The Best Ring Lights That Brighten Your Video, Whether Live Or Filmed

Color temperature range: 3,200K to 5,600K | Light size: 9-inches | Power: AC power | Stand and mount: Adjustable tripod stand. Light has three phone mounts.

Best for: Lighting up one person for any type of photography, videography or virtual calling.

The Neewer 19-inch ring light offers a color temperature adjustable LED light that also allows you to control brightness. The ring light itself has the option to install three cold shoe smartphone mounts that can use two built-in USB ports to power the smartphones continuously while live streaming, for example. It comes with an adjustable tripod that goes from 31.5 to 72.8 inches in height. You can adjust the light’s angle by up to 180 degrees.

Meanwhile, control of the light can be done with the built in buttons and small display or using the supplied handheld remote. The bundle also comes with a convenient carrying case. Setting up the light takes less than two minutes. Once you set up this ring light, it offers a tremendous amount of versatility.

Pros:

• Adjustable brightness and color temperature
• Includes an adjustable tripod and three smartphone mounts
• Convenient remote control

Cons:

• No battery power option

Color temperature range: 5,600K with 4-level brightness control | Light size: 3.74 x 2.7 x 0.4 inches | Power: Battery | Stand and mount: MagSafe adapter

Best for: Close-range lighting for selfies or virtual calling.

This small ring light includes a mirror in the center and easily attaches to a MagSafe iPhone. It brightens your face when taking selfies or partaking in a video call. The mirror allows you to see yourself, so you can use a smartphone’s rear facing camera. The light is MagSafe compatible, so it easily attaches to an Apple iPhone, but the optional Joby GripTight Mount ($40) allows you to connect the light to other devices, including a laptop computer or tabletop tripod.

The Joby Beamo Ring Light for MagSafe generates 5,600K white light (equivalent to daylight) and has a brightness control with four settings. The built in rechargeable battery lasts up to 90 minutes of continuous use.

Pros:

• Portable size that works great with smartphones
• Battery lasts up to 90 minutes
• Brightness level has 4 settings

Cons:

• Optional adapter required to connect to the light to equipment other than an Apple iPhone

Color temperature range: 3,200K to 5,600K | Light size: 17-inches | Power: Battery | Stand and mount: Adjustable tripod, smartphone mount

Best for: Use as a general-purpose ring light with plenty of adjustability.

The Lume Cube Cordless Ring Light Pro is a 17-inch ring light that runs on a battery, so you can set it up and use it virtually anywhere. Adjust brightness and color temperature from the light itself or via the included remote control. The ring light uses 256 inward-facing LEDs with built-in adjustable diffusers. This allows for precision lighting that’s fully customizable based on your unique needs. A USB port makes it easy to charge a camera or phone while you’re using the light to film or livestream.

The bundle comes with the ring light, adjustable tripod (18 to 70 inches with 180-degree tilt capabilities), one smartphone mount, a charger and a travel case. The Cordless Ring Light Pro has a sleek and lightweight design, it is rather expensive compared to the competition. The rechargeable battery lasts for up to 70 minutes of continuous use.

Pros:

• Outputs bright, adjustable light
• Comes with a full-size tripod
• Long battery life

Cons:

• Expensive

Color temperature range: 3,000K to 6,500K | Light size: 22 inches | Power: AC power | Stand and mount: Tripod, smartphone mount

Best for: Use as a general-purpose ring light for shooting video, portraits, vlogging or live streaming.

A smaller size ring light (up to 12 inches) does an adequate job surrounding your face and potentially your upper body with light. However, not a lot of light will reach the areas surrounding you. So, if you want to brighten up a larger area (as well as most of your body), look for a ring light with a larger diameter.

This Mactrem ring light offers a 22-inch diameter and comes with a 75-inch adjustable tripod stand. You can adjust the light’s temperature between 3,000K and 6,500K, and its brightness between 1% and 100%. This way, if you need to shed light on more than one subject, or on a larger space, this more powerful ring light can handle the task. It comes with a handheld remote control, three smartphone mounts and a carrying case.

Pros:

• 22-inch ring light for brightening up a larger space
• Comes with an adjustable tripod
• Remote control makes it easy to adjust

Cons:

• Lacks battery power

Color temperature range: 3,200K to 5,600K | Light size: 18 inches | Power: Battery or AC power | Stand and mount: Adjustable tripod, smartphone mount

Best for: Untethered, adjustable lighting.

This versatile setup includes an 18-inch LED ring light that’s suitable for lighting up someone’s face and upper body. The light has a dimmer which adjusts brightness from 0% to 100%, and it has a built-in diffuser, which creates a soft, flattering light that fills in shadows that appear on someone’s face. The battery lasts up to 70 minutes of continuous use, but you can also plug in the light for unlimited usage.

The bundle includes a tripod (expandable up to 6.5 feet), several mounts (supporting a phone or camera up to 10 pounds) and a travel case. Like most LED-based ring lights, this one has a lamp life expectancy of over 50,000 hours. The weight of the light, battery and tripod together is just 1.7 pounds.

Pros:

• Adjustable brightness and color temperature
• Adjustable tripod with smartphone and camera mounts
• Good battery life

Cons:

• Expensive

Color temperature range: 3,000K to 5,600K | Light size: 12 inches | Power: USB power cord

Best for: Vlogging or virtual calls.

The Joby Beamo Ring Light is a 12-inch ring light that’s sold on its own, with no extras—a point which keeps the price low (Joby sells a stand and various types of mounts separately). The bottom of the light has a standard tripod mount. The light itself offers 10 brightness levels and three-color temperature settings (3,000K, 4000K or 5,600K), so it’s less versatile than many other ring lights out there. However, it’s also much less expensive. The Joby Beamo Ring Light comes with a cold shoe adapter and carry bag. If all you need is a smaller size ring light that works with various stands, this is a low-cost solution for taking selfies, live streaming or vlogging, for example.

Pros:

• Low cost
• Small, portable design

Cons:

• Does not come with any stands or mounts
• Battery power bank or AC adapter sold separately
• Fewer adjustments than competitors

Color temperature range: 2,700K to 6,500K | Light size: 9-inches | Power: USB | Stand and mount: Adjustable 3-way mount.

Best for: Podcasts, broadcasts, and gaming

Logitech joins the race with its own take on the ring light, the Litra Glow. It is made for streaming with TrueSoft technology that brings full-spectrum LED light to your content. With its soft light, it carefully balances natural colors so they pop on camera, delivering vibrant, lifelike color in your photography or videography.  You can use it on the go, too, thanks to a three-way monitor mount. You can adjust the height, tilt, and rotation to best fit your subject. Then, you just need to make adjustments to the brightness and color temperature settings to get your image exactly how you want it.   

The Litra Glow has also passed UL testing guidelines for safe streaming throughout the day.

Pros:

• Adjustable brightness and color temperature
• Flexible monitor clip
• Fantastic lighting customization

Cons:

• Not the best reflection handling

Color temperature range: 2,900K to 6,500K | Light size: 21-inches | Power: USB | Stand and mount: Adjustable tripod stand. Light has three phone mounts.

Best for: Long-range setups

If you want big light, check out the EOTO Ring Light, available in a massive 21-inch size. It is easy to customize the settings with a large touch panel that allows you to create the perfect brightness and color temperature for your content. With LED lights built in, the ring light ranges from 2900K to 6500K in color temperature, while allowing you to adjust the brightness anywhere from 10% to 100% for that perfect lighting. 

It is held in place by a sturdy aluminum alloy tripod that is adjustable in height and has an integrated locking system to keep everything in place. We especially love the remote Bluetooth controller that simplifies the whole selfie-taking process. It works more than eight feet away, giving that extra convenience when you want that perfect shot. 

Pros:

• Massive ring light
• Support for up to three devices
• Remote control included

Cons:

• Long-term durability concerns