How we ranked the cheapest plugs
“Cheapest” is easy to game, so we set a floor before we sorted on price. First, safety: a smart plug carries live household current, so we only consider plugs that carry a recognized safety mark (UL or ETL). That one symbol is the difference between a tested product and an anonymous import, and it costs you nothing to insist on it. Second, a real app and reliable Wi-Fi: a two-dollar savings means nothing if the plug drops off your network every week or the app is a chore to use. Third, ecosystem support— the plug has to speak to at least one of Alexa or Google Home so you can control it by voice or fold it into a routine. Only after a plug clears all three did we sort on the number that actually matters to a renter: cost per outlet, not the sticker on the box.
That last distinction is why a two-pack can beat a “cheaper” single plug. A pack of two that costs a little more than one rival plug is often half the price per outlet, and most renters want at least two — a lamp in the living room, a fan in the bedroom. Keep that math in mind as you read.
Why a smart plug is the best first buy
Before the picks, a word on why a plug — and not a bulb or a camera — is the thing to buy first. A smart plug turns a dumb device into a scheduled, voice-controlled, phone-controlled one without changing the device at all. A lamp becomes a sunrise alarm. A fan turns itself off at 2 a.m. A space heater… actually, hold that thought — we get to what you should not plug in below. The point is that a plug is the most flexible dollar in the smart home, and it is the single most reversible upgrade there is. If you are still deciding between a plug and a bulb for a given room, our smart bulbs vs smart plugs comparison has the simple per-room rule, and what to use smart plugs for has the everyday ideas.
Wyze Plug — cheapest per outlet
The Wyze Plugis almost always sold as a two-pack, which is what makes it the cheapest per-outlet way to make a couple of lamps smart. You get two plugs for roughly what a single competing plug costs, no hub is needed, and it works with both Alexa and Google Home — so a renter starting from nothing can automate two rooms for the price of one. The footprint is small enough that it does not swallow the second socket on the outlet.
The honest con: there is no Apple Home (HomeKit) support, so if you live in the Apple ecosystem this is not your plug. It is also 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only, which is standard at this price but worth knowing if your router hides its 2.4GHz band. If those two things do not apply to you, the value here is hard to argue with. Weighing it against the Kasa? We put them side by side in Kasa vs Wyze.
Amazon Basics Smart Plug — the Alexa-only pick
If your home runs on Alexa and only Alexa, the Amazon Basics Smart Plug is the least fussy plug to set up: Alexa recognizes it more or less automatically, so there is almost no pairing dance. It is inexpensive, compact, and needs no hub. For someone whose whole smart home is an Echo and a couple of gadgets, that frictionless setup is a genuine perk.
The honest con is right there in the name of the pick: it works with Alexa only. There is no Google Home or Apple Home support at all, and its scheduling features are thinner than what Kasa’s app gives you. Buy it if you are certain you will never move off Alexa; if there is any chance you add a Google or Apple speaker later, spend a hair more on a plug that does not box you in.
Kasa Smart Plug Mini EP25 — best overall value
The Kasa Smart Plug Mini EP25 is the one we would tell most renters to buy, and we call it the best value rather than the cheapest for a reason. Per single outlet it can cost a touch more than a Wyze two-pack, but it does more for the money: no hub, and it works with Alexa, Google Home and Apple Home. That HomeKit support is the piece the two cheaper plugs lack, and it is what keeps the EP25 from becoming e-waste if your setup changes. The mini body is deliberately shaped not to block the outlet beside it.
The honest con: it is one outlet per plug, so covering two rooms means buying two, and like the others it is 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only. Neither is a dealbreaker — you are paying a small premium for the widest compatibility and the best app in this group. For the full field beyond the budget bracket, see our best smart plugs roundup.
Getting the most out of a cheap plug
A budget plug is not a stripped-down plug — the cheap ones here do almost everything the expensive ones do, because the useful features live in the app, not the hardware. The first thing to set up is a schedule: have a living-room lamp switch on at dusk and off at bedtime so you never walk into a dark apartment, or run a fan on a timer through the night. The second is a voice routine— once the plug is linked to Alexa or Google, “turn off the bedroom” kills the lamp without getting up. The third, and the most underrated for a renter, is away mode: set a lamp to turn on and off at slightly random times while you travel, and a dark apartment reads as an occupied one from the street. None of that costs extra, and none of it needs a hub. If you want the full list of ideas, from coffee makers to string lights, our guide on what to use smart plugs for runs through them, and if you are torn between a plug and a bulb for a given light, the bulb-versus-plug rule settles it.
A quick safety note: watts and what not to plug in
Cheap does not have to mean unsafe, but you have to buy with your eyes open. Look for the UL or ETL safety markon the plug and the box — UL Solutions explains what that mark actually certifies, and it is the fastest way to tell a tested product from an anonymous one. Then respect the plug’s rating: every smart plug has a maximum wattage and amperage printed on it, and high-draw appliances — a space heater, a hair dryer, an AC unit, a microwave — can exceed it and overheat the plug. Use smart plugs for lamps, fans, chargers, string lights and small electronics, and leave the heavy appliances on the wall outlet. If you want the deeper version, our guide on whether smart plugs are safe walks through the ratings and the do-not-plug-in list.
The verdict
If your only question is the lowest possible cost per outlet, the two-pack Wyze Plug wins on math. If your home is all Alexa and you want the simplest setup imaginable, the Amazon Basics Smart Plug is the path of least resistance. But for most renters the Kasa Smart Plug Mini EP25 is the smart buy: a small premium for HomeKit support, the best app, and a plug that will still fit your home two apartments from now. Whichever you pick, you are getting the most reversible, no-fee upgrade in the whole smart home.
