Byte vs. AlignerCo: An Honest Comparison

AlignerCo and Byte have a lot in common. Both clear aligner services offer at-home teeth straightening, and both are newer to the scene than industry giant SmileDirectClub. But when you dig deeper, you’ll find that there are some major differences between them.

We’re here to help you decipher these differences and determine the features that are most important to you. In this comparison review, we’ll explore all the details of AlignerCo and Byte’s treatments, and provide all the information you need to choose the best home teeth aligner option for you.

Overview & Recommendation: Byte Wins

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Two Great Companies, but Byte Gets Our Vote.

Both AlignerCo & Byte offer huge savings and convenience, but in our opinion, Byte wins the race. Why? Two reasons:

• Treatment Efficiency: There’s evidence that the gentle micropulses from high-frequency vibration devices like Byte’s HyperByte can help reduce discomfort and encourage faster dental shifts for some customers. Byte says their average treatment plan is 4–5 months long, although your specific timeline largely depends on the severity of your misalignment.
• Superior Customer Experience: Byte assigns each customer a personal advisor, who checks in to address your questions and concerns throughout the treatment process. Plus, once you’re done with treatment, their Byte-for-Life guarantee protects your smile forever. That means if your teeth ever shift after treatment, even years down the line, they’ll realign your smile for free—as long as you replace your retainers every six months and wear them as directed.

Is Byte Right for You?

Your ideal clear aligner treatment depends largely on your unique condition, goals, and budget. But Byte is a great option for most people with mild-to-moderate misalignments. They scored 4.3/5 overall based on our five review criteria (effectiveness, affordability, convenience, appearance, and customer support) — a higher rating than any other provider.

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Effectiveness Comparison

One of the biggest questions facing you as you investigate clear aligner treatments is: how well do they work? At-home aligner companies can confidently correct milder cases of crowding and spacing, but they can’t treat severe misalignments like in-office options can.

Even so, certain ones go a step further by ensuring quality products and processes. AlignerCo’s low price doesn’t mean low quality — they still facilitate safe, effective treatment and produce reliable products. Byte, however, does all that and more, providing not just quality products, but excellent efficiency for many customers.

Clinical Oversight

Your aligner treatment plan doesn’t appear out of thin air — rather, it’s carefully crafted by a state-licensed professional. To create Byte treatments, dentists and orthodontists work in tandem, so you can be confident that an orthodontist will have some role in your aligner plan. It’s unclear how AlignerCo’s dental team functions, so you could have a dentist or orthodontist designing your treatment.

To help you stay on track, AlignerCo provides consistent remote oversight. Every two weeks, you’ll be required to submit photos of your teeth via email, so that their team can evaluate your progress and identify any potential concerns. Byte recommends that you submit photos once per month, but they only require it in certain cases. If you choose to submit them regularly, you can upload them directly through the My Byte app, which is easier than an email back-and-forth.

Aligner Manufacturing

Your aligners’ design and materials can have a tremendous impact on your treatment’s effectiveness.

AlignerCo produces their aligners using plastics from Raintree Essix, a high-quality, well-respected dental supplies company. So, you can be confident that their products contain sturdy and reliable materials.

In late 2020, Byte was acquired by Dentsply Sirona, a reputable dental manufacturing company that makes cleaning instruments, scanning machines, retainers, and virtually any other dental equipment you can imagine. This means Byte’s products are also highly trustworthy and well-designed.

Aligner Cut

Believe it or not, the cut of your aligners can have an influence on their effectiveness as well. AlignerCo trims their aligners to match your gum line, while Byte cuts theirs straight across so that they overlap the gums. There are advantages to scalloped aligners — they’re slightly less noticeable and they ensure that your aligners are hand-crafted.

Because Byte’s straight-cut aligners overlap your gums, they’re slightly more visible, but they can also be more effective. How? The gums help to anchor your aligners in place, giving them a point of leverage they can use to exert up to 4X more force on your teeth.

When AlignerCo says that their scalloped aligners are less visible, they aren’t lying, but know that it may also make them a little less effective.

Affordability Comparison

All home aligner companies are affordable when compared to traditional in-office treatments like Invisalign, which typically costs $3,000–$8,000. But among these affordable options, AlignerCo is king. Their prices are significantly lower than the rest of the field.

Considering the quality of their treatment, Byte offers good value, but AlignerCo is a consistent favorite for anyone on a tight budget who’s looking for a cost-effective option. However, affordability isn’t one-dimensional. Make sure to look beyond price tags to consider financing options and other perks as well.

Sticker Price

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more affordable option than AlignerCo. Their $995 sticker price is several hundred dollars lower than other at-home aligners and thousands less than in-office options. This upfront cost includes your aligners, impression kit, and the first set of aftercare retainers — everything you need for treatment. If you choose NightOnly treatment, you’ll pay $1,195 instead.

Byte charges $1,999, which is right around the average for at-home treatment, yet still cheaper than Invisalign and other in-office aligners. Even though Byte’s initial price includes the cost of your first set of aftercare retainers, it doesn’t cover your impression kit, which is an extra $95. On the flip side, this price also includes HyperByte, a high-frequency vibration device that Byte says might help seat your aligners better, reduce discomfort, and encourage faster dental shifts. As the company’s premium offering, Byte At-Night is a little more expensive: $2,399 in total.

Payment Plan Options

Even after discounts, home aligners aren’t exactly cheap. You might not be ready to pay $900–$2,300 right away, and that’s okay. Each company offers financing plans that can break the cost into more manageable monthly payments.

Byte’s in-house financing plan (BytePay) requires a soft credit check, followed by a $249 down payment and $70/month for 36 months. Byte At-Night requires a $299 down payment, followed by 36 monthly payments of $84.

AlignerCo has two different financing options:

• SmileFlex requires a soft credit check and if you qualify, it’s twelve monthly payments of $73. With NightOnly financing, those payments increase to $90.
• SmileFlex Easy does not require a credit check but does require a $595 down payment followed by six monthly payments of $100 (or $795 then six $100 monthly payments for NightOnly).

Byte’s plan has lower monthly payments, but for just a little more each month, you can pay off AlignerCo’s entire cost in less than a year. Both companies’ financing plans have interest and cost more in the long run, so it’s cheaper to pay upfront if you can swing it.

Extras

Byte and AlignerCo both include free whitening to accompany your aligners, which is a nice touch that allows you to brighten your smile while you straighten your teeth.

Byte also includes their HyperByte device in the cost of your aligner bundle. The company says the HyperByte can help provide a more comfortable aligner fit, and there’s evidence that high-frequency vibration devices might help your teeth shift more quickly, too. You’d pay $699 if you bought it separately, so the fact that they include it in your treatment package is a huge benefit.

Aftercare Costs

Once you’ve achieved the smile you’ve always wanted, you’ll need to maintain it. Industry-wide wisdom recommends wearing a nightly retainer indefinitely after your treatment so that your pearly whites stay in position.

AlignerCo and Byte both include your first set of retainers (upper and lower) in their aligner packages. At-home clear aligner companies typically recommend replacing your retainer every six months — so it will be an ongoing expense. Fortunately, Byte and AlignerCo both offer retainer replacement plans that make the entire process cheaper and more convenient.

Convenience Comparison

If you’re sold on home aligners, it’s likely in part because they’re incredibly convenient. You can complete the entire process over a few months without leaving your house. Either company is going to be convenient compared to in-office options, but Byte is especially so. Not only do they boast shorter treatment plans for some customers, but they offer other perks that can make the process much more convenient.

Getting Started

Once you’ve decided to pursue home aligner treatment, you’ll probably want to get the ball rolling right away. But before Byte or AlignerCo can design your treatment plan, they need to get a look at your teeth.

This usually involves creating molds of your top and bottom arches with an impression kit. It sounds simple, but many customers report struggling with this first step. Taking impressions isn’t always easy if you’ve never done it before. Larger companies like SmileDirectClub have established physical locations where you can get free teeth scans, giving people an option to begin their treatment with a little more ease.

Neither Byte nor AlignerCo has any physical locations, so if you’re choosing either one, you’ll need to complete your own impressions at home, which could be a more cumbersome process.

Teeth Whitening

Straightening your teeth is a big change, but if you want to take it a step further, you might be considering whitening them too. Good news: Byte and AlignerCo each include a free whitening kit with your aligners. And the best part is that the whitening solution is compatible with your aligners, so you can use them both simultaneously.

Treatment Timelines

Byte claims their average treatment plan length is just 4–5 months. By comparison, AlignerCo says their treatment plans are 4–6 months on average. But no matter which one you choose, your timeline ultimately depends on the severity of your misalignment.

Turnaround Times

Because home aligner treatment is a completely remote process, there’s some back-and-forth involved with getting started. The company will send you an impression kit and you’ll return molds of your teeth. Then, if the impressions are acceptable, the company’s dental professionals will develop your treatment plan and send it back to you. At this point, you’ll decide whether you’d like to continue with treatment. If so, the company will produce and ship your aligners.

Each company wants to ensure your treatment quality and safety, so producing your aligners isn’t necessarily a quick process. You won’t find them waiting on your doorstep the day after finishing your impression kit. Go with Byte and you can expect this entire process to take around four weeks (depending on how quickly you return your impressions), which is faster than most at-home aligner services. AlignerCo typically takes slightly longer. They’ll send your treatment preview about two weeks after they receive your impressions, and after you approve the preview, it’ll take another three weeks to manufacture your aligners.

Nighttime-Only Option?

Think about your life with aligners, wearing them 22+ hours per day, only removing them to eat and drink, switching to a new set every week. Sound reasonable? Great! But if you don’t think you could work this commitment into your schedule, a nighttime-only option could be the right move for you. This is a relatively recent trend in the home aligner industry, and currently, four companies offer it: Byte, SmileDirectClub, AlignerCo, and NewSmile.

You’ll wear each set of aligners for ten hours per day instead of the usual 22. Byte’s aligners for their nighttime treatment (called Byte At-Night) use specialized designs and a grind-resistant plastic selected for overnight wear. These treatment plans last 5–6 months on average, according to Byte, compared to the usual 4–5.

AlignerCo’s nighttime treatment is called NightOnly. These are actually the same aligners you’d receive for AlignerCo’s daytime treatment, but they have a different wear schedule, and they increase the overall timeline to 6–8 months.

Appearance Comparison

One of the main reasons many adults choose clear aligners is to avoid all the hardware associated with traditional braces. So all clear aligners, whether at-home or in-office, are pretty discreet. Yet each company’s aligners look slightly different, and every person has their own unique aesthetic preferences, so this category is fairly subjective. You’ll want to keep your own likes and dislikes in mind as you consider your options.

Aligner Material

In the home aligner industry, there are two prevailing opinions on plastics. The first is that translucent, smooth plastic makes aligners less visible. The second maintains that textured, frosted aligners better match natural teeth surfaces.

Both Byte and AlignerCo craft their aligners from clear, smooth plastic. AlignerCo goes as far as claiming to have the “world’s clearest aligners.” This can make your aligners look artificially shiny, although some people prefer the translucent look for the way it makes their teeth “gleam.”

Aligner Cut

Remember in the “Effectiveness” section when we said that straight-cut aligners like Byte’s are more powerful? Well, they’re also more noticeable, since people nearby might see where the plastic overlaps your gums. Scalloped aligners (like the ones from AlignerCo) match your gum line, so there’s no visible overlap.

Stain Resistance

Both companies make fairly stain-resistant aligners, but we would not recommend drinking colored beverages while wearing them.

Attachments

Sometimes, fully in-person treatments like Invisalign and ClearCorrect will include small attachments affixed to the surfaces of the teeth, which help their aligners exert more force. While these attachments can increase effectiveness, they also make the aligners more noticeable. Byte and AlignerCo don’t include attachments on any of their aligners, maintaining their low profile.

Nighttime-Only Wear

No one will notice your aligners if you’re not wearing them. By providing the option for nighttime-only treatment, both companies let you avoid wearing aligners in public altogether. So, if you don’t want to wear them at work, school, or other daytime social gatherings, you don’t have to.

Customer Experience Comparison

As you weigh your options, keep in mind that you’ll be completing this entire process on your own. But that doesn’t mean you won’t have support. Every home aligner company offers customer support options, but they’re not all equally helpful.

The most intensive, personalized support is the in-person care you’ll receive from Invisalign or ClearCorrect, and even though it’s difficult to replicate that kind of experience remotely, Byte and AlignerCo still provide quality support. Whether you have a quick question about pricing or an issue with your treatment, AlignerCo’s support team is available and fairly responsive, but in our opinion, they can’t quite match Byte’s level of individualized customer service.

Support Options

Byte is available during standard business hours on a variety of support platforms—phone, webchat, and email. Plus, they will respond quickly on social media. Representatives are available from 7 am to 5 pm PT every day of the week. AlignerCo has all the same communication channels and their reps are available from 9 am to 6 pm ET, seven days a week. Plus, they offer video call assistance to walk you through the impression kit process.

Byte also lets you contact their customer support team directly through their My Byte app, which is a quick and easy way to get in touch. AlignerCo doesn’t have a comparable app.

Responsiveness & Helpfulness

To get a better sense of each company’s customer service experience, we read and watched numerous online reviews. After compiling review data and testing out their support channels for ourselves, we determined that AlignerCo has commendable customer service, but Byte goes above and beyond to provide personalized care.

Many reviewers indicate that Byte’s support team is responsive and friendly, resolving questions and issues efficiently. They assign each customer a Byte advisor who is available to answer questions throughout the entire treatment process, providing personalized support. Some customers have complained about difficulties reaching customer support and long communication delays, but most of their reviews are positive.

Similarly, many AlignerCo customers have had glowing reviews for the company’s support team. We tested out their webchat and received a response almost immediately. However, some customers have reported delays in treatment and frustration with having to go back and forth with representatives to get helpful answers.

Regular Check-Ins

Invisalign and ClearCorrect’s office visits not only provide the reassurance of regular dental exams, but they also give you a chance to ask your dentist questions and chat about your experience. Remote oversight isn’t as intensive, but it still provides an added level of clinical feedback.

When you email photos to AlignerCo every two weeks, their team will let you know if everything looks good or if something seems off. The same goes for optional uploads via Byte’s app. However, this isn’t an open conversation between you and the dental team. If you have further questions, you’ll need to email/call AlignerCo’s support staff, or reach out through the My Byte app.

Satisfaction Guarantee

Let’s say you get to the end of your treatment and your teeth don’t match your initial preview. Then what? First, know that if you follow your wear schedule and treatment plan exactly, there’s an extremely good chance that you’ll get the results you want. But sometimes, teeth simply don’t move as expected.

If you followed your treatment plan but aren’t completely satisfied, AlignerCo won’t give a refund, but they will let you request refinement aligners, which cost an extra $200.

Byte doesn’t provide refunds either. However, their team will work with you to provide extra aligners to finish the job if necessary. And their Byte-for-Life guarantee ensures your smile for life. If your teeth ever shift, they will provide free treatment to correct them, even years down the road. This only applies, however, to the teeth originally affected by your treatment, not any others.

Company Backgrounds

AlignerCo and Byte are both relatively young companies who have made waves in the home aligner field through their innovative policies and procedures.

Byte is the brainchild of Dr. Jon Marashi D.D.S., whose star-studded patient list includes celebrities like Ben Affleck, Ryan Seacrest, and Kate Hudson. With Byte, he brought his ambitious orthodontic procedures to a wider base of patients. The HyperByte device, which ensures a comfortable aligner fit, and Smile Science technology, which matches your smile with your facial features, garnered immediate attention. Since its conception, Byte has grown rapidly in popularity and customers.

AlignerCo entered the scene in 2019 but counters their inexperience with incredibly affordable prices—the lowest in the industry. Most impressively, they haven’t sacrificed product quality for these low prices. Customers flocking to AlignerCo for their cost-effectiveness are finding that it’s also pretty effective. It’s safe to say that this upstart has quickly become a worthy competitor for industry mainstays like Byte and SmileDirectClub.

Saving money is great, but we’re not convinced that AlignerCo’s lower costs surpass Byte’s dedication to efficiency, quality, and customer service. As AlignerCo continues to grow, they might start to catch up in these areas, but we haven’t seen it yet. As a top-notch all-around option, Byte is our top-ranked home aligner company, and we’re excited to see how they continue to revolutionize the industry in the future.

What Are Customers Saying?

When we review a company like Byte or AlignerCo, we start out by digging through online user reviews to understand the common issues customers face, and how the company handles them. Here’s how these two services stack up.

Byte

Generally, Byte users express positivity and satisfaction with their Byte experience. They often say they chose Byte because they liked the advertised treatment times, and that the HyperByte device could potentially eliminate some of the pain associated with orthodontic treatment.

In the few cases where something goes wrong, it seems that Byte is quick and caring to resolve the issue, making sure the customer feels safe and valued. Many users also note that the HyperByte device really helps their aligners feel more comfortable, and that they notice more discomfort if they’re not using HyperByte regularly.

AlignerCo

As we mentioned earlier, AlignerCo is a fairly new company. They don’t yet have a ton of legitimate customer reviews and testimonials, so it’s tough to develop a fully formed view. But by diligently searching the net, we were able to find a handful of reviews that feel honest and authentic, not sponsored by the company.

Based on these reviews, AlignerCo customers generally feel positive about their experience. Many customers initially considered AlignerCo for the price, but ended up loving their results and customer service experience. They often praise company representatives by name, showing AlignerCo’s personalized care.

But again, this is based on a small sample size of reviews. As they continue to grow, they’ll accumulate more and we’ll get a more complete picture of their customer experience.

Which Home Teeth Aligner Should You Use?

Still not sure which at-home aligner service to choose? Here are a couple of scenarios that might help you figure out which is the better option for you.