable
• Vibrant and highly customizable color
• Easy to mount

Cons

• Requires an RGB connector
• Installation requires minor tech know-how

$30 at Amazon

Best Outdoor LED Strip Light: Govee RGBIC LED Permanent Outdoor Lights

Govee

The Govee RGBIC LED Permanent Outdoor Lights are equally festive and subtle, but their most outstanding quality is their durability. These strip lights are designed to withstand harsh external elements like moisture and dust while still falling within a comfortable price point for most buyers.

Once you’ve mounted the strip light to your home, there’s no need to take it down like Christmas lights—the light can be turned on or off with just one click on the Govee app. You can create an atmosphere around your home by picking colors or brighten your home up year-round with warm white or cold white settings.

Govee RGBIC LED Permanent Outdoor Lights

Best Outdoor LED Strip Light

Luminous, fun, and inviting are just a few choice terms to describe the Govee RGBIC LED Permanent Outdoor Lights. These fantastically durable fixtures come at an affordable price point and make the perfect addition to any home, whether they’ll be used for year-round brightening or festive decoration.

Pros

• Suitable for year-round use
• Fantastic color variety
• Available in 32ft, 66ft, or 98ft varieties

Cons

• Not expandable, each light strip requires a separate outlet

$190 at Amazon

Best LED Strip Light for Behind the TV: Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus

Philips

Generating light at 1600 lumens, it’s easy to lighten up your workstation or gaming area with the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus . You’ll get six feet of light to work with, which is expandable up to 32 feet. In addition, you can cut the light strips to suit your requirements.

Although the adhesive could be stronger, the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus is easy to install. You can wrap the strip around walls, attach it to the back of your TV, and so on. You can control the lights using your smartphone or voice assistant. There are multiple colors to choose from, with different tones of light or RGB.

Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus

Best for Behind the TV

$67$100 Save $33

No line of lighting products is better known for quality than Philips Hue, and that reputation holds true for the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus. This LED strip light’s subtle design, fantastic durability, and easy app control make it the ideal option for installation behind a TV—once you’ve set it up, it’s sure to last.

Pros

• Has a known reputation for quality
• Easy to install and expand
• Seamless app support

Cons

• Expensive
• Requires hub

$67 at Amazon

FAQ

Q: Do LED strip lights use a lot of electricity?

LED strip lights consume a miniscule amount of energy, especially when compared to incandescent bulbs. The LEDs are extremely efficient at converting energy to light rather than heat. Estimates suggest that the average LED strip light consumes as little as 10 to 20 watts per hour.

Q: How do I connect LED strip lights?

Most LED strip lights feature easy-to-use connectors. One connector will feature a socket, while the other will feature a prong. Before connecting the two strips, you should attach the socket to the wall while leaving a minimal amount of slack. By connecting the prong to the socket when it is already mounted, you will ensure that your LED strip light is perfectly positioned.

Q: Is it alright to leave LED strip lights on all night?

It’s okay to leave reputable LED strip lights on all night. LED light strips generally draw little power and produce little heat, as they’re produced to run constantly without overheating. Some poorly constructed LED light strips may get hot when allowed to run for long periods of time, in which case turning them off overnight (or replacing them) is ideal.

Q: Do LED strip lights get hot?

LED strip lights don’t get significantly warmer than the ambient room temperature when allowed to run for long periods of time. LED lights are far more efficient at turning energy into light than incandescent lights. As a result, it’s uncommon for LED strip lights to get hotter than 122°F.

Q: Can I put LED strip lights on wood?

You can put LED strip lights on wood, but the sticky side of LED light strips doesn’t adhere well to wood. You should use a stronger adhesive or light strip mounts to ensure that the light strip doesn’t fall down. LEDs generally don’t run hot enough to present a serious fire hazard, and if you’re concerned, you can use a timer to force the LEDs to occasionally turn off and cool down.