10 Best Smart Plugs of 2026, Matter, Energy Monitoring and Hub-Free Picks Compared

Judge a smart plug by how little thought it needs, and the Tapo P110M wins. It's a Matter plug on 2.4GHz Wi-Fi from TP-Link's smart-home brand, and it runs from the Tapo app with no hub: schedules, countdown timers, and energy monitoring that estimates your bill from your tariff. Alexa, Google Home or Apple Home control goes through a Matter hub such as a HomePod or Google Nest Mini. It's rated to 13A and 2990W. The limitation is that Matter energy readings currently reach only SmartThings and Home Assistant, so everyone else checks usage in the Tapo app. Two editorial roundups rate it highly.

If your home runs on Apple Home, the Eve Energy is the plug I'd look at first. It's Matter over Thread, so it never joins your Wi-Fi (my overcrowded router cupboard approves), and it works with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home and SmartThings. Energy monitoring includes a cost projection, and standby draw is listed at about 0.4W. But Thread needs something in the house to talk to, so check your hub or speaker speaks Thread first, the same homework the Onvis sets. It's also a premium buy next to the Tapo P110M.

Already own Philips Hue bulbs? Then this plug fits in without fuss. Out of the box it works over Bluetooth with the Hue Bluetooth app, and voice control runs through Alexa speakers and Google Nest devices. Add a Hue Bridge, sold separately, for control away from home. That's how I'd run a Christmas tree off the same evening routine as the living-room lamps. There's no energy monitoring, though, unlike the Tapo P110M and Meross Mini. Two editorial roundups include it.

Small plug bodies matter more than spec sheets admit. UK double sockets are tight, and the Meross Mini, listed at 61 x 33 x 48mm, shouldn't crowd the neighbouring outlet. It's a Matter plug on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with energy monitoring, schedules and family sharing in the Meross app. For Apple Home, Alexa or Google Home, Meross lists a platform hub such as a HomePod mini or Nest Hub (2nd generation). One snag: the spec table contradicts itself on plug type, so check the photos show UK 3-pin pins before ordering. One editorial roundup lists it.

This one only makes sense in a Hive home. The Active Plug talks to the Hive Hub over Zigbee and won't work without one; you then switch it from a phone, tablet or laptop. Its useful extra is a signal booster that extends the Hive Zigbee network. In a typical UK semi, with the hub by the router in the hallway, the back bedroom is exactly where a repeater earns its keep. There's no energy monitoring, and no roundup I read covered it. Without Hive heating already installed, the Shelly or Tapo make more sense.

Home Assistant users, this is your plug. Shelly lists a local API with no cloud needed, plus Alexa, Google Home and SmartThings support, with no hub required. It runs on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with Bluetooth for setup, measures power in real time, and protects against overcurrent, overpower, overvoltage and overheating. The title says 3000W while the spec table says 2500W, so treat the lower figure as the working limit. I couldn't find editorial coverage of it. For a phone-app-only household, the Tapo is simpler to live with.

Nothing about the TCP Smart Plug is fancy, and that's the appeal. It's a plain 2.4GHz Wi-Fi plug with no hub, run from the TCP Smart app, Alexa, Google Home or Siri Shortcuts, with schedules and timers. The manual on/off button matters when the broadband drops and you just want the lamp on (it happens in my house more than I'd like). No Matter support or energy monitoring is listed, and at 5.6 x 11.1 x 6.3 cm it's bulkier than the Meross Mini. One UK roundup named it.

Two radios in one plug is the Aqara H2's party trick. In Thread mode it joins Matter platforms such as Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and Home Assistant; in Zigbee mode it works through an Aqara hub. Either way you need a border router or Aqara hub, and Aqara says the hub must run firmware 4.5.45_0017 or later. You get daily and monthly power reports, custom load limits, a child lock and a cut-off at 79°C. Zigbee2MQTT dongles aren't officially supported, which will annoy tinkerers. No roundup coverage turned up.

Matter on a budget is the Sonoff S60TPG-M's pitch. It connects straight to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi with no hub, then joins Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home or Home Assistant through Matter. Energy monitoring, schedules and sunset routines live in the app, and it's rated for 13A with overload protection. At 5.8 x 5.8 x 4.2 cm, it suits a crowded socket. No editorial roundup has picked it up yet, so it's a spec-sheet pick. Next to the Tapo P110M, you give up a track record rather than features.

Simple Wi-Fi control and nothing else is what this one is for. The Status plug runs on home Wi-Fi without a hub, uses the Status Smart app on iOS and Android, and works with Alexa and Google Assistant, with schedules and timers. There's no Apple Home or Matter support listed, the warranty is 1 year, and energy monitoring isn't mentioned, so the Sonoff suits anyone who wants usage data. Nobody in the roundups I read covered it. For a bedside lamp on a timer, it's fine.