The best ring lights used to be just for vloggers and TikTokers, but now they're essential for anyone attending virtual work meetings as well as Zooming or FaceTiming with friends and family.
Photographers and videographers like me also love ring lights as they create soft, natural-looking light and circular catchlights in the eyes. In addition to producing soft and flattering lighting, they provide continuous light, which is great for photographers new to lighting, because, unlike flashguns, you can see exactly what the light is doing before you press the shutter.
Many of the best ring lights enable you to adjust the color temperature to suit different skin tones (making them great for makeup tutorials, too) and to match the ambient lighting conditions. So whether you're using them in the sun, shade, or yellow-tinged indoor light, you can make your lighting look natural.
While the best LED light panels and the best lights for Zoom calls tick some of the same boxes, for the best and most flattering lighting, there is no substitute for a ring light. (And if you want to shoot a different kind of close-up, check out our guide to the best ringflash for macro photography!)
The Quick List
This is the light I recommend to my friends! Sturdy and well-built, with variable color temperature and a built-in tripod, it's perfect for vlogging, streaming, and all-round use.
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For photo and video, this is my top choice. It's pricey, but with remote control, wireless or USB use, and outstanding light quality, this is perfect for anyone who needs pro performance.
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It's not marketed as a ring light, but it has the same properties and is great for tabletop lighting or shooting on the go when you still need premium performance for vlogging or streaming.
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My top pick for affordable, simple illumination. The Neewer balances quality and cost, with adjustable brightness and bicolor output (with a clip-on filter for 5,600K or 3,200K).
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Creating content on your mobile device? The Selfie Light clips to your phone, laptop or tablet and lights you up wherever you are. Perfect for travel and on-the-move content creators.
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The best ring lights
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Best all rounder
✅ You want great quality light: The diffused light is beautiful and flattering, and with three color temperatures you can match pretty much every lighting situation.
✅ You want an all-in-one solution: The kit includes a quality tripod and a ball head mount for phones or small cameras to perfectly aim the light – nothing else needed!
❌ You want to shoot photos: At 12 inches, it's too small and doesn't have enough output to be used for effective photography – and being wired limits mobility.
❌ You don't have USB A: The light requires the older USB Type A connection, which many modern laptops and chargers don't have. Make sure to check your connections!
This 12-inch Razer Ring Light is my go-to for everyday use. It does pretty much everything I could ask of it for meetings, videos, and virtual calls, with the only downside being that it's only powered via USB.
That isn't the end of the world for its intended purpose of streaming and video capture next to your screen, though, especially considering how good the light quality is.
Razer hasn't skimped on build quality, either. Unlike a lot of other ring lights out there, the Razer is very sturdy and reliable – mine has done plenty of journeys thrown in a bag or the back of a car!
There are cheaper and brighter options out there – along with the more expensive, albeit wireless, Lume Cube Ring Light Mini – but I think this strikes the perfect balance of portability, brightness, and price.
If you want something for photography or pro-quality video, I'll point you towards the Lume Cube Ring Light Pro (below). But this is a fantastic 12-inch ring light perfect for day-to-day video conferencing, vlogging, or streaming.
Read my full Razer Ring Light review
Best for professionals
✅ You want the best light: This is the best ring light when it comes to the quality of the illumination. Gorgeous, soft, wrapping diffused light makes subjects look stunning.
✅ You need pro performance: The light stand is tall and robust, the remote control enables you to change settings on the spot, and the wireless battery life is great.
❌ You're on a budget: This is a premium light, and it comes with a premium price tag. There are cheaper alternatives elsewhere in this guide.
❌ You don't shoot photos or video: If you only need a ring light for your webcam, or to stream from your gaming rig, this performance is overkill for your needs.
This ring light earns its 'Pro' designation with distinction, and it's my go-to light around my home or home studio when I need to take a professional-looking headshot or record a vlog or video content in the most efficient way possible.
The provided remote control is a godsend for lighting yourself without constantly having to get up to change settings, and the improved diffusion is a dream for lighting portrait subjects. The quality of light and color accuracy is absolutely spot-on, which is particularly important for accurate skin tones and shooting videos like makeup tutorials.
At 17 inches in diameter, it's an inch smaller than the Lume Cube Wireless Ring Light (the previous iteration of the Ring Light Pro), but it gives you half an hour more battery life, and its light stand is a half-foot higher.
Everything about this light is premium – though that also includes the price tag. If performance is paramount, this is the way to go – I've done plenty of 'proper' photography and videography on this, from portfolio headshots and pop-up events to vlogs and corporate video. If budget is a factor, though, one of the lower-cost alternatives may be more up your alley.
Read my full Lume Cube Ring Light Pro review
Best for small spaces
✅ Your space is limited: This is a perfect tabletop light, coffee shop light, tray table light – ideal if space is tight!
✅ You're a smartphone shooter: This is ideally suited to working with a phone, whether you're a content creator or you dial in to work meetings from your handset.
❌ You're averse to waste: This light requires a pair of AA batteries, so you'll need to keep buying and trashing cells (or invest in a rechargeable set) when power runs out.
❌ You need to change filters often: The kit comes with four filters, to shoot under different lighting conditions, but they're a pain to change in a hurry!
The Rotolight RL48-B Stealth was one of my favorite portable lights in years past, back before the ring light craze really took off, but sadly it disappeared from the market.
Now it's back in this all-in-one kit, which also includes a Rotolight mini tripod, stand adapter, phone clip, and accessory bar – making it the perfect partner for a tabletop shooting setup in small spaces.
While this kit is geared towards camera phones, the RL-48 is also an ideal on-camera light for traditional cameras (though this kit doesn't come with a foot for the shoe), or you can use it to one side to create more shape (or balance) to your lighting.
If you're shooting with a phone mounted on the tripod, it doubles as a grip – making this great for handheld filming and moving around. The hole in the middle is perfect to poke a shotgun microphone through, too.
The filters are a bit fiddly to interchange, but nonetheless enable you to shoot under different lighting conditions. It is powered by three AA batteries, which means you can pop in replacements and keep on shooting without having to wait for an internal battery to recharge.
Best value
✅ You want best bang for buck: It's large, adjustable, bicolor and pretty powerful. Great value for money.
✅ Size is important: As an 18-inch ring light, it's large enough to cover a large surface area and (because of its size) soft enough to produce gentle light.
❌ You need top performance: Other lights on this list are more powerful, offer digital controls, and can fully adjust the color temperature.
❌ You won't be stationary: This is a wired light, so if you want to move the light – or your shooting position – around, you're going to be limited.
Like many people, I'm cautious when it comes to cheaper Chinese-made alternatives when it comes to photography or videography kit. However, Neewer is a respected name and I own quite a few of its products that have never let me down – so this is a brand you can trust.
This large 18-inch ring light offers a good degree of versatility at a price that won't break the bank. It's not quite as powerful as some other options, and the design isn't as slick as the big names, but this is still a formidable performer.
It delivers 55W of power, which is more than enough for most uses, and it offers bicolor 5600K or 3200K temperature (the latter via a clip-on filter) for use in daylight or under artificial illumination. I know several creators who shoot makeup tutorials using this light, such is the quality of its output.
The brightness is dimmable via an analog adjustment dial, which some people prefer to digital control, though this can make it more challenging to achieve consistent light.
As you'd expect from Neewer, it comes in a ready-to-rock kit that includes an adjustable light stand, phone clip, carry case, and even a Bluetooth remote – so you don't need anything else to get going.
Best for smart devices
✅ You need the most portable option: This little light is so small, it easily slips into a pocket, a handbag, a sling bag or anything else.
✅ You don't have any space: Since this clips directly to your phone, tablet or laptop, you don't need any additional floor or desk space to set it up.
❌ You want to create content with it: It's great for taking well-lit selfies, and it will do for a spot of filming in a pinch, but it's not intended to light a high-quality video.
❌ You don't have a micro USB connection: Make sure you have a spare micro USB lead, otherwise you will be caught out trying to top this up from a charger or power bank!
Sometimes when I'm using my phone or laptop, I don't have the time or space to set up a whole ring light. And sometimes, since I'm on my phone or laptop, I haven't brought a ring light with me!
For those moments when you only need a little light, this very little light from Xinbaohong is perfect. It's so small that you can pretty much keep one on you at all times, in a pocket or bag.
It can attach to your laptop, tablet or phone so long as it's 18mm or thinner – no tripod or other equipment necessary, no additional space required. Just clip it to your device and start shooting.
You may have seen influencers or party gals using one on a night out, as it's ideal for capturing well-lit selfies. It's also perfect for FaceTiming while on holiday or virtual meetings while traveling. It's a great portable makeup light, too!
At a push, you could use this to do some pickup shots for a vlog, but it's really more for close-quarters to give you better lighting quality for video calls and virtual meetings.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best ring light?
For my money, the Razer Ring Light hits the sweet spot of price, performance, and portability – back in the pandemic days, it became the de facto 'lockdown light' in my household for FaceTime and Zoom meetings.
Whenever I need to do photography or video work, though, the Lume Cube Ring Light Pro is absolutely my go-to. Whether I need to snap a cheeky headshot or film a close-up for a YouTube video or Instagram story, this gives me the power and, more importantly, the quality of light that I need.
What's the difference between ring lights and LED panels?
Traditional LED panels are rectangular in shape, which tends to produce a flat source of illumination. Ring lights, on the other hand, are donut-shaped, with the light source encircling the camera lens, providing all-around lighting that is much more flattering to faces, helping to sculpt features, and resulting in a more dimensional, pleasing, and professional look. It's worth noting that many modern ring lights are, in fact, LED lights, illuminated by clusters of LED bulbs arranged in a circular layout.
What are ring lights good for?
Given their donut shape, ring lights are perfect for headshots and close-ups, whether you're shooting still images or video. So, if you photograph or film yourself or others directly looking into the camera, a ring light is best. Ring lights can also be used like more traditional LED light panels, to provide overall key or fill lighting to a scene, but they are tailor-made for shooting faces.
What size ringlight should I choose?
The larger the ring light, the softer the light, so if you want a natural look, go for something bigger. However, if you mostly shoot with your phone on the move, you may be better suited to something smaller that clips directly onto your device. Most ring lights come with a stand and a mount for your phone, so you can position it directly in the center of the light.
Do professionals use ring lights?
Once upon a time, only professionals used ring lights! Before the LED revolution, they were the preserve of glossy magazine shoots and slick music videos. Nowadays, technology has made them much more affordable and available to the masses, although professionals still use them, especially in the world of content creation.
How we test ring lights
While ring lights may seem like simple devices, there is actually a lot to consider. We put them through their paces in real-world conditions, using them for Zoom calls, photographing portraits, filming YouTube content – all at different times of day, in natural and artificial light conditions.
I've filmed quite a bit of video content for clients as well as Digital Camera World using these lights, as well as using them for my professional photography portfolio.
I also take them out to see if they're sturdy enough to be transported and used on location. It's also important to determine how the output performs when using batteries versus main power, if that's something they offer.
Read more about how we test on Digital Camera World
If this has been of interest, you might also want to check out the best video lights for continuous light for moving imagery, or the best photography lighting kits for studio and location work.
