LED grow lights can serve as a good alternative for indoor gardening. If you are in the middle of a gloomy city or rent an apartment with no available sunlight, they can save your potted plants.
Indeed, light is one of the basic necessities of plants but they require specific spectrums to flourish. This is the reason why grow lights commonly come with highlighted colors of LEDs. Blue light aids in the production of chlorophyll, making it easier for a plant to use the energy in photosynthesis. With this, plant growth happens faster which explains why during the early stages of plants, the use of blue LED lights is more preferable. Red light, on the other hand, handles the flower and fruit production of plants. This color can also be beneficial for seed germination.
Furthermore, plants predominately utilize lights ranging from 400–700 NM which cover green wavebands, as well. That being said, it is important to check the wavelengths of the LED grow lights before you decide what to have.
The coverage of the LED grow light is also important. If you have an indoor plant-growing business at home, you might need commercial models like the MAXSISUN PB4000 Pro. It can cover a 5’ x 5’ vegetative area or a 4’ x 4’ flowering area. However, if this is too much for you, the Phlizon 1200W is a much better option. This fits most growers, whether professionals or hobbyists. Due to the number of features and controls, you will also find it more convenient for your plant needs. Most of all, it comes with 92 pieces 630-660 NM, 18 pieces 470 NM, 6 pieces cool white 6500 K, 2 pieces UV 380-390 NM, and 2 pieces IR 740 NM lights. This ensures your plants will receive the important wavelengths they need.
There are, nonetheless, more brands that are worth considering such as GHodec, EZORKAS, and Mosthink. Whatever the size of your indoor gardening project, you will definitely find the LED grow light that you need among the products the said brands are offering. To guide you, let us give you our personal insights about each of them. With conclusions derived from our personal observations and comparisons of the products, we hope to help you spot the right one right away. That said, here is the complete list of the best LED grow lights we ranked for you:
Best LED Grow Lights Comparison & Rating
1. MAXSISUN PB4000 Pro LED Grow Light
Brand | MAXSISUN |
Type | Panel |
Number of LEDs | 1400 pieces |
Wattage | 400 watts |
If you own multiple plants in an elevated raised garden bed in your urban apartment, this one is the best LED grow light to have. Known for its wide coverage, the MAXSISUN PB4000 Pro is famous among indoor growers.
When we first saw it, the first thing we noticed was the 1400 pieces Samsung LM281B+ diodes. Besides the quantity, you get the quality you are looking for due to the reliability of each diode that is sourced from a well-known brand. Moreover, the lights come in various light temperatures which give you 3500 K warm white, 5000 K neutral white, 660 NM deep red, and 730 NM infra-red. Really bright to the eyes but it is on the blue side of the spectrum. Also, With the combination of the mentioned light temperatures, the PB4000 Pro assures the survival of plants, especially in their vegetative phase.
Due to its relatively huge size, each panel of grow lights can cover a 5’ x 5’ vegetative area or a 4’ x 4’ flowering area. You can also use it to set the same or different brightness levels for multiple lights by grouping. Hence, if you are a professional grower that utterly needs the best help in growing plants indoors, this model is really a must.
The lights only consume 400 watts, making it truly cost-efficient for businesses. Further, compared to other models built with enclosed designs, the heat being produced by the lights on PB4000 Pro easily dissipates. And although it doesn’t have a fan, there are additional safety features that help it regulate the heat of the grow light panel. That being said, in case any of the PB series lamps reaches 90 degrees, the brightness of the lamp will automatically be halved for your safety and to prevent accidents.
2. Phlizon 1200W LED Plant Grow Light
Brand | Phlizon |
Type | Panel |
Number of LEDs | 120 pieces |
Wattage | 226 watts |
Phlizon 1200W might not have the size of huge LED grow lights like MAXSISUN PB4000 Pro, but when it comes to ease of use and practicality, this is the true king.
Its use is very straightforward since it only employs 2 switches that basically determine the spectrum that will be produced by the panel. The first one is the Veg switch that employs blue and white LEDs to aid in the seedling or vegetative phase of plants. The second switch, labeled as the Bloom, uses red and white LEDs that are best for the flowering stage of the plants. Once the plants are in their final phase, you can use both switches to give the plants all the benefits of the full spectrum. To be specific, the panel contains 92 pieces 630-660 NM, 18 pieces 470 NM, 6 pieces cool white 6500 K, 2 pieces UV 380-390 NM, and 2 pieces IR 740 NM lights. With all that and the right settings and height adjustment of the light panels, you can be sure that your plants will produce the best results.
Further, its actual power only comes at 240 to 250 watts making it more capable of handling temperatures at safe levels for a longer time. As a matter of fact, when we tried it, it produced almost no alarming levels of heat. Truly moderate. Of course, this still depends if you have proper ventilation in your area. Nonetheless, it really is an impressive grow light in terms of temperature controls.
It also sports three mini fans to allow the better release of heat and to assure the longevity of the lifespan of lights. Most of all, the package offers a thermometer with an integrated humidity monitoring function. With all that, you get all the things you need for a 3’ x 3’ indoor growing area.
3. GHodec HY-016 Dual Head Desk LED Grow Lights
Brand | GHodec |
Type | Lamp |
Number of LEDs | 44 pieces |
Wattage | 40 watts |
GHodec HY-016 is another portable LED grow light you can use anywhere in your house. It is primarily built like an ordinary table lamp, but it is equipped with all the basic and necessary features you need.
The HY-016 comes with 2 lamp heads that carry 44 LEDs. The lights are divided into three colors: 12 red (620-660 NM), 12 blue (460-47 NM), and 20 warm white (380-800 NM). You can even select the color mode of the lights to match the needs of the plants according to their specific growth stages. Hence, despite its size, it is very much capable of encouraging the growth of plants from vegetative to the flowering phase.
You can also set its timer for more effortless use of the grow lights. It is available in 3, 9, and 12 hours which means you can plug it in and forget it. Setting it is also a breeze since there are color indicators to tell you the timer selected. In addition to this, the brightness of the lights can also be altered in 10 levels.
On the other hand, although the coverage of the lights is pretty limited due to the design of the bulb heads, the concentration of light in the specific area where the heads are pointed is great. So, if you have just one to three pots of plants on a table office or at home, this will pretty much assure their 100% survival.
The lamp comes with a durable clip that can create a strong grip on a 2.5-inch thick panel. The 15-inch gooseneck is also phenomenal and very flexible. Wherever you want to point the lamp head, the gooseneck will comply without fuss.
4. EZORKAS GL07 Dimmable LED Grow Light
Brand | EZORKAS |
Type | Lamp |
Number of LEDs | 48 pieces |
Wattage | 23 watts |
Far from the designs of the most grow lights that come in panels, the EZORKAS GL07 is built in a way to spread light to multiple potted indoor plants with ease. The GL07 has 4 lamp heads that you can basically twist and adjust according to your preference. With this, it can cover more than 8 small pots of succulents and other plants without problems.
It is also complete with the important spectrums the plant needs for growth. It comes with 32 red lights and 16 blue lights which give you a total of 48 total lamp chips. Due to the limited number of LEDs, do not expect that you’ll get the same level of brightness you get from other models. Nonetheless, if you are just a hobbyist intending to use it for just a few plants, it is a viable option.
You can also control the color of lights you just need for the specific growth phase of the plants. It comes with a built-in control box that allows you to choose in its 3 modes: blue, red, or all lights. Its red wavelength is at 660 NM while the blue wavelength comes at 460 NM.
The controls also allow you to instantly dim the lights from 20% to 100% brightness. Most of all, it has 3 timing modes, making it possible to automatically turn off after a specific number of hours. You can choose from 3, 9, and 12 lengths of hours.
The only downside our team spotted about it is the lack of display. This is particularly a challenge in the dimming of the lights. Fortunately, the timing modes are aided with numbers to help you identify the mode you will select.
On the other hand, the installation of the lights is incredibly easy. It has a huge clip that you can attach to any surface (up to 3 inches thick) for support. It is well-built and holds the position of the lamp heads and base even at the most unusual angles. Also, it only uses a USB connector and plug-in connector to work.
5. Mosthink LED Strip Grow Lights
Brand | Mosthink |
Type | Strip |
Number of LEDs | 48 pieces |
Wattage | 7.5 watts |
This Mosthink LED Strip is another option for hobbyists. The best thing about it is its versatility in terms of installation. Compared to LED grow lights that are in panel and lamp forms, LED strip grow lights let you install them almost anywhere. They can be put on walls, garden carts, or they can even serve as undercabinet lighting for your plants. Further, the strips can serve as long-term grow lights for your plants since they can last up to 50,000 hours.
The package comes with two 13.2-inch strips of grow lights consisting of 48 LED chips. The lights emit wavelengths from 380 NM to 800 NM and can handle 2 to 3 small pots of plants. It is not as bright as the EZORKAS GL07, but it allows you to fashion and install it as close as possible to your plants. With this, we can only recommend it as personal glow light equipment for your most beloved plant in the room. It can also make a good grow light for your herbs on the kitchen counter such as thyme, basil, and rosemary.
Moreover, the strip lights come with great settings. They are connected to a small built-in control box that lets you turn it on and off, choose the brightness of the lights (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%), and set the timer for automatic deactivation (2H/ 4H/ 8H). The control box has color indicators for you to easily determine the settings. Moreover, you get screws and double-sided tape that makes the installation much easier. Most of all, the power cord comes at 78 inches in length so plugging it into a wall outlet is not a problem.
Best LED Grow Lights - Buyer's Guide
As said, the blue and red lights are the colors commonly used by plants in order to grow. You can easily spot them by checking the wavelengths of the LEDs indicated in the products. Commonly, the wavelengths you need range from 400–700 NM. This also covers the green light (550 NM) which is also important in the survival of plants.
The coverage of the LED glow light is also important to consider. This is one of the top considerations you should look into if you are a professional grower who owns a plant business at home. Apparently, you don’t want to buy grow lights for each pot you have at home. With this, check for the dimensions and coverage area of the lights. It is also good if the unit allows the daisy chain feature in case you plan to buy more grow lights of the same model and brand. Some examples are the MAXSISUN PB4000 Pro and Phlizon 1200W.
Commonly, the bigger and the higher the wattage of the light, the hotter the LED grow light could be. This is why built-in fans are common in glow lights. They are crucial to aid the stabilization of the temperature of the lights. However, there are huge models like the MAXSISUN PB4000 Pro that don’t have fans. With this, ventilation is really needed in the area where it will be used. On the other side of the coin, it is not an issue in smaller models like GHodec HY-016, EZORKAS GL07, and Mosthink LED Strip.
The more controls and settings available in a LED grow light unit, the better. This doesn’t just mean convenience for you, but it also means you can tailor the settings according to the needs of the plants. For example, the Phlizon 1200W can change from blue to red to mixed colors just with the help of a switch. Such a model is very helpful to customize the wavelength the plant is receiving. On the other hand, there are models like GHodec HY-016 that can automatically activate due to its timer setting.
Best LED Grow Lights - FAQs
Plants utilize wavelengths between 400 and 700 NM in order to start photosynthesis. This helps them to generate the energy they need to survive and thrive.
No. Plants also rely on a light-dark cycle in order to properly grow and develop. Exposing them to too much light can interrupt their natural growth.
It depends on the types of plants you are growing. However, most plants would require 8 to 12 hours of exposure from lights. Some plants, however, would require 16 hours of light exposure depending on the condition.
When the plants are under stress caused by various conditions, LED grow lights should be dimmed. Examine your plants and check if they are experiencing wilting, dry leaf edges, uncommon leaf rolling, or blossom drops.
