A smart plug is the cheapest, easiest way into home automation — no wiring, no electrician, just plug it in and connect. But the feature that actually saves you money isn’t voice control, it’s energy monitoring: a plug that shows you exactly how many watts a device is drawing, so you can spot the appliance quietly costing you the most on your electricity bill. We went through Megastore76’s current smart plug stock to find which ones actually include it, and which are just a basic on/off switch with an app.
Why energy monitoring is the feature that matters most
Every smart plug lets you turn something on or off remotely or on a schedule — that part is now commoditised. What separates a genuinely useful plug from a novelty is whether it can also tell you how much power the connected device is using, in real time, from the app. That’s what lets you actually find your worst energy-wasters: an old fridge-freezer, a fish tank heater, a space heater left running, or a “smart” device that never really powers down on standby. Without monitoring, a smart plug is just a remote-control switch. With it, it’s a diagnostic tool for your electricity bill.
Smart plugs compared
| Smart plug | Price | Energy monitoring | Key features | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNCC WiFi Smart Plug | £4.69 | No | Basic WiFi on/off, Google Home | The absolute cheapest way to try a smart plug before deciding if you want monitoring |
| Tuya Smart WiFi UK Plug | £5.49 | Yes | Alexa voice control, timer function | Cheapest plug on this list that actually includes real energy monitoring |
| 20A Smart WiFi Plug (4400W) | £5.99 | Yes | High-power 20A rating, Alexa & Google Home | Heavier appliances (heaters, kettles) a standard 13A plug isn’t rated for |
| Smart Plug Socket (Monitoring + Timer) | £10.99 | Yes | Alexa & Google, timer, voice control | A well-rounded single plug if you don’t need a multipack |
| Meross MSS315 (Matter) | £11.99 | Yes | Matter-compatible, works with Alexa & Apple HomeKit | Apple Home households and anyone future-proofing against ecosystem lock-in |
| Tuya Smart Life 4-Pack (Power Monitor) | £23.36 | Yes | 4 plugs, per-socket monitoring, Alexa voice | Kitting out a whole room or several appliances at once without buying individually |
| Outdoor Smart Plug (IP44, 2-pack) | £24.99 | No | Weatherproof IP44 rating, Alexa/Google/Apple | Garden lights, pond pumps or anything living outside — indoor plugs aren’t rated for this |
Prices and stock shown are correct as of 23 August 2026 and are pulled directly from live Megastore76 listings — always check the current price and availability on the product page before buying, as reseller stock changes daily.
How to actually use energy monitoring to save money
- Start with your biggest suspects. Anything that heats or cools (space heaters, dehumidifiers, older fridges, fish tank heaters, tumble dryers if they’ll fit) uses far more than lights or chargers — plug those in first.
- Check standby draw, not just “on” draw. The real surprise for most people is how much power a TV, games console or router-plus-devices setup pulls while supposedly “off.” A monitoring plug will show this within a day.
- Use the app’s history, not just the live number. Most monitoring plugs log usage over days or weeks — that trend tells you more than a single reading, especially for appliances that cycle on and off (fridges, heaters with thermostats).
- Pair with a schedule once you know the pattern. If you find a device pulling power overnight for no reason, that’s when the timer/schedule feature earns its keep — automatically cutting power in the hours you know it’s not needed.
Matter, Alexa, Google or Apple — does it matter which plug you pick?
Most smart plugs on this list work with Alexa and Google Home regardless of brand, since both platforms support the generic WiFi smart plug category widely. Apple HomeKit is more selective — if you want a plug to show up natively in the Apple Home app, look specifically for HomeKit or Matter support, like the Meross MSS315 above, rather than assuming any WiFi plug will work. If you’re not tied to one ecosystem yet, a Matter-compatible plug is the safest long-term choice, since it works across Alexa, Google and Apple without being locked into one.
13A vs 20A: check before you buy
Standard UK smart plugs are rated for 13A (roughly 3,000W), which comfortably covers lamps, chargers, fans, TVs and most small appliances. Higher-draw appliances — space heaters, kettles, some tumble dryers — can exceed that, which is why a small number of plugs (like the 20A/4400W model above) exist specifically rated higher. Using an underrated plug with a high-draw appliance is a genuine fire risk, not just a spec-sheet technicality, so check the plug’s rated wattage against the appliance’s actual power draw (usually printed on the appliance itself) before connecting anything that heats.
FAQs
Do smart plugs work without a hub? Yes — every plug in this comparison connects directly to your home WiFi and is controlled through its own app (or Alexa/Google/Apple once linked), with no separate hub required. That’s different from some smart lighting or lock systems, which sometimes do need a bridge.
How accurate is the energy monitoring on a budget plug? Good enough to spot patterns and compare devices, but treat the exact wattage figure as an estimate rather than a certified reading — for spotting your worst offenders and roughly quantifying standby drain, budget monitoring plugs are genuinely useful; for billing-grade precision, they’re not a substitute for your actual meter.
Can I use a smart plug outdoors? Only if it’s specifically rated for outdoor use (look for an IP44 rating or higher, like the outdoor plug above). A standard indoor smart plug is not weatherproof and shouldn’t be used anywhere it could get wet.
Will a smart plug fit a large appliance plug? Most smart plugs are a standard 3-pin UK socket pass-through, so if the appliance’s own plug fits a normal wall socket, it will fit the smart plug. The limiting factor is wattage rating, not physical shape — see the 13A vs 20A note above.
Building out from here
A smart plug is usually the first purchase in a wider smart home setup, since it’s cheap and works with almost anything already plugged into a wall. For the bigger picture on how plugs fit alongside locks, lighting, cameras and thermostats, see our Smart House: The Ultimate Guide to a Smart Home in 2026.
Disclosure: Megastore76 lists these products through the eBay Partner Network. If you buy through a link on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This never affects which products we recommend or how we describe them.
