The 5 best LED strip lights

Whether you want to add ambiance to your home or just illuminate a low-light area, LED strip lights are a quick and convenient way to do it. The best LED strip lights can be customized to fit your desired space, give you a range of color and lighting options, and are easy to control with remotes or voice commands. Some even have motion sensors or smart functionality that allows you to connect them to an Alexa or Google Home assistant. Here’s a closer look at some of the features you’ll want to consider as you’re shopping for LED strip lights.

First off, installation: LED strip lights have a flexible, tape-like design, with an adhesive backing for easy mounting. Having the option to trim your light strip provides added versatility, since you can customize it to fit your space, but you’ll want to confirm that your pick allows for this. While LED strips in general are great for highlighting baseboards, under-cabinet areas, and bookcases, certain options are designed for specific purposes. A TV backlighting kit, for example, will plug directly into your television’s USB port, doing away with any extra, unnecessary wires, while water- and temperature-resistant LED strip lights can be safely used outdoors.

As far as features go, most flexible LED strip lights come with a remote control that allows you to customize settings. If putting on a color show is your top priority, look for an RGB color channel, in which the three primary colors of red, green, and blue combine to produce a broad spectrum of 16 million color choices. And depending on how interactive you want your lighting to be, you can find LED strips that create various lighting patterns, like fading, flashing, or jumping. You can also opt for motion-sensor strip lights that activate when they detect activity, or smart strip lights that can be set on schedules or operated with voice commands via your smart home assistant.

With these features in mind, here are the best LED strip lights that will brighten up your home.

1. The overall best LED strip lights

• Total length: 65.6 feet (four 16.4-foot strips)
• Ratings: 4.6-star overall rating, 55,000+ ratings in total

A versatile and cost-effective pick, this LED strip light system includes four rolls measuring 16.4 feet each, which can be cut across every third LED for a customizable fit. The lights come with an array of connectors that allow you to link the four strips together for more length, whether you’re backlighting a bookcase, illuminating cabinets, or creating a vibrant perimeter. The included 44-key remote lets you seamlessly switch between 16 million RGB colors, various brightness settings, and eight light patterns, like jump, fade, and flash. The adhesive backing makes installation easy, and several adhesive hooks provide additional support at corners and long stretches.

Helpful review: “These LED lights are a perfect way to upgrade a room!! The lights are thin and low profile and the adhesive makes it easy to peel and stick to surfaces. The different color light options are great and the brightness works well to set the ambiance for anyone’s preference.”

2. The best LED strip lights for TVs

• Total length: 6.56 feet (also available in 14.3 feet)
• Ratings: 4.5-star overall rating, 38,000+ ratings in total

If you want to add backlighting to a TV or soundbar, this LED strip light kit comes in two sizes that provide just enough length to mount behind sets measuring 40 to 60 inches or 65 to 75 inches — and both sizes can be trimmed to fit smaller models. Unlike the other options on this list, which plug into AC outlets, these lights are powered by your TV’s USB port, so you can achieve a clean, streamlined look without the appearance of hanging wires. The included remote allows you to dim brightness, switch between 16 colors, and toggle between four dynamic settings like flash and fade. The lights are backed by self-adhesive, making them easy to install.

Helpful review: “We purposely painted the TV wall a dark color in order to prevent distraction while watching. In doing so though we somehow lost a little bit of contrast. Adding this bias lighting is exactly what we needed! The multiple colors offered are great, and makes it easy to find a color to fit our mood for the movie we're watching or the evening. There are other modes like flashing or slowly strobing that we don't really use but they're there if you want those options. The remote control is easy to use, and the strips adhere to the TV very well.”

3. The best smart LED strip lights

• Total length: 16.4 feet
• Ratings: 4.6-star overall rating, 12,000+ ratings in total

Compatible with Alexa and Google Home devices, you can use voice commands to control these Wi-Fi-enabled LED strip lights from Govee, but they also come with a handy remote. The Govee Home app provides additional functionality and allows you to access 16 million colors, lighting effects, and dynamic scenes. Using your smart speaker, you can even sync the movement and pattern of the lights with the rhythm of streaming music. You can also set the lights on a timer, so that they come on at a certain time each day. The single strip measures 16.4 feet and can be trimmed to your desired length. The adhesive backing makes the strips easy to mount, and clips and screws are included for more secure installation.

Helpful review: “It took me a couple minutes to attach the lights, install the app, and connect to Google Assistant. Music mode works great. The lights are bright and the colors are pretty accurate. Voice commands worked right away. All smart home devices should be this easy to setup.”

4. The best motion-sensor LED strip lights

• Total length: 9.8 feet (six 1.64-foot segments)
• Ratings: 4.5-star overall rating, 1,600+ ratings in total

These motion-sensor lights engage when movement is sensed within 6.56 feet, and they’re a convenient choice for low-light areas like the space along kitchen baseboards, under your bed, or in closets and dark hallways. The lights automatically turn off after 15 seconds of inactivity to conserve power, and — if you prefer — you can disable the motion-sensor setting and set them to an always-on mode. Though the lights can’t be trimmed to size, they’re broken up into six 1.64-foot segments and come with connectors for length customization. This option uses only warm white LEDs, and has a simple controller that allows you to turn the motion-sensing mode on and off and select between six brightness levels. Adhesive backing and included clips make installation a breeze.

Helpful review: “Used this for gentle lighting at night to prevent stubbing my toe on bed leg when I have to get up. Works perfectly, gentle light, just enough. Light turns off soon after no motion detected.”

5. The best water-resistant LED strip lights for outdoor use

• Total length: 32.8 feet (two 16.4-foot strips)
• Ratings: 4.3-star overall rating, 3,700+ ratings in total

With 32.8 feet of length that can be trimmed to size, this water-resistant LED strip light kit comes with two 16.4-foot reels to help you create a custom outdoor lighting scheme. The strips have an IP65 water-resistance rating, which means they can stand up to rain, sleet, and snow, but they should not be submerged in water (i.e., don’t use these for pool or water feature lighting). An array of connectors are included to help you customize the look and length of each color segment, and the foam adhesive backing makes them easy to install. A 44-button remote lets you select between 20 preset colors, eight patterns, and three dynamic modes for a truly customizable light experience, no matter where you position them. These can be used in temperatures ranging from -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, making them suitable for most climates.

Helpful review: “Exactly as described and actually, this is not the first time we have purchased these lights. We have them on our deck now, and our camper. So much easier and fun to use than the string lights that have to be replaced every year. These last much longer and have much more options for color.”