The days of metal braces as the only avenue to straighter teeth are no more. Thanks to the innovation of clear aligner systems, often referred to as “invisible braces,” adults looking to transform their smiles now have more options than ever.
While you may already be familiar with Invisalign for teeth straightening, there are many companies offering a similar product worth considering. Each company listed here is best-suited for different types of patients — the right treatment for you depends on your unique circumstances, priorities, and goals. Read on as we discuss the six best clear aligners on the market.
Table of Contents
Best Clear Aligners: At a Glance
If you’re looking for quick info, here’s an overview of the best clear aligner brands, starting with Byte, our top pick. Keep in mind that there are some pretty significant differences between each of these providers. Further down this page we go into much more detail and break down key differences and things to consider, including special promotions that can help you save on your treatment.
How we Select and Review Clear Aligner Companies
Smile Prep has reviewed a total of 12 clear aligner brands in-depth. Review candidates include not only the most popular brands, but also several lesser known options that, in our view, have something unique to offer.
Smile Prep’s reviews offer the perspective of a well-informed consumer. This means that our views are not professional opinions, and we do not independently verify the claims the manufacturers make about their products. Instead, the value that we offer is to collect the claims that clear aligner companies make about their products and compare them for your convenience. We also analyze customer perspectives, including hundreds of reviews that we gathered directly from Smile Prep’s visitors. In many cases, we have also corresponded directly with company representatives and/or sampled products or impression kits first hand. You can learn more about our review process by checking out our publishing principles.
At-Home vs. In-Office Aligners: What’s the Difference?
Before we dig into the various clear aligner companies and analyze their unique benefits, it’s important to understand the distinction between two key categories: in-office treatment (like Invisalign) and at-home treatment (like Byte, our top pick for at-home aligners).
Both types supply patients with clear plastic trays that fit your dental arches snugly and gradually shift your teeth with each new set in the series. The main difference is that at-home aligner companies enable you to sign up from home and you receive your aligners by mail, while in-office options require visits to a local dentist. Consider the following when determining which type of aligners are the best fit for you:
Choose at-home aligners if…
- You have a mild-to-moderate misalignment.
- You’re on a tight budget.
- You’d rather not make regular trips to the dentist.
- You don’t mind remote customer support.
Choose in-office aligners if…
- You have a severe misalignment or bite issue.
- You’d rather not work with remote customer service representatives.
- You don’t mind paying a little more for treatment.
- You’d feel better with in-person oversight from a dentist or orthodontist (some companies like Candid use a hybrid model, reducing the number of office visits needed).
They’re both solid options, but which one is best for you depends on your misalignment, priorities, and budget. If you are interested in an at-home option, we recommend having a check-up with a local dentist to make sure your teeth are healthy before starting treatment (at-home aligner companies have no way of conducting their own dental X-Rays or dental exam).
The 6 Best Clear Aligners
Byte: Best At-Home Aligners
We think Byte is the best all-around option for anyone who is considering at-home clear aligner treatment.
Since launching in 2018, they have established a reputation for delivering innovative technology, personalized customer support, and industry leading customer guarantees. Byte is owned by Dentsply Sirona, which is one of the largest dental equipment manufacturers in the world. Byte offers competitive pricing, accessible financing, is HSA / FSA eligible.
PROS
- Byte has 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 will refund the cost of your impression kit if your teeth don’t qualify for treatment. Additionally, If you lose or break your aligners, you can reach out to Byte support for a replacement. Byte advises you wear the previous aligner set tray while you wait for your replacement aligners to arrive. Byte also offers a Protection Plan that includes coverage for lost or stolen aligners as well as 5 years of retainers post-treatment to maintain your new smile. The Byte Protection Plan is a non-refundable warranty on Byte aligner treatment; once added, it cannot be removed.
- Unlike several other invisible aligner companies, Byte offers multiple financing options to ensure clear aligner treatment is more accessible and affordable. Byte accepts all major debit and credit cards including Care Credit. Byte also accepts eligible insurance and you can pay with your FSA/HSA.
- Byte’s Hybrid program also provides an alternative to the at-home impression kit. You can schedule a free consultation with a Byte-affiliated dentist near you, and you will receive an oral scan to create a digital impression of your teeth.
CONS
- Byte is a bit more expensive than some smaller, less established at-home clear aligner brands such as NewSmile.
- Byte is only suitable for mild-to-moderate misalignments. The company says that it will not accept you for treatment if you aren’t a good candidate.
Byte - Our Recommendation
If you’re hoping to correct a mild-to-moderate misalignment and you like the idea of a convenient treatment that balances affordability with strong guarantees from the company, Byte’s dental team may be able to design your ideal treatment plan.
Special Offer: Save 80% off your impression kit + $100 of your treatment + free BrightByte Pro whitening with code SMILEPREP
Invisalign: Best In-Office Aligners
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. Attachments like this can help clear aligners make complex dental movements. 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.
- 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 is usually significantly longer than home aligner treatment. However, that’s because Invisalign providers typically accept more complicated cases.
Candid: Hybrid of In-Office & At-Home Treatment
Unlike most other providers 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.
- Candid crafts their aligners from Zendura FLX, which exerts “50+% greater orthodontic force over time,” according to Zendura.
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: A More Affordable In-Office Option
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.
- ClearCorrect’s parent company, Straumann, says their ClearQuartz plastic retains 10X more of its initial force than its competitors.
- 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.
NewSmile: Best Budget At-Home Aligners
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 are less established than some of the alternatives, but their attractive sticker price, discounts, remote oversight, and interest-free financing have earned them a reputation as a reliable, budget-friendly treatment option.
PROS
- With a $1,595 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. Plus, they have a financing plan that accepts everyone.
- 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.
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 smaller and less established company, they don’t have as many reviews to look at compared to more well-established options.
- If you have a severe misalignment, NewSmile might not be able to correct it.
NewSmile - The Bottom Line
NewSmile hasn’t been around as long as some competitors, but their low pricing, nighttime-only alignment plan, and widely accessible payment plans make them a strong contender.
Special Offer: Receive $100 Off NewSmile
Motto: Most Affordable In-Office Aligners
Aspen Dental, the largest network of dental providers in the Unites States, launched Motto Clear Aligners in 2021 in an effort to compete on price and convenience with popular at-home services, while also providing in-person oversight by a local dentist.
To get started with Motto, you’ll need to visit an Aspen Dental office location. With over 1,100 Aspen Dental locations across the U.S., there’s a good chance you can find one nearby. And thanks to MottoMonitoring — a service Motto includes with every treatment plan to monitor your progress remotely via photos you submit using their mobile app — follow-up office visits are infrequent (typically once every 10 weeks).
PROS
- Aspen Dental has more than 1,100 locations throughout the U.S., making Motto treatment easily accessible. You can make an appointment for the same day if you’re in a hurry.
- Get started in-person with a 3D scan of your smile and minimize the number of future appointments by checking in using Motto’s app throughout your treatment.
- Motto is costlier than leading at-home aligner brands, but considerably more affordable than competing in-office treatment options.
- Treatment can be financed through CareCredit for rates as low as $68 per month. Motto says that 9/10 applicants are approved for this form of financing.
- Retainers and whitening are included.
CONS
- Their remote monitoring doesn’t use a scan box or scope that attaches to your phone, just a cheek retractor to help you take selfies with more of your teeth showing.
- Aspen Dental patients have reported poor customer service, unexpected outcomes, and seeing assistants rather than the doctor at certain practices. We recommend checking online reviews for your local practice.
- The Motto Assured satisfaction guarantee (30 days) is not as generous as some alternatives, for example, Byte’s “Byte for Life” guarantee.
- While Aspen Dental says that it has treated tens of thousands of Motto patients since 2021, there are not as many online reviews documenting patient experiences compared to Byte and Invisalign.
Motto - Our Recommendation
If you like the idea of getting started ASAP with aligners and want in-person dentist visits, Aspen Dental’s Motto Aligners could be the right fit for you.
Special Offer: Save $150 on Motto clear aligners
Our Recommendation
Which Clear Aligner Option is Best for You?
We totally understand if seeing all these options feels overwhelming, especially since they look so similar at first glance. At the end of the day, we believe that two clear aligner services stand above the rest: Byte and Candid.
Choose Byte if:
You want the best overall value, excellent customer support, and innovative technology incorporated into your treatment.
Choose Candid if:
You want the convenience of at-home treatment with the hands-on touch of a local dentist.
Other Clear Aligners Worth Considering
If you’ve searched for clear aligner companies online, you know that there are plenty more out there. Just because they aren’t in our top six doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider them. The companies above are great options, but other providers offer unique perks that might make an even better match for your specific circumstances. Below are a few more we think are worth your time.
SureSmile: SureSmile is one of the oldest clear aligner companies on the market. They got their start making intuitive archwires for lingual braces before releasing aligners in 2007, and even though they come with the same in-person care as Invisalign, their aligners often cost slightly less. Plus, they give dentists more ways to customize your treatment, and they don’t force doctors to use a specific intraoral scanner, making their treatment more accessible.
3M Clarity Aligners: 3M is probably better known for home and office supplies than orthodontics, but their Clarity Aligners boast incredible teeth-moving power, thanks to the unique way they can incorporate attachments and two different premium plastics. Plus, 3M produces Clarity Clear Braces, so they can offer combination treatment for the limited number of cases their aligners cannot address on their own. They’re one of the priciest options on the market, but many customers think their power and orthodontist oversight is worth it.
AlignerCo: If you’re looking for the lowest prices, look no further. AlignerCo’s sticker price is just $995, hundreds lower than the competition. Plus, they have two separate financing plans, one of which doesn’t require a credit check, so everyone qualifies. AlignerCo crafts their aligners with plastic from Essix, a reputable producer of dental supplies, and reviews photos of your teeth every two weeks. They might not have a ton of customer reviews online, but anyone after a highly affordable treatment should consider AlignerCo.
Six Month Smiles: If you like at-home aligners’ six-month time frame but prefer one-on-one care from a dentist, take a look at Six Month Smiles. Like Invisalign and ClearCorrect, it’s administered and monitored in-person by a dentist. The average cost is $3,500–$5,000, but varies depending on the dentist. The company offers clear aligners for simple crowding and spacing, and clear braces for more complex movements. Both the aligners and braces wrap up treatment within six months. Even with their clear braces, treatment isn’t quite as robust as in-office clear aligners like Invisalign.
How Should I Evaluate My Options?
Reading through this review, it’s possible that one aspect of clear aligner treatment sticks out to you. Perhaps you like the idea of getting the lowest price point, or maybe you want the fastest treatment available.
Keep in mind that not all clear aligners are equal, so it’s important to consider several factors as you make your decision. For example, one company might have great reviews, but does their treatment time frame match your goals? One might offer lower costs, but is it a lot less convenient to get started?
As you evaluate your options, we recommend considering five factors: scope of treatment, affordability, convenience, appearance, and customer support. Evaluating these five will give you a holistic view of each treatment, so you can confidently decide which is the best for your teeth, budget, and priorities.
Further Reading
While you should consider all the aspects above, it’s natural to focus on one or two in particular. That’s why we’ve created guides showing which home aligner companies excel in each category:
Final Thoughts
You’re on a journey to reach your smile goals, and this is just the beginning. Having read this guide, you have a great foundation on which to make a well-informed decision.
We encourage you to analyze the pros and cons of all the clear aligner options discussed above, and as previously mentioned, consult a dentist for a professional opinion. This way, you can confidently enter treatment knowing that by the end, you’ll get to see and feel the exact results you were hoping for!
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