Best Smart Switches and Dimmers, With or Without Neutral

Prices in this article are U.S. Amazon prices checked November 2026. All assessments are research-based and untested.

Section 1: Which smart switch or dimmer should you buy? (Introduction)

The best smart dimmer for most homes is the Lutron Caseta Diva at $74.20, because it dims LEDs without a neutral wire; with a neutral, the Kasa HS220 at $13.27 a switch is the value pick and the Leviton D315S at $39.12 the best all-round switch.

A smart switch is the least glamorous purchase in a smart home and the one most likely to be wrong, because the wall box decides more than the feature list does. Two houses on the same street can need different products: one has a white neutral bundle tucked behind the switch, the other has a switch loop with no neutral at all, and the second house cannot use most of what is sold. Every pick below is a U.S. Amazon price checked on 4 November 2026, and nothing here was installed or tested by us. The useful question is not which switch has the most features. It is which switch fits the box you already have, and what else you have to buy to make it smart. The Devices pillar holds the rest of the lighting cluster, and Smart Lighting 101 explains why a switch is usually a better first buy than a bulb.

Section 2: Does your switch box have a neutral wire?

Check the box before you shop, because a neutral wire decides whether you can buy almost anything on this page or only a Lutron Caseta dimmer.

The National Electrical Code has required a neutral at most lighting switch boxes since the 2011 edition, with exceptions for conduit and certain wiring methods; Lutron’s code note summarizes the requirement and its exceptions. Houses built or rewired after that date usually have one. Older houses often do not, because the original wiring ran the switched hot down to the switch and stopped there, with no return path for a device that needs to stay powered while the light is off.

You can identify a neutral without guessing. With the breaker off, remove the wall plate and the switch, and look at the back of the box. A neutral is a white wire, or a bundle of white wires joined with a wire nut, that is not connected to the switch itself. If the only wires at the switch are a black, a red or black, and a bare copper ground, the box probably has no neutral. If you are not certain, stop and have an electrician look; Smart Switches: Check the Wiring First covers the safety checks in order, and Do You Need a Neutral Wire? explains what each wire does.

The consequence is blunt. A switch that needs a neutral will not work without one, and no setting, adapter or app fixes it. Your options are a no-neutral dimmer, a relay installed at the fixture where the neutral exists, or paying an electrician to run a neutral to the box. The last is the only one that gives you the full choice of products, and it is also the most expensive.

Section 3: How do the Lutron, Kasa, Leviton and Eve options compare?

The Lutron Diva is the only pick that works without a neutral, the Kasa pair is the least expensive way into dimming and switching, the Leviton D315S has the widest platform support, and the Eve switch is the local Thread option.

The table hides the real split. Two rows need a second purchase or an existing hub, and three do not. The Diva is the only dimmer here that a 1970s switch loop can accept, but it is also the most expensive way to dim a light once the hub is counted: $74.20 plus $94.79 is $168.99 for one dimmer. The Kasa HS220 costs $39.82 for three, or $13.27 each. If your box has a neutral and you want dimming, that difference is the whole argument.

Lutron Caseta Diva

The Diva is the pick when there is no neutral, and it is a good dimmer on its own merits: a soft-glow light bar and a slider for precise wall control, a preset level, and Lutron’s LED+ dimming circuit that is tuned for dimmable LEDs rather than incandescent bulbs. It handles up to 150 W of dimmable LED or 600 W of incandescent and halogen, and it is rated single-pole or 3-way, with the second location handled by a Pico remote rather than another run of wire.

The catch is the hub. The Diva is a Caseta device, and the Caseta Smart Hub at $94.79 is what puts it in the Lutron app, Alexa, Apple Home and Google Assistant. Without the hub it is a manual dimmer with a nice slider. Lutron also does not rate it for low-voltage loads such as track or landscape lighting, so a 12 V system is the wrong application. Buy it when the box has no neutral and the light is a dimmable LED fixture. Skip it if you have a neutral and no interest in Lutron’s ecosystem, because the hub turns a $74 dimmer into a $169 project.

Kasa HS220

The HS220 is the budget dimmer, and the version worth buying is the three-pack: $39.82 for three switches, or $13.27 each, which is less than the sales tax on the Lutron. It needs a neutral, takes 100–120 VAC, and carries 150 W of LED, 300 W of incandescent or 150 W of CFL. Dimming is leading-edge, also called triac phase-cut, which is the common method and the one some LED drivers handle less gracefully than others.

It connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with no hub, works with Alexa and Google, and installs through the Kasa app with a guided wiring walkthrough. The trade-offs are real: there is no Apple Home support, no local API worth relying on, and the cloud account is the price of remote control. Buy it for a room or a whole floor where the boxes have neutrals and the budget matters. Skip it for a single fixture where you want the best dimming, because the Lutron circuit is better behaved at low levels.

Kasa HS200

The HS200 is the same idea without the dimmer: an on/off switch for $15.99 that needs a neutral, handles 15 A and up to 600 W of incandescent or a 1/6 HP motor, and connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with no hub. It is the cheapest sensible way to make a porch light, a garage light or a ceiling fan switched from the wall into something a schedule can reach.

It is not a dimmer and should not be sold as one, and it has the same platform limits as the HS220: Alexa and Google, no Apple Home. Buy it for switched loads that only need on and off. Skip it for a light you actually dim, and skip it for a fan unless the fan motor is within the 1/6 HP rating.

Leviton D315S

The D315S is the best all-round switch here because it is the one that speaks to everything. It needs a neutral and handles 15 A general use, 3 A of LED or CFL, and 1/3 HP, and it works with the My Leviton app with no hub. It is single-pole or 3-way with a DD0SR wired companion or a DAWSC wire-free companion, and it is Matter-ready out of the box, which is what gets it into Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant.

Two details make it more useful than the spec sheet suggests. Schedules live inside the device, so they keep running if the app or the internet is unavailable, and Leviton’s “Off Means Off” behavior is designed to make low-wattage LEDs go fully dark instead of glowing faintly. At $39.12 it costs less than the Lutron dimmer and needs no hub. Buy it for a house that mixes Apple, Google and Home Assistant. Skip it if you need dimming, because this model switches only.

Eve Light Switch

The Eve Light Switch is the local option: it runs on Thread and speaks Matter, requires a neutral, and costs $49.95. It handles 15 A and up to 1800 W resistive, 600 W of incandescent or tungsten, with a 3 W minimum load, and it is rated for single-pole or 3-way replacement. There is no Eve cloud and no subscription, which is the point.

The catch is that Thread needs a border router, and Matter needs a controller, so an Apple TV or HomePod, a compatible Google or Alexa hub, or a Home Assistant setup with a Thread radio is part of the purchase. It is also a switch, not a dimmer, so it cannot replace a dimmer circuit. Buy it if you already run Thread and want lighting that keeps working when the internet does not. Skip it if you have no Thread border router, because the switch alone will not get you started.

Section 4: What goes wrong with a smart switch after installation?

LED flicker, minimum load, 3-way companions, hub dependence and Wi-Fi congestion are the five problems that show up after the switch is in the wall, and each has a different fix.

Flicker and ghosting. A dimmer needs a minimum load, and one 5 W LED bulb can sit below it, which shows up as flicker, a faint glow when off, or a dimmer that will not go fully dark. The HS220 is rated to 150 W of LED but that is a maximum, not a guarantee at the bottom end; the practical fix is to add a second bulb or choose a dimmable LED the manufacturer lists as compatible. Lutron’s LED+ circuit is the more forgiving of the two, which is part of what the extra money buys.

Leading-edge versus trailing-edge. The Kasa HS220 uses leading-edge dimming. Some LED drivers and most electronic low-voltage transformers prefer trailing-edge, and the mismatch can buzz or flicker. If the fixture is a low-voltage system, none of the dimmers here is rated for it, and the correct answer is a dimmer designed for that load rather than an adapter.

3-way wiring. A three-way circuit has two switches controlling one light, and the companion rules differ by brand. Lutron uses a Pico remote for the second location, which needs no wire between the switches. Leviton uses a DD0SR wired companion or a DAWSC wire-free one. The Kasa switches are single-pole, so a three-way circuit needs a different model, not a second HS220. Check the circuit before ordering, because the second switch is a separate purchase in every case.

Hub dependence. The Caseta dimmers are the clearest example: the switch works manually without the hub, but every smart feature lives behind it. If the hub loses power or its network connection, schedules and voice control stop, and the wall still works. That is a reasonable failure mode, but it belongs in the plan, and it is why the hub price is part of the comparison rather than an afterthought.

Wi-Fi congestion. Every Wi-Fi switch is a client on your access point, and a house with twenty of them is a house with twenty more devices asking for airtime. Kasa and Leviton both connect over 2.4 GHz, which reaches further but is the more crowded band. A Thread switch such as the Eve avoids the Wi-Fi problem entirely but adds a border router. Neither approach is free; they move the cost.

Depth and heat. A smart switch is deeper than the mechanical one it replaces, and a crowded box may not close. Leviton lists a 1.09-inch depth for the D315S, which is among the slimmer designs; older boxes with a bundle of wires can still be tight. If the switch will not sit flush, do not force the plate. That is a box problem, and The Smart Home Power Blueprint covers the wiring side in more detail.

Section 5: Which smart switch should you buy?

Buy the Lutron Caseta Diva and its hub if the box has no neutral, the Kasa HS220 three-pack if it has a neutral and you want dimming, the Kasa HS200 for switched loads, the Leviton D315S for the widest platform support, and the Eve switch if you already run Thread.

No neutral: the Diva at $74.20 plus the Caseta Smart Hub at $94.79, $168.99 together, is the only combination on this page that will work, and it is also the best dimming. There is no cheaper no-neutral path that is worth recommending.

Neutral and dimming on a budget: the Kasa HS220 three-pack at $39.82, $13.27 a switch. It gives up Apple Home and the best low-end dimming, and it costs a fraction of the Lutron pair.

Neutral and switching only: the Kasa HS200 at $15.99 for a single switch, or the Leviton D315S at $39.12 if the house mixes ecosystems and you want Matter and on-device schedules. The D315S is the better switch; the HS200 is the better price.

Neutral and local: the Eve Light Switch at $49.95, provided a Thread border router is already in the house. No cloud, no subscription, and Matter for the platforms that support it.

A note on the hub: the Caseta Smart Hub is not optional for the Lutron picks, and it is a separate $94.79. If you are buying two or more Caseta dimmers, the hub cost spreads across them; for one dimmer it does not. That arithmetic is the reason the Kasa is the default recommendation whenever a neutral exists.

Section 6: What is the final call? (Conclusion)

The default answer is the Lutron Caseta Diva at $74.20 when there is no neutral, because it is the only product here that fits that box, and the Kasa HS220 at $13.27 a switch when there is one, because it dims for a fraction of the cost. The Leviton D315S at $39.12 is the best single switch for a mixed-ecosystem house, and the Eve at $49.95 is the right choice only if Thread is already part of the setup.

Skip all of them if you rent and the lease does not allow you to change a switch, if the box has aluminum wiring, or if the fixture is low-voltage track or landscape lighting. In those cases, smart bulbs or a plug-in dimmer are the honest alternatives, and Renting a Smart Home covers the no-drill version.

Before ordering, do one check: turn the breaker off, pull the switch, and photograph the wires. If there is a white bundle that is not connected to the switch, buy a neutral-required model. If there is not, buy the Lutron pair or call an electrician. That photograph is worth more than any spec sheet, and it is the difference between a switch that installs in twenty minutes and one that goes back in the box.

Where to buy

Related reading

• Smart Lighting 101: Why Smart Switches Beat Smart Bulbs — the case for wiring a switch instead of buying another bulb.
• Do You Need a Neutral Wire? — how to read the wires in the box before you order anything.
• Smart Switches: Check the Wiring First — box depth, grounding and the checks that come before a swap.
• Best Matter Devices for a Mixed-Brand Home — the rest of the Matter ecosystem these switches join.

Sources

• Amazon: Lutron Caseta Diva — $74.20, model DVRFW-6L-WH-A, no neutral required, 150 W dimmable LED or 600 W incandescent/halogen, single-pole/3-way, Caseta Smart Hub required, checked November 2026
• Lutron: Neutral wire and NEC 404.2(C) — the neutral-at-the-switch-box requirement, its 2011 NEC origin and the exceptions, checked November 2026
• Kasa: Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch, Dimmer (HS220) — neutral wire required, 100–120 VAC, 150 W LED / 300 W incandescent / 150 W CFL, leading-edge dimming, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, no hub, checked November 2026
• Kasa: Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch (HS200) — neutral wire required, 15 A, 600 W maximum incandescent, 1/6 HP motor, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, no hub, checked November 2026
• Leviton: Decora Smart Wi-Fi Switch D315S — neutral required, 15 A general use, 3 A LED/CFL, single-pole or 3-way with DD0SR or DAWSC, Matter-ready, no hub, checked November 2026
• Eve: Eve Light Switch — on/off only and not a dimmer, Thread and Matter, neutral required, 15 A / 1800 W resistive, 600 W incandescent, 3 W minimum load, Matter controller or Thread border router required, checked November 2026
• Amazon: Lutron Caseta Smart Hub — $94.79, the hub the Caseta dimmers require for app, schedule and voice control, checked November 2026