The Best LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants and Veggies, Tested  

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Help your indoor plants and vegetables thrive with high-quality LED grow lights.

For those who are attempting to cultivate houseplants, start plants from seed, or grow vegetables indoors, natural light isn’t always enough. Though some plants can survive in low-lighting conditions, many others benefit from the addition of plant grow lights. 

Light-emitting diode (LED) grow lights are ideal for many home gardeners. They are energy efficient and can produce the full spectrum of light wavelengths, from infrared to ultraviolet, that plants need to thrive. LED grow lighting differs from the standard LED bulbs used in home light fixtures, and selecting the right one for a particular project can be complicated. This guide can help.

We researched 42 LED growing lights in our search for the best LED grow lights. After narrowing our options, we tested our top picks on our plant collection over 4 weeks. The list of products we tested is shown below, and more details are provided in the individual reviews. Later, we’ll dive deeper into the shopping criteria that can help plant lovers choose the best LED grow light for indoor plants.

1. BEST OVERALL: Mars Hydro TS1000 Dimmable 150W LED Grow Light
2. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: GE 9W Balanced Light LED Grow Light Bulb
3. BEST STRIP: Mosthink Sunlike White LED Grow Light Strips
4. BEST SPREAD-STYLE: Spider Farmer SF4000 450W LED Grow Light With Dimmer
5. BEST FOR HERBS: AeroGarden Bounty LED Grow Light
6. BEST FOR VEGETABLES: AeroGarden Farm 12XL LED Grow Light
7. BEST FOR A SINGLE PLANT: Lordem LED Plant Grow Light for Indoor Plants
8. BEST WITH STAND: LBW LED Grow Light With Stand
9. BEST FIXTURE: Feit Electric GLP24FS 24-Inch 19W LED Grow Light
10. BEST FOR SEED STARTING: Gardener’s Supply Company LED Stack-n-Grow Lights

How We Tested the Best LED Grow Lights

After researching 42 LED growing lights, we chose the 10 in this guide for hands-on testing. Our selection criteria included light spectrum, balance, actual power draw, and each light’s type and intended purpose. These picks include options that will satisfy a diverse range of indoor growing needs, including seed starting, supplemental lighting for foliage or flowering houseplants, adjustable full-spectrum lighting for intensive hydroponic production, and more. 

We set up two separate trial areas to test each model according to its type and capability. For those designed to provide supplemental light for indoor plants, we used a room with an east-facing window but inadequate natural light for average houseplants, setting up a growing area on the wall opposite the window. We made a growing area in our basement with no windows to test the models designed to provide all the lighting requirements for plants to thrive. 

To evaluate each light’s effectiveness, we placed one 6-inch houseplant per square foot of “light footprint” beneath each light. We watered and fertilized the plants as we would typically. Every 3 days, we noted any observations, such as leaf color changes, bud or leaf growth, and changes to leaf or stem shapes. Each LED grow light in our test group proved to be very effective for its intended purpose. 

Testing Stats

• Products tested: 10
• Hours spent testing: 10 hours active, 30 days inactive
• Tests performed: 3

Our Top Picks

The following reviews outline our choices for best full spectrum LED grow lights in various categories, with lights available at a range of price points. Read on to find out how they performed in our growing tests and which ones we recommend for different growing situations. 

Best Overall

Mars Hydro TS1000 Dimmable 150W LED Grow Light

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Our Ratings: Setup: 4/5; Adjustability: 5/5; Durability: 5/5; Coverage: 5/5; Value: 5/5

Product Specs 

• Type: Spread-style
• Coverage: 3 feet by 3 feet
• Wattage: 150

Pros

• Full-spectrum lighting promotes germination, vegetative growth, flowering, and fruiting
• 354 LEDs on an adjustable-height spread-style fixture delivers intense, even coverage
• Dimmable grow light with low power draw reduces costs
• Daisy-chain connectivity allows users to easily expand the system as needed
• Low heat production and internal heat-sink system means no noisy cooling fan

Cons

• Industrial appearance is not aesthetically compatible with most living spaces
• Requires 2 overhead anchor points for installation

The spread-style Mars Hydro TS1000 LED grow light is a panel fixture with 354 tiny LED bulbs. This energy-efficient light uses only 150 watts of actual power, with a PPFD of 743 micromole/m2/s at a distance of 18 inches. (For an in-depth description of this measurement, see the section on Power below.) It produces full-spectrum white light and can encourage plant growth at every stage of the growing process. The lights are dimmable and have daisy-chain functionality to connect a maximum of 15 units using only one electrical outlet. 

Use a single lamp to cover 6.5 square feet for the flowering stage and 9 square feet for the vegetative stage. This grow light regulates temperature internally, so it requires no fan, ensuring quiet operation.

From a horticultural and budget standpoint, the Mars Hydro TS1000 was our favorite LED grow light. It produced a large enough light footprint to maintain nine houseplants in our tests and produced excellent light intensity. We envisioned using it to raise garden seedlings in the spring, or to grow veggies indoors in the winter.

We tested this fixture in the dark basement growing area, where the plants beneath its light thrived. The foliage remained dense and deep green in color, there was no leaf drop, and by the end of the month new buds and leaves had begun to grow.

Locking pulleys made it easy to raise the height of the fixture as necessary, but releasing the lock to lower the height required climbing a ladder. The dimmer knob was easy to access and turned smoothly. Overall, the quality and performance were excellent and the price was reasonable. However, the fixture’s industrial appearance may be less desirable for in-home growing in the living space.

Read our full review: Mars Hydro TS1000 Dimmable 150W LED Grow Light

Get the Mars Hydro LED grow light at Amazon, Walmart, or Mars Hydro.

Best Bang for the Buck

GE 9W Balanced Light LED Grow Light Bulb

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Our Ratings: Setup 5/5; Adjustability: 5/5; Durability: 5/5; Coverage: 4/5; Value: 5/5

Product Specs 

• Type: Light bulb
• Coverage: 1 foot by 1 foot
• Wattage: 9

Pros

• Conveniently compatible with any conventional lamp or light-bulb fixture
• Produces full-spectrum light with a natural red-blue wavelength balance
• Budget-friendly price point and a working life of 25,000 hours
• Great choice for supplemental houseplant lighting or small seed-starting projects

Cons

• Relatively small light footprint means more than 1 bulb may be needed
• Lacks adjustability: not dimmable, no built-in timer, and no light-spectrum adjustment

The GE BR30 9-watt grow light is actually an LED light bulb that turns any conventional lamp or light fixture into a grow light. It delivers a PPF (photosynthetic photon flux; see the section on Power below) of 16 micromoles per second and produces full-spectrum lighting that appears white to the eye, with balanced red and blue wavelengths. What this basic non-dimmable bulb lacks in features it makes up in versatility. Install one into a clamp light fixture, or use several in a string light fixture, then plug into an inexpensive mechanical timer for a wide range of uses. It is a great choice for growing garden seedlings, overwintering tropical plants indoors, or growing a pot of basil on the countertop.

One bulb covers a .5-square-foot area for flowering plants, or up to 2.25 square feet for vegetative growth. The quiet, efficient bulb produces almost no heat, so there is no concern about burning foliage or overheating the room.

We tested the GE grow light bulb in our poorly lit living room growing space. After installing the bulb into a clamp light fixture, we positioned it 9 inches above two potted plants and set a mechanical timer (not included) to “on” 18 hours a day per GE’s instructions for vegetative growth. 

The plants flourished. They remained a vibrant green color, produced new leaves and buds, and retained the healthy older leaves beneath. We noted that the general direction of the growth was upward toward the light, even though one of the plants was a trailing type. But the leaves and stems took on the typical shape for the plant types, rather than becoming elongated as often happens in lower-than-ideal light. 

Get the GE LED grow light bulb at Amazon or Walmart.

Best Strip

Mosthink Sunlike White LED Grow Light Strips

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Our Ratings: Setup 4/5; Adjustability: 4/5; Durability: 4/5; Coverage: 4/5; Value: 5/5

Product Specs 

• Type: Strip lights
• Coverage: 1 foot by 1.5 feet
• Wattage: 15

Pros

• Lightweight strip lighting with flexible mounting options and a 6.5-foot power cord
• 2 dimmable 7.5-watt LED light strips with a built-in 2-/4-/8-hour timer
• Low-profile design easily disappears into the background when not in use

Cons

• Difficult to adjust the light height once the strips have been installed
• Limited practical applications; best for under-shelf supplemental lighting setup
• Relatively low/diffused output compared to other plant grow lights; PPF/PPFD ratings are not given

Anyone in need of a compact, lightweight under-shelf grow light will want to consider this versatile set of Mosthink LED grow-light strips. The two 12-inch low-profile strip lights (24 LEDs each) may be configured either side by side or end to end, and they can be mounted with either the included wood screws, double-sided tape, or cable ties. These full-spectrum LEDs produce light in the 380 nm to 800 nm wavelengths, like natural sunlight. The built-in 2-/4-/8-hour timer and 25/50/75/100 percent dimmer offer customizable lighting to promote plant health and vigor.

Each strip illuminates an area approximately 6 inches wide and 18 inches long for a combined total of 1.5 square feet. The moderate light output is best for growing and maintaining healthy foliage. Because these light strips accumulate very low heat, there is no risk of burning leaves or damaging nearby surfaces.

We used the included double-sided tape to affix the Mosthink LED grow-light strips to the underside of a shelf on the wall, side by side and spaced 3.5 inches apart. We placed two 6-inch potted plants side by side under the light, where they grew well. The foliage looked really good, and the plants produced a fair amount of buds and leaves. Overall, this is a fine setup for supplemental lighting.

We really liked the low-profile design of these light strips. At only about a half-inch thick, they barely rise above the surface they are mounted on. They didn’t get in the way when we were moving things around, and they seemed to fade into the background when not in use. 

We did not love the three-way timer, however, because it had a maximum setting of 8 hours instead of the 12 hours we would have preferred. Our solution was to delay the start time until about 4 hours after sunrise, since our room faced east (sunrise) and the plants would benefit most from additional afternoon light.

Get the Mosthink LED grow-light strips at Amazon.

Best Spread-Style

Spider Farmer SF4000 450W LED Grow Light With Dimmer

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Our Ratings: Setup 4/5; Adjustability: 5/5; Durability: 4/5; Coverage: 5/5; Value: 4/5

Product Specs 

• Type: Spread-style
• Coverage: 6 feet by 6 feet
• Wattage: 450
  

Pros

• Largest coverage area of all the grow lights we tested
• High-intensity, dimmable lights cover the full spectrum of light wavelengths
• Well suited for gardening in dark spaces such as basements and garages
• Includes daisy-chain functionality to accommodate larger indoor garden projects

Cons

• By far the most expensive grow light we tested
• High energy consumption makes it impractical for smaller spaces

Dedicated home gardeners looking to upgrade their setup may need the power supplied by the Spider Farmer SF4000 LED grow light. It’s larger than many grow lights, so one unit can cover a large surface area. For an even larger setup, the light has daisy-chain functionality, allowing growers to connect up to 12 lights. 

This Spider Farmer light is powerful, with a maximum PPFD of 2479 micromole/m2/s at a height of 12 inches. Because of this extra power, however, it consumes a lot of energy for an LED fixture, requiring 450 watts of electricity. 

We installed the Spider Farmer SF4000 in our dark basement grow area. It was, by far, the largest, heaviest, and most expensive grow light we tested, and it generated the broadest footprint with the most intense light. Compared to our Best Overall pick, this one offered four times as much growing space for vegetative growth, and more than 3.5 times as much space for flowering and fruiting plants. This would be a great choice for anyone interested in growing larger quantities of flowers or veggies indoors.

Due to the extraordinary light intensity and our shortage of smaller plants, we included three 12-inch potted plants under this light. They took up one third of the available space for direct light but offered space beneath their canopies to place low-light plants, which we did. This was the only light we tested that offered adequate intensity and footprint size to grow a multilevel (direct and filtered light) garden. All of the plants looked great from start to finish. 

Get the Spider Farmer LED grow light at Amazon, Walmart, or Spider Farmer.

Best for Herbs

AeroGarden Bounty LED Grow Light

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Our Ratings: Setup 4/5; Adjustability: 5/5; Durability: 4/5; Coverage: 5/5; Value: 4/5

Product Specs 

• Type: Integrated LED panel
• Coverage: 1.5 foot by 1 foot
• Wattage: 30

Pros

• Complete countertop hydroponic system with integrated full-spectrum LED lighting
• Touch-screen control panel with fully customizable light timer
• Telescoping mount arm adjusts light panel height from 8 to 24 inches high
• Easy to operate, easy to adjust, highly productive growing system

Cons

• Relatively small integrated growing space
• High cost considering only the grow light, but a value price for the quality of the full system

The AeroGarden Bounty is a complete countertop hydroponic gardening system. Its base features an automatic circulating nutrient reservoir that holds a plug tray where the plants grow, the high-resolution display, and a control panel. The telescoping 30-watt full-spectrum LED grow light attaches at the rear of the base, so no fixture mounts or other external hardware is necessary. The system only takes about 15 minutes to set up and start growing. 

The kit included pre-seeded grow plugs with Genovese basil, curly parsley, dill, thyme, Thai basil, mint, chives, and Italian parsley. All that’s necessary is to fill the reservoir with water, add the liquid nutrient, insert the grow deck, and turn on the power. Follow the startup prompts on the display screen to set the light and pump schedules. For best results, it is recommended to start with the grow light at the lowest height setting and gradually increase the height as the seedlings grow.

We set up the AeroGarden Bounty in our dim living room grow space. Setup was uncomplicated and quick, and the instructions were easy to follow. After setup, we only needed to monitor the unit, topping off the water and adding plant food when prompted. All of our herb seeds sprouted in less than a week, and by the end of the month we were harvesting basil and parsley. The plants grew much faster than we anticipated, and the foliage looked (and tasted) great.

In our experience, this may be the best way to grow culinary herbs indoors. Traditional problems growing herbs indoors include lack of available sunlight, clunky grow lights that require some sort of external structure for mounting, and dealing with the messes associated with potting soil and water. AeroGarden simplifies the whole process with a sleek and tidy system that actually works. It’s a pricey option for anyone who just wants a grow light, but when taken as a complete solution it makes a lot of sense.

Get the AeroGarden Bounty LED grow light at Amazon, Walmart, or AeroGarden.