The Best Ring Lights to Buy in 2024 - IGN (2024)

The best ring lights are a surefire way to make you look great in front of a camera. Whether you’re a streamer, vlogger, or just want to make your photos look brighter, a ring light can help illuminate the area with soft, evenly distributed light. You can even find ring lights that pair nicely with the best streaming microphones or attach easily to your gaming desk.

Jump to a detailed look at the best ring lights, or check the list below:

TL;DR – These are the Best Ring Lights

• Neewer 20-inch LED Ring Light
• Qiaya Selfie Ring Light
• Elgato Ring Light
• Razer Kiyo
• Yongnuo YN-14EX
• Qiaya Clip Selfie Ring Light
• Razer Ring Light with Tripod
• UBeesize 10’’ Ring Light
• Lume Cube Ring Light Pro
• PEYOU 12" Selfie Ring Light

Ring lights come in all shapes and sizes; you don’t have to spend a lot to change the lighting in front of your webcam. After all, investing in a gaming PC can often stretch your budget thin. So why not brighten up your surroundings and ensure your viewers can see the face behind the streamer with a ring light?

Best Ring Lights

1. Neewer 20-inch LED Ring Light

Best Ring Light

Pros:

• Wired or battery-operated
• Large 20-inch ring

Cons:

• Expensive

Neewer’s 20-inch LED Ring Light is the complete package. The large 20-inch ring comes packed with 176 bright white LED lights and another 176 yellow LEDs, letting you get plenty of light as well as the option to shift between color temperatures from a warm 3,200K up to a cooler 5,600K. You can switch up the lighting on the fly thanks to the simple control knobs.

For your money, you’re getting not only the ring light itself but also a convenient-to-use tripod allowing you to carefully mount it in just the right spot to get the best lighting for all your on-camera needs. The kit also includes a phone clamp you can use to hold your phone within the setup. It can run on wired power for the brightest operation, but if you need ring lighting on the go, you can also run the light on included batteries at 10 watts.

2. Qiaya Selfie Ring Light

Best Budget Ring Light

Pros:

• Great value
• Temperature range of up to 6,000K

Cons:

• CRI of less than 90

The Qiaya Selfie Ring Light is perfect for casual users and budding content creators with a tight budget who aren’t looking for top-rate performance. At well under $50, this is definitely in the economy class of ring lights, but don’t let that price fool you.

There’s a lot of value in this ring light, touting an adjustable color temperature range of up to 6,000K, two power solutions, 10 levels of brightness, a highly adjustable lighting angle, and a decently sized ring diameter. Its stand is solid and has four different levels. Plus, there is the attached adjustable phone holder for added convenience. Though, it’s still very much for novice users, however, with only three color modes and a CRI of less than 90. Still, this is a very capable ring light for beginners and those who just want to look good during video calls.

3. Elgato Ring Light

Best Streaming Ring Light

Pros:

• Two diffusion layers
• Rubber-padded clamp and stand

Cons:

• No tripod

Elgato’s ring light is, for lack of a better word, elegant. This RedDot award winner boasts up to 2,500 lumens and an impressive color temperature range of 2,900 – 7,000 K. But, it doesn’t just make you look stunning with its two diffusion layers; it also does it while looking just as good with its bezeled look and large setting buttons, which are strategically-placed to be easily accessible and blend seamlessly with the design

Its operation is just as elegant. While the aforementioned buttons adjust the ring light’s brightness and color temperature, it also comes with its own app that allows you to make those adjustments from your the best smartphones or computers. That means you can toggle the ring light setting without needing to physically touch it. Ideal for everything from game streaming and video conferencing to full-on photoshoots. Plus, it comes with a rubber-padded clamp and Elgato’s robust and highly expandable Master Mount S stand.

Go for gold and purchase the whole affordable expandable system that includes a heavy base, a solid arm, and a flexible arm, as well as the longer Master Mount L so that you’ll never feel the need to upgrade to another lighting system again.

4. Razer Kiyo

Best Webcam with Ring Light

• See it on Razer

Pros:

• 2-in-1 device with ring light and webcam
• Easy to use

Cons:

• Ultra-compact light

If you’re more of a minimalist, you can keep things simple and uncomplicated with the Razer Kiyo. While this may be more of a webcam than a ring light, it’s a nifty 2-in-1 device perfect for those who want to look good jumping on a video call with friends and colleagues. The ring light itself is just as simplistic and easy to handle, with just a dial around it to adjust the brightness.

The light looks tiny but it’s more than good enough to make you look flattering in front of your audience. And, that versatile clamp-style mount makes it effortless to attach to any display. As for the webcam, it’s 1080p at 30fps and 720p at 60fps video resolution should be more than enough to keep most users happy, and should be an incredible upgrade to whatever is on your laptop.

5. Yongnuo YN-14EX

Best Ring Light for Camera

Pros:

• Supports exposure compensation, rear-curtain sync, and FE lock
• Great for macro and portrait photos

Cons:

• Need adapters for larger lenses

The Yongnuo YN-14EX is not so much a continuous ring light, but rather a ring flash best used for still photography. It’s a vital tool for those looking to up their macro and modeling photography game when using the best cameras.

There are a lot of ring flashes out there, but if you’re looking for something that won’t burn a hole in your pocket, Yongnuo is the brand for you. The Yongnuo YN-14EX supports exposure compensation, rear-curtain sync, and FE lock to start, and yields just as good results as its pricier rivals for less. It’s also compatible with 52mm, 58mm, 67mm and 72mm filter size lenses – though you’ll have to invest in a set of adapters for larger lenses, and fitted with the standard PC synchronous interface and an LCD display. This is a great addition to your beginner photography set, especially if you plan on doing a lot of macro and portrait photos.

6. Qiaya Clip Selfie Ring Light

Best Selfie Ring Light

Pros:

• Simple clip on
• Budget price

Cons:

• Not the most powerful option

Not everyone needs a pro-level ring light. For many users, a simple and portable clip ring light is good enough, something you can simply clip on to your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. If that sounds ideal for you, you cannot go wrong with the Qiaya Clip Selfie Ring Light, which is probably the best clip ring light on the market.

It has a built-in rechargeable battery, three different light settings, and good clamping power to keep it in place. What’s more surprising here is that it’s powerful enough to light up your selfies in a dark room. The best part might just be the price, as it’s less than $15, which means it’s affordable for pretty much everyone.

7. Razer Ring Light with Tripod

Best Portable Ring Light

Pros:

• Portable
• Height adjustments from 15.8 to 53.2 inches

Cons:

• Tripod isn’t great for large cameras

Many ring lights are big, hulking devices that are a pain to break down and take along with you. Luckily, Razer has a portable solution. This nifty tool comes with a ball head mount for webcams and a bendable smartphone mount, but the best feature is the tripod stand. It offers ample height adjustments from 15.8 to 53.2 inches and can collapse down to a compact size to toss in a backpack and take on the go. Dont worry, the lightweight stand is still sturdy. Just be cautious when mounting larger DSLR cameras.

The ring light itself is 12 inches in diameter and powered by a USB, so you can even use a portable charger. There’s a light spectrum to play around with to get the best vibe for your setup. You can also change the light’s brightness from 10-100%, ensuring you look your best whether you’re streaming games, creating content, or making video calls. All these adjustments can be made using a handy controller on the power cord.

8. UBeesize 10’’ Ring Light

Best Multi-Use Ring Light

Pros:

• Holds smartphone or camera
• Touch operation for brightness and color temperature

Cons:

• Requires wall outlet

Every multifaceted content creator on the budget needs something extremely versatile yet also incredibly affordable. For that, we recommend the UBeesize 10-inch Ring Light. This kit lets you mount practically every smartphone or portable camera kit and a color temperature range of 3000K to 6000 K. It even has a Bluetooth remote so you can easily operate that shutter without needing to go back and forth, and a tripod with a height range of 18.2 inches to 62 inches.

Another feature we love about this ring light is its touch operation for adjusting brightness and color temperature, as well as toggling on and off. The only thing missing here is the option to be battery-operated so you can still use it when there’s no outlet on hand. Still, for something that’s under $40, it already offers a whole lot for a low price.

9. Lume Cube Ring Light Pro

Best Outdoor Ring Light

Pros:

• Long-lasting rechargeable battery
• 180-degree pivot

Cons:

• Expensive

With its premium price, the Lume Cube Ring Light Pro boasts all the high-end features you’d expect. You’ll especially love taking it outside, thanks to the cordless design with a handy remote for adjustments and the inclusion of a travel case for easy portability. Its rechargeable battery can run for 70 minutes at full brightness or up to 2 hours on lower settings for plenty of time to get the shot. And if your phone or camera is running low on juice, it can charge it up while you record via USB-A.

This light can be as bright and natural as you need it to be with its edge-lit technology, built-in diffuser, flicker-free operation, temperature range from 3200-5600K, and 96+ CRI. An LCD screen on the light even shows your settings and the battery life. The 70-inch stand is also easily adjustable yet robust, and the ring light offers a 180-degree pivot to find the ideal positioning.

10. PEYOU 12" Selfie Ring Light

Best Ring Light for Small Devices

Pros:

• Multiple easy-to-use adjustable mounts
• Ten different brightness levels

Cons:

• Not the most stable stand

Shooting primarily with smaller devices such as Android phones, iPhones, and tablets? PEYOU’s 12" Selfie Ring Light might be perfect for you, as it features multiple easy-to-use adjustable mounts for your devices. That’s especially handy if you’re filming content on one device and want to quickly glance at your phone or tablet to reference something. It’s also helpful to those who have multiple video streams going.

Despite being only 12 inches in diameter, the ring light gets plenty bright and offers three lighting modes – white, yellow, and warm yellow. You can adjust between 10 different brightness levels for a plethora of lighting scenarios, as well as a 360-degree rotation for all sorts of lighting angles. The ring light even comes with two tripods; a mini one ideal for plopping on a desk and a height-adjustable 60-inch option. If you load up the tripod with various devices, just be prepared to stabilize the stand to prevent it from falling over.

Where to Get the Best Ring Light in the UK

How to Choose the Best Ring Light for You

If you haven’t owned (or used) a ring light before, choosing one can be a tad tricky. You probably already know that you can’t just get the first one that pops up in your Amazon search, but did you know there are other considerations beyond quality and price?

When choosing the best ring light for you, you should consider the size or diameter of the ring, first and foremost. Usually, the larger ring lights produce softer and more diffused lighting. However, smaller ones should be good enough for close-ups. It’s the same with a ring light’s Color Rendering Index. The higher the CRI, the more natural the light is and the more vivid it will make the colors look.

Most ring lights are dimmable, but the cheap ones don’t often offer adjustable color temperatures. Keep in mind that if you’re looking for something with a wider color temperature range, you might have to spend a bit more. It’s worth it, however, especially if you need extra versatility for different shooting scenarios.

Speaking of versatility, you’ll find that some ring lights are both AC- and battery-powered, making them ideal for outdoor and remote location use by being battery-powered. Again, they’ll probably cost more, so if you’re shooting everything indoors, you should just go for an AC-powered option.

Lastly, consider the type of bulbs being used. Some use fluorescent lights while a few others utilize LED lights, which are more energy-efficient, more robust, and better for the environment.

Ring Light FAQ

Is a ring light worth it?

If you spend a good chunk of time game streaming, creating content, taking photos, or even zooming, it’s absolutely worth it to invest in a ring light. After you’ve used a ring light and seen how easily it makes you glow while dulling imperfections, you’ll never go back. Your audience will also appreciate seeing your full face versus a face obscured by awkward shadows. Most ring lights are inexpensive, so it’s not a big investment, and many can double as a phone or camera tripod for added convenience.

What size should a ring light be?

When sitting at a desk or just a couple of feet away from a ring light, a 10 to 12-inch halo size should suffice for most. That size also allows you to place the camera in the center of the ring. If you’re looking to brighten up a larger area like when standing or sitting several feet away from the light, 16 to 20-inch ring lights are the way to ensure you’re basking in its flattering glow.

Michelle Rae Uy is a freelance tech and travel writer, part-time production editor, and a full-time traveler from Los Angeles, California. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles, London and the rest of the world. Follow her on Instagram @straywithRae