ThemisReviews
Smart home tech, weighed fairly.
Smart bulbs that run on Thread and work with every Matter system, ranked.
We pulled the smart bulbs on Amazon whose listings name Thread and scored them on rating, review volume, and features.
Updated · Amazon prices checked
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| # | Bulb | Price | Rating | Reviews | Works with | Color | Brightness | Base | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aqara LED Light Bulb T2 (Color) | $23.99 | 4.0 | 227 | 16M colors + tunable white | Not stated in bullets | E26 | 68 | |
| 2 | Aqara LED Light Bulb T2 (Tunable White) | $21.99 | 3.8 | 114 | 2,700K–6,500K white | 1,100 lm | E26 | 63 |
Works with: hover or tap an icon for the system name. A system is shown when it supports the product directly or through the hub the listing requires. Thread bulbs are rare: most Matter bulbs on Amazon, including Nanoleaf's current Essentials listings, don't name Thread. These Aqara bulbs join Matter directly over Thread.
Scored out of 100: 45% customer rating, 30% review volume, 25% features. How we rank
One of the few Thread bulbs on Amazon, and it can switch to Zigbee if you change systems.
A bright white Thread bulb for lamps and fixtures that don't need color.
A Thread border router, which is built into recent Apple TVs and HomePods, Nest Hubs, some Echo models, and SmartThings and Aqara hubs. With Matter, the device then shows up in Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings, or Home Assistant.
Bulbs give you color and tunable white, and they work in lamps. Switches are better for fixtures with several bulbs and keep the wall switch working for guests. Don't put smart bulbs on an ordinary dimmer, and keep the wall switch on, or the bulbs lose power and go offline.
Lumens measure brightness: about 800 lm matches an old 60 W bulb and 1,100 lm a 75 W bulb. Color temperature in kelvin runs from warm (2,700 K, cozy) to cool (5,000 K and up, daylight).
Wi-Fi and Matter-over-Wi-Fi bulbs connect to your router directly. Zigbee bulbs need a Zigbee hub, such as a Hue Bridge or an Echo with Zigbee built in. Matter-over-Thread bulbs need a Thread border router.