Philips Hue vs Govee: which smart lights should you buy?

Philips Hue and Govee both sell colour smart bulbs, lightstrips and TV backlights in Australia. Govee sells through retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman and competes on price and effects. Hue charges more for a system built to grow across a whole house.

How each one connects

A Govee bulb joins your home Wi-Fi on the 2.4 GHz band and has Bluetooth as well. There is no hub: fit the bulb, add it in the Govee Home app and it runs. Every bulb is one more device on your router.

A Hue bulb runs on Bluetooth out of the box, for up to 10 lights in one room. Add a Hue Bridge and the bulbs move onto Zigbee, a separate low-power network. That takes you to 50 lights and adds control away from home, motion sensors and automations, without adding anything to your Wi-Fi. Our Wi-Fi vs Zigbee comparison covers why that matters in a bigger home.

What a room costs

Govee price from JB Hi-Fi, Hue from Synced. A whole house on Hue adds a Bridge at $99.95. If you only need warm white, Hue's White A60 is $34.95.

TV backlighting

Govee wins on price here. Its camera kits, such as the TV Backlight 3 Lite, mount a small camera on the TV that reads the picture and colours a strip behind the screen. Govee's AI Sync Box kit reads the HDMI signal instead, at about $500 to $550 for 75 to 85-inch TVs.

Hue reads the HDMI signal through the Play HDMI Sync Box 8K at $699.95, which needs a Bridge and Hue lights behind the TV, such as the Play Gradient lightstrip at $429.95 to $539.95. It costs a lot more, and it can bring up to 10 colour-capable Hue lights around the room into the effect.

Lightstrips

Govee's 5m RGBIC+W Matter strip lists at $137 and shows several colours along its length at once. Hue's cheapest strip, the Solo, starts at $109.95 and shows one colour at a time. Hue's gradient strips start at $199.95.

When the internet drops

Hue keeps working in the house, because the Bridge runs your lights, switches and automations locally.

Govee says its Matter lights keep working through a Matter hub when the internet is down. If you run Home Assistant, its Govee lights local integration controls supported models over your home network once LAN control is switched on in the Govee Home app. The B22 Matter bulb (H6004) is on the list.

Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa

Both brands work with all three. Govee's Matter models add directly through Matter, which carries on/off, brightness, white and colour. Govee also links to Alexa and Google Home through its own account link. Govee's scenes, music sync and effects stay in the Govee Home app. Hue lights join all three through the Bridge.

Which should you buy?

Pick Govee if

• You want colour and effects in a room or two for the lowest price.
• TV backlighting is the main job and the budget is tight.
• You already run Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa or Home Assistant and don't need a dedicated lighting system.

Pick Hue if

• You're lighting the whole house and want to keep dozens of bulbs off your Wi-Fi.
• You want switches, motion sensors and outdoor lights in the same system.
• You need one range across B22, E27, E14, GU10 and MR16 fittings.
• You want lights that keep running when the internet drops, and a two-year manufacturer warranty.