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  2. Smart home devices

The Best Smart Plugs

By Rachel Cericola
Updated
A collection of plug-in smart outlets that we tested to find the best ones.
Photo: Michael Murtaugh

Using a smart plug is the cheapest, easiest way to remotely control any electrical device in your home. Just plug one into an electrical outlet, and add a lamp, fan, or other on/off device. Then set it up with an app, and—boom—you’re making magic.

We recommend the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim (EP25) for inside the home and the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug (EP40A) for outdoor use, since they both work really well on their own and when paired with many other devices.

We also recommend the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip (HS300) if you want to be able to plug in and independently control and automate multiple devices.

Everything we recommend

Our pick

This smart plug worked reliably in tests, and it includes real-time energy monitoring and an Away Mode. Also, it’s widely compatible with all the major smart-home platforms.

Our pick

This weatherproof smart plug withstands snow, rain, heat, and dust, and it has two outlets that you can control independently.

Buying Options

Our pick

This model turns one outlet into six independently controlled smart ones, with built-in energy monitoring and integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Home (but not Apple Home). It also has three USB ports.

Buying Options

Runner-up

This smart plug is easy to use, affordable, and small enough to fit behind furniture. It can also track the amount of time (in hours and minutes) you’re using electrical devices.

Things to know


  • Energy monitoring

    Many smart plugs can monitor usage in hours and minutes, and some can track actual energy usage in kilowatt-hours.

  • Power limits

    Most smart plugs are rated for 15 amps of current and so should be used only with low-power devices like lamps and small appliances.

  • Indoor or outdoor

    Indoor smart plugs are compact but not weather-resistant. Outdoor models are bulkier but ruggedized.

  • Size matters

    Consider where a plug will be placed—for tight spots, like behind furniture, you may have to use a mini model.

Our pick

This smart plug worked reliably in tests, and it includes real-time energy monitoring and an Away Mode. Also, it’s widely compatible with all the major smart-home platforms.

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings

The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim (EP25) includes all of the features you’d want in a single-outlet smart plug. In addition to remote-control access, a timer, and the ability to be scheduled, it can be integrated with a large number of other smart-home devices through Alexa, Home, and Google Home. It also supports real-time energy monitoring, so you can keep tabs on electricity use in hours and minutes, or in watts and kilowatt-hours. It’s available only in a two-pack and a four-pack, but the price is similar to or less per unit than that of other plugs we like.

Our pick

This weatherproof smart plug withstands snow, rain, heat, and dust, and it has two outlets that you can control independently.

Buying Options

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings

The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug (EP40A) is built to weather the outdoors. (You should never attempt to use an indoor smart plug outdoors.) The EP40A has an operating-temperature range of -4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, so it can handle a wide range of weather. It includes two outlets that you can control independently using the app or voice (via Alexa, Google Home, or Siri—and if you don’t need Siri, you can go with the Kasa EP40), and it’s easy to set up and use. This smart plug can also track the running time of devices plugged into it, in hours and minutes.

Our pick

This model turns one outlet into six independently controlled smart ones, with built-in energy monitoring and integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Home (but not Apple Home). It also has three USB ports.

Buying Options

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings

The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip (HS300) transforms one wall plug into six independently controllable outlets, so you can turn different devices on and off, and you can also create separate schedules and triggers. Of the smart power strips we tested, this one is the most well built. It also has the most USB charging ports (three) for smartphones and tablets, as well as the longest power cord. And it supports energy monitoring (in watts and kWh) and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

Runner-up

This smart plug is easy to use, affordable, and small enough to fit behind furniture. It can also track the amount of time (in hours and minutes) you’re using electrical devices.

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings

The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini (EP10) is the smallest and least expensive of our picks, but it lacks energy monitoring or Home support, which our top pick has. Sold in packs of two or four, this smart plug has built-in usage monitoring. So it can keep tabs on the precise amount of time you’re using a device (like a fan or AC) that’s plugged into it (though it doesn’t provide info on the actual energy consumption).

I first started testing smart-home devices more than 20 years ago, back when the only smart-home devices were X10. Since 2016, I’ve been covering smart-home gear for Wirecutter, and I’ve had my hands on everything from in-wall light switches, smart bulbs, and water-leak sensors to smart video doorbells, indoor security cameras, and security systems. I’ve also written tech articles for The New York Times, Wired, and Men’s Health, among others.

Bringing smart functionality to your home doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. If you have a smartphone and an empty outlet, you can use a smart plug to control, schedule, and automate nearly any electrical device. You don’t need programming skills or an installer on speed dial to set up smart outlets, and they become immediately useful with very little fuss.

For example, hooking even just one smart plug to your old table lamp ensures that you’ll never have to enter a dark house. And if you have mobility or dexterity issues, a smart plug can make it much easier to set lights, fans, speakers, air purifiers, game consoles, and air conditioners on a schedule, or to control them with a smart speaker and the sound of your voice.

Our four top picks for the best plug-in smart outlets, in several different styles.
Photo: Michael Murtaugh

We’ve been covering smart plugs for over seven years now. All of the models we’ve tested share a few common features that we think are essential for anyone:

  • They allow you to create a schedule that turns electrical devices on and off at specific times of the day or week. That’s very convenient, and it can also be a crucial aid for anyone who has mobility issues and difficulty reaching light switches or other controls.
  • They can be integrated with popular smart-home services through support for Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Home. Some devices also support Matter, so all of the smart-home platforms work together. All of this integration allows you to control the devices with the sound of your voice, or you can combine them with other smart devices—such as a motion sensor that triggers a device on or off when someone comes into a room.
  • They have physical buttons you can use to turn outlets on or off.

Additionally, some smart plugs can monitor how much you’re using a device that’s plugged into it (reported in hours and minutes), while others actually track the amount of energy consumed (in kilowatt-hours). Either of these can help you determine what it costs to run a power-hungry device, such as a TV or an air conditioner. Though we don’t think either is a must-have feature, for some it may be a nice perk.

For this guide we considered both indoor and outdoor smart plugs, with single and multiple outlets. To test smart-plug candidates, we use them with fans, table lamps, a noise machine, a radio, and Christmas lights. We used an iPhone 12, a Google Pixel 7 Pro, and an iPad to review the plugs’ companion apps. And we used several Echo speakers, a Google Mini, and an Apple TV to see how each smart plug reacted to voice commands and smart-home integration.

Two of the best plug-in smart outlets that we tested, both TP-link Kasa models.
Using smart plugs is an easy way to add remote control to any electronic device. Photo: Michael Murtaugh

Once we narrowed our pick candidates, we reviewed their respective privacy policies, to make sure they were in line with those of other smart-home companies. We then sent a security and privacy questionnaire to each of the manufacturers, asking more-specific questions about each one’s security policies and practices and how they handle device owners’ data. Among other things, that includes login practices, whether a company supports two-factor authentication, what user data is encrypted, and what data is recorded and shared. We also connected those devices to Firewalla Purple SE, a firewall device that monitors the communications of all devices on a network and reports which devices are sending out data and to what country.

We tested a number of smart plugs that we didn’t prefer as overall picks but that are perfectly fine choices.

If Matter matters: We thought the Meross MSS115 Matter Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini, the TP-Link Kasa KP125M Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim, and the TP-Link Tapo P125M Mini Smart Wi-Fi Plug all worked fine, but are more expensive than our top pick—and we actually found the non-Matter Kasa model to be easier to set up with all three smart-home platforms. Plus, out of these three Matter models, only the Kasa 125M adds in energy monitoring.

If you want one plug: Our top single-outlet picks are sold in multipacks, but the Meross MSS110 is a good smart plug with support for Alexa, Home, Google Home, IFTTT, and SmartThings. We found our top pick to be a little easier to use, and the Meross is also a bit bigger (measuring 2.65 by 1.5 by 1.5 inches) than some of the other plugs we tested. If you don’t care about Home, the Roku Indoor Smart Plug SE is a good, less expensive option.

If you’re prone to torrential downpours: The Lutron Caséta Outdoor Smart Plug is IP65-rated, so it can handle water at a slightly higher pressure than the other smart plugs we tested. However, we found this single-outlet model (which also requires the Lutron Smart Bridge for remote operation) to be lacking some of the special features that our lower-cost picks offer.

If you’re interested in Thread wireless: The latest incarnation of the Eve Energy includes Thread, the low-power wireless mesh networking protocol that should allow more reliable and faster connectivity among compatible devices. It also supports Matter, but it wasn’t easy to set up with every smart-home platform and Matter doesn’t support a few key features (such as energy monitoring). Also, a single plug costs as much as a four-pack of our top pick.

If you’re all in with Alexa or Ring: We found that the Amazon Smart Plug and the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug worked fine. But prices and functionality would limit them to users who are all in with their respective ecosystems.

If you need an outdoor dimmer: The Meross MPD100 Plug-in Dimmer Outdoor Plug has a single outlet that can dim outdoor lighting. However, it has just one controllable outlet and a limited operating temperature of 14 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Our top picks offer a better overall user experience and have better features than the Geeni Smart Dot, the Geeni Surge, the RCA Smart Outdoor Plug, the Monoprice Stitch Mini, the WiZ Smart Plug, the Shelly Plus Plug US, the UltraPro Plug-In 1-Outlet Wi-Fi Smart Switch, TopGreener’s TGWF115APM, TopGreener’s TGWF115PQM, Wemo Smart Plug, and GE's Cync Outdoor. However, these models performed fine in our testing.

The ConnectSense Smart Outlet2 has a double outlet, but it’s more bulky and not as user-friendly as our top picks. Also, we found the Leviton D215P-2RW Decora Smart Wi-Fi Mini Plug-In Switch, the Leviton D23LP-2RW Decora Smart Wi-Fi Mini Plug-In Dimmer, the Lutron Caséta Smart Lamp Dimmer, and the Satechi Dual Smart Outlet to be too expensive for the features each one offered.

The Ezlo PlugHub has an internal Z-Wave hub built in; this makes it chunky and may explain why it’s currently $60. That would be fine, if it weren’t so difficult to use.

We prefer our other outdoor plug picks to the Geeni Outdoor Smart Plug, the Geeni Outdoor Duo, and the Meross MSS630 Smart Wi-Fi Indoor/Outdoor Plug, since their operating temperature range is better. Also, in our testing, these three models had other performance issues.

During our testing, the Array by Hampton Single Outlet Smart Plug failed often. And we originally dismissed the Monoprice Stitch Wireless Smart Power Strip due to its lack of features and an especially short cord (19 inches). Also, it died after a year of use.

We also had setup and performance problems with the GE Enbrighten Wi-Fi Outdoor Smart Plug, the EZVIZ 30-10B-US.

We plan to test the Aqara Border Router Plug and the Shelly Qubino Wave Plug US when they are released in the coming months. Both include energy monitoring features, but the Aqara supports dual-band Wi-Fi and also has the ability to act as a Thread border router. The Shelly is a Z-Wave plug, and so requires a compatible hub to function.

We’re also looking at the TP-Link Tapo TP25 Outdoor Plug and the Tapo P110. The TP25 has an IP65 weatherproof rating, Matter support, and dual antennas for a greater Wi-Fi range. The P110 is an indoor plug that has many of the same features as our top pick, but it’s smaller and includes energy use monitoring.

We've started testing the Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug, a single-outlet model with Matter support. It claims to have better weather resistance than our current pick (-20 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit) and can be paired with the Anywhere Switch Companions (DAWSC), a wire-free wall-mounted controller.

We also plan to test the $18 Monoprice Stitch Smart Outdoor Plug. It has an IP65 water-resistance rating, two individually controlled outlets, and works with both Alexa and Google Home.

This article was edited by Jon Chase and Grant Clauser.

Meet your guide

Rachel Cericola

Rachel Cericola is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter who has been covering smart-home technology since the days of X10. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Wired, Men’s Health, USA Today, and others. She hopes her neighbors read this bio because it would explain why she always has four video doorbells running simultaneously outside her home. 

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