Short answer: The IKEA TRETAKT is the best budget Zigbee plug in 2026 — tiny, reliable, and often under €10. If you want energy monitoring, the Sonoff S60ZBTPF is the best value under €20. Both work perfectly with Zigbee2MQTT and Home Assistant.
A smart plug is the best first purchase for any smart home. It turns a dumb lamp, heater or coffee machine into something you can control from your phone, automate on a schedule, or trigger from a sensor. We run over a dozen plugs on our Zigbee network, so this advice comes from daily use, not spec sheets.
What actually matters in a smart plug
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Zigbee 3.0 | Works with ZHA / Zigbee2MQTT, no hub or cloud required |
| Power monitoring | Lets you track energy usage per device — and build automations (“turn off when idle”) |
| Compact size | A big plug blocks the socket next to it — a constant real-world annoyance |
| Local control | No cloud dependence: your home keeps working if the internet drops |
| Overload protection | Real safety feature worth having for heaters and high-wattage loads |
The candidates we tested
| Model | Price | Power monitoring | Size | Zigbee2MQTT | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEA TRETAKT | ~€10 | ❌ | Very compact | ✅ | Best overall budget pick |
| Sonoff S60ZBTPF | ~€15 | ✅ | Compact | ✅ Excellent | Best with energy monitoring |
| Aqara SP-EUC01 | ~€18 | ✅ | Compact | ✅ | Great quality, EU plug |
| Third Reality 3RSP | ~€14 | ✅ | Medium | ✅ | Solid US/EU options |
| No-name Tuya plug | ~€8 | varies | varies | ⚠️ may need flashing | Avoid unless you like tinkering |
Our real-world findings
Size matters more than you think. The IKEA TRETAKT is the only plug in this test that didn’t block the socket next to it in our hallway strip. That single trait made it the most-used plug in the house.
Power monitoring turned out to be addictive. Once the Sonoff S60ZBTPF showed us the stand-by draw of our old TV setup (11 W, 24/7 — that’s ~€25/year wasted), we couldn’t stop checking every device. The data alone changed how we use the house.
Reliability was a non-issue for all five. On our network with a Sonoff E coordinator and Zigbee2MQTT, all plugs stayed connected for weeks without a single dropout. With Zigbee 3.0, the “unreliable smart plug” horror stories are largely a thing of the past.
Which should you buy?
- First-time buyer, want it cheap and tiny → IKEA TRETAKT (market it as the “start here” plug)
- Energy nerd, want usage data → Sonoff S60ZBTPF (best monitoring under €20)
- Renting, EU sockets, want quality → Aqara SP-EUC01
- Heaters / high-wattage appliances → any plug with overload protection; check rated wattage before buying
SONOFF S60ZBTPF — with energy monitoring
Prices and availability checked 2026-09-17. Commissions are earned from qualifying purchases — see our affiliate disclosure.