The Ultimate Guide to the Best LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants

There’s no doubt in my mind that LED grow lights are the best lights for indoor growing. But with so many different styles and wattages of indoor garden lights how do you choose the best LED grow lights for plants in your home?

indoor plant lights are artificial sources of light that stimulate plant growth. The best indoor growing lights simulate the sun and give the plant everything it needs for photosynthesis (how plants turn light into energy.)

Indoor plant grow lights provide a similar light spectrum to the sun by varying the colour, intensity (called lumens) and temperature of the light output. Countless studies show different types of plants respond better to different colours and intensities of light, so using indoor grow equipment allows the grower total control over the type of light the plants receive.

Durability – Obviously you want your LED grow light panel to be well-built and of heavy duty construction. You want to be sure they are made of the best materials possible and the wiring is going to stand up over time. Faulty wiring can create excess heat which is not only bad for your plants but could become a fire hazard. This is another important reason to buy the best quality grow lights you can afford.

Cooling System – LED lights are cooler than their HID and HPS counterparts. However, they should still contain a high-quality cooling system. The heat sink within your system should dissipate the heat created by the lights and move it away from the lighting system and your plants.

Color Spectrum – Plants primarily use red and blue spectrum light to progress through their growing stages. While HID and HPS systems use a full spectrum of light to target plant growth, a good LED system will include both red and blue lights for a perfect blend to help your plant grow. There are some growers who say white LED grow light is the closest to natural sunlight and is therefore better. However, white LEDs include yellow and green light that isn’t usable by plants and is therefore wasted making your grow lights less efficient.

PAR – PAR stands for photosynthetically active radiation. In simple terms, this is the light emitted that is actually usable by plants. Although many manufacturers provide details on lumen output (light visible to humans), for grow lights, it’s more important to understand the PAR output. If your plant isn’t using it, it is wasted energy. Manufacturers PAR data can be misleading as the value often changes from the centre to the edge of the light. The plants under the middle of the light will receive the full PAR value while those at the edges may be getting less light. A high PAR is not necessarily better.  In fact, the best led grow lights will have lower PAR values because the power isn’t concentrated in the centre but rather distributed evenly.

Wattage – When you see a wattage associated with a LED grow light, it is typically the equivalent wattage you would need in a HID or HPS light to get the same result. So a LED grow light listed as 400W can replace a 400 watt HID or HPS light but the actual wattage of the LED will be far less. This is way LED grow lights are much more energy-efficient. First-time buyers often assume the more wattage a grow light provides, the better. But bigger is not always better. The rule of thumb is you need 32 watts per square foot of growing space for flowering and light-loving plants like cannabis. Low-light plants like lettuces and herbs need only around 11-18 watts per square foot.

Programmable – If you are serious about growing, you’ll want to automate as much of the process as possible, not simply to lessen your workload, but more importantly, to lessen the possibility of human error. The best grow lights on the market offer a full range of programmability including setting light schedules, altering intensity, and customizing spectrums to best suit the individual plant.

ECO Farm ECO Blue 120/240W LM301H Quantum Board

• Upgraded ECO Blue series growing lights have a dimming knob. A single light can be adjusted the light intensity at liberty.


• Excellent full spectrum- 3000K/3500K diodes providing more reddish light. The 660nm red light is especially useful during bloom, where it speeds up flowering time and boost yields. Turn your seeds into your own supply. And the light looks fairly natural, so it's good for accurately monitoring plant health.


• No Fan Noise Free. High Safety performance MEAN WELL Driver, Fair Waterproofing. Update aluminum board is thick and sturdy, doesn't put out a tremendous amount of heat, high-quality protective covers for cables; User-Friendly Packaging. Quality components mean the light lasts longer, but they also save you money.

Horticulture Lighting Group HLG-550 V2 Quantum Board

• High-efficiency custom-designed white light quantum boards with Samsung LM301B diodes


• 3000K white-light full spectrum for optimal canopy penetration and easy viewing


• Ideal for seedling to harvest growth 


• Reliable passive-cooled design (no cooling fans required)


• Optimal canopy penetration with diffused light via a large form factor


• Optional lenses for narrower beam angle and increased intensity 


• Dimmable high-efficiency Mean Well driver (240-480W range)

SpecGrade LED Verta LED Grow Light

SpecGrade’s powerful yet versatile Verta is perfect for both flowering and vegging (with a 0-10V dimmer) in indoor applications. Its modular design allows the you to change out the circuit boards should you choose to switch the spectrum or increase the efficacy as technology evolves. The proprietary thermal management system radiates less heat onto the plants while at the same time delivering unprecedented light levels and uniformity. The finely-tuned A1 ‘Entire Life Cycle Spectrum’ has proven at universities and various grow environments to improve the trichromes and taste while cutting operational costs and shortening grow cycles.

PHOTOBIO T 300 Watt LED Grow Light

HOTOBIO•T represents the apex of LED Top lights. PHOTOBIO•T can be applied indoors or greenhouse as a direct 600W HID alternative or retrofit. Patented PHOTO•PRO Photon Regulating Optics ensure the most efficient delivery of plant biologically active radiation (PBAR) to the plant canopy. PHOTO•LOC Light Output Control allows precise control over the photons that are delivered to the plant canopy when used in conjunction with a 0–10V controller. In greenhouse facilities, PHOTOBIO delivers consistent optimal PPFD levels throughout the day while saving energy. Just pair PHOTO•LOC with an environmental control system that utilizes a quantum sensor to measure light entering the greenhouse and automatically regulate light output in real time. The specific power cable is sold separately based upon your requirements.