***So Ikea announced the day I finished this video that their Tradfri lights were going to be compatible with Apple Home, Alexa and Google Home. So I'll re-review them once that update get's pushed out.

So you’re looking to get a set of smart home LED bulbs. What set do you get? The Philips Hue or the Ikea Tradfri? Do you go with the company that’s been in the smart home LED bulb game the longest or do you go with the company that is a household name when it comes to cheap, useful furniture?

Based on my time with both the Philips Hue and Ikea Tradfri, and many other smart LED bulb sets, I’d spend my money on the Philips Hue. The Ikea Tradfri is not worth the money, hassle or time that you’re going to spend on it. Even if you are a hardcore Ikea fan. I say this as an iKea fan as I’m an owner of many Expedit shelves.

For this comparison, I’ll even compare the equivalent set of Philip Hue White Ambiance bulbs a score of 4.3 Eh’s out of 5 whereas the Ikea Tradfri’s get a score of 1.7 Eh’s out of 5. Yes, they are that bad.

Get the Ikea Tradfri on Amazon!
Amazon US: https://shreh.ca/2uDpjfh
Amazon CA: https://shreh.ca/2uDtTKA
Amazon UK: https://shreh.ca/2uDvEHE
Amazon DE: https://shreh.ca/2uDdlCp

Or get it on eBay: https://shreh.ca/2uCZDje

Get the Phillips Hue on Amazon!
Amazon US: https://shreh.ca/2uD1HaV
Amazon CA: https://shreh.ca/2uDpozB
Amazon UK: https://shreh.ca/2uDDT6s
Amazon DE: https://shreh.ca/2uCYeZM

Or get it on eBay: https://shreh.ca/2uDkqTD

Top 5 Smart Home LED Lights: https://shreh.ca/2ucJSS5

When it comes to physical design, the both the Philips Hue and Ikea Tradfri look like regular bulbs. The bulbs are heavier than normal LED bulbs but from an aesthetic standpoint, doesn’t come close to the badass looking Smart Ivy bulbs.

Both sets of lights are Dimmable through and offer customizable colours of white. O, this asterix? You want to know what this is for. Well, the Tradfri offers customizable colours as along as you choose one of the three colours. You don’t get to specify exactly which color you want, you get to pick three colours.

Now this might not be a problem for some people but given that every other white coloured bulb offers custom whites, it’s silly that Ikea doesn’t. I’m assuming that the technology is there to have more than three custom white colors and Ikea is just color-blocking you for whatever reason.

The only saving grace of the Tradfri is the fact that the bulbs are brighter than the Philips Hue. The Tradfri produces 980 lumens whereas the Hue taps out at 800 lumens. It’s actually lower if you use certain colours.

When it comes to overall functionality, the Philips Hue comes out on top. Adding the bulbs to your home is quite simple whereas the Ikea Tradfri requires you to sync every bulb by itself. If you are planning on getting the Ikea Tradfri, make sure you pair the bulbs far away from each other because you’ll never be able to sync all the bulbs if you put them in a large lamp.

I’m sure Ikea choose this installation route for a reason but at the end, it’s just frustrating. To add to the frustration is the packaging that the Tradfri comes in. Every piece of Ikea furniture I have ever bought has come in easy to open packages. Apparently Ikea sub-contracted the packaging design for the Tradfri because they decided to cover everything with plastic.

Philips also offers a multitude of different ways to remotely access your Hue lights. You can use Apple Home or Alexa remotely or through Philips’s own website. The only way to control the Tradfri is through the app. So if you’re going on vacation, make sure you set the schedule before you leave your home.

If you’ve got an Apple Watch, the Hue offers a watch app whereas Tradri offers you a giant bagel for the Apple watch. I will note that the prevalence of Philips in the smart LED light realm has prompted app manufacturers to include the Hue in their apps which is handy.

When it comes to compatibility, you are going to have a hard time finding a smart home platform that isn’t compatible with the Philips Hue. The Tradfri on the other hand doesn’t work with anything. Which boggles my mind. I believe there is a much larger chance that people buy your bulbs when they’re compatible with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa or Google Home. If a home owner or renter decides to purchase other smart home devices and realizes that Tradfri doesn’t work with them, there is a good chance that person is going to swap out the lights. Regardless of how many Kallax bookshelves they have.

So, bottom line. Be like everyone else and get a set of Philips Hue bulbs if you’re trying to choose between the Hue and Tradfri. If you’re still trying to figure out what smart LED bulbs to get, consider getting the LIFX+. I’ve got a video for that as well!