The 10 Best Grow Lights, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

LBW LED Grow Light

$30 $22 at Amazon

Out of all the grow lights we tested, the LBW Grow Light stood out as the most versatile. Thanks to its full-spectrum lighting (380nm to 800nm) and adjustable tripod and gooseneck (adjustable arm), this grow light provides the right amount of light for various stages of plant growth, from seedlings to larger plants.

We were so impressed after our original round of testing with basil, tomato, and spinach seeds, that we moved all of our houseplants–basil, spider, ivy, and other standard green non-flowering house plants and small clippings—under the light during the winter months in Iowa. Some of the plants had shown signs of slowing down for the winter, but moving them under the light allowed them to thrive again.

While you can’t adjust the red, blue, warm, white, and cold white chips individually, we found it easy to change the six brightness settings and set a timer for four-, eight-, or 12-hour intervals on the controller for the entire unit. The light also comes with hardware, so you can hang it from the ceiling if that works better for your needs. Also, note that this isn't a subtle grow light or particularly stylish, so it does stand out.

We've continued to use this light in our basement, mostly to give our houseplants extra lighting (and we've even lent it out to friends growing seedlings in the spring), so we haven't found it to be distracting at all. However, if you do want to put it away when not in use, the tripod is easy to fold and store, and the light doesn’t take up much room. If you find that you need even more lighting, this option is available with two lightheads and with a larger lighthead (or without the timer, for a few dollars less).

_{Dimensions: 8.7 x 4.9 inches (light), 15 to 48 inches (stand) | Bulb Type: LED | Wattage: Not listed}

Best Hanging

Soltech Solutions Aspect Grow Light

$200 at Amazon View on Bloomscape.com View on Soltech.com

Hanging grow lights allow you to save space while providing light for a larger number of plants. But they can be tricky and time-consuming to install, and sometimes, they don’t blend in well with your decor. While testing the Soltech Aspect Grow Light, we found it to be a great hanging option because it’s easy to install and looks like a regular light fixture (including the braided cable), so it blends in even in small spaces (we're using it in a bedroom in New York). It's also easy to adjust as your plants grow.

After over a year of testing, this grow light has made our houseplants flourish, with new branches or blooming flowers. Our plants under the grow light continue to do much better than those receiving only natural light by the window. We love that it provides ample lighting for many of our plants at once. We even brought our Meyer lemon tree in during the winter months, and it's fruiting and doing well.

We originally tested the smaller version of this light—5.8 x 3.8 inches with 2,000 lumens, 20 watts—and were impressed by its performance and the amount of natural-looking light it emitted. We also tested the larger version—7 x 4 inches with 4,000 lumens, 40 watts—and were just as impressed. Both are extremely powerful and provide a nice amount of natural-looking light. 

Whether you choose the small or large version, each grow light includes a 15-foot fabric cord, three ceiling hooks, two wall fairleads (Soltech’s cable management accessory), and a swag hook. The cable and fairleads allow you to move the lamp closer or farther away from your plants, depending on the type and growth stage.

Installing the larger light took us only 10 minutes. However, depending on your experience hanging fixtures and where you are installing it, it may take longer. The light comes with clear instructions, clearly labeled hardware, and instructions on which drill bit to use depending on the surface, which we found helped speed along the process.

Like any other grow light, and especially for any requiring installation, make sure you hang it in an area where you won’t find it distracting. The light doesn’t have any dimming capabilities, and while it provides a nice, effective growing light, it is very bright (although the smaller version is less bright).

It does come with an analog timer (although we swapped that out for a smart plug), which provides light for 12 hours per day. Other than that, it has no other features; you simply plug it in.

_{Size: 4 x 4 x 7 inches | Type: LED | Wattage: 40 watts}

Best Adjustable-Spectrum

Leoter Grow Light for Indoor Plants

$24 $21 at Amazon

If you want to control the type of light at each stage of growth, the Leoter Grow Light is a great choice. We loved how simple this light was to set up, with no assembly required. We found it very easy to clip onto our bookshelf where we were starting our seedlings. The four lights were very easy to bend and adjust, which came in handy when we wanted to cover multiple plants or as our seedlings grew taller.

While this grow light is relatively simple in design—there are no smart features or touch controls—we found the remote on the wire very easy to understand and use. It has a timer for three-, nine-, and 12-hour intervals, and we found them to be very accurate. It also offers 10 different dimmer settings, so you can control the brightness in the room.

Unlike many lights on this list, you can choose between warm (white), red and blue, or red, blue, and warm light (380nm-800nm), depending on the growth stage of the plants. A combination of all three delivers the most positive growth results.

During six months of additional testing, including winter in Connecticut, all of our plants have continued to thrive, looking stronger and taller and producing new leaves compared to our non-grow light plants. We’ve rotated houseplants under the light and continued to grow the tomato seedlings. The clip and flexible arms make this easy, so we can easily move it around to accommodate different plants. 

We’ve continued to use the 12-hour timer feature for consistent light, and we love not having to remember to turn it on and off. The only thing we would change about this grow light is the timer, which we wish had the option to stay on a little longer.

_{Dimensions: 13.46 x 5.71 x 3.27 inches | Bulb Type: LED | Wattage: 80 watts}

Best Mounted

Soltech Solutions LED Grow Light

$130 at Amazon View on Soltech.com

Another space-saving solution we love is the Soltech Solutions Grove LED Grow Light. This versatile grow light has many "hidden" features to help you provide the right amount of light for your seedlings or houseplants while taking up very little space—you can even mount it under an overhead kitchen cabinet.

We found it surprisingly lightweight, and it takes just a few minutes to install on a shelf or wall (or you could place it right onto a shelf). We chose to stick it onto our wall, but it also comes with hardware, so you can screw it onto the wall for a more permanent placement.

The lighting is bright, but you can change the settings by tapping on the bulb. Placing it under a shelf will also help keep the lighting from spilling into the room. You can also rotate the bulb to direct the lighting towards your plants. 

We found the timer to be a bit tricky to set up, but it does come with clear instructions (we misplaced them for a bit, but once we found them, they were easy to understand). You do need to set up the timer at the time you want the lighting to start, but you can then program the amount of light you want in 24 hours. If you’d rather just turn it on and off when you want it, you can just tap the bulb, or use the "outlet on" switch on the timer.

We do want to note a few hiccups we had during the installation. Make sure the wall or shelf is smooth, since it may not strongly stick to textured surfaces. We installed it on a slightly textured wall, and it did have a hard time staying put (and did take a little paint down in the process). This proved to be an impromptu durability test, since it fell onto the floor a few times and still worked perfectly with no scratches. Once we installed removable Command Strips, we never had any other issues. 

This isn’t an ideal option if you know you will need to move your lighting as the plants grow (unless you don’t install it on the wall), but it’s great for small houseplants or seedlings that you know you will move outside once they grow taller. After six months of use, we noticed new growth in houseplants that had struggled in the past, and our seedlings continued to thrive.

_{Dimensions: ‎‎18 x 1 inches | Bulb Type: LED | Wattage: Not listed}

Best for Houseplants

AeroGarden Trio Grow Light

$77 at Amazon View on Aerogarden.com

If you want a stylish fixture that adds to your decor, we love the AeroGarden Trio Grow light. During our six months of testing, we found that it’s perfect for smaller houseplants or seedlings (we used it on seedlings, succulents, and other small plants) because it has three adjustable lamp heads (11 to 17 inches) and blends in perfectly on a bookshelf or table.

It also offers different lighting settings—full-spectrum, white, warm, and cool—that you can choose depending on the plant stage. 

We think this is a great grow light for beginners because it took less than three minutes to set up and is easy to use. The timer is automatically set to 10 hours.  Just tap the light to change the lighting modes or to turn it off and on. 

For more setting options, we downloaded the app to our phone (although it’s not necessary for basic use). There, we could program the light to fade in and out at sunrise and sunset, adjust the timer, and more. And unlike other options on this list, it has a longer timer setting (up to 24 hours), so you can program it for longer cycles if needed. We found the app to be hard to use at first, but once we selected our grow light type, we had no trouble using it. 

It does require a little bit of work to make sure the lights hit your plants at the right angle without toppling over, but we found that this just takes a few minutes to adjust. We like how wide a radius of light it produces for such a small grow light, making it good for small spaces but also able to cover a lot of plants at once. But keep in mind that this grow light is designed for plants less than 12 inches tall, so you will need another option for larger plants.

_{Dimensions: 17 x 11 x 24 inches | Bulb Type: LED | Wattage: 5 watts}

Best Light Bulb

GE LED Grow Light Bulb

$19 at Amazon $26 at Walmart $16 at Lowes

For a versatile and affordable option you can easily install into most standard-sized lamps, we love the GE Grow Light LED Indoor Flood Light Bulb. We’ve tested this bulb several times, including during our most recent at-home grow light test, and think it’s a great option for beginners and more experienced indoor gardeners alike. 

At 120 volts, it conveniently fits into most standard lamps, which means you don’t have to go out and buy any additional accessories or equipment, and it should blend in pretty well with your other decor.

We originally installed it in a desk lamp that we clamped onto a bookshelf (and could easily adjust to the right distance to the plants), but during our most recent test, we placed it on a flood light socket that we connected to one of our existing grow light stands, so you can place it wherever it meets the needs of your plants.  

This light offers an advanced red spectrum, ideal for growing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, fruit trees, and flowers. While assembly is as simple as screwing in a lightbulb, the package did come with helpful height recommendations and illustrations for high-light plants (they listed tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers), as well as low-light plants (leafy greens and herbs). It also recommends using the light 18 hours a day. This bulb does not come with a timer, but we were able to use one of our own. 

We also think it's a great option for an outdoor plant you want to bring indoors during the winter months. When we brought a coleus indoors to overwinter, it did quite well. We also grew cilantro and a cucumber seedling.

Unlike many other grow lights on this list, you will need to replace the bulb in a few months (depending on how often it is used). However, you can buy it in packs of two, so you'll always have a replacement handy. Also, this light is similar to a flood light, so it can be bright but can be pretty lightweight to move (depending on the lamp).

We did notice humming from the lightbulb (when on) during our testing, which only got more distracting as time went on. So we recommend placing this lightbulb in an area where the noise isn't disturbing. However, for a simple way to provide supplemental lighting to one plant or a few small plants, this continues to be a great choice.

_{Dimensions: 4.06 x 5.94 inches | Type: LED | Wattage: 9 watts}

Best Large Capacity

Mars Hydro LED Grow Light

$140 at Amazon $140 at Wayfair

While testing the Mars Hydro LED Grow Light, we found that it’s a great option for basements and other areas in your home dedicated to growing seedlings and plant care. We love that multiple fixtures (purchased separately) can be connected using the same control panel, also known as daisy chaining. This comes in handy if you have a large number of plants and space.

Installation does require several steps, but it only took us eight minutes to set it up. However, it might take longer, depending on your experience with mounting fixtures and if you are connecting more than one. 

We found this grow light to be a "mini sun" in our basement. It is a bright light and has allowed us to grow lettuce, even during the winter, and get a jump start on our seedlings. However, it hasn't been as successful with plants that fruit or flower, perhaps due to the lighting it produces or difficulty with pollination.

For other plants, the light has made a huge difference in their growth compared to those with no grow light. We grew basil and thyme under the light throughout the cold winter months, providing our kitchen with a steady supply of fresh herbs.

This full-spectrum grow light does not come with an internal timer, but we were able to use one of our own to make sure our plants were getting an adequate amount of light. We like that the control panel does have a dimmer, giving you several intensity options. We set this light up in our basement, so we didn’t mind that the light flooded the room.

Setting this light up in a grow tent, cabinet, or under a shelf could help with this, but otherwise, this light wouldn’t be a great option for common areas in your home where you wouldn’t want a bright light. It also doesn’t have a cable management system to keep the cords out of sight (which might not be an issue in a basement or other dedicated space).

_{Dimensions: ‎‎5.5 x 17.3 x 16.9 inches | Bulb Type: LED | Wattage: Not listed}

Best for Seedlings

iGrowtek Grow Light

$57 at Amazon

Whether you are starting seedlings indoors for the first time or need a small option for your space, this grow light from iGrowtek will give your plants a good start. At 2 feet long, this grow light setup doesn’t take up much room and fits a larger seeding tray or a few plants. We used it in our basement, but you could fit it on a small table in any room, as long as you don’t mind a bright light.

We installed the light and stand in under five minutes, which included putting the light on the iron stand, adjusting the straps to get the light to the right height, and plugging it in.  It does come with instructions, but we found the fixture was intuitive enough to set up without them. 

Aside from the stand and adjustable cords, the light doesn’t come with any other features, like a timer or dimmer, so you will have to remember to turn it on and off (or purchase an external timer).

Remember that this setup is only for seedlings or very small plants. During our year of testing, we loved using it for seedlings, but once the plants got taller (the light can only be as high as 6 to 7 inches), we moved them to another grow light or brought them outside when the weather was warmer. However, we did find it easy to store when not in use.

_{Dimensions: ‎‎‎27.2 x 2.3 x 19.7 inches | Bulb Type: LED | Wattage: 10 watts}

Best Stackable

Gardener’s Supply Company Stack-n-Grow Lights System

$215 at Amazon View on Gardeners.com

If you want to start your garden by planting seeds indoors but have limited horizontal space, the LED Stack-n-Grow Lights System by Gardener’s Supply Company is a great solution. During testing, we loved that this compact, stackable design didn’t take up much floor space and allowed us to keep counters and other surfaces free.

More importantly, our seedlings (tomatoes, peas, peppers, and zucchini) thrived under the full-spectrum lighting which allowed us to get a jumpstart on our midwestern garden ahead of spring.

This unit doesn’t come with a timer or dimmer—depending on placement, the lighting could be a distraction (especially if you add additional shelves and lights), since it brightens the room. We set it up in our basement so it wasn’t an issue, and we also used an external timer to avoid remembering to turn on and off the lights. 

While we didn’t find it hard to assemble, it did take the longest on this list, at 35 minutes. The instructions were clear, but this is a larger setup, and taking it out of the packaging and assembling all of the pieces takes longer. We found it tricky to attach the light to the overhead rack, and we needed an extra person to help, but that was the only small hiccup in the process. 

Note that it is a bit tricky to adjust the height of the shelves and lighting as your seedlings grow. Our tomato plants started growing into the light, and we wished moving the light was as simple as some of the other options on this list (for example, our best overall, the LBW LED Grow Light, which we just had to move the gooseneck arms of the light). However, if you are starting seedlings, this isn’t something you’ll need to do too often.

_{Dimensions: 31 x 15.5 x 21 inches (base measurements) | Bulb Type: LED | Wattage: Not listed}

Best for Herbs

Click & Grow The Smart Garden 3

$90 $77 at Amazon $100 at Lowes $100 at Nordstrom

If you are looking for a grow light to help you grow a few herbs, our favorite is the Click & Grow Smart Garden 3. Since it's self-watering, this all-in-one system keeps your plants thriving with both water and light, with little effort on your part. Plus, it takes up very little counter space.

We love the built-in timer that turns off and on automatically (after 16 hours). The system has two extension arms you can click on when your plants grow. We found them helpful as our plants did grow pretty tall and burned on one occasion (the leaves only browned a bit during the second round of testing). However, even though the lights were powerful, they weren't as distracting as others we tested.

It's also worth noting that during the first testing period, the basil grew very slowly at first (we had the extension arm at first, and the light might have been too high). Once it did grow, it looked healthy and tasted great! You'll also want to keep an eye on the water level since we found it a little subtle at first, and there are no smart features to let you know when it's empty.

Although we wish this garden came with various herbs, instead of three basil pods, the company offers many different options you can purchase. Plus, we love that you can also use your own seeds with the Grow Anything Plant Pods. Overall, we think this is a relatively affordable system, with simple, yet very helpful features.

_{Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 12 inches | Bulb Type: LED | Wattage: Not listed}