Top 6 compared
The best LED strip lights
Colour and soft light for a bedroom, behind a desk or around the TV, changed from a phone or remote.
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The top 6 at a glance
An LED strip sticks on with the tape on its back and puts a line of colour behind a headboard, under a desk or round the ceiling; a TV backlight does the same behind the screen. An RGB strip shows one colour at a time along its length, while an RGBIC strip gives each section its own chip, so several colours run along it at once.
By law, mains-powered kit sold in the UK must come fitted with a fused BS 1363 plug, or a factory-fitted conversion plug that needs a tool to remove, and the UK Product Safety Database has flagged imported strips whose plugs fell short. All but the Daymeet run from a mains adapter; it takes its power from the TV’s USB port.
What matters
- Whether it can be cut to length, and joined again.
- Alexa or Google Assistant support, if you’d like voice control.
- A built-in mic, so the colours pulse in time to music.
- Mounting clips in the box, not just the sticky tape.
#1Govee Wi-Fi RGB LED Strip Light, 5m
£20–£30
A 5m strip for a bedroom or desk that answers to Alexa and Google Assistant over Wi-Fi, dimming or changing colour by voice, and a built-in mic makes it pulse to music. The Govee Home app saves colours you mix yourself and runs a timer, and the adapter, tape and five clips come in the box.
What owners say: Owners rate the build, the brightness and how well the tape holds, and think it fairly priced. For some it works well across a good range of colours; others get colours that don’t match what they picked, Alexa trouble or a strip that won’t light.
A closer look: A clean, dry surface is what makes the tape hold, so wipe it down before peeling the backing; use the clips at corners and on any run that hangs upside down, such as under a bed frame. Govee says it’s for ambience rather than lighting a room, and connectors for joining two strips aren’t in the box.
- Saves your own colour mixes
- Timer in the app
- Tape and five clips included
- 2-year warranty
Best for: Bedrooms, desks and voice control
- Length sold
- 5m
- Connection
- Wi-Fi
- Control
- App, voice
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google
- Music sync
- Built-in mic
- Power
- 24V adapter
- Several colours at once (RGBIC)
- No
#2Philips Hue Solo Lightstrip, 3m
£59.99 RRP
For a Philips Hue home: RGBWW LEDs give a proper white, from a warm 2000K to a cool 6500K, as well as colours, and up to 1,700 lumens light a worktop or hallway rather than just glow. It runs over Bluetooth on its own; a Hue Bridge adds Apple Home and Matter.
What owners say: Owners find it easy to fit and to pair with Alexa and an iPhone, and like the rich colours and the app’s many ways to fine-tune them. The tape often fails to stick, though, and opinions on its quality, reliability and value run from fantastic to terrible.
Heads up: For Apple Home, Matter and control from outside the house you need a Philips Hue Bridge, sold separately; straight from the box it runs over Bluetooth from the Hue app.
A closer look: Measure before you trim: it can be cut to length but a cut piece cannot be joined back on, and Philips says it cannot be extended either. A protective silicone sleeve covers the strip, and for a bright worktop choose a cool white: Philips rates its 1,700 lumens at 4000K, and a warmer 2700K gives 1,500.
- Warm to cool white light
- Up to 1,700 lumens
- Silicone sleeve protects the strip
- Trims to length, not extendable
- UK plug in the box
Best for: Hue homes and Apple Home
- Length sold
- 3m
- Connection
- Bluetooth, Zigbee
- Control
- App, voice
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google; Apple Home via Bridge
- Music sync
- No
- Power
- 24V adapter
- Several colours at once (RGBIC)
- No
#3Daymeet USB TV Backlight, 4m (55 to 75in TVs)
Under £10
A strip to put colour behind a TV: it runs from the set’s USB port, so there’s no adapter to hide, and its RGBIC chip sends rainbows and waves along the strip, set from a remote or the Bluetooth app. The 4m length is sized for 55 to 75 inch screens.
What owners say: Owners love the colours, which they change from the app, say it fits a 55-inch set neatly and looks great behind the screen, and find the tape sticks firmly. Some strips have stopped working altogether, though, and the remote, mostly fine, misbehaves for a few.
A closer look: Start the run at the corner nearest the TV’s USB port so the spare lead stays short, and keep it a little in from the edges of the back panel so the glow spreads onto the wall. A phone charger runs it on a monitor or bookcase away from the set.
- Over 200 dynamic modes
Best for: Big TVs with a USB port
- Length sold
- 4m (55–75in TVs)
- Connection
- Bluetooth
- Control
- App, remote
- Voice assistants
- None
- Music sync
- Built-in mic
- Power
- USB (5V)
- Several colours at once (RGBIC)
- Yes
#4Govee RGBIC Wi-Fi LED Strip Light, 5m
£10–£20
Moving colour for a headboard or desk: each segment shows its own colour, so rainbows and waves run along the strip, and it still takes Alexa and Google commands over Wi-Fi. A built-in mic drives 11 music modes, and the app’s lighting bot turns a description or a photo into an effect of its own.
What owners say: Owners call it impressive, find it easy to set up and like how it works with Alexa, and some praise its rich colours and brightness options. Others find it dim or the warm white greenish, and on a few half the lights don’t work, so not everyone thinks it fair value.
A closer look: Plan the length rather than counting on trimming it: Govee says some of its RGBIC strips cannot be cut, as each section has its own control chip. Connect it to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, not 5GHz, then draw your own colour sequence in the app’s DIY mode or start from one of its 64-plus preset scenes.
- Turns a photo into effects
- 11 music modes
- 64-plus preset scenes
- Draw your own sequences
- Needs 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
Best for: Rainbow and wave effects
- Length sold
- 5m
- Connection
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- Control
- App, voice
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google
- Music sync
- Built-in mic
- Power
- 24V adapter
- Several colours at once (RGBIC)
- Yes
#5KSIPZE RGB LED Strip Lights, 30m (2 x 15m)
£10–£20
Two 15m reels, enough to run round a large room’s walls, with an app and an infrared remote so anyone can change the colour without a phone. The app mixes from 16 million colours and runs flashing, jumping and fading modes at several speeds; it syncs to music, works to a timer and can be trimmed to fit.
What owners say: Owners find it well made and quick to stick up, and say it looks lovely once lit, bright enough and easy to dim. Half the strip fails to light for some, and others are less sure of the value, the colours or the tape.
A closer look: Sketch the route before peeling anything, and begin at the socket end so the control box and adapter sit low and out of sight. Cut only at the marked points if a run is shorter than a reel, and because the remote is infrared, keep the little receiver where the remote can see it.
- 16 million colours
- Flashing, jumping and fading modes
- Timer in the app
- Trims at the marked points
Best for: Ceilings and whole bedrooms
- Length sold
- 30m (2 x 15m)
- Connection
- Bluetooth
- Control
- App, remote
- Voice assistants
- None
- Music sync
- Built-in mic
- Power
- 24V adapter
- Several colours at once (RGBIC)
- No
#6Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite (55 to 65in TVs)
£89.99 RRP
A small camera on top of the TV watches the picture and the 3.6m strip behind matches the colours at the screen’s edges, so the glow follows a film or a game. Fish-eye correction lets the camera take in the whole screen, and RGBICW beads add a 4000K white chip for cleaner whites.
What owners say: Owners rate the quality and say it lifts films and games, and some found it very easy to set up. Others found setup hard, calibrating the camera is the main sticking point, and some find the colours not always accurate and the glow dimmer than Philips’ lights.
Heads up: Govee says it fits flat TVs between 4mm and 35mm thick, not curved screens, and that the TV sits best 10 to 20cm from the wall, so check both before buying.
A closer look: Hang the camera on the top edge of the screen, then run the calibration in the Govee Home app so it sees the whole picture. Other Govee lights in the room can join in through DreamView, and Govee sells the same backlight for 40 to 50 and 75 to 85 inch TVs.
- Camera sees the whole screen
- Separate white chip, cleaner whites
- Links with other Govee lights
Best for: Matching the TV picture
- Length sold
- 3.6m (55–65in TVs)
- Connection
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- Control
- App, voice, control box
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google, Matter
- Music sync
- App music mode
- Power
- 12V adapter
- Several colours at once (RGBIC)
- RGBICW
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Govee Wi-Fi RGB 5m | #2Hue Solo 3m | #3Daymeet TV 4m | #4Govee RGBIC 5m | #5KSIPZE 30m | #6Govee 3 Lite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best for Hue homes | Best budget | Best RGBIC strip | Best for whole rooms | Best TV backlight | |
| Picked Rating | 8.6 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| Price | £20–£30 | £59.99 RRP | Under £10 | £10–£20 | £10–£20 | £89.99 RRP |
| Length sold | 5m | 3m | 4m (55–75in TVs) | 5m | 30m (2 x 15m) | 3.6m (55–65in TVs) |
| Connection | Wi-Fi | Bluetooth, Zigbee | Bluetooth | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Control | App, voice | App, voice | App, remote | App, voice | App, remote | App, voice, control box |
| Voice assistants | Alexa, Google | Alexa, Google; Apple Home via Bridge | None | Alexa, Google | None | Alexa, Google, Matter |
| Music sync | Built-in mic | No | Built-in mic | Built-in mic | Built-in mic | App music mode |
| Power | 24V adapter | 24V adapter | USB (5V) | 24V adapter | 24V adapter | 12V adapter |
| Several colours at once (RGBIC) | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | RGBICW |
| Best for | Bedrooms, desks and voice control | Hue homes and Apple Home | Big TVs with a USB port | Rainbow and wave effects | Ceilings and whole bedrooms | Matching the TV picture |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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