Do I need a hub for smart bulbs?

Not strictly. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth bulbs from Govee, Kasa, and Linkind work directly without a hub. However, specialist communities consistently report that Zigbee/Thread bulbs paired to a dedicated bridge (like Philips Hue) are noticeably more reliable at scale than Wi-Fi-only bulbs, which can congest your network and drop offline more often.