AlignerCo vs. SmileDirectClub: A Detailed Comparison

SmileDirectClub and AlignerCo have a lot in common. Both clear aligner services offer at-home teeth straightening, and both are significantly more affordable than braces or Invisalign. But when you dig a bit deeper, there are actually some major differences that aren’t so apparent on the surface.

We’re here to help you decipher these differences and determine the features that you find most important. In this comparison review, we’ll take you on an in-depth tour of SmileDirectClub and AlignerCo, and provide all the information you need to choose the best home teeth aligner for you.

Overview and Recommendation

Bottom Line: Both Companies Offer Big Savings and Great-Looking Options

AlignerCo and SmileDirectClub both offer a convenient and affordable alternative to visiting your dental provider for Invisalign treatment. With either service, you’ll receive a set of custom invisible aligners shipped directly to your home. But after that, the differences become more clear.

Two Great Companies, But SmileDirectClub Gets Our Vote

SmileDirectClub was the first company to offer at-home invisible aligners in 2014. Compared to AlignerCo, they have a much longer track record and a more established brand. AlignerCo might have some of the industry’s lowest prices, but we still give SmileDirectClub the edge. Here’s why.

• Superior Customer Support: After they ironed out a few wrinkles in their customer support procedures, SmileDirectClub has taken measures to deliver a highly satisfying customer experience. They offer extensive refund policies — including mid-treatment prorated refunds — a mobile app where you can track your progress, and 24/7 access to their representatives.
• Top-Notch Convenience: SmileDirectClub maintains over 100 retail locations and 1,000 partnering dental offices nationwide, where you can get dental scans instead of purchasing an impression kit. Plus, they offer a nighttime-only plan and boast fairly quick turnaround times. AlignerCo doesn’t have any physical locations, so you’ll need to make molds of your own teeth to get started.

All that said, there’s a lot to love about AlignerCo too—especially when it comes to affordability. Their sticker price is hundreds lower than the competition, plus they offer frequent discounts and accessible payment plans, making their aligners even more budget-friendly.

Both providers are worth considering, but in our opinion, SmileDirectClub is the better option for most people.

Effectiveness Comparison

Provided you are a good candidate for at-home aligners, both SmileDirectClub and AlignerCo can deliver effective results. But if we’re being honest, neither one can match Invisalign’s ability to correct severe misalignments. Yet both can reliably correct mild and moderate misalignments, and we think SmileDirectClub goes slightly farther to ensure quality, safety, and stunning results.

Clinical Oversight

In-person clear aligner treatments like Invisalign typically involve office visits every 4–6 weeks, and both SmileDirectClub and AlignerCo have attempted to replicate this oversight with remote monitoring. While not quite as robust as in-person care, it’s a streamlined process that helps each company’s dentists and orthodontists keep you on track.

Using SmileDirectClub’s mobile app, you’ll upload photos of your teeth every 90 days. They will use these photos to evaluate your progress and make adjustments to your aligner wear schedule, if necessary.

AlignerCo’s check-ins are more frequent — every 14 days, and you’ll submit them via email. By requesting photos more often, AlignerCo ensures that their team can truly monitor your teeth every step of the way, giving them more opportunities to recognize any issues before they escalate.

Aligner Manufacturing

SmileDirectClub once partnered with Align Technology (the creators of Invisalign) to manufacture their clear aligners. We were huge fans of this partnership, as Align Technology produces top-quality, highly effective aligners.

These days, however, SmileDirectClub produces most of its aligners in-house, and so far, this production has been excellent. They’ve implemented “Comfort Sense,” which they claim is a proprietary soft, medium, and firm aligner plastic progression that may ease teeth more comfortably into place.

Alternatively, AlignerCo uses plastics from Raintree Essix to produce their aligners. Raintree Essix plastic is well-known and widely respected in the dental space, most commonly used to produce very durable retainers.

Aligner Cut

To make their aligners more discreet, AlignerCo scallops them to match your gum line. This seems ideal at first glance, as it makes your aligners slightly less visible — but it can also make them less effective.

SmileDirectClub trims their aligners slightly, but they still overlap your gums. This overlap might be slightly visible, but some research shows that it can help aligners apply more force.

Affordability Comparison

One of the first things many adults check when considering home aligner treatment is their budget. Both options are more cost-effective than in-office options like Invisalign, but costs vary among home aligner companies too. And this is where AlignerCo really shines, not just in this side-by-side comparison, but also among the rest of its competitors.

When comparing costs, the price tag isn’t everything. You’ll also want to consider payment plan options, where both companies offer some flexibility. Even though SmileDirectClub’s costs are respectable, AlignerCo goes above and beyond to provide affordable, accessible treatment.

Sticker Price

SmileDirectClub’s initial cost is $2,250, which looks great until you visit AlignerCo’s website. Their treatment is just $995 (or $1,195 for NightOnly aligners), among the lowest we’ve seen and much easier on your budget.

AlignerCo’s upfront price includes your aligners, impression kit, and one set of aftercare retainers. By contrast, SmileDirectClub does not include retainers in their upfront cost, so you’ll need to purchase them for $125 after you wrap up your treatment. And while you can get your teeth scanned for free at a SmileShop, if you need a SmileDirectClub impression kit, you’ll need to buy one for an extra $59.

Payment Plan Options

As you think about cost, you should also consider how you will finance your treatment. AlignerCo and SmileDirectClub each offer financing options, but there are some key differences between them.

• SmileDirectClub offers a 28-month financing plan, which does not require a credit check but does require a $250 down payment, then $89 per month.
• AlignerCo has two different financing options:
  • SmileFlex requires a soft credit check and if you qualify, it’ll break your total price into twelve monthly payments.
  • SmileFlex Easy does not require a credit check but does require a $335 down payment followed by six monthly payments of $135.

SmileDirectClub’s plan has lower monthly payments, but you’ll still pay less with AlignerCo in the long run. With both services, you’ll pay a bit extra to finance your care when you factor in the interest paid over time, so it’s worth it to pay upfront if you can make the finances work!

Free Extras

You’re already on the journey to straightening your teeth, but wouldn’t it be nice to brighten them while you’re at it? If you choose SmileDirectClub, you can. They include a “bright on” kit with their full aligner kit. This promises to deliver your “brightest bright” in just one week, and you can use it simultaneously with your aligners.

AlignerCo also throws in a free whitening kit (which typically goes for $49.99) in your aligner purchase.

Aftercare Expenses

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

AlignerCo generously includes your first set of retainers (upper and lower) in your aligner package. SmileDirectClub does not include retainers in their aligner packages, and you should replace them approximately twice per year, so it’s a recurring expense.

That’s why AlignerCo started their Smile Protection plan. For $680, (though often on sale for $499) you will receive eight retainers total, putting the cost of each retainer as low as $62.38 — much lower than SmileDirectClub, who charges $125 per set.

But it isn’t just that you’ll receive discounted retainers, you will also get some peace of mind. You won’t need to worry about ordering new retainers every six months. Instead, AlignerCo will mail all your retainers at once, so if you lose one, you won’t have to wait for a new one to be manufactured, which can take some time, potentially allowing your teeth to shift back.

Convenience Comparison

Either one of these options is going to be a lot more convenient than treatments that require regular in-person care, like Invisalign. By eliminating office visits, SmileDirectClub and AlignerCo have drastically reduced your time commitment.

SmileDirectClub does more to provide a convenient treatment than any other home aligner company. From a nighttime-only option to hundreds of physical locations that make startup easy, no one else can touch their level of convenience, including AlignerCo.

Getting Started

A home aligner company’s licensed dentists can’t create an effective treatment without getting a look at your teeth. For most customers, this means using an impression kit to make molds of their top and bottom dental arches. However, impression kits can be difficult, especially since most customers have never taken molds of their own teeth.

If you choose AlignerCo, taking impressions at home is your only option. The company provides video chat support to walk you through the process, which helps, but making the molds can still be tricky.

SmileDirectClub offers impression kits as well, but their physical locations, called SmileShops, let you forgo this step. Over 100 SmileShop locations across the country provide free teeth scans that take the place of impressions, which is an easier way to kick off your treatment.

Plus, the SmileDirectClub Partner Network includes more than 1,000 dental offices nationwide, where you can begin your treatment with an in-office consultation and teeth scan if you’d prefer. These dentists won’t be involved throughout your treatment, though. They just take your teeth scans.

Treatment Times

SmileDirectClub and AlignerCo both claim that their treatment plans are 4–6 months long, on average, which is pretty standard for home aligners. However, it’s much quicker than in-office options like Invisalign, which usually take 12–18 months.

Wait Times

After you submit your impression kit or teeth scan, each company will get to work on your proposed treatment plan. SmileDirectClub will turn this around within 72 hours of receiving your impressions/scans, while AlignerCo takes around two weeks to send your preview.

After you approve this plan, SmileDirectClub will take 4–6 weeks to produce and ship your aligners, and AlignerCo says they take about three. Either way, you’ll likely wait 4–6 weeks total.

Teeth Whitening

When considering your ideal smile, you might want whitening to go with your teeth straightening treatment. SmileDirectClub has you covered. They include one free whitening kit with your treatment purchase. You can use this whitening simultaneously with your aligners since the two are compatible.

AlignerCo also includes a teeth whitening kit in your aligner package, and just like SmileDirectClub, it’s compatible with your aligners.

Nighttime-Only Option?

If you maintain a busy lifestyle, or if you don’t think you’d remember to wear your aligners, a standard 22-hour-per-day wear schedule might seem intimidating.

SmileDirectClub’s Nighttime Aligners and AlignerCo’s NightOnly plan offer an alternative. Take this route and you’ll only need to wear your aligners for ten hours per day instead. Of course, this will extend the overall treatment time to around 8–10 months (on average) for SmileDirectClub and 6–8 months for AlignerCo. But if an all-day aligner schedule sounds exhausting to you, this could be a more convenient option.

Appearance Comparison

All clear aligners keep a much lower profile than traditional braces (or even ceramic braces). But this doesn’t mean that they’re exactly the same. In fact, clear aligners can look fairly different from company to company.

SmileDirectClub and AlignerCo aligners each have their own benefits and style, and appearance is a highly subjective category, so it will also depend on your personal preference.

Aligner Material

Some companies craft their aligners from transparent, shiny plastic while others have a textured, frosted appearance. Still, each company will tell you that their aligners are the best looking. AlignerCo, for example, says that their clear, shiny aligner material is less noticeable than competitors. In fact, they claim to have the “world’s clearest aligners.”

On the flip side, SmileDirectClub maintains that their aligners’ matte surface looks more natural. Your teeth are porous, which gives them a matte surface, and frosted aligners can provide a better match, while smooth aligners can reflect light, making your teeth look unnaturally shiny.

But as we mentioned, this often depends on personal preference. Some customers actually prefer shiny material because they like the way it makes their smile gleam. You’ll need to evaluate your preferences and decide which material fits them better.

Attachments

In some cases, 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. AlignerCo and SmileDirectClub don’t include attachments on any of their aligners, maintaining their low profile.

Aligner Cut

If you look back at the “Effectiveness” section, you’ll remember that we said aligners that overlap the gums (like SmileDirectClub’s) are more powerful. This is true, but they’re also more visible. People may notice the slight overlap between your aligners and gums. So, AlignerCo, who trims their aligners to match your gum lines, is a less noticeable option.

Stain Resistance

Both companies make aligners that are resistant to staining, but we would not recommend drinking colored beverages while wearing them.

Customer Experience Comparison

It’s not uncommon to have questions during the home aligner treatment process, so a responsive and caring customer support staff is essential to your overall experience. Whether you’re trying to take a quality impression or just wondering when you’ll receive your aligners, good customer support can help make the process smooth and efficient.

We dug into hundreds of online reviews to learn more about each company’s customer support quality. It’s tough for any fully remote service to replicate the personalization and intensiveness of the hands-on care you’ll get with an in-office treatment. However, SmileDirectClub’s lifetime guarantee and extensive refund policies give them a reassuring customer experience, while AlignerCo still has some room to grow.

Support Options

SmileDirectClub is available 24/7 on a variety of support platforms—phone, webchat, video chat, and email. You can also reach out via their mobile app, which could be simpler and easier.

AlignerCo provides all the same options, available 9am–6pm EST, Monday through Saturday. And if you’re having difficulties with your impression kit, you can schedule a video call where a representative will walk you through the process.

Responsiveness & Helpfulness

After compiling and analyzing numerous customer reviews, we found that a company’s size and growth can have a significant impact on its customer service quality.

SmileDirectClub’s customer support has received mixed reviews over the years. The amount of negative feedback grew significantly around 2017 as SmileDirectClub attempted to rapidly grow its business, creating inconsistencies in its customer support. Over the past few years, however, SmileDirectClub has been dedicated to improving their customer support issues, and based on more recent reviews, it seems like it’s working.

On top of that, they’ve done a fantastic job creating extensive online resources, from FAQs to informative blog posts, so you can likely find answers to your questions simply by searching their website.

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.

Plus, since they’re such a new company, AlignerCo doesn’t have a ton of reviews just yet. As they continue to grow and serve more customers, we’ll be interested to see a larger bulk of customer comments.

Satisfaction Guarantee

SmileDirectClub’s refund policy is average for the home aligner industry. They don’t offer refunds once you’ve started treatment, but they will give a full refund if you have a change of heart and cancel treatment within 30 days. After that, they’ll provide prorated refunds for unused and unopened aligners.

At the end of your treatment, if your aligners didn’t deliver the expected results, SmileDirectClub will work with you to further adjust your smile. And after you complete your treatment, their lifetime guarantee says they’ll create new aligners if your teeth ever shift out of place (as long as you’re replacing and wearing your retainers as instructed).

Once you begin AlignerCo treatment, you’re only eligible for a refund if their team reviews your impressions and determines you’re not a candidate for treatment. They don’t accept any returns after you’ve placed your order. But if you follow your aligner plan diligently and still aren’t satisfied, you can request a refinement for an extra $200. They don’t, however, offer a lifetime warranty like SmileDirectClub.

Company Backgrounds

When they hit the market in 2014, SmileDirectClub was one of the very first home aligner companies available. They helped to build the industry from the ground up and, since their founding, they’ve transformed over 1.5 million smiles and built more than 300 physical SmileShops across the country. Now, they’re a booming company with thousands of employees, the largest of all the home aligner companies we reviewed.

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 in pursuit of low prices. Customers flocking to AlignerCo for their cost-effectiveness are finding highly effective treatment as well. It’s safe to say that this upstart has quickly become a worthy competitor for industry mainstays like SmileDirectClub.

What Are Customers Saying?

When we review a company like AlignerCo or SmileDirectClub, we start 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.

AlignerCo

AlignerCo doesn’t have a ton of legitimate customer reviews and testimonials yet, so it’s tough to determine the average customer experience. But through diligent research, we found a handful of honest reviews that aren’t 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. While some reviewers reported delays in their treatment process and frustrating customer support experiences, most of the company’s reviews are positive.

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.

SmileDirectClub

Given SmileDirectClub’s multi-year history, there are many genuine online reviews detailing customer experiences with the product. Generally, SmileDirectClub customers feel positive about their experiences, despite some hiccups along the way. Customer support seems to be hit-or-miss, but the company seems to keep its promises — it might just take some extra effort on the customer’s end.

Each set of aligners seems well-made (most people don’t need to file down any rough edges or irregularities, unlike some other brands), and the treatment process is reportedly only mildly uncomfortable. Most customers report increased discomfort for the first day or two of each aligner set, especially when removing them after a long period of time. This pain subsides quickly and, for most customers, is not a major concern. A majority complete their treatment and feel satisfied with the results.

Which Home Teeth Aligner Should You Use?

If you’re still not sure which at-home aligner service to choose, let’s look at a couple of scenarios that might help you figure out which is the better option for you.

Choose SmileDirectClub if You Are:

More comfortable purchasing from the most well-established brand name with top-notch convenience. Bonus points if you live near a SmileShop location.

Choose AlignerCo if You Are:

Searching for the lowest prices available along with reliable products and consistent oversight, and don’t mind working with a newer company.