The Quick List ↩
1. Best all-rounder – Razer Ring Light
2. Best for professionals – Lume Cube Ring Light Pro
3. Best value – Neewer Ring Light Kit 18"
4. Best for small spaces – Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit
5. Best for smart devices – Xinbaohong Clip-On Selfie Light
Common questions
How we test
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 use love ring lights as they create soft, natural-looking light and circular catch lights 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 flash guns 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, the 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, well-built, variable color temperature, built-in tripod – it's perfect for vlogging and streaming and all-round use.
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Pros
- Beautiful light quality
- Great tripod
- Sensibly priced
Cons
- Not as powerful as mains lights
For photo and video, this is my top choice. It's pricey but, with remote controls, wireless or USB use, and outstanding light quality, this is perfect for anyone who needs pro performance.
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Pros
- Mains or battery power
- 70-120 mins battery
- Remote control
- Beautiful diffusion
Cons
- Premium price tag
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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Pros
- Mains or battery power
- 70-120 mins battery
- Remote control
- Beautiful diffusion
Cons
- Premium price tag
It's not marketed as a ring light, but 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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Pros
- Mains or battery power
- 70-120 mins battery
- Remote control
- Beautiful diffusion
Cons
- Premium price tag
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
Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.
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 for more details
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 new remote control is a godsend for lighting yourself without having to keep getting 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 things 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 a half hour more battery life, and the new light stand is a half-foot higher.
So everything about this light is premium – though that also includes the price tag, which stands at 60 bucks more than the Wireless model (which, in itself, is over 100 bucks more than the lower grade but still great Razer Ring Light).
If performance is paramount, this is the way to go – I've done plenty of "proper" photography and videography on this, from portfolio headshots pop-up events to vlogs and corporate video. If budget is a factor, though, Lume Cube or Razer's alternatives may be more up your alley.
Read my full Lume Cube Ring Light Pro for more details
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 a lot of people, I'm cautious when it comes to cheaper Chinese alternatives in 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 a brand you can trust.
A large 18-inch ring light, this 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 a lot of creators do makeup tutorials using this light, such is the quality of its output.
The brightness is dimmable via an analog adjustment dial, which some people actually 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 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 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, the tripod 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. The whole thing 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 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 is the sweet spot of price, performance and portability – 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 light and LED lights?
Modern ring lights are LED lights, since they are powered by clusters of LED bulbs. However, most LED lights come in the form of rectangular-shaped panels, which produce much flatter illumination. Ring lights, on the other hand, are donut-shaped, which is much more flattering to faces. So rather than providing harsh, flat lighting, ring lights sculpt your features and provide a more dimensional, pleasing, professional look.
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 perfect for you. 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?
For my money, the Razer Ring Light is the sweet spot of price, performance Because of their size and shape, the results are incredibly flattering which is why they're so popular among content creators. The larger the ring light, the softer the light so if you want a natural light go for something bigger. However, if you mostly shoot with your phone on the move you may be better suited to something smaller than clip directly onto your device. Most ring lights come with a stand and a mount for your phone so you can position it in the center of the light making it easy to shoot.
Do professionals use ring lights?
Once upon a time, only professionals used ring lights! Prior to the LED revolution, they were the preserve of glossy magazine shoots and slick music videos. Nowadays, though, technology has made them much more affordable and available to the masses – though plenty of 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's actually a lot to consider. So how we test them is by putting 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 different 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, along with 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, or if they're only really robust enough to stay on your desk or in the corner of your room. It's also important to see how the output performs when using batteries versus main power, if that's something they offer.
If this has been of interest you might want to check out the best video lights if you need continuous light for moving imagery, or the best photography lighting kits: for studio and location work.
