Need a cheap LED grow light? Keep reading below so you end up choosing a reputable model in a low price range instead of the absolute cheapest light with insufficient light strength.
Growing cannabis indoors with a limited budget demands in-depth research which is pretty tiresome. That’s why I did the research for you with this review of the Best LED Grow Lights under $200.
Warning: These LED grow lights are inexpensive and high quality, but are designed to flower about 2×2 feet of space – that’s enough for 1 adult cannabis plant. If you’re on a budget and need a grow light that covers a larger area, consider a 1000 watt HPS kit which is an older technology, but good for flowering 5×5 feet of space.
Top 5 Best LED Grow Lights Under $200:
King Plus 1000W – Editor’s Choice
The first option is the King Plus. King Plus offers a couple sizes under $200 and they’re all good for about 2×2 feet of growing. The difference is the light strength.
The smaller King Plus 1000 model is 12.2” X 8.26” X 2.36” in size, and weighs around 6.39 lbs.
Yeah, looking at weight and dimension it becomes easy to imagine its durability and strength.
Quick Features Overview:
The spectrum is the older pink colored light. More modern and slightly more expensive grow lights are using white LEDs but the pink colored ones still work fine. The spectrum is balanced with red and blue wavelengths that’ll grow your cannabis from seed to harvest.
The nice thing about this light spectrum that you won’t find on many newer grow lights is the ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths, which are beneficial to cannabis plants. To find these on such an inexpensive grow light is a great deal.
The King Plus grow lights come with one switch for veg and one switch for flowering. During veg, you should use the veg switch only. During flowering you should have both switches turned on.
As you can see in the image above these light intensity levels are definitely strong enough to grow cannabis all the way to harvest. You can read more about light intensity required to grow here.
The three year warranty and positive verified reviews should provide you some comfort in purchasing this grow light.
While the King Plus 1000 grow light is a good starter option, If you have an extra $40-50 I’d recommend you consider the next grow light on the list as well.
Pros and Cons of King Plus 1000W LED Grow Light
Pros:
- One of the cheapest LED grow lights with good performance
- Ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths included
- 3 year warranty
Cons:
- Small coverage area 2×2 feet
- Switches for veg and flowering mode are outdated, but won’t hurt performance-wise
- No daisy-chain capability
Final Thoughts:
All in all, this grow light has everything that you’d expect from an ideal grow light under the budget of 200 dollars. However, if you need to cover a larger area than 2×2 feet, I’d suggest looking into HPS grow lights. They’re an older bulb-based technology but they cost about $120 and will light up a 4×4 foot space much better than any LED grow light for the same price. But if you’re determined to get an LED, the King Plus grow lights are definitely one of the Best LED Grow Lights Under $200.
Click here to see reviews and prices for the King Plus 1000W DC LED Grow Light on Amazon.com
Viparspectra P1500 Pro Series Grow Light
With the Viparspectra P1500, you’ll pay a little bit more than the King Plus mentioned above, but you get extra benefits for that. I actually own the smaller P1000 (read my experience here), and I think these are some of the best value
Viparspectra has been in the marketplace for a while and secured itself a reputable slice of the cheap LED grow light market. Don’t take cheap as a negative. It’s simply a consequence of competition. This light has hundreds of reviews and has an almost perfect rating. It’s not a disappointing grow light.
Quick Feature Overview and Comparison:
For that small increase in price, you’ll get a modern white spectrum, which is good for growing from seedling to flowering. No switching light modes like the King Plus mentioned above. The grow light also includes infrared diodes which are helpful in growing strong thick stems and dense buds.
The P1500 also comes with a dimmer knob. You can use that for seedlings but you probably won’t need it for the veg or flowering phases.
The modern LEDs and design of this P1500 allow it to use slightly less power compared to the King Plus (150 watts compared to King Plus 185 watts), and the design spreads the light more evenly across the canopy than the older King Plus design.
Highly effective spectrum for seedlings, veg and flowering is what you’ll get with this cheap LED grow light.
The light strength of the P1500 is capable of growing a 2×2 foot area while hanging the grow light 18 inches above the plants.
Finally, Viparspectra provides a 3 year warranty should there be a rare instance of malfunction.
Click here to see reviews and prices for the Viparspectra P1500 on Amazon.com
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Built to last longer.
- Affordable price tag.
- Well balanced full spectrum light.
- Great PAR Results in this price segment.
- 2×2 feet coverage
- Power efficient.
- 3 year warranty
Cons:
- Grows only 1 adult plant
Common review terms and phrases:
I read through a ton of grower reviews for the P1500 and I frequently found phrases like “Great light,” “worth every penny,” “bang for your buck,” and so on. Viparspectra light owners tend to swear by these lights and remain loyal to the brand.
Click here to see reviews and prices for the Viparspectra P1500 on Amazon.com
Phlizon Newest 1200W High Performance Full Spectrum LED
We’re aiming to find the best cheap LED grow lights by being bound to a limit of five. We put some consderable time and effort into our research and found you the Phlizon 1200w LED grow light. I hope you’ll enjoy.
Over time Shenzhen Fei Li Rui Technology has manufactured several variants and product lines but Phlizon is their new and perfectly finished product line, and hence they’ve named the series as “Newest”.
Now, if I get to the point, the Phlizon Newest 1200W LED panel is equipped with 120 pcs of 10W dual chip LEDs.
Yeah, instead of utilizing 5W or 3W traditional diodes this grow panel features 10W double chip diodes.
Also, there is a robust bright side attached with the use of 10W diodes. The Dual-chip 10w LEDs is better equipped to get quality light onto the leaves of your cannabis plants. These chips mean serious business and Shenzhen Fei Li Rui Technology spared no expense in making the Phlizon LED grow light one of the most competitive when you consider build and price.
If you consider spectrum, then Phlizon Newest 1200W Highpower series spread a full spectrum light with all the required and well-balanced bands.
It’s vital for a complete and stable growth of your plants.
Also regarding intensity, I’d like to mention that Phlizon 1200W LED provides 530 uMol PPFD intensity from the height of 24”, and 650 uMol from 18″ hang height. What does that mean for a grower? Your plants need between 460-925 uMol throughout each light cycle to maximize yields. The closer to 925, the more yield you’ll get. So this is a nice mid-range intensity light.
To be exact, recommended coverage using this grow light is 4’X4’ for your indoor plants.
However, if you’re not looking for large coverage space then Phlizon Newest 600W LED Grow Light could be a great choice as well.
From the power consumption point of view as well, it just consumes 190W for proper functioning. It’s less consumption then our previous recommendations but don’t let that fool you. This light got got pretty high reviews and you can read them yourself here.
You might be thinking even at very low power consumption why did brand named their series as high-power series? Well, the intention behind naming series was in term of performance, and that’s what it does.
Moreover, the most concerned factor is cooling. Yeah, it is essential to factor in the cooling aspect because as I’ve mentioned, your growing environment is very important, as many professionals already know. The Phlizon 1200w grow light won’t let you down.
For cooling Phlizon Newest 1200w features remarkably silent cooling fans with a modern and well-researched aluminum heat sink.
Yeah, it takes precise care of heat dissipation inside grow space.
If you’re worried about customer support, then relax! Phlizon knows provides good customer service as well. It didn’t earn it’s high reviews without it. Let’s move on to the warranty.
The Phlizon Newest 1200 Watt high power LED comes with two years warranty and support along with 30 days money back if not satisfied.
Here are the pros and cons attached to the grow panel. Please give them a read!
Click here to see reviews and prices for the Phlizon Newest 1200W on Amazon.com
Pros & Cons – Phlizon Newest 1200W LED Grow Light:
Pros:
- Elegant Design
- Durable Build
- Well balanced full spectrum effect
- Inclusion of IR and UV in Light
- Suitability for all kind of plants in all the phases
- Acceptable PAR results
- Large Coverage Capability
- Very Low Power Consumption
- Remarkable cooling
- Customer oriented support team
Cons:
- Not waterproof
- Doesn’t come with timer
Final Thoughts:
Well, we’ve included this grow light in our list of Best LED Grow light under 200 because of a reason. Yeah, the reason is even after giving some remarkable results concerning performance it just pulls around 190W.
Yeah, a grow light that saves 10W is an ultimate money saver in our opinion. Apart from that, everything offered in this beast is unbeatable at this price level. The Phlizon 1200w is one of the best LED grow lights for all around value and features.
Yup, I’d recommend the Phlizon Newest 1200 Watt LED Panel if you’re looking for solid grow results.
Click here to see reviews and prices for the Phlizon Newest 1200W on Amazon.com
HLG 100 V2 Quantum Board LED Grow Light:
The HLG 100 V2 is an incredibly popular LED grow light among growers. Not only do growers rave about it on several growing forums, but the specifications speak for themselves.
What makes the HLG 100 v2 such a success? It’s probably the fact that so many budget growers want a grow light under 200 USD that performs well. The HLG 100 V2 definitely hits the mark there.
Compared to other lights mentioned in this list, the HLG 100 v2 sports the most modern quantum board design. That means it’s a simple LED board with rows of Samsung LM301B LEDs. No cooling fans, no purple light, and no dual-mode switches.
HLG 100 v2 Spectrum:
The spectrum on the HLG 100 v2 is perfect for all stages of plant growth, including seedlings. It’s a full white spectrum running at 4000K temperature. That’s a healthy balance of blue and red, and other colors like green that’ve shown to have some benefits to plant growth.
Coverage Area and Light Intensity:
HLG advises using the HLG 100 v2 for a 2×2 foot area, and I agree. This is a high quality but entry level grow light so you shouldn’t expect to stretch the coverage area too wide. You can always check out the larger size HLG quantum board options if your budget is a bit more flexible.
For light intensity, the HLG 100 v2 is definitely not the strongest, but it’ll be enough to grow cannabis plants. This is where the more classic purple LED grow lights are able to compete because some of them still emit higher light intensity than the HLG 100 V2. The difference with the HLG 100 v2 is you’re getting a modern design and top-shelf Samsung LEDs.
I’d personally recommend using one HLG 100 v2 light per plant. With that said this light is perfect if you’ve got a small grow and a small budget.
Specifications:
Model: | HLG 100 V2 |
Manufacturer: | Horticulture Lighting Group |
Dimensions: | 14.7 x 13.3 x 3.6 inches |
Weight: | 3.8lbs |
Lifespan: | 50,000 Hours |
LED Style: | Samsung LM301B |
PPFD Value: |
|
Spectral Ability: | Full White Spectrum 4000K |
Power Draw: | 95 watts |
Uniform Coverage: | 2×2 feet |
Voltage Range: | AC90V – 265V |
Heat Dissipation: | Passive heat dissipation |
Click here to see reviews and prices for the HLG 100 V2 on Amazon.com
Final Thoughts on the HLG 100 V2:
Definitely a solid grow light in the entry level price range that’s able to give the more classic design grow lights a run for their money. You don’t have to take my word for it – read the great reviews people have left this light. Every time I see somebody asking for grow light buying advice in growing forums the HLG 100 v2 is mentioned.
Check out some of the plants people have grown with the HLG 100 v2:
Click here to see reviews and prices for the HLG 100 V2 on Amazon.com
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Bestva Pro1000 Dimmable Grow Light
Last but most certainly not least is the Bestva Pro1000 LED grow light. This 100 watt grow light is from a well-performing brand called Bestva.
This is Bestva’s latest design for their grow light series. I had to include it on this list because of the performance and the price.
Quick Feature Overview:
The Pro1000 is one of the lowest power grow lights on this list, but the performance numbers are there. Check them out below:
You’ll get the highly desired Samsung diodes on this grow light, and as you can see above, the light strength is enough to get a large yield from your cannabis plants. The spectrum includes beneficial infrared light, and is well balanced with both red and blue wavelengths that’ll grow your plants during any stage of growth.
Another feature is the dimmer knob. You may need to use it for seedlings, but you’re unlikely to need it during veg or flowering.
The design of this grow light paired with the performance and modern white spectrum make it a top option for growing one adult cannabis plant in a 2×2 foot grow space.
Click here to see reviews and prices for the Bestva Pro1000 on Amazon.com
Pros and Cons – Bestva Pro1000 LED Grow Light
Pros:
- Cheapest LED Grow Light with actual Performance
- Brand name Samsung LEDs & Meanwell Driver
- Dimmer knob
- Low Power Use
Cons:
- No daisy chain capability
Final Thoughts:
Bestva is a proven cheap LED grow light brand that you can trust for results. There are other grow lights at this price that use lower quality equipment so it’s best to stick with Bestva or another on this list.
Don’t take it from me personally. Take it from verified owners who are repeatedly saying things like this in their reviews: “highly recommend,” “plants love,” and “I just bought my second one.”
Click here to see reviews and prices for the Bestva Pro1000 on Amazon.com
My Other Posts
- Best COB LED Grow Lights – Review and Information
- Best 600 Watt Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights On The Market
- Top Rated Cheap LED Grow Lights for Better Outcomes
- Best Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights for 4’X4′ Grow Room Setup