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. The camera is positioned to 'shoot through' the ring, so that its light completely envelops the subject, lighting it evenly from all angles.
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, 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 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.
❌ 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, 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 our 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 Ultimate Vlogging Kit is based around the Rotolight RL-48 ring-shaped light panel, but it isn't a true ring light as its center is solid, so the camera can't shoot through the ring. Instead, it is positioned to one side, so you'll still get ring-shaped highlights in the eyes or other reflective surfaces.
This all-in-one kit 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 set 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 filters are a bit fiddly to interchange, but 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.
Read our full Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit review
Best budget
✅ Significant Quality Boost: The 120 LED bulbs added a professional level of contrast, color vibrancy, and sharp detail that effectively eliminated grainy low-light artifacts.
✅ Versatile Mounting: The universal spring-clip mount easily accommodates a phone in portrait and landscape modes.
❌ Flimsy Build Quality: The plastic tightening handle on the ball head is quite flimsy, and the mount became so loose that I struggled to get it tight enough to keep my phone steady.
❌ Basic Color Control: Unlike more professional LEDs, this light only offers three color temperature presets (cool, warm, and mixed).
The AiXPi Ring Light 10" is a highly affordable solution for anyone looking to quickly polish their 'talking head' videos or Zoom calls. While the build quality reflects its budget price – with a mix of lightweight plastic and some metal components – it performs its primary job well by banishing low-light grain and adding a professional glow to your footage.
I found the 120 LED bulbs provide plenty of illumination, and the 10-level brightness control allowed me to dial in the right intensity for my desktop setup. It’s versatile enough to support both portrait and landscape smartphone mounting, which I know is a big plus for social media creators. However, I did notice some handling quirks; the ball head for the smartphone mount felt a bit flimsy and was difficult to tighten securely. Additionally, while it is technically 'bi-color', you are limited to just three color temperature presets rather than a full range of Kelvin values.
Overall, if you're on a tight budget and need a simple, USB-powered light to improve your production values, this is a solid entry point, but you get what you pay for.
Read our full AiXPi Ring Light 10" review
Best for smart devices
✅ Modular Versatility: Being able to remove the central selfie mirror and snap in the secondary LR15Bi LED to nearly double the light output is a brilliant feature for creators who need a bit more power without moving to a bulky setup.
✅ Smart Composition Tools: The inclusion of a selfie mirror allows a smartphone's superior rear-facing cameras to be used, ensuring much higher-quality footage than a standard front-facing selfie camera.
❌ Lens Obstruction: While the spring clip is firm and secure, it could get in the way of smartphone models that feature a wide array of multiple lenses.
❌ Limited Brightness: While perfect for close-up handheld selfies, the 48 Lux output of the LR30Bi isn't the brightest, and you’ll want to invest in the LR15Bi module for that extra boost if illuminating more than just a face at arm's length.
The Godox Litemons LR30Bi is a remarkably clever and portable solution for smartphone creators who need high-quality light on the move. Weighing just 83g – about as much as a deck of cards – this pocket-sized ring light is a no-brainer for travel vloggers. I found it exceptionally useful for filling in harsh shadows and adding a lively sparkle to the eyes, which really lifts the production values of handheld selfies.
The design is impressively modular. It can be used as a 'shoot through' ring light, with a selfie mirror at the center to help you compose shots using your phone's superior rear cameras, or the mirror can be swapped out for the separately sold LR15Bi LED. Pairing the two almost doubles the light output from 48 to 77 Lux, providing a serious boost for dark locations. I also appreciated the simple two-button control for toggling through five color temperature presets (2800K to 6500K) and five brightness levels.
The spring clip is firm and keeps the light secure in either portrait or landscape orientation. While the plastic build feels lightweight, it's a small trade-off for such a versatile, budget-friendly tool.
Read our full Godox Litemons LR30Bi review
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.
