The 6 Best Clear Aligners (Invisible Braces)

Byte: Best At-Home Aligners

$1,895

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If you’re drawn to at-home treatment, Byte offers an excellent value. For just $1,895, you’ll receive a custom clear aligner treatment plan designed by a state-licensed dentist or orthodontist, along with a generous treatment package that includes free whitening, aftercare retainers, and a proprietary device called “HyperByte.” Byte’s main claim to fame, the HyperByte is a high-frequency vibration device designed to provide a more comfortable aligner fit, and it can also encourage faster dental shifts for some customers.

Like all at-home clear aligner services, Byte is only designed to treat mild-to-moderate cases of misalignment, so if you have a severe case, you should consider one of the more comprehensive options on this list. That said, if you’re simply looking to address a cosmetic dental concern, we think Byte is the best treatment option available.

PROS

• As a completely remote treatment, Byte is much more convenient than traditional in-office clear aligners, which require monthly visits to the dentist.
• Byte’s high-frequency vibration device, the “HyperByte,” provides a more comfortable aligner fit and can induce faster teeth shifts for some people. Dentists charge upwards of $1,000 for similar devices, but Byte includes it for free in their aligner bundle.
• Byte’s $1,895 sticker price is much less expensive than traditional in-office clear aligners like Invisalign. Plus, they offer financing for just $82/month, and everyone qualifies.
• Byte’s “At-Night” plan provides an even more flexible and discreet treatment option by requiring only ten hours of continuous wear per day. However, Byte makes their At-Night aligners from a thicker, grind-resistant material, so they cost more than the All-Day aligners.
• Their Byte-for-Life guarantee states that if your teeth ever shift after completing treatment, they’ll give you new aligners to realign your smile for free (as long as you purchase retainers every six months and wear them as instructed).

CONS

• Byte treatment focuses primarily on the front teeth and is best suited for correcting mild-to-moderate cases of misalignment. For more comprehensive treatment, traditional in-office options like Invisalign are a better choice.
• Although Byte’s treatment plans are designed by licensed dentists, you won’t have direct access to your doctor throughout treatment. Some at-home aligner companies provide remote monitoring, but Byte only recommends sending monthly photos of your teeth — they don’t require it.

Candid: Best Hybrid Service

$3,500+

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Unlike any other provider on this list, Candid combines elements of in-office and at-home care. They started as a fully remote clear aligner service, but have since shifted to a hybrid treatment model.

Candid patients will begin their treatment in the office of a local dentist, who will stay involved from start to finish. However, unlike traditional options like Invisalign, only two in-person visits are necessary during Candid treatment — one at the beginning and another at the end. This is thanks to their “CandidMonitoring” system, which allows you to send bi-weekly photo updates to your provider so they can track your progress remotely.

PROS

• Candid’s treatment plans can straighten all your teeth, including the molars. Fully remote clear aligner services like Byte focus primarily on the front teeth and premolars.
• Services like Byte don’t offer the peace of mind that comes with having a local dentist oversee your treatment. With Candid, you can access your local provider throughout the entire process.
• Every 14 days, you’ll use the CandidMonitoring system to take images of your teeth and send them to Candid and your dentist. This is a significantly more streamlined process than you get with in-office aligners like Invisalign, which require regular in-person dental visits.
• In addition to your local Candid dentist, you’ll also have access to Candid’s support team via their mobile app seven days a week.

CONS

• Since you’ll need to visit a local Candid dentist to get started, treatment is only available if you live near one of Candid’s 300+ network providers.
• Although Candid treatment involves in-person care, it’s still not as comprehensive as systems like Invisalign. Completely in-person treatments let your dentist incorporate elastics or attachments in your treatment plan to make more complex adjustments, but Candid treatment doesn’t currently allow for this level of customization.
• As a hybrid service, Candid is a lot more expensive than fully remote options like Byte. However, it’s still often less expensive than Invisalign.

ClearCorrect: Best Comprehensive Invisalign Alternative

$2,000–$5,500

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Even though it hasn’t been around as long as Invisalign, ClearCorrect still boasts a strong track record of results. They’re one of the largest clear aligner producers in the U.S. Their products are extremely similar in appearance and application to Invisalign, and they’ve been FDA-approved since 2009.

Like other in-office aligners, they require regular office visits and boast more power than at-home alternatives, with the ability to treat even complex misalignments. They don’t have as many providers as Invisalign, but they often cost less.

PROS

• ClearCorrect’s in-office application allows for the addition of Engagers — tiny, tooth-colored shapes that assist with complex tooth movements, similar to Invisalign’s Smartforce attachments. This means that ClearCorrect can treat a variety of severe dental and jaw misalignments.
• ClearCorrect charges dentists less for their aligners and lab fees than Invisalign, encouraging dentists to pass along these savings to their patients.
• Like Invisalign, ClearCorrect can be administered by a general dentist (not necessarily an orthodontist), which makes treatment more convenient.
• ClearCorrect has multiple pricing models—including one where you pay per aligner—so your dentist can choose the one that best suits your condition.

CONS

• Treatment with ClearCorrect usually takes at least one year, which is significantly longer than home aligner treatment.
• Even though it could be less expensive than Invisalign, at $3,000–$6,000 ClearCorrect is significantly pricier than home aligners.
• Like Invisalign, ClearCorrect’s frequent office visits can be time-consuming.

SmileDirectClub: Most Convenient

$2,050

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They’re the largest and most experienced at-home aligner brand out there, and since 2014, they’ve transformed over 1.5 million smiles. With a strong retail presence, a nighttime-only option, accessible financing, and a do-it-all mobile app, they’ve engineered a supremely convenient treatment.

As a fully remote company, they can’t treat severe misalignments, but they can tackle mild and moderate cases with relative efficiency, and at a much more affordable price than traditional orthodontics.

PROS

• Some at-home aligner companies require you to make molds of your teeth to get started, but SmileDirectClub has 300+ SmileShops and a network of 1,500+ dentist’s offices where you can start your treatment with a teeth scan instead of an impression kit.
• SmileDirectClub’s $2,050 price tag is much more affordable than in-office alternatives.
• Like Byte, they offer a nighttime-only plan, which only requires ten hours of daily wear compared to the 22 hours per day required by Invisalign and other aligner brands.
• SmileDirectClub provides financing and payment plans to every customer, no credit check required.
• They offer prorated refunds for unused and unopened aligners at any time during treatment. And afterward, their Lifetime Smile Guarantee covers your smile for life — as long as you purchase new retainers every six months and wear them as advised.

CONS

• Similar to other home aligner treatments, SmileDirectClub can’t treat the same scope of conditions that in-office aligners can. They’re limited to mild/moderate cases of crowding and spacing.
• Their customer care has received a mixed bag of customer feedback over the years, and their remote support is less personalized than in-person care.
• Even though SmileDirectClub’s $2,050 price tag is a lot more affordable than Invisalign, it’s higher than many of their at-home rivals.

NewSmile: Best Budget Aligners

$1,495

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All at-home clear aligners are more affordable than their in-office counterparts—that’s a big part of their appeal. But NewSmile boasts even lower prices than most of their at-home competition. They only started in 2020, but their attractive sticker price, discounts, remote oversight, and interest-free financing have already earned them a reputation as a budget-friendly, yet high-quality treatment.

PROS

• With a $1,495 price tag, NewSmile has one of the lowest sticker prices in the industry. Compared to Invisalign and braces, most patients save a few thousand dollars.
• While many budget-friendly options skip all the extras to keep costs low, NewSmile includes your impression kit, retainers, and whitening kit. That’s a couple of hundred dollars’ worth of bonus products.
• Most people finish treatment in just 4–6 months, which is significantly faster than in-office options.
• NewSmile offers nighttime-only treatment where you wear your aligners for just ten hours per day (mostly while sleeping) instead of the standard 22. It’s more convenient and discreet than all-day treatment.
• You’ll upload videos of your teeth to the NewSmile app every two weeks and their dental team will use them to keep you on track. It’s not as robust as in-person care, but it still provides consistent oversight.

CONS

• NewSmile doesn’t have retail locations in the U.S. so you can’t get an in-person scan. You’ll have to use their impression kit, which can be challenging.
• Since NewSmile is a younger company, they don’t have a lot of reviews. What’s out there is mostly positive, but we’re excited to see more feedback come rolling in.
• If you have a severe misalignment, NewSmile might not be able to correct it.

Invisalign: Most Experience

$3,000–$8,000

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Famous for producing the world’s first widely available clear, removable teeth aligners, Invisalign is the most established and prolific clear aligner brand in the U.S. For over more than two decades, they’ve helped patients achieve the smiles they’ve always wanted.

Administered by a dentist during regular office visits, Invisalign’s hands-on care and Smartforce attachments empower their aligners to correct even severe cases of crowding, spacing, and bite misalignments. They’re a lot more powerful than at-home aligners, but also more expensive and time-consuming.

PROS

• Invisalign treatment achieves the same impressive, powerful results as traditional braces, but without a single metal bracket, and for approximately the same price.
• With more than two decades of successful smile transformations under their belt, Invisalign is the oldest and most experienced clear aligner producer.
• Invisalign typically works faster than traditional braces.
• Treatment can be administered by a general dentist (rather than an orthodontist) and they have more providers than any other in-office clear aligner brand.
• Dentists can add Invisalign’s proprietary Smartforce attachments, elastics, and other dental appliances to your treatment plan to correct more complex conditions (including moderate-to-severe teeth crowding and a variety of bite misalignments).

CONS

• Invisalign is significantly more expensive than most at-home aligner brands ($5,000 on average), which presents a potential obstacle if you’re on a tight budget.
• Treatment with Invisalign requires regular office visits, so it’s a more substantial time commitment than at-home treatments.
• Invisalign’s 12–18 month average treatment time may be shorter than braces, but it’s significantly longer than home aligner treatment.