The perfect home features a combination of task lighting and mood lighting. The former is useful in areas like the kitchen and the bathroom where you want enough bright light to have good visibility. But in other rooms, like the living room and bedroom, adjustable mood lighting is key. And while fairy lights offer a good temporary solution, the best way to control the lighting in your recreational spaces is by installing dimmer switches. In addition to giving you more control, dimmers save you money on lighting costs and also help your bulbs last longer. Here, we've done the research to shine a spotlight on our favorite dimmer switches available on the market today. Leviton Decora Smart Dimmer Intelligent IlluminationThis smart switch lets you dim your lights using only your voice or schedule your home to sync up with your day on Leviton's convenient app.Best Smart DimmerFind on Amazon While fully automated homes are not quite up to par with the predictions from early sci-fi novels, these days they’re pretty damn close, and little fixtures like this dimmer by Leviton are paving the way. This smart switch relies on WiFi to sync up to the handy My Leviton app on your phone or to your Alexa or Google Assistant, meaning you’re always just one tap or word away from illuminating your space when you need it. Moreover, for those operating on more predictable timetables, get your home ready for your mornings or evenings by setting up a timed schedule for your bulbs. What’s more, while this dimmer is seriously smart, you don’t have to be an electrician to figure out the easy-install instructions so that you can start enjoying your futuristic home sooner. Pros: Multi-location control No hub required (uses WiFi) Easy set-up instructions Cons: Higher cost Won’t dim LEDs all the way down Lutron Diva Dimmer Switch All-Around FunctionalYou can't go wrong with Lutron's easy-to-install Diva Dimmer switch, which works with most bulbs and configurations. Best Classic DimmerFind on Amazon When it comes to the essential functionality of our homes, sometimes simple versatility is better than feature-loaded innovation. That’s why we love this classic Lutron Diva Dimmer Switch. Suitable for use with most types of bulbs — e.g. dimmable LEDs, halogens, and incandescents — this rocker switch works in both single-pole and 3-way setups, meaning you can buy a few and decide where you want to install them regardless of different lighting configurations. And speaking of installation, you don’t need a neutral wire in your lighting fixture to set up this switch, and we think that’s definitely some light relief. Pros: 4 color options Single-pole or 3-way compatible Includes wallplate Easy install — no neutral wire required Cons: Faceplate is hard to remove Small sliding dimmer Kasa Smart Dimmer Switch (3-Pack) Smart Lights for LessKasa's value pack of 3 single-pole dimmer switches will give you smart remote control of your lights — and it'll do it for a third of the price of other brands. Best Multi-PackFind on Amazon Smart technology doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg — at least that’s what the folks at the Kasa Smart Store think. Get all the same WiFi-enabled features as other smart dimmers but for less than half the price with this UL-certified pack of three switches. Easily set up the switches through the Kasa app in the three rooms of your choice and enjoy remote-controlled 0-100% dimming from anywhere on your phone afterward. And because these babies are as smart as they are affordable, you can sync them up with your voice assistant to make sure you can see where you’re going even when your hands are full. Pros: No hub required Great cost value Excellent LED dimming Cons: Not for 3-way configurations GE 3-Way Rotating Dimmer Switch Retro RadianceTurn your lights on and off and dim them, too, with the single-operating dial of this nostalgic dimmer switch by GE.Best Rotary SwitchFind on Amazon Dimmer switches have been used since the 1960s, and while lighting options have changed greatly since then, there is something classically easy about the rotating dial that we used to have in our childhood homes. With a simple push on/off function and intuitive dimming command (all performed on the same dial), you don’t have to do much else after you install this retro dimmer. But despite its vintage feel, this particular dimmer by GE works just as well with dimmable LEDs as it does with traditional incandescent bulbs. And at this low price, you can be assured we’re not making light of the value. Pros: Compatible with LEDs, CFLs, and incandescents Great cost value Comes with white and light almond dimmer bulbs Cons: Not for single-pole configurations Won’t dim LEDs all the way down Lutron Maestro Motion Sensor Dimmer Switch Detect and DimThis occupancy-sensing light dimmer by Lutron can be fully programmed around your personal timing and light intensity needs. Best Automatic DimmerFind on Amazon Though we often associate motion sensors with outdoor spaces, having them indoors is a smart move, as well. How many times have you wished the light in your laundry room would just turn on by itself when you walked in carrying a heavy load? Or how about when guests stumble around at night looking for the ill-positioned bathroom switch? Thankfully, motion-sensor light switches exist, and this particularly useful one by Lutron also has a dimmer feature. Adjust how bright the bathroom light will be when you get up to go at night or gently fade your living room lights on after an evening out — all this and more with pre-set programming you can set up during installation. Just make sure your switch is in a favorable location so that it will detect people entering at the right angle. Pros: No neutral wire required 25 color options Compatible with single-pole and 3-way configurations Cons: Switches are bulkier than simple switches Frequently Asked Questions How do dimmer switches work? If you’re replacing a dimmer switch in an old house, the way that one likely works is by adding a variable resistor into the series circuit of the light, basically causing a voltage drop and thus less energy available to power the bulb. But modern dimmers tend to work differently in that they actually take the electricity in the circuit and turn it on and off. When the switch is on low, the on/off cycle takes longer and the bulb emits less brightness, whereas the cycle flows more easily; thus, the bulb is brighter when the dimmer switch is turned to high. How do I know which dimmer switch is right for me? There are a few main considerations to keep in mind when choosing the perfect dimmer switch. Firstly, what kind of current light system do you have set up: a single-pole or three-way dimmer? The former is one that controls everything from one switch location, whereas the latter allows multi-location control of one light. Secondly, what kind of bulbs and how many will you be controlling with the dimmer? Nowadays, LEDs are the most popular but then you need to make sure you select a compatible dimmer. And each dimmer has a total wattage it can control, so you need to make certain that you aren’t trying to handle too many bulbs at once. Lastly, think about what kind of control style you want: a dial, a slide, phone-controlled dimming, etc.