Which dimmer switch is best

Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. This toggle-style dimmer switch is an easy way to upgrade any light switch in your house and control the brightness of LED, CFL, incandescent, or halogen bulbs. The Lutron Toggler Dimmer offers lighting levels, taking your lighting beyond a simple "on" or "off" setting.

Take note that no neutral wire is required when installing this dimmer switch. Flip the switch to turn the light on or off and use the small sliding lever to adjust the brightness.

Upon installation, you can also adjust the ideal dimming range. This dimmer switch is compatible with incandescent or halogen bulbs up to watts or LED and CFL bulbs up to watts. You can check the compatibility chart for this dimmer switch to double-check that it will work with your specific type of bulb.

For a cheap, effective light dimmer switch, consider this basic version from GE. Designed to work with incandescent, CFL, and LED lights, this dimmer switch utilizes a basic rocker plate and a small slider underneath that controls the brightness of your lighting fixture. Keep in mind that this single pole version is designed for lights controlled by one switch.

You will need a neutral wire to successfully install this dimmer switch. Once installed, a rocker switch turns the light on or off, while side-by-side buttons make it easy to adjust the brightness up or down. You can also double-click to turn off the light with a slow fade, making the transition easier on the eyes.

This dimmer switch for LED bulbs does not require a neutral wire and can be used with both single-pole or 3-way switch locations. Despite being extensively tested for use with LED bulbs, you can also use this dimmer switch for incandescent or halogen bulbs up to watts.

Compared to other dimmer switches for CFL bulbs, this version supports some of the highest-wattage bulbs—up to watts for CFL or LED bulbs and watts for incandescent or halogen bulbs. The switch is compatible with both single-pole or 3-way installation options and features a paddle switch or rocker panel to turn the light on or off.

A wider-than-expected slider makes it easy to adjust the brightness of your bulbs quickly. This dimmer switch blends into the room and is available in various colors for the switch and plate, including neutral tri-color, graphite, dark bronze, and nickel.

A plug-in dimmer is an easy way to adjust the brightness of bedside lamps or a floor lamp in your living room without worrying about hardwiring your fixtures and installing permanent dimmer switches.

Instead, simply plug the lamp or lighting fixture into a tabletop dimmer, like this version from Leviton. The process should be smooth, without any flickering. We also grouped it with the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch HS, our previous budget pick, in an arrangement that let us turn on several lights with a single press in the app or a voice command.

We also created an Alexa Routine to have the Kasa switch trigger whenever someone approached our Arlo Video Doorbell our top doorbell pick , and we paired it with IFTTT to turn on whenever someone walked past a Wyze Cam v2 our budget indoor camera pick. In all our tests, it worked flawlessly and reacted quickly. Kasa has confirmed that, confusingly, there are three versions of this dimmer model being sold by retailers, and some users have reported that one version creates a slight squeak when the rocker is physically operated.

If you have this issue and are bothered by it, we recommend returning the dimmer to the retailer or reaching out directly to Kasa, which offers a two-year warranty. The Kasa Smart HS supports up to watts of power, while our other picks are able to support twice that. Why does that wattage matter? Like many of the switches and dimmers on our list, the HS requires a neutral wire.

The cheaper and non-dimming HS has this feature, which makes the omission in the HS even more bizarre. Also, we encountered a few quirks with the app that pushed it just below our top pick. The Stitch dimmer has one tiny blue LED on the bottom, which turns on or off along with the switch.

To turn lights on and off at the switch, just push; a longer press adjusts dimming levels. Just know that for some of those Automations to work, you will need to grant access to your location. Our one gripe with the app is that the scheduling feature only turns the switch on or off. To schedule the light to go on at specific dimming levels, you need to use the Automation field.

On the same tab, you can also set timers, which can turn lights on and off after you leave the room. Unlike our top pick, the Stitch is a bit more no-frills. The switch offers no way to set it to do anything special, no customized fade times, and no dimming calibration. Like our runner-up from Monoprice, the GE Enbrighten is a sturdy, traditional rocker-style switch.

The actual switch delivers a nice snap and allows you to dim the lighting with a long press. It also has a tiny blue LED on the bottom, which you can adjust to be always on, off, or contingent on the status of the switch. The dimmer performed well in our tests, reacting quickly to commands. Of course, your mileage may vary, depending on the hub you use. You can do the same in Alexa or Google Assistant; using both, we frequently barked out orders to turn the switch on and change the dimming level, and the switch responded accordingly.

The HomeSeer platform can pair with the SmartThings Hub, but it also has its own hub and a flash-based upgrade kit , allowing for firmware updates. However, we found the GE Enbrighten to be easier to set up and use, as well as more affordable. This arrangement costs more and might be a problem if you keep your router in an out-of-the-way place, because the Smart Bridge has to be within 30 feet of each dimmer to maintain a reliable connection.

If you have a larger home, a Lutron plug-in smart dimmer can act as an extender. Everything else is clearly marked, so you can enable scheduling, geofencing, and the Smart Away feature, which can trigger lights randomly during a customizable window of time. Scenes are equally simple to set with a few taps, so you can group different devices as well as set dimming levels that you can turn on and off with one touch.

There are two workarounds for this. Treatlife offers several inexpensive switch and dimmer options for single- and three-way configurations. TP-Link plans to release two new smart dimmer switches sometime this year.

The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer KSM is a single-pole model that includes motion detection and an ambient light sensor for completely touch-free control. It should be available in December. Both are still solid choices but a bit expensive in comparison with some of our picks. Setting it up takes more time and money than setting up our Z-Wave pick, although it does offer a lot in return, including the ability to program multi-tap functions at the switch and adjust the LED colors.

It functions well, but we thought it felt a little cheap and not as sturdy as any of our top picks. The Legrand Tru-Universal Wi-Fi Enabled Dimmer is expensive and a bit trickier to work with than other models we tested due to a required QR code which is on a little sticker affixed to the front—better hang on to that , a slightly larger 1.

However, in our tests it constantly asked us to connect to Bluetooth and had a handful of connection issues, and we found the app more confusing than it needed to be. Also, the device made a loud click when we flipped it on and off, whether we did so by touch, through the app, or via voice commands.

If you already have the Insteon hub , this switch is a no-brainer, providing reliable remote control, schedules, and dimming.

This tap-style dimmer from ZOOZ works as a 3-way or 4-way switch, allowing you to install it on circuits with up to three switches. It has a sleek, low-profile design that includes a small LED for visibility at night. A great feature of the ZOOZ is that you can double-tap the button to bring the lights to full brightness; a single tap brings the lights back down to their previous level.

When it is paired with a smart hub, such as the Z-Wave, this switch can be voice-controlled with Alexa. Installation requires nothing more than a screwdriver.

With its impressive set of user features, the Lutron dimmer works in conjunction with other Lutron lighting control products, including dimmers, switches, and occupancy sensors. Its tap-style switch allows you to dim the lights or tap your way through different preset light levels. Notably, this is one of the rare dimmers capable of allowing users to control different types of lights on the same circuit.

The Lutron has LED lights that help you find the switch in the dark, and it can be programmed so lights fade on and off, giving your eyes time to adjust or allowing you to get to the bed before the lights go out.

This dimmer has a maximum capacity of watts for LED and CFL bulbs and watts for incandescent and halogen bulbs. Gain the power to control your lighting with your voice using this plug-in dimmer from GE. Setup is easy. Simply plug this dimmer into a standard volt outlet, and then plug your lamp or light source into the dimmer.

Perhaps best of all, you can program this dimmer to turn lights off and on or change their brightness at scheduled times. The product is compatible with dimmable CFL and LED bulbs up to watts and incandescent and halogen bulbs up to watts. The Maxxima is a terrific way to upgrade your light switch to a dimmer switch without blowing your budget.

It operates on either a 3-way or single-pole fixture. This switch is compatible with both incandescent and LED lights and has a maximum capacity of watts for incandescents and watts for LEDs. With a large slide switch for dimming and a small rocker switch that turns the light off and on, the Maxxima is super easy to operate. It has a blue LED indicator light that lets you know when the switch is off or on.

A dial switch under its cover allows you to adjust the range of the dimmer to accommodate LED lights. Available in a variety of hues, including white, almond, and black, this dimmer will blend in easily with many home decor styles. Selected for easy installation, adjustable lighting, and the ability to support up to 17 bulbs, we selected the Lutron as our top dimmer switch option.

For users looking to integrate a dimmer switch with their smart home system, the TanTan model makes a great addition to Alexa or Google Home devices.

After evaluating the key aspects of dimmer switches, we determined that these top picks are best for different personal preferences when it comes to lighting atmosphere. Note that some of these dimmers may require neutral wires or special hubs to operate at full functionality. Many of the featured switches include easy-to-install hardware that does not require an electrician to set up.

Most products are versatile and designed to operate as single, 3-way, or 4-way switches. A selection of the dimmers showcased above are also smart home compatible, offering easy voice activation or control through a remote or smartphone.

Dimmers save electricity by reducing the amount of power that flows to a bulb, allowing it to operate while using less energy. This lower power output also puts less stress on the bulb, leading to longer bulb life. You cannot put just any light on a dimmer switch.

You need to check the compatibility of the dimmer switch to ensure it can handle the wattage of the bulb you have. Once you have removed the old dimmer, straighten the exposed wires so you can attach them to the new dimmer. Connect the bare copper or green ground wire to the box. Connect the house wires, which may be black, red, or white, to the wires from the dimmer box using wire connectors, making sure that no bare wire is exposed.