Adults who want straighter teeth might dream of a photo-ready, movie-star smile. But because of the time and money it takes to complete traditional orthodontic treatment, it’s often wishful thinking. In-office treatments like braces and Invisalign can treat a wide range of cases, but face-to-face orthodontist oversight ramps up prices.
By eliminating office visits, at-home clear aligner companies like Byte and EZ Smile have found a cheaper, more convenient way to straighten teeth. And over the past few years, they’ve begun selling at-home aligner treatment in Australia. But this ever-expanding list of home aligner companies can make it tough to choose.
That’s why we’ve reviewed & ranked the five best Australian at-home teeth straightening services for cost-conscious adults. Read on as we outline the important details that set these clear aligner companies apart, discuss the pros & cons of at-home treatment, and help you find the right option for you (and your budget)!
Best Australian Home Clear Aligners (Ranked)
#1 Byte: Best Overall Value
Byte is our #1-recommended home teeth-straightening solution. They started selling clear aligners in the US in 2018, and have since earned a strong reputation for their product quality and above-and-beyond customer service. Thanks to their success in the States, Byte expanded operations to Australia in spring 2020.
Although they’re not as established in Australia as EZ Smile or SmileDirectClub, they use industry-leading technology to achieve efficient average treatment times. Plus, Byte treatment comes with a lifetime guarantee on your smile.
Byte Advantages
- Byte’s high-frequency vibration device, the “HyperByte,” is intended to help provide a more comfortable aligner fit. Plus, some studies suggest that similar devices can encourage faster dental shifts. Byte includes this device in the cost of their aligner bundle.
- Their Byte for Life Guarantee ensures your smile forever. If your teeth shift after you complete your treatment, they will give you new aligners to realign your smile for free, even years down the road!
- They have a convenient mobile app (My Byte) where you can get reminders to change your aligners, upload photos of your teeth for review, track your HyperByte usage, and live chat with customer support.
- Byte At-Night treatment only requires ten hours of daily wear but still delivers results in 5–6 months (this option costs $3,399 instead).
- They’ll send you a set of retainers for free when you complete your treatment. Some providers charge an additional $90+ for these retainers.
Byte Drawbacks
- While some providers have physical locations where customers can get their teeth scanned, Byte doesn’t offer this service yet. To get started, you’ll need to complete an impression kit from home.
- Though we think their aligner package holds a great value, their $2,749 price tag (or $3,399 for At-Night treatment) is more expensive than some of their competitors.
Byte - Our Recommendation
If you like the idea of a convenient at-home aligner therapy that doesn’t compromise on quality — backed by solid customer support — Byte’s experienced dental team may be able to design your ideal treatment plan.
Special Offer: Get 50% off impression kit + $100 off aligners
#2 EZ Smile: Satisfaction Guaranteed
Fitting clear aligner treatment into a budget can be difficult. Fortunately, EZ Smile makes it easier. They don’t have the lowest prices available, but they do offer more affordable rates than most competitors.
That said, low prices don’t mean cheap products. EZ Smile was actually the first company in Australia to sell at-home clear aligners. From the beginning, they’ve been committed to delivering a quality service, which is evident from the numerous positive reviews they’ve received from satisfied customers over the years.
EZ Smile Advantages
- At $2,499, EZ Smile’s sticker price is among the lowest you’ll find, hundreds less than SmileDirectClub and Byte — and we’ve seen them run discounts that drop it as low as $1,999.
- EZ Smile’s 90-day money-back guarantee refunds your money if you’re not 100% satisfied within the first three months (minus a $300 treatment planning fee).
- EZ Smile provides multiple financing options, including one that doesn’t require a credit check.
- They partner with dentists across Australia to provide intraoral scans, giving them more physical locations than their competitors. According to some research, intraoral scans can be more accurate than impressions (especially at-home impressions) — which is the only option with other companies.
- As an Australian-based company, all of EZ Smile’s customer support is local.
EZ Smile Drawbacks
- EZ Smile does not offer a nighttime-only treatment option, so you’ll need to wear your aligners for 22+ hours per day.
- Unlike some other at-home aligner companies, EZ Smile doesn’t require virtual check-ins to monitor your progress beyond sending in photos midway through treatment.
#3 SmileDirectClub: Most Experienced
SmileDirectClub was one of the first companies to offer at-home clear aligner treatment and continues to be the most popular option. Founded in 2014, SmileDirectClub has raised over $60 million from investors and has treated more than 1.5 million patients. They brought their service to Australia in 2019 and didn’t miss a beat, adding SmileShops in various cities.
They’re one of the pricier Australian home aligner options, but their track record in the U.S. speaks for itself. They were the brand that popularized in-house financing and nighttime aligners, so you can expect that they’ll continue to innovate.
SmileDirectClub Advantages
- They have experience treating millions of cases, so they’re familiar with various conditions, questions, and complications.
- SmileDirectClub maintains SmileShops in select cities across Australia. Here, you can get a quick free teeth scan and treatment approval. Other providers require you to mail in an impression of your teeth — a slower and more cumbersome process.
- Offers guaranteed treatment financing over 24 months ($125/month) through SmilePay. There is no credit check required, but you will need to pay a $299 deposit.
- If wearing your aligners for 22+ hours per day doesn’t sound appealing, SmileDirectClub offers Nighttime Aligners that only require ten consecutive hours per day.
- Their Lifetime Smile Guarantee will provide new aligners if your teeth shift out of place in the future, as long as you purchase two sets of retainers every year and wear them as directed.
SmileDirectClub Drawbacks
- In the past, SmileDirectClub had mixed feedback on their customer support. They had near explosive growth in 2017 and their team struggled to keep up. That said, their support has improved since then, though there still are complaints.
- At $2,965, they have the highest price point of any company on this list.
#4 NewSmile: Best Industry Newcomer
NewSmile is newer to Australia’s clear aligner scene than some of their competitors, but they’ve been transforming smiles in Canada, the US, and the UK for years. They’ve established one of the lowest prices in the country, but they still toss in an impression kit, whitening foam, and your first set of retainers for free. Add that to their remote monitoring, helpful app, and nighttime-only plan, and you’ve got a compelling clear aligner option.
NewSmile Advantages
- NewSmile is among the most affordable clear aligner treatments in Australia — much cheaper than traditional options and several hundred less than Byte and SmileDirectClub.
- NewSmile includes more free items with your aligner kit than most of their competitors, including whitening products and one set of retainers.
- Depending on the financing option you select, you can get monthly payments without a credit check. So even if you have poor credit, you can correct your smile on a tight budget.
- If your finished smile doesn’t match the one they initially promised, NewSmile says they will “work with you to determine what the issue may be, and will help you achieve the results of your original Treatment Preview.”
- NewSmile requests that customers submit dental images via their remote monitoring app every two weeks, providing consistent remote oversight to keep you on track.
NewSmile Drawbacks
- NewSmile does not currently have any retail locations where you can get an in-office teeth scan. Their at-home impression kits are your only option.
- NewSmile doesn’t have a ton of customer reviews overall, and since their Australian service is newer, most of them are from other countries.
Interested in NewSmile?
NewSmile’s low pricing, nighttime-only alignment plan, and widely accessible payment plans make them an intriguing option for anyone with a mild-to-moderate misalignment.
Special Offer: Get $100 off your NewSmile aligners
#5 SmilePath: Most Affordable
If saving money is your top priority, SmilePath is a slam-dunk option. They have the lowest price points for at-home teeth alignment in Australia, but pricing isn’t SmilePath’s only advantage. They also have nighttime-only alignment plans, multiple financing options, and solid customer support.
SmilePath Advantages
- No other at-home aligner company in Australia can match SmilePath’s prices. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, they also sometimes offer discounts that cut those prices even lower.
- You can choose all-day wear or a night-only alignment schedule. If being discreet is your top priority, SmilePath is a great option.
- Even though they offer amazingly low rates, SmilePath has a strong customer support department. Their friendly representatives are always willing and able to help if you have any questions or concerns.
- By pairing their low prices with a variety of financing plans, SmilePath ensures that as many people as possible have access to affordable dental alignment.
SmilePath Drawbacks
- SmilePath doesn’t have any retail locations where you can get your teeth professionally scanned, so your only option is to take impressions of your own teeth using their DIY at-home molds.
- According to customer reviews, their shipping isn’t quite as fast as some competitors, which could mean you wait an additional week or two before starting your treatment than you would with some other companies.
Our Recommendation
Which Home Aligner Option is Best for You?
We totally understand if seeing all of these options feels overwhelming, especially since they look so similar at first glance. At the end of the day, we believe that two home teeth aligners stand above the rest — Byte and EZ Smile.
These two companies ensure affordable prices, fast treatment, and quality products, so we think they’re great choices for almost anyone.
Choose Byte if:
You want efficient treatment, robust guarantees, and personalized customer service.
Choose EZ Smile if:
You want a lower price point and a reliable satisfaction guarantee.
Pros & Cons of Home Teeth Straightening
Faster treatment? Lower prices? Better looking? All of this might have you saying “sign me up.” But no teeth straightening method is perfect, and home aligners aren’t ideal for everyone. People with more severe conditions, for example, might be better off with an in-office treatment. This is an important decision, so make sure you look at your options from all angles before diving in.
To help you decide if home teeth alignment is right for you, take a moment to evaluate these pros and cons:Pros
Cons
Frequently Asked Questions
How do home aligner companies prepare my treatment plan?
After you submit your impression kit or teeth scans, a dental professional will analyze them and use specialized software to create digital models of your teeth and aligners for every stage in the process. The company will send you digital images of the treatment plan for your approval before beginning production.
How long does home aligner treatment take?
For most companies, the average treatment time for most cases is six months, though customers with mild cases could finish in as few as four.
How do I get started with home aligner treatment?
You will need to order an impression kit from your chosen home aligner company. The kit includes putty and trays, which you’ll use to make moulds of your top and bottom dental arches, before mailing them to the company. This process can sometimes be difficult, so certain companies (SmileDirectClub and EZ Smile) offer physical locations where you can get free teeth scans from professionals.
Which conditions can home aligners treat?
Home aligners are primarily designed to treat mild-to-moderate cases of crowding and spacing, along with some mild bite issues. If your case is severe or includes a jaw misalignment like overbite or underbite, home aligners might not have the capacity to induce the larger tooth and jaw shifts you’re after.
How often do I need to wear my home teeth aligners?
You’ll need to wear your aligners for at least 22 hours per day, removing them only to eat and drink. The exception to this is if you pursue nighttime-only treatment with a provider like Byte, SmileDirectClub, NewSmile, or SmilePath. This alternative treatment schedule only requires you to wear the aligners at night (ten hours total).
What if my treatment doesn’t go as planned?
Each home aligner company has different refund and warranty policies. In most cases, you cannot receive a refund after you begin treatment, although the company may work with you to adjust your plan and develop new aligners. This is why we appreciate EZ Smile’s 90-day satisfaction guarantee and SmileDirect’s 30-day guarantee so much. Most competitors don’t offer refunds at all, so it’s very impressive that these providers give so much wiggle room on a customized product.
Are financing/payment plans available?
Most home aligner companies offer both financing and payment plans. A few partner with third-party companies that provide financing but require credit checks to qualify. Byte, EZ Smile, SmileDirectClub, NewSmile, and SmilePath all offer their own financing options for which everyone qualifies.
What are home teeth aligners made of?
All the home aligner companies we reviewed use clear, BPA-free plastic to make their products.
What happens after my home aligner treatment is complete?
At the end of your clear aligner treatment, you’ll receive custom-fit retainers to keep your teeth from shifting back to their original positions. Your provider will recommend wearing your retainers for close to 24 hours per day for a period of about two weeks. After that, you’ll only have to wear them at night. Some providers include retainers with the initial cost of treatment, while others charge an additional $80–$165 for them after treatment is finished.
Does it hurt to wear home teeth aligners?
Customers often report experiencing tightness or discomfort during the first 1–2 days wearing a new set of aligners, after which the discomfort subsides. Some companies provide “chewies” or other devices to help ensure a more comfortable aligner fit.
Leila says
Make sure to choose the one that you get regular check up with proper doctor , I’ve tried SmileDirect and it ruined my smile that I had to start my treatment from scratch with proper orthodontist and it made treatment much longer now
Sally says
Im trying to figure out which of the above provide regular check ups with a dentist (even if virtually). They tell you which ones that dont – not which ones that do?
Smile Prep says
Hi Sally, with all four of the at-home providers currently mentioned in this article (Byte, EZSmile, SmilePath, and SmileDirectClub), it’s our understanding that you’ll generally have very minimal (if any) direct interaction with your provider. Provided there are no major issues during your treatment, we’ve typically seen that at-home style aligners companies will channel most routine communication through their support staff and not the prescribing dentist. If you’d feel more comfortable having regular check ups with your providing dentist, I’d suggest considering traditional, in-office aligner treatment (e.g. Invisalign). In fact, some in-office providers even offer the ability to do most of your appointments virtually (though typically at a higher cost that “at-home” providers).
Josie says
Hi There,
Do the aligners make your teeth yellow while wearing them, and how often do you need to brush your teeth?
You mentioned teeth whitening while wearing the aligners how does that work ?
Smile Prep says
Hi Josie – oral hygiene is especially important while wearing aligners, since aligners can trap food particles and prevent your saliva from naturally cleaning and remineralizing the surface of your teeth. While I’m not a dentist, I’d suggest brushing after each time you remove your aligners to eat or drink (aside from water).
Regarding whitening: many of the companies listed on this page include whitening gel that you can insert into your aligner trays – enabling you to whiten your teeth while straightening them. A extra benefit – these types of whitening gels/solutions can also help keep your aligners clean and fresh.
Kate says
For the record, WonderSmile payment options do require credit checks and have additional fees and charges.
Smile Prep says
Hi Kate – thanks for letting us know. We’ll look into this and update our review accordingly.