what's the state of bulbs that don't use apps? I have some from IKEA that get paired to a Bluetooth remote, and it seems pretty good for now but I'm kinda nervous about relying on a device like that.
IKEA bulbs use mostly Zigbee, can be paired directly with their remote so don't require any hub, and connect directly with any Home Assistant with a Zigbee dongle like Sonoff.
Philips Hue uses Zigbee and the quality of Hue lights is really excellent (both the lights themselves and longevity, our oldest lights are over 10 years). A lot of Ikea devices also use Zigbee, though it sometimes takes a while before they are supported properly by SmartThings, Home Assistant, etc.
