The Best Christmas Lights to Brighten the Holiday Season, Tested
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Show your holiday spirit with sparkling string lights that are just right for your style and space—indoors or out.
Decorating with colorful lights is a fun, festive part of the holiday season, both indoors and outside the home. For decades, dealing with the same old incandescent bulbs made designing a truly original display challenging. Now, however, Christmas lights (also called string lights) come in different bulb shapes and a much wider array of colors, sizes, types, and even blinking patterns, from a simple on/off style to dancing motifs set to music.
With so many illuminating possibilities on the market, choosing perfect products that truly suit a particular style and space may not be easy. We spent 2 weeks doing hands-on testing of 10 top-rated light sets to provide experienced insight into the lights’ appearance, ease of use, and overall performance. Read on to learn more about the best Christmas lights available, and choose the merriest and brightest options for adding beauty and joy to your home this season.
- BEST OVERALL: Yiqu 82-Foot 200 LED Christmas String Lights
- BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Twinkle Star 66-Foot 200 LED Christmas String Lights
- BEST LARGE BULB: Wintergreen Lighting C9 LED Christmas Lights Set
- BEST LARGE WHITE LIGHTS: Noma C6 LED Christmas String Lights
- BEST MINI WHITE LIGHTS: Yuletime Cool White LED Christmas Lights
- BEST UNIQUE LIGHTS: Twinkle Star Meteor Shower Rain Lights
- BEST SMART LIGHTS: Twinkly Strings Smart LED Christmas Lights
- ECO-FRIENDLY PICK: Joomer Solar Christmas String Lights
- BEST OUTDOOR NET LIGHTS: Twinkle Star 360 LED Christmas Net Lights
- BEST OUTDOOR LIGHTS: Wintergreen Lighting Wide Angle LED Mini Lights
How We Tested the Best Christmas Lights
To test Christmas lights for this list, we judged and scored their characteristics based on an established rubric. To begin, we looked at how to put lights on a Christmas tree, ranking the sets’ overall ease of installation. We considered each contender’s brightness, versatility, durability, and appearance. We also factored in features such as replaceable fuses or extra bulbs and how much the lights enhanced our holiday decor.
We tested the lights indoors and outdoors, if applicable, and evaluated their ability to withstand winter weather and their overall look from close up and far away. For safety reasons, we did not include any indoor-only lights among our selections. Note that many top picks are online-only options, making the web one of the best places to buy Christmas lights.
Testing Stats
- Products tested: 10
- Time spent testing: 2 weeks
- Tests performed: 5
- Average price: $31.79
Our Top Picks
We’ve narrowed the field to a selection of fan-favorite holiday lights for all kinds of displays, indoors or out. After a couple of weeks of testing, we got a good idea of how these lights perform under a variety of conditions.
Best Overall
Yiqu 82-Foot 200 LED Christmas String Lights
Photo: amazon.com
Our Ratings: Setup 4/5; Brightness 4/5; Weather Resistance 5/5; Durability 4/5; Storage 5/5
Product Specs
- Length: 82 feet
- Connectivity: Up to 5 sets
- Light source: LED
Pros
- Lightweight, flexible cord easily wraps around holiday trees, along mantles, or along a roof
- Fun lighting patterns for lighting scheme variety
- Long string length options to reduce the number of strings it takes to get adequate coverage
Cons
- Modes controlled only on the electrical plug
These lights from Yiqu offer versatile uses with a supple but strong cord and a variety of lighting patterns. They come in 12 colors/color patterns and four lengths, providing a wide range of lighting choices. From classic holiday color mixes like green and red or red and white to strings that can switch between warm white and multicolor, there are options to suit any theme. We liked these lights’ lightweight but strong and flexible cord. The cord’s flexibility allowed us to easily wrap it around objects and extend it across our mantle, on top of our cabinets, and along our roofline. The brightness level strikes a happy medium—bright enough for the outdoors but not blinding if used inside.
These lights have eight lighting modes controlled by a button on the electrical cord. Modes include options like slow fade, twinkle, and sequential. Each set can connect to up to five more strings of lights. With even longer lengths available than the 82-foot version we tested, creating a large outdoor display using the Yiqu lights would be simple. We tested these lights in a rainstorm and cold weather that hovered around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather didn’t slow them down. We only wish they had some kind of remote to control the lighting pattern.
Get the Yiqu Christmas lights at Amazon.
Best Bang for the Buck
Twinkle Star 66-Foot 200 LED Christmas String Lights
Photo: amazon.com
Our Ratings: Setup 5/5; Brightness 4/5; Weather Resistance: 2/5; Durability 5/5; Storage 5/5
Product Specs
- Length: 66 feet
- Connectivity: Up to 5 sets
- Light source: LED
Pros
- Sturdy strands with very lightweight bulbs make for easy installation
- Easy to unpack and strings stretch out well without snagging
- 8 lighting modes, including waves, sequential, flash, twinkle, and more
Cons
- Lighting control isn’t waterproof; may not be suitable unless that part is protected from water
With this one set of warm white lights, users can achieve a host of different blinking modes to express the holiday spirit in sparkling style. There are eight settings: combination, waves, slow glow, sequential, chasing/flash, slow fade, twinkle/flash, and steady on. In testing, we found the rubber button easy to grasp and use—just take care not to get it wet, as it isn’t waterproof.
These strands proved to be a breeze to arrange neatly, straightening out to full length with ease for quick stringing around our tree. Though small enough to be considered “fairy lights,” the fairly close spacing of one bulb every 3.9 inches makes for a filled-out display. We were also impressed by the sturdiness of the strings, which seem likely to last for many years of holiday and special-occasion use.
Get the Twinkle Star 200 LED Christmas lights at Amazon or Walmart.
Best Large Bulb
Wintergreen Lighting C9 LED Christmas Lights Set
Photo: amazon.com
Our Ratings: Setup 3/5; Brightness 5/5; Weather Resistance 5/5; Durability 5/5; Storage 3/5
Product Specs
- Length: 17 feet
- Connectivity: Up to 90 sets
- Light source: LED
Pros
- Very bright and sparkly; ideal for most homes and decor styles
- Etched design on each bulb housing adds an extra layer of detail
- Can connect up to 90 strings, more than enough for most homes
Cons
- Large bulbs can be unsuitable for smaller trees
- Difficult to remove from packaging
- Quite heavy compared to similar options
With 3-inch C9 LED bulbs, these indoor/outdoor 17-foot strings really dazzle when used to frame the roof, highlight a tall Christmas tree, or jazz up the front porch. The multicolored bulbs boast an etched diamond design on the plastic shell for a little extra pizzazz. Up to 90 strings can be plugged together to wind around the entire house. These large showstopping bulbs from Wintergreen are a plus for a house that sits back a bit from the road, as they help create an eye-catching display.
However, because these strings are somewhat heavy, it took us considerable time to position them properly on trees and garlands during our tests. We also found them a bit tricky to remove from the packaging. Once arranged, the lights looked great, and the LED bulbs stayed cool to the touch hour after hour—no worries of accidental burns. They also come in nine color options.
Get the Wintergreen Lighting C9 Christmas lights at Amazon or Walmart.
Best Large White Lights
Noma C6 LED Christmas String Lights
Photo: amazon.com
Our Ratings: Setup 3/5; Brightness 5/5; Weather Resistance 5/5; Durability 5/5; Storage 3/5
Product Specs
- Length: 23.8 feet
- Connectivity: Up to 45 sets
- Light source: LED
Pros
- Modern diamond-cut design adds sparkle and style to decor
- Delicate, pure white light looks great in most homes—both traditional and modern
- Available in multiple color combinations to fit a variety of decor styles
Cons
- Plastic can be a bit sharp at the base; take care when installing
These diamond-cut Noma C6 LED bulbs are an ideal size for the front of the house—easy to spot on posts from the driveway yet small enough for door wreaths and staircase garlands. Their pure white light evokes a traditional Christmas look while imparting understated sophistication. Plus, white light won’t fight for attention on a tree full of different ornaments the way brightly colored bulbs can. Each 23.8-foot strand of 70 high-efficiency bulbs can be connected to up to 44 additional strings for ample decor options indoors and out.
Take care when working with them on faux foliage: We found the plastic at the base of each light liable to catch and pull at more delicate artificial trees. They’re better suited to a live tree or an artificial tree that’s sturdily made.
Get the Noma Christmas lights at Amazon.
Best Mini White Lights
Yuletime Cool White LED Christmas Lights
Photo: amazon.com
Our Ratings: Setup 5/5; Brightness 4/5; Weather Resistance 5/5; Durability 3/5; Storage 5/5
Product Specs
- Length: 66 feet
- Connectivity: Up to 30 sets
- Light source: LED
Pros
- Style resembles traditional incandescent bulbs for a vintage holiday look
- Very cool white color is great for a snowy Christmas feel; 9 other colors available
- Lightweight and very simple to install; suitable for most uses
Cons
- Might be too bright for indoor use
Set on a 66-foot-long strand, this string of cool white LED bulbs is versatile enough to complement a wide range of decorating schemes. Thanks to green strings that blend in well, they’re especially suited to trees and other foliage. And despite being long-running LEDs, they emit a glow that very much resembles traditional incandescent lights—a plus for those aiming for old-school holiday style.
In testing, we found these lightweight strands a breeze to loop around greenery and drape along rails. We were surprised to see how bright these little bulbs shine—an asset for outdoors but perhaps a bit too bright for close quarters inside. Connect up to 30 strands for a house full of seasonal twinkle!
Get the Yuletime Christmas lights at Amazon.
BEST UNIQUE LIGHTS
Twinkle Star Meteor Shower Rain Lights
Photo: amazon.com
Our Ratings: Setup 4/5; Brightness 5/5; Weather Resistance 5/5; Durability 4/5; Storage 4/5
Product Specs
- Length: 26.2 feet
- Connectivity: Up to 5 sets
- Light source: LED
Pros
- 16.4-foot lead wire gives enough distance to allow for vertical installation
- Lightweight tubes are easy to handle and compact enough for storage in the original box
- Work well for random installation pattern rather than lined up on a roofline
Cons
- Only 8 “meteors” per string; several strings may be needed to achieve desired lighting density
Those who want something a bit beyond a standard string of lights can bring a magical touch to their holiday decorations with the Twinkle Star Meteor Shower lights. With 288 LED lights separated into eight watertight tubes, these lights bring the movement of a celestial event to the holidays. These meteor lights have a descending illumination pattern that alternates between the tubes at random. They come in five colors—blue, multicolor, purple, warm white, and cool white—to fully complement any color scheme. The lights are indoor/outdoor, but the 11.8-inch tubes require a lot of vertical space, which makes them somewhat cumbersome indoors.
Outside, they looked better hung on a tree than lined up along a roofline. When hung in a tree with the tubes at different levels, the lighting pattern creates the illusion of falling stars. The Twinkle Star lights have a long 16.4-foot lead wire with the option to connect up to five strings. A 14-inch space between each tube brings the total string length to 26.2 feet. Despite the length of the tubes, these lights are lightweight. Yet, they made it through several windy rainstorms, though securing the cord to the tree is a good idea to prevent them from getting blown down.
Get the Twinkle Star Meteor Shower Christmas lights at Amazon or Walmart.
Best Smart Lights
Twinkly Strings Smart LED Christmas Lights
Photo: amazon.com
Our Ratings: Setup 4/5; Brightness 5/5; Weather Resistance 4/5; Durability 4/5; Storage 5/5
Product Specs
- Length: 26 feet
- Connectivity: None, but can sync with other light strings through Twinkly app
- Light source: LED
Pros
- Dimmable lights reach intense brightness for outdoor displays but also dim for an indoor mood
- 16 million unique combinations of colors, patterns, and lighting options with downloadable options through the app
- Timer control in the app eliminates the need for a separate light timer
Cons
- Plug may not work with protected exterior outlet
- Does not directly connect with other smart strings, but can sync with them through app