Is there anything better than lights outdoors? Here are the best outdoor string lights that'll make your garden feel magical.
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CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
If you aren't in the know, you might not be aware that outdoor electric lights come in all kinds of fun shapes and sizes, from smart lights to those trendy Edison-style bulbs. In this handy little guide, we'll check out the best outdoor string lights you can find -- all tested by CNET experts.
Of course, if you're not 100% on the string lights train, there are other ways to spruce up your outdoor area with additional light sources. Consider getting a fire pit or a patio heater, particularly if you're more concerned about staying warm on those cooler nights.
Out of all the options we tested, our favorite outdoor string light is the Enbrighten classic LED cafe light . The bulbs themselves feel robust and when bought on at a discount, these bulbs offer great value.
But if you're looking for something else, as we hinted earlier, our list includes both smart and traditional string light options -- including solar powered lights. While most non-smart string lights are going to offer a single color and require you to manually power them on, if you like the look of a "dumb" outdoor string light don't forget you can always plug it into a smart outlet or plug. This will let you schedule times for the lights to turn on and allow you to shut them down from your phone or voice with a smart speaker.
This set has the most attractive bulb of the bunch, in my opinion. The bulbs feel heavier duty than the other options because, rather than being a thin clear plastic shell of a bulb, they're partially filled in to create a visual with inset air bubbles. This added to the look and the feel of the light set and immediately made me feel like they were of superior quality when compared to most of the other units.
Enbrighten also ended up with the third brightest light output per bulb, according to our testing. They were initially the most expensive set I picked up, but they often drop to $30 on Amazon, making them a great value for someone looking for great quality.
The Amazon page lists several models, including smart plugs and dimmers. Enbrighten says these lights have a linkable length of up to 750 feet (about 20 strands total) and a warm, soft light output at 2,700K.
Nanoleaf is known for making some of the best smart lights you can find. In addition to traditional light bulbs, the company offers some really unique wall-mounted lights. Even the "normal" bulbs have a non-traditional shape, and that style carries over to the bulbs of the Nanoleaf Outdoor String Lights.
With a heavy-duty acrylic "bulb" cover, these lights are not only more durable than most, but the shape of the acrylic refracts the light in multiple directions for a beautiful look. With Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Matter all in the mix, you'll have a variety of ways to control your outdoor string lights. While there, I have experienced a disconnect or two in my time with the lights; there is an in-line control box to manage the lights without a phone.
I've been using these lights in my outdoor space for about a while now, and the vivid colors and warm whites are fantastic. The lights get very bright and can also be dimmed to the perfect level for any occasion. Aside from the ability to choose any of the 16 million colors supported by these lights, you can also choose from preset themes to get the perfect ambiance for your patio.
Doubling down on my earlier sentiments, I didn't love any of the solar light options. As far as the options I had to work with, this Hampton Bay set seriously outperformed the competitors. Solar performance still comes at a price, however. These lights were the most expensive per-bulb option on my list — nearly doubling the runner-up at $6 a bulb.
A single strand of these lights won't do much for you if you're looking for a light night hideaway for catching up on your most recent book adventure, but if you don't have any options for hard-wired power, these are still likely your best bet.
Generally, the solar options are outfitted with a dusk-to-dawn sensor that controls their operation, and additionally, Hampton Bay offers a manual override to turn on or off at your discretion. The lithium-ion rechargeable batteries in this set are also replaceable.
If you're truly looking for "value" and not just the cheapest option, I would recommend checking out Magitec. These lights tested as the second brightest bulbs overall, and this particular offering is for a two-pack of these light strands. So double the linear coverage at 96 feet versus the next longest single strand at 48 feet.
Magitec sports all the standard options — hanging hooks, IP65-rated water-resistant seals and shatterproof, dimmable, LED bulbs. We measured these bulbs with a lumen output of about 165 per bulb. Buying 30 total sockets means you're getting close to 5,000 lumens total. That is some serious light output.
These bulbs come out to $2.33 a bulb, which puts them in the lower (cheaper) half of the list overall as far as price goes. Now, based solely on the cost per bulb, Feit Electric comes through as the cheapest in this category at $1.86 a bulb for this 15-bulb strand. Other than its value, this set isn't particularly impressive. The light output on this unit is about 40 lumens per bulb for a total output of approximately 600 lumens — the second lowest for our AC-powered options. These are also some of the only incandescent options we tested. That means more energy is used to run these than the comparable LED options. If you're looking for light coverage on the cheap, this is a good option.
Govee is another fantastic smart light maker with lights for nearly any style. The brand offers a range of outdoor lighting options, including multiple smart outdoor string lights, but here, I'm highlighting an impressive budget solution.
The plastic bulb cover, which is a frosted white when the lights are off, has a more traditional look. These lights may not make a statement during the daytime hours, but at night, you'll have 16 million colors to choose from, including tunable whites. One of my favorite things about Govee lights is the excellent pre-set scenes. These offer everything from fun and active lighting scenes to calm and relaxing options. You can also pick a single color or create your own custom lighting scene.
You can control these lights with the Govee app on your phone, but you won't have Wi-Fi or other smart home connectivity options. Instead, you'll connect to the lights via Bluetooth. This means you won't be able to manage the lights when you aren't home. When you are, you'll be able to set schedules and timers for your lights to automate your evenings a bit easier.
These lights by Anpro, which are aimed at campers, are ones that you'll want to make sure to pack for your outdoor excursion.
To start, they aren't solar-powered, but they do run off a solar-rechargeable 5,000mAh lithium-ion battery. On a full charge, Anpro says you can get over 18 hours of minimum brightness and up to 6 hours of maximum brightness. One nifty perk is that the solar-chargeable battery has two USB ports to charge the battery or charge your phone.
Instead of hanging downward like the traditional Edison-bulb style options, the light capsules are in line with the nylon braided power cord, which is more durable and less prone to tangles than traditional cords.
24 inch light bar The lights aren't super bright, at only 120 lumens, but there's enough light, especially in an enclosed tent space, to keep you from tripping over every single thing or person inside the tent with you. They'd offer some nice ambiance in an outdoor space, but again, not enough light to be super helpful for seeing much out in the open.