The 9 Best Indoor Christmas Lights The Spruce Has Tested

Best Overall

Wintergreen Lighting LED Christmas Lights

$25 at Amazon $32 at Home Depot View on Christmaslightsetc.com

For bright, festive indoor lights that will stand the test of time, we recommend the Wintergreen Lighting 5mm LED Christmas Lights. These nicely priced lights from Amazon were the brightest and most vibrant out of all our tested lights.

These holiday lights are 24 feet long with 70 bulbs on each strand and are readily available in many popular color schemes, including amber, red, multicolored, and even red and white. Since we wrapped these lights on our artificial Christmas tree, we love that you can connect up to 44 strands end-to-end using just one outlet for a brighter look, a higher maximum than most other brands we researched and tested.

When testing the Wintergreen Lighting Christmas Lights at home, we loved the high-quality, professional-grade bulbs, which keep moisture and dust away. The lights are Energy Star-certified, and the brand offers a 3-year seasonal warranty as well. 

One downside is that individual bulbs are not replaceable, and we wish these came in longer strands, but it is easy to connect a few to cover large spaces. Still, the brightness and variety remain unmatched.

_{Bulb Type: LED | Bulb Shape: 5mm conical | Length: 24 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: 44}

Best Budget

Prextex Multicolor Christmas Lights

$15 $10 at Amazon

The Prextex Christmas Lights take our spot for the best budget Christmas lights—they’re under $10 for 100 lights, which we think is an excellent value. We tested these around our home office and small Christmas tree, ultimately loving the classic, multicolored glow they give off. The cheerful hue put us right in the holiday spirit.

The setup couldn’t be simpler: These string lights are ready to go right out of the box. You plug them in, and boom, instantly illuminate your space. The strands are very easy to connect with others if you need to light a larger area. When lit, the final product has a classic multicolor look that evokes the ultimate Christmas nostalgia.

These lights offer little customization (they don’t come connected to an app or any other smart features, like a dimmer) but are a great no-fuss, colorful option you can order right on Amazon.

_{Bulb Type: Incandescent | Bulb Shape: T5 | Length: 20 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: 5}

Best White

GE Colorite Miniature LED Light Set

$15 at Walmart

For decorators looking for a pure white Christmas display or a minimalist, cohesive look, we recommend the GE Energy Smart Colorite LED Light Set, on which the brightness blew us away. We tested these on our Christmas tree and love dthe soft glow they emitted.

These Christmas lights have classic T5 mini bulbs, but they’re slightly larger than usual and extremely bright, making them stand out amongst the competition. Though bold and bright, they are Energy Star-qualified to help you save on utility bills without sacrificing brightness or performance. 

Each stand is 33 feet long with 100 LED lights, and you can connect up to 25 strands of these lights end-to-end. One special feature we really like about these white Christmas lights is the “constant on” technology, which avoids the whole strand burning out if one bulb dies or comes loose (though they come with replacement bulbs and fuses, just in case).

We wish they came in other colors, including a warm white, which can be less harsh and cozier than the brighter, pure white alternative.

_{Bulb Type: LED | Bulb Shape: T5 mini | Length: 33 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: 25}

Best for Christmas Trees

MZD8391 Christmas Lights

$24 $18 at Amazon

There’s nothing worse than running out of lights when you still have several feet to decorate—but that won’t be an issue with these lights from Amazon. They measure in at an impressive 105 feet (the longest on our list), making it a great choice for artificial or live Christmas trees of any size. 

The bulbs are small but mighty—in our tests, we found these to be brighter than many other string lights. The wires of these Christmas lights are noticeably thinner than the norm, making them easy to hide in a holiday tree or other festive decoration.

As a bonus, there’s even a button on the plug that allows you to cycle through the set’s eight lighting effects, transforming your tree into a colorful light show—and bonus, these can be used as outdoor Christmas lights, too.

This extra-long strand of lights is available in 10 color combinations, including classic options and more unique purple and yellow. These 300 LED bulbs span 99 feet with an extra 6 feet to reach out-of-the-way outlets.

_{Bulb Type: LED | Bulb Shape: Not listed | Length: 105 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: 4}

Best for Windows

Twinkly Icicle App Controlled LED Christmas Lights

$110 $100 at Amazon $110 at _target

Nothing feels more classic Christmas than dripping icicle string lights draping from windows, roofs, and doors—and our favorite option for achieving this look is the Twinkly Icicle App Controlled LED Christmas Lights. We tested these inside our windows for a themed nighttime display and couldn’t be happier with their gentle twinkle.

We found that these lights were a breeze to install. There is a coordinating app to download, and once you do, you can connect to the lights via Bluetooth and control them right from your palm. You then choose from a seemingly endless list of colors, patterns, and brightness options, making them completely customizable.

Though these are on the pricier side for Christmas lights, we can recommend them as they live up to their value. With the extensive color options and ease of use, these will look beautiful twinkling in your window all holiday season.  

_{Bulb Type: LED | Bulb Shape: B11 | Length: 16 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: Multiple}

Best Large Bulb

Noma LED Christmas Lights

$40 at Amazon

The Noma LED Christmas Lights are perfect for making a bold statement—the large bulbs have a beautiful teardrop-shaped design that we loved in testing. We also appreciated that they’re not so big that they seem out of place indoors. 

These lights come in a wide range of colors, and each strand is over 23 feet long with 70 bulbs spaced 4 inches apart. During our tests, we found that the colors aren’t as vibrant as other Christmas lights, but they still stand out on a tree thanks to their unique shape.

Since the bulbs make more of an impact, we think these work best in larger spaces on large trees, railings, or mantles. You can connect up to 45 strands of these lights, but the one downside is that there’s virtually no lead wire, meaning the bulbs start immediately after the plug. Because of this, you’ll have to use them very close to an outlet or add an extension cord. 

_{Bulb Type: LED | Bulb Shape: C6 | Length: 23.8 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: 45}

Best Smart

Twinkly Strings 750

View on Twinkly.com

The Twinkly Strings 750 took the cake for smart lighting thanks to all the additional features that set them apart. They can be controlled by a remote or an app and connect via Bluetooth, making it simple to turn them on and off, dim them as needed, and change the colorway. We tested these around a window but could see them working in many ways, from atop a mantel to wrapped around a Christmas tree. 

They boast smart home integration, too—you can turn them on/off or sync to your favorite Christmas song with a simple Alexa command. The setup took less than five minutes, and in that time, the lights were perfectly up and running. They are completely adjustable, from what time they illuminate to which jolly song they’re synced to.

In some scenarios, we can see the 100-plus-foot strands being too long for some spaces, and we do wish they could be separated. The Twinkly lights are pricier than other options on our list, but the length of the strands, limitless amount of customization, and ease of use make them worth the money.

_{Bulb Type: LED | Bulb Shape: Not listed | Length: 197 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: 2}

Best for Mantel

Wintergreen Lighting Twinkle LED Icicle Lights

View on Christmaslightsetc.com

Your mantel is about to get a beautiful upgrade with the icicle lights by Wintergreen Lighting. While we tested these on a bar cart, we think the dispersed, varied lengths will drape perfectly over garland or stockings to deck your halls in style. 

We love how simple these were to set up, the high-quality feel of the strands, and the soft, twinkling glow they give our bar cart. The lights provided ambient lighting that wasn’t too "Christmasy"—we even intend to use them beyond the holiday season for the perfect movie-night soft glow throughout the house. 

There was a lack of instructions for setting these up, but luckily, we found that they’re pretty self-explanatory. Other cons to note are the short length and a lack of brightness adjustability, so the only way to reduce the light emitted is to shut it off entirely. 

_{Bulb Type: LED | Bulb Shape: M5 mini | Length: 7 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: 45}

Best Fairy Lights

Jmexsuss LED Indoor String Lights

$20 $12 at Amazon $16 at Walmart

These LED fairy lights are beautiful, with eight modes for a dynamic Christmas display including twinkling, chasing, slow fade, and more. 

We placed these around our tree and found the lights to be warm, cozy, and bright, despite having smaller-than-usual bulbs. We also liked that the strand’s wires were clear and thin, which made them virtually invisible at night. 

These Christmas lights are 43 feet long in total, but it’s important to note that only 33 feet of the wire are lit—there’s a generous lead wire that’s 10 feet long (the longest we tested). To change the lighting effect, you simply press a button on the plug, so you have to stay near the lights to control them, unlike a smart option controlled by your smartphone. 

Keep in mind that you’re not able to connect multiple strands, so these are best for Christmas wreaths, mini trees, or mantle garlands.

_{Bulb Type: LED | Bulb Shape: Not listed | Length: 43 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: N/A}