The humble outdoor string light can add a surprisingly cozy ambiance to your outdoor space, whether you have a yard or a garden. There is tons of outdoor tech just waiting to upgrade your lighting game and CNET's team of intrepid experts set out to discover which you should choose.
Our Picks
What are the best outdoor string lights overall?
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 at a discount, these bulbs offer great value.
If you aren't aware, outdoor electric lights come in all kinds of fun shapes and sizes, from smart lights to those trendy Edison-style bulbs. Our list includes both smart and traditional string light options -- including solar powered lights. If you like the look of nonsmart outdoor string lights, you can always plug these into a smart outlet or plug. But these lights will also 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.
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. In this handy little guide, we'll check out more of the best outdoor string lights you can find -- all tested by CNET experts.
Best outdoor string lights of 2025
Best LED outdoor string lights
Pros
- Heavy duty
- Quality brightness
Cons
- Pricey
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 willing to wait for a deal.
Note these are larger, durable bulbs -- there are 18 bulbs in the 36-foot string, for example. That makes them good for outdoor conditions, but they won't really give the "twinkly" effect that some people want.
Best smart outdoor string lights
Pros
- High quality bulbs
- WiFi, Bluetooth, & Matter connections
- Variety of colors & themes
Cons
- Very pricey
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 including via voice assistant. 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. You can choose any of the 16 million colors supported with a different color for each individual bulbs or pick from preset themes to get the perfect ambiance for your patio.
Best solar-powered outdoor string lights
Pros
- Rechargeable battery backup
- Sensor and manual controls
Cons
- Requires extra setup and positioning
- Relatively few bulbs
During my tests, this Hampton Bay set seriously outperformed the competitors, as long as you're willing to go to the work of setting them up so they get plenty of sunlight. You'll need to stake or mount a solar panel, which charges a battery (about 6 hours of sunlight for a full charge) that can then run the lights for 8 hours at any time. A sensor allows you to set the lights to turn on automatically at sunset and go until the battery is depleted.
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 -- or want to use less electricity -- these are still likely your best bet.
Best value for outdoor string lights
Pros
- Best value per bulb
- Built-in hanging hooks
- Reasonably bright
Cons
- A little pricey compared to some incandescents
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, at about $2.33 per large, durable bulb.
Magitec has 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.
If you want to save even more, Feit Electric comes through as the cheapest in this category at $1.86 a bulb for this 15-bulb strand, although their string didn't impress as much as Magitec's LED option.
Best value smart outdoor string lights
Pros
- App & Bluetooth control
- Color preset scenes
- Music syncing
- Doesn't need to be within Wi-Fi range
Cons
- Bluetooth only, not smart home platform or voice assistant support
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. 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 preset scenes (47 in all), which you can easily match with the party or mood. You can also sync the lights to your evening music.
You can control these lights with the Govee app on your phone via Bluetooth, but there's no Wi-Fi or smart home platform support. So while you won't need to worry about being within router range, you will need to be within Bluetooth range to control the lights.
Best outdoor string lights for camping
Pros
- Compact, durable solar light string
- Doubles as a phone charger
- Different modes to choose from
Cons
- Lights aren't the brightest
Anpro's solar lights are easy to pack away and very versatile, with an included 5,000-mAh lithium-ion battery. It can be charged from many kinds of power sources including solar power -- just what you want for a camping light string.
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.
The lights aren't super bright, at only 120 lumens, but there's enough light, especially in an enclosed tent space or just outside, to keep you from tripping over every single thing or person inside the tent with you. You'll still want to pack your flashlight.
Best outdoor string lights for brightness
Pros
- Brightest lumen output
- White cord
Cons
- Glass is not shatterproof
You can read more about my testing process below, but the main thing you need to know is that these Brightech lights are the brightest of the bunch.
These bulbs topped out at nearly 200 lumens each, about 15% and 30% more light output than the second and third-place bulbs, respectively. At 15 bulbs, it gives you close to 3,000 lumens for one light strand.
The included LED bulbs are made of glass -- so they feel durable with a nice weight to them, but they aren't shatterproof like some of the other models. (Please note: Brightech's product description says they are made of plastic. I don't if they have changed materials or not, but the model that I and others tested was made of glass.) That means you'll have to string them up carefully and keep them well out of range of waving hands, thrown toys and any kind of heavy wind.
Other products we've tested
Feit electric incandescent outdoor string lights: Mentioned above as an alternative to the best value pick, Feit Electric offers the cheapest per-bulb offering in our AC-powered outdoor string lights. The only incandescent product we tested, this one scored in the lower half of units for brightness. If you're just looking to cover areas with lights for the bottom dollar, here's your pick.
Real Living Globe LED solar light set: Since they are solar-powered, they're intended to be used outdoors, but they're very small and have the lowest light output of all tested units. Even taking into consideration all 15 bulbs, the total light output would be about a tenth (3 lumens) of what you'd get from the iPhone in your pocket at 30 lumens.
Real Living multicolor solar light set: In comparison to the Real Living set mentioned above, the bulbs are larger but don't seem to be super durable. It is still on solar power, so intended for outdoors, but not bright enough for much use other than decoration. They're four times as bright as the globe set, but at a total of 8 lumens, that phone in your pocket is still more than three times as bright.
Hampton Bay 24-light indoor-outdoor string lights: These lights are fine. They performed at or just below the median in our light output tests. The price is still on the higher side, currently tied as the most expensive AC-powered set.
Patriot Lighting solar cafe outdoor string lights: As I said before, I'm not much of a fan of any of these solar options. The bulbs with this kit do feel a bit more durable than those of the solar category winner, Hampton Bay, but the main power cable is beefier with Hampton Bay. The light output is still fairly low, and the cost per bulb is still a bit more than the AC-powered options with much less light.
Portfolio outdoor LED Edison string lights: Another OK set. The price is average, performance is average to below-average and the durability is so-so. There are better options.
How we test outdoor string lights
There's a lot of hands-on evaluation that goes into this product category. One of the main reasons for that is the bulbs themselves. It's difficult, if not impossible, to use a product's specs or photos to get a feel for how durable you can expect the bulbs to be. Sometimes you'll get lucky with a "shatterproof" notation in the description, but not always.
Another bulb aspect to consider is the physical connection. Some of these come preinstalled and you can't replace them yourself. Some are preinstalled and can be removed. Most bulbs, in my experience, come packaged separately for you to install yourself. Most of the time, that isn't a problem. Occasionally, since these products all attempt to have a waterproof seal, the bulbs can be difficult to install. A couple of times I found myself gripping and twisting the small bulbs hard enough that I was concerned they might shatter in my hands. None did, but it might be worthwhile to have a pair of gloves on hand if you find yourself in the same situation.
An approximation of our brightness tests. The meter is at a set distance from the unit under test. Rotate and manipulate the product until you find the maximum brightness value. Tough to photo in the dark with no help!
Overall, the main concern with most lights is how much light they put out. In the past, for some of our standard light bulb testing, we've used an integrating sphere. That type of equipment can get you a ton of information for a light source, including brightness in lumens, color rendering index and more. Read more about our light bulb test lab.
For this category, I was specifically interested in brightness. Unfortunately, these string lights can't be tested in our integrating sphere, but with some fancy math wizardry, I changed the calculations we needed from a sphere to a linear path and came up with a workable solution. Using a standard digital light meter, I was able to get an approximation of each bulb's light output in lumens.
Brightness chart for solar and battery powered outdoor string lights.
Looking at the chart above, you can see the brightness of one individual bulb from each strand, as well as the total brightness of the entire strand from the solar and battery-powered options. The Real Living bulbs were dim. Hampton Bay has the brightest individual bulb, while Coleman says the brightest strand in this series overall because of a higher bulb count.
In the AC-powered options shown below, Brightech carries the brightest individual bulb at about 196 lumens. Multiply that by 15 bulbs and you nearly hit 3,000 lumens. Magitec wins brightest overall with 30 bulbs at 165 lumens, for a total of almost 5,000 lumens. To be fair, Magitec offers two strands for the price of one, so one individual strand would be about 2,500 lumens; about 500 less than a single Brightech strand.
Brightness of AC powered outdoor string lights.
Factors to consider when buying outdoor string lights
Can the lights withstand the elements?
Vibe Pixie String Lights were great on a recent camping trip.
As outdoor lights, the hardware should be well-suited to handle the weather conditions outside. However, the range of which the string lights will play a factor in whether they can work where you live or not. Water- and dust-resistance ratings of IP65, IP67 or IP68 would be best, but IPX4 could work also. The first three will handle wet and dusty conditions better than the IPX4 as it is only rated for some light moisture.
The other weather factor to consider is the temperature ranges. If you live in an area that gets to experience all four seasons, then you need to ensure the lights you buy can withstand the changes from freezing winters to blazing hot summers. But if you don't plan to keep the lights up during the more extreme times, then your lights will have fewer hurdles to contend with.
Bulb and light style
Like most other light bulbs, outdoor sting lights coming various bulb types and styles. Many of the modern outdoor string lights offer LED lighting sources as it increases longevity, reduces energy requirements and can be much brighter. These lights also don't produce near the heat of the more traditional incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs can also provide a seemingly unlimited range of colors.
LEDs can also excel in the range of bulb styles available since the light source is so small, it can be fit inside any size or shape of enclosure. Incandescent bulbs have a wide range of styles, but can be limited in bulb sizes. This is because the smaller the bulb, the smaller the filament inside, and less filament means less light. And LEDs have become warmer and more like their charming incandescent cousins over time.
One last note: Our picks are mostly larger, brighter bulbs made for durable all-year outside work. That's noticeably different from the tiny, twinkly lights some people have in mind for enchanting backyard get-togethers. If you're more interested in those kinds of lights, visit our recommends for smart holiday lights instead.
Length of the light strand
Outdoor string lights, like these from Nanoleaf, are a great way to have flexible lighting options for your outdoor spaces.
Once you've figured out the style and light type you want, you'll need to identify how long of a light strand is needed for your space. Outdoor string lights come on many different lengths, and some are even expandable. Measuring the distance between each hanging point from start to finish will give you a good idea of the length needed. Just be sure to add in a few more feet since you'll be measuring in a straight line and when the lights are hung, there will be some drooping between hanging points. So, if you measure 25 feet, you may want to buy closer to 30 feet of lights.
Smart features
If you want to control your outdoor lights with an app, you'll need to look for that additional upgrade. App controls generally allow for much more customization, color options, scheduling and preset modes. They may also have options for music syncing or match a certain color palette.
However, if you want support for specific smart home platform like Apple Home or Google Home, or a voice assistant like Alexa or Siri, then you'll need to look for lights that mention their support for those features.
Outdoor string lights FAQ
What is the best way to hang outdoor string lights?
The best way to hang outdoor string lights is by using a
Can you hang outdoor string lights indoors?
Outdoor string lights can be hung indoors, but the opposite isn't true. There's a specific distinction for outdoor string lights because they normally meet the IP65 rating, meaning they're resistant to water jets at any angle, which is helpful for rain and similar weather conditions. This rating doesn't mean the lights are waterproof or submergible.
Is it safe to leave outdoor string lights on for days or weeks at a time?
Generally speaking, yes. You can think of outdoor string lights the same as the bulbs you'd use inside your house. Some will be incandescent and some will be LED. The incandescent bulbs will normally run much hotter than LED bulbs. Incandescent bulbs also have a significantly shorter lifespan, so while you can leave them on for weeks at a time, you'll need to replace the bulbs much sooner.
How often do bulbs generally need replacing?
Generally speaking, you can think of the bulbs in an outdoor string light set the same way you'd think of the bulbs you'd use inside your house. Some will be incandescent and some will be LED. The incandescent bulbs should have a significantly shorter lifespan than their LED counterparts. The included packaging for these should include an estimated lifespan, but LED bulbs are regularly rated at 20 years. In some special cases where advanced features are involved, replacing bulbs may not be an option.
Is it worth getting smart outdoor string lights?
Much of this will depend on how you want to use your lights. If all you care about is being able to turn the lights on, off, and only need or want a single brightness and color, then a regular set of string lights will suit your needs just fine. If you want more flexibility in your outdoor lighting, such as the ability to automatically turn the lights on at sunset, adjust brightness, colors and more, then smart outdoor string lights are the way to go.