Best Smart Plug & Automation Prices

Turn any non-smart appliance into a smart device: schedule lamps, fans, coffee makers, holiday lights, and more via app or voice. Smart plugs with energy monitoring track electricity usage. Most work with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit — letting you say 'Alexa, turn off the fan' or create automations like 'turn on the porch light at sunset.'

No — all Wi-Fi smart plugs (Kasa, Amazon Basics) connect directly to your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi router. No hub required. Zigbee plugs are cheaper per unit and use less power but require a Zigbee hub (like the Echo Show 8 or Philips Hue Bridge). For most people, Wi-Fi plugs are the easier choice.

HomeKit is Apple's smart home platform. If you have iPhones and want to use the iOS Home app and Siri for control, get HomeKit-compatible plugs (Kasa EP25). If you're Alexa/Google-only, standard Wi-Fi plugs like the Kasa EP10 cost less and do everything you need. Our Value Score accounts for the protocol tier in the ranking.

The Kasa EP25 ($20–25) and TP-Link Tapo P115 ($15–18) both include real-time energy monitoring, tracking wattage, daily kWh, and monthly cost estimates. For Apple HomeKit with energy monitoring, the Eve Energy ($40) is the standard recommendation. Energy monitoring is particularly useful for identifying high-draw appliances — space heaters, old refrigerators, gaming PCs — and calculating actual electricity costs.

Only use outdoor-rated smart plugs (IP44 or higher) for exterior applications. The Kasa EP40 Outdoor Smart Plug ($20–25) has two independently controlled IP44-rated outlets on a single plug — ideal for holiday lights, patio string lights, and garden equipment. Indoor smart plugs are not weather-rated and can fail or create fire hazards if exposed to moisture. Check the IP rating before mounting any smart plug outside.

Most home WiFi routers handle 30–50 connected devices comfortably on a 2.4GHz band. Smart plugs use minimal bandwidth (a few bytes per command) — a home with 20–30 smart plugs will not noticeably impact router performance or internet speed. Larger smart home setups (50+ devices) benefit from a dedicated IoT network (a separate SSID on the same router) to segment device traffic and simplify network management.