A plug in wall light draws power continuously, so it never runs out and can be bright, but it has a visible cable and needs a socket. A rechargeable wall light runs on a battery, so it can go anywhere and leaves the wall clean, but its brightness and running time are finite. Choose mains power where the light is on for hours or is the main source in the room. Choose cordless where there is no socket, where you rent, or where a cable would spoil the wall. Most homes end up with both.
There are two ways to put a light on a wall without rewiring the room. One plugs into a socket and hangs from a visible cable. The other holds a battery and needs nothing at all.
Both are called wall lights, and shops tend to present them as the same product with a different cord. They are not. They solve different problems, and picking the wrong one is the reason a lot of wall lights end up back in the box.
The difference in one paragraph
A plug in wall light draws power continuously. It never runs out, it can be as bright as you like, and it has a cable running from the fitting to the nearest socket. A rechargeable wall light runs on a battery you charge every so often. It has no cable at all, so it can go anywhere, but its brightness and running time are finite.
Everything else follows from that one difference.
When the socket wins
The light is on for hours every day. A hallway light that burns all evening, or a mirror light used every morning, is work for mains power. Recharging something daily gets old quickly.
You need a lot of light. Battery lights are designed for atmosphere and task lighting, not for lighting a whole room. If the wall light is the main source in the space, a plug in model will serve you better.
There is already a socket in the right place. If the cable run is short and lands behind furniture, the cable stops being a problem. That is the whole objection to plug in lights, and sometimes it simply does not apply.
If that describes your situation, the corded lamps are the place to look.
When cordless wins
There is no socket, and there is not going to be one. Beside a bed in an old house, in a stairwell, on a chimney breast, across a doorway. This is the case that rechargeable lights were made for.
You rent. No cable means no channel in the plaster and no argument at the end of the tenancy. The mounting plate can go up on adhesive, which leaves nothing behind.
You want the wall to look clean. A visible cable undoes most of what a well chosen light achieves. There is no neat way to run a cord down a painted wall.
You are not sure where it should go. A cordless light can be moved in a minute. A wired one cannot be moved at all.
Side by side
| Plug in | Rechargeable | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs a socket | Yes | No |
| Visible cable | Yes | No |
| Running time | Unlimited | Finite, then recharge |
| Brightness | Can be high | Suited to atmosphere and task light |
| Installation | Mount plus cable route | Mount only |
| Can be moved | Not really | In a minute |
| Suits renting | Depends on the cable | Yes |
Renting, and the no holes question
Renting pushes most people toward cordless, and for good reason. But it is worth separating two things that often get confused: the cable and the holes.
A plug in light still has to be fixed to the wall, so it still means screws unless you use adhesive. Cordless does not remove the mounting job. What it removes is the cable, and with it the temptation to cut a channel into the plaster.
If holes are the real objection rather than the cord, the answer is the same for both: an adhesive mounting plate on a clean, flat wall. Our guide to hanging a wireless wall light works through that in detail.
Room by room
Bedside. Cordless, almost always. The light is on for an hour or two at a time, the socket is usually taken by a phone charger, and a cable across the headboard looks like an afterthought.
Hallway. Depends on the hours. A light that comes on with a motion sensor for a few seconds at a time suits a battery perfectly. One that stays on all evening does not.
Beside a mirror. If it is a bathroom mirror used daily, go plug in. If it is a hall mirror that gets a soft glow in the evening, cordless.
Stairs and landings. Cordless. These are the places where sockets are scarcest and cables are most visible.
Reading chair. Either, but check the brightness before you decide. Reading needs more light than atmosphere does.
The honest answer
Most homes end up with both, and that is the right outcome rather than a compromise. Mains power where the light works hard, batteries where the wall matters more than the output.
The mistake worth avoiding is buying a battery light for a job that needs mains power, then concluding that cordless lighting does not work. It works extremely well within what it is for.
If you have landed on cordless, the rechargeable wall lights are here, and the buying guide narrows it down by room.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a plug in and a rechargeable wall light?
A plug in light draws power continuously through a cable to a socket, so it never runs out. A rechargeable light runs on a battery, so it needs no socket and has no cable, but its running time and brightness are finite.
Which is better for a bedside?
Usually rechargeable. The light is on for an hour or two at a time, the nearby socket is often taken, and a cable across the headboard looks unfinished.
Can I use a rechargeable wall light as the main light in a room?
It is not what they are designed for. Battery wall lights suit atmosphere and task lighting. If the wall light is the main source in the space, a plug in model will serve you better.
Do rechargeable wall lights still need holes in the wall?
Only if you use the screws. The mounting plate can also go up with adhesive, which leaves nothing behind. Cordless removes the cable, not the mounting job.
Is a plug in wall light a problem when renting?
The cable itself is usually fine; the problem starts if you cut a channel into the plaster to hide it. If you want the wall left untouched, cordless on an adhesive plate is the simpler route.