Hue Dimmer Compared to other Brands
Hue dimmers are among the least expensive smart switches you can buy. Most other brands are in the £35-£45 range.
An 8 Button Device can sometimes save money
If you have a need to control multiple table or floor lamps , there’s a very popular remotec battery operated device with eight buttons (each of which has tap, double tap, and long press) for around £45, so for the right use it can save you money. You will need custom code from the community to make it work, but it is available on both the UK and the US frequency.
Voice is another option
And our house, the most popular lighting control method is the Amazon Dot. At £39.99 , they can be an excellent value.
Ikea as a Budget Solution?
Some people have been able to get the newest IKEA Tradfri Button switches to pair to a hue bridge, and some people have been trying to get them to work with SmartThings. But it doesn’t seem to work for everyone and you do need to have the newest version of the IKEA firmware. However, if you can get that to work you can save about £10 over the Hue switches.
So this one may be a bit iffy, but ask in the following thread if you want to talk to people who are using it.
Really Cheap WiFi Options
There are also some less expensive Wi-Fi switches that you can look at. These will have to be mains-powered, but you will want to bypass control of the fitting itself and let the smart bulbs do the work. As long as they have an IFTTT channel, you should be able to get them to integrate with SmartThings to some extent, although there may be some additional lag and they may lack safety certifications. You also have the problem that they use up one of the Wi-Fi addresses and some routers are limited to about 32 devices. But there are some community members who use them.
So there are some options depending on exactly what you were looking for, but the Hue dimmer are already in the lower cost range of the reliable options for the U.K. The IKEA may be your best bet for the future, although getting them paired may be tricky and you have to get the very newest versions.