Many adults wish they had straighter teeth, but don’t have the time or money to spend on traditional orthodontic care. If that sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve reviewed & ranked the 5 best 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)!
5 Best Home Clear Aligners (Ranked)
#1 byte: Best Overall Value
byte is our top-recommended home teeth-straightening solution. Though newer and less established than SmileDirectClub, byte has made some impressive moves since they entered the scene mid-2018.
The company’s top priority is providing an excellent customer experience that includes personalized support and the industry’s fastest treatment times. Using unique vibration technology, byte’s custom treatment plans deliver impressive results twice as fast as other clear aligner brands.
byte Advantages
- Thanks to the HyperByte vibration device, byte users finish treatment in just 3 months on average. Dentists charge upwards of $1,000 for similar vibration devices, but byte includes it for free in your aligner bundle.
- Users consistently praise by the quality of byte’s 100% US-based customer support. In addition to being accessible via phone, email, and social media, byte’s customer service team also puts each patient in contact with their own byte advisor to be their go-to for any questions or concerns.
- byte’s “At-Night” plan provides an even more flexible and discreet treatment option by requiring only 10 hours of continuous wear per day. byte At-Night aligners are made of a thicker, grind resistant material to deliver safe and efficient results even with less daily wear time.
- Their byte-for-life guarantee promises that if your teeth shift back after completing treatment, even years down the road, they’ll give you new aligners to realign your smile for free.
- Unlike many companies in this space, byte’s financing plan doesn’t require a credit check. This means you can get started with treatment faster and without impacting your credit score.
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.
- byte has only been around since 2018, so they aren’t as well-established as industry giants like SmileDirectClub.
Ready To Get Started With byte?
If you like the idea of straightening your teeth ASAP without sacrificing treatment quality, byte’s team of licensed dentists & orthodontists can design your ideal treatment plan.
Special Offer: $70 off impression kit + $100 off aligners + Free Premium Whitening
#2 Candid: Premium Service
Candid is another relative newcomer to the home aligner space, but they’re growing rapidly in popularity and earning lots of positive reviews. Since hitting the market in 2017, they’ve continuously gone the extra mile to deliver a quality product.
Candid is the only company to guarantee orthodontist-overseen treatment. And recently, they became the first to offer virtual check-ins with your orthodontist throughout the process. In our opinion, Candid’s dedication to product quality makes them stand out from the bunch.
Candid Advantages
- Candid works exclusively with orthodontists (rather than general dentists) to offer the highest possible treatment quality.
- Based on our research, Candid appears to have partnered with ClearCorrect, the second-largest manufacturer of invisible aligners in the U.S. You can feel confident that your aligners will be well-designed and high quality.
- Candid holds video interviews with all new customers prior to treatment. This is to ensure the orthodontist overseeing your care gets a complete picture of your bite and dental health, enabling them to design the most effective treatment plan. Other providers simply ask for photos of your teeth.
- With CandidMonitoring, you’ll share scans of your progress with your doctor every 10-14 days — the most oversight in the industry. And because your doctor sees your teeth so frequently, they may be able to accelerate your treatment time.
Candid Drawbacks
- Candid’s upfront price is significantly higher than byte’s (or any other provider for that matter).
- Because they don’t integrate dental vibration technology in their treatment plans, Candid’s average correction time is much longer than byte’s.
Interested in Candid?
If you like the idea of completing treatment from home, but are willing to pay a premium for direct access to an orthodontist throughout the process, Candid is an excellent option.
Special Offer: $65 off your Candid Starter Kit
#3 AlignerCo: Lowest Prices
Like byte, AlignerCo is another brand new home aligner company that’s turning heads in the industry. Unlike byte, they’re not doing it with treatment time, but with the industry’s most affordable prices. AlignerCo is perfect for budget-keepers and bargain hunters. They offer amazing prices without sacrificing quality and customer service.
AlignerCo Advantages
- At $1,145, AlignerCo’s aligner package is significantly less expensive than all of its competitors. Plus, they occasionally run sales that discount that price even further.
- Like byte and SmileDirectClub, AlignerCo approves every customer for financing with the SmileFlex Easy plan (their standard SmileFlex plan requires a soft credit check).
- Customers enjoy the personal care they receive from AlignerCo’s support team, who provide effective and timely solutions.
AlignerCo Drawbacks
- AlignerCo doesn’t include free whitening products with your treatment (although this cuts costs and helps them offer their low prices).
- They have fewer customer reviews than larger companies like byte and Candid, so it’s difficult to get a reliable gauge of the customer experience.
- Treatment with AlignerCo might take longer than some of their competitors.
Thinking about AlignerCo?
If price is your top concern, AlignerCo is worth considering. Although they aren’t as well-established as some of their competitors, they’ve shown a ton of promise and their industry-low price is tough to turn down.
Special Offer: Enter "SAVE150" as your coupon code for $150 off your aligners + free whitening kit
*Discount only applies to SmileAdvantage payment option*
#4 SmileDirectClub: Best-known
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 treated over a million patients to date.
SmileDirectClub Advantages
- SmileDirectClub has over 300 locations across the U.S. You can visit one of these “SmileShops” to get a 3D image taken of your teeth, which will be sent to one of their dentists to determine whether or not you’re a candidate for treatment. This provides a convenient alternative to taking impressions at home, which some users find to be a cumbersome process.
- Since they’ve treated such a high volume of cases, they’ve dealt with a wide variety of conditions, questions, and complications.
- SmileDirectClub offers guaranteed treatment financing through Smilepay, no credit check required.
SmileDirectClub Drawbacks
- According to our research, SmileDirectClub’s customer support seems to be hit-or-miss. They’ve accrued a significant number of complaints about shipping delays and inconsistent communication when issues arise during treatment.
- Their 4-6 month average treatment time is longer than byte’s (our #1-rated provider).
#5 NewSmile: Best Industry Newcomer
NewSmile is a newer and less expensive option than many of their competitors, and they also offer the second-fastest alignments in the industry, behind only byte. They also offer a nighttime-only alignment option with the same low price point as their standard alignment plans.
NewSmile Advantages
- NewSmile offers super-low prices (and frequent discounts that drop those prices even lower).
- They include your impression kit, retainers, and three months of whitening products at no extra charge. Many competitors charge extra for any or all of these items.
- They provide a nighttime-only plan that only requires you to wear your aligners for ten hours per day, and they don’t charge extra for this option like most competitors do.
- NewSmile’s payment plans don’t require a credit check, so all customers will qualify.
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 is a relatively recent addition to the at-home alignment market, and they don’t have as much customer feedback as their competitors.
Our Recommendation
Which Clear 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 online clear aligner services stand above the rest: byte and Candid.
These are the two clear aligners that offer the most bang for your buck, straightening your teeth quickly without sacrificing service quality.
Choose byte if:
You want the best overall value, excellent customer support, and the fastest treatment time.
Choose Candid if:
You want premium remote monitoring service & are willing to pay extra for it.
Pros & Cons of Home Teeth Straightening
As we’ve discussed, online clear aligners are more convenient and affordable than in-office options like braces or Invisalign. But this doesn’t mean they’re an appropriate choice for everyone. If you have a severe case of misalignment or a complicated bite condition, you may benefit from face-to-face dental care.
To help you decide if at-home teeth alignment is right for you, take a moment to evaluate these pros and cons:
Pros
- At-home clear aligners cost significantly less than traditional orthodontic treatment. They're typically somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 the cost of braces or Invisalign.
- By eliminating the need for monthly office visits, home aligners free up some time in your schedule. However, you should still go to the dentist before beginning treatment to make sure you don’t have any cavities (or anything else that needs addressing).
- Treatment only takes around six months to complete, which is significantly shorter than the average duration of in-office treatment.
- Home aligner treatment is designed to be as discreet as possible. Some providers have even started offering a nighttime-only option for people who want to keep their treatment truly under wraps.
Cons
- Home aligners are only designed to treat mild to moderate cases of spacing and crowding, and minor bite issues. They aren’t effective for severe cases of misalignment.
- Your provider won’t take x-rays of your teeth before creating your treatment plan. Before getting started, we recommend visiting your local dentist to make sure there isn’t anything problematic going on beneath the surface of your teeth or gums.
Other Factors to Consider
Reading through this review, it’s possible that one aspect of at-home clear aligner treatment sticks out to you. Perhaps you like the idea of getting the lowest-possible price point, or maybe you’re looking for the most convenient option available.
As you evaluate all these providers, we recommend considering five factors: Effectiveness, Affordability, Convenience, Appearance, and Customer Support. Our above rankings are based on all of these criteria combined, but we’ve also ranked them based on each factor individually.
Affordability
When you’re on a tight budget, orthodontic treatment can seem financially out of reach — but home aligners are surprisingly affordable. Because they take office visits out of the equation, home aligners eliminate the costs associated with face-to-face dental care. However, cost varies from provider to provider, so some home aligners may be a better fit for your budget than others.
AlignerCo easily takes the crown for initial affordability — but there’s more to the equation than a provider’s upfront price-point. We dive into the nitty-gritty details in our review of The Most Affordable Clear Aligners to help you get the most bang for your buck.
Convenience
Compared to traditional orthodontic treatment, home teeth straightening is highly convenient because the process is entirely remotely. Still, some at-home clear aligner services are more convenient than others. When you dig into the various providers, you’ll notice some variation in their service offerings that make starting or completing treatment quite a bit easier — such as free teeth scanning or expedited treatment times.
When it comes to convenience alone, our top-rated providers are SmileDirectClub and byte. For a detailed look at how all the details shake out, check out our review of The 3 Most Convenient Clear Aligners.
Effectiveness
With any orthodontic treatment, you want to be sure you’ll get the results you’re after — otherwise, what’s the point of pursuing treatment at all? For this reason, we consider effectiveness above all other factors when making our home aligner recommendations.
Your provider’s product design, level of expertise, and quality of materials all play a role in the effectiveness of your treatment. (And of course, so does the condition of your teeth!)
We compare the most effective at-home clear aligners alongside in-office treatment options like Invisalign in our review of The 3 Most Effective Clear Aligners.
Appearance
Every home aligner company we reviewed makes their aligners from clear, BPA-free plastic, but each one uses a slightly different process and design. Consequently, certain brands can be more or less visible than others. These discrepancies are small, but might influence your decision if your goal is to find the most discreet treatment option out there.
For an in-depth look at these aesthetic differences, check out our review of The 4 Best-Looking Clear Aligners.
Customer Support
You never want to think about something going wrong with your treatment, but if something does, it’s important to know your provider will take care of it in a kind and timely manner.
Even if you just have a simple question or concern about the treatment process, it’s comforting to know you have a responsive customer support team to lean on. We took thousands of user reviews into account to determine which companies offer the most responsive and caring customer service.
Still not sure which option is right for you? Looking for a second opinion? Check out how the top home teeth aligner companies stack up according to our friends over at clearalignerhub.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions we get about home teeth aligners.
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. Then, your provider 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. byte is the exception, as their HyperByte technology allows for a faster 2-4 month treatment window.
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 molds of your top and bottom dental arches, before mailing them to the company. This process can sometimes be difficult, so certain companies (Candid and SmileDirectClub) 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 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 SmileDirectClub or byte. This alternative treatment schedule only requires you to wear the aligners at night (10 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.
Are financing/payment plans available?
Most home aligner companies offer both financing and payment plans. A few partner with a third-party company called Affirm, which provides financing but requires credit checks to qualify. SmileDirectClub, byte and NewSmile all offer their own financing options for which everyone qualifies.
What are clear aligners made of?
All the clear 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 home 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 hrs per day for a period of about 2 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 $80-100 for them after treatment is finished.
Does it hurt to wear clear 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.
Melanie says
Stay away from SmileDirectClub! The company uses dishonest business practices to trick people into paying for service that they have no intention of providing. They rope you in to pay thinking that they can help you, but If they cannot fix your (upper/lower) problem teeth and can affect your other (upper or lower) teeth, you will be sent one set of aligners for the part of your teeth the service can shift but not for your worst problem, charged full price and expected to pay the fees to correct their deceit.
Smile Prep says
Hi Melanie,
Thanks for your comment, and sorry to hear about your negative experience with SmileDirectClub. We were of the understanding that SmileDirectClub provides its customers an opportunity, after sending in an impression kit or taking a scan, to review their treatment plan before purchasing.
Did you have a different experience? If so, I’d love to know more. Did you have chance to review your treatment plan before you were charged the full price for the aligners? Is there anything you feel we’ve misstated about SmileDirectClub in this article, or elsewhere on this site?
Also, we’ve been working on building a collection of verified clear aligner customer reviews. Would you be willing to help us out by sending in a formal review?
Thanks! – Chris
Melanie says
Hi Chris,
I was not informed that my problem teeth would not be fixed before paying. I have straight teeth on top and crowding on bottom. I never would have agreed to the service if they had told me they were unable to fix my problem teeth.
I advise anyone choosing this service to get the exact treatment to be performed in writing and most importantly, to opt out of “fast track shipping”, as that waives the right to inspect the outcome of the alignment.
I was sent aligners for my straight top teeth and nothing for my problem bottom teeth, and then I was told I had to pay for USP or FedEx registered shipping to return what they sent. Only after filing a complaint with the BBB, did Smiledirectclub provide me a return shipping label.
I have provided a full account of my experience under the formal review section.
Thank you for keeping people informed about dental services!
Melanie
Shanalee says
I am half way through my Byte treatment. I could not be happier with the staff or the results so far. They care about your results and you can tell they want to make the experience pleasurable for you. The whole process seems effortless And efficient. Would recommend.
Smile Prep says
Hi Shanalee – thanks for sharing your experience with byte. So glad to hear it was a positive one!
If you’d be interested, I’d like to invite you to consider leaving a more detailed review with before/after photos. We’re currently offering $20 gift card credit for verified review submissions. You can learn more about this here: https://smileprep.com/clear-aligner-review-opportunity/. Thanks again!
Diane says
Can any of these companies fix a slight overbite or overlap? I’ve been told Invisalign can but it’s twice the cost, plus some. I need to have it corrected though because it is weakening my teeth and making them thinner/smaller.
Smile Prep says
Hi Diane,
All cases are different, though we have heard from patients who have had good results correcting minor cases of overbite using at-home aligners.
We recently wrote an article on this topic, which you may find helpful: Can Home Teeth Aligners Correct Overbite?
In general, since you have a medical concern (weakening tooth enamel), it may also be wise to check with your dentist.
Scottieboy says
Hello there, a lot of good and informative articles here on SmilePrep. I have not seen one regarding fixing an Overjet, look forward to see your next article!
Smile Prep says
Thanks for you comment! So glad to hear that you’re a fan of our articles. It’s always encouraging to receive positive feedback like this form our readers.
Also, we actually do have an article on correcting Overjet! Hope you like it 🙂
– Chris
Kadi says
I am trying out byte. From what I’ve collected, they have positive results and great customer service throughout. Also they do state that they give a free retainer at the end. A benefit to their treatment is they will send aligners out free of charge to extend treatment if you are still not satisfied and will guarantee your smile for life. From what they have said, this means if your teeth shift in the future, they will send out more aligners to fix your smile free of charge as well. So far I have had a great experience and I am currently waiting for my aligners to arrive in just a few days.
Scottieboy says
Hello did you use the all day or all night?
Tiffany says
My husband used Invisalign through his dentist and had attachments bonded to his teeth where the aligners snapped onto. Do these online options require these attachments and if so how and who attaches them? Thank you for all of your research and great info here on this topic!!
Smile Prep says
Hi Tiffany! Online options can’t currently use the attachments that Invisalign treatment sometimes includes since you have to meet in-person with a dentist to have those attachments placed on the teeth.
Haydee says
Notice you stated about SmileLove “The only at-home clear aligner company to offer your full money back if you aren’t satisfied with your results.”. I would love to know your source. I looked at SmileLove’s website (https://smilelove.com/pages/return-policy) and the only time they state they will give a full refund is if you don’t like the preview of your treatment plan and cancel before they are manufactured. “Once you’ve received and approved your preview and production on your SMILELOVETM CUSTOM CLEAR ALIGNERS has started refunds are only allowed for manufacturing defects, including ill-fittings. Manufactured aligners are not eligible for return or refund.” They state “In the unlikely scenario that you are unhappy with the results after your treatment, and you have complied with all the Aligner wear and care instructions, we will work with you to determine a fair refund amount based on a comparison of the original Treatment Preview, and the actual result. ” which sounds like far from a full refund.
I have been trying to decide between SmileDirectClub and SmileLove, and one of the things that is tipping the scales is SmileDirect’s smile guarantee, full refund within 30 days of receiving the aligners. As far as I can tell they are the only company that will give a full refund AFTER you receive them.
Lucy says
Invisalign trims the retainers for a more comfortable fit. Do any of the alternatives listed here offer that?
Smile Prep says
Hi Lucy,
To our knowledge, of the at-home services, only SnapCorrect (see our review) offers a trimmed/scalloped set of aligners that don’t cover the gums. Some of the other companies occasionally send out trimmed aligners, depending on the specific case, but it is not guaranteed. Some people actually find that untrimmed aligners are more comfortable — the edges of the trimmed aligners, while not sharp, can irritate the gumline. So, untrimmed aligners may end up being a more comfortable fit for some people. Hope this helps!
Haydee says
SmileLove does. From their FAQ “our aligners are trimmed to your gum line in a scalloped fashion so that they don’t rest on your gums.”.
Jim Stancil says
Great article and comparisons. I was not even aware that Smiledirect and Candid had two other competitors. I am considering having this done and I will look at the others as well…..it appears that all four are doing the same thing? I wonder if having your teeth scanned in person yields a better result ?
Smile Prep says
Thanks! You raise an interesting question about having your teeth scanned vs taking an impression. I don’t have a complete answer, but I do know that Smile Direct uses Align Tech’s iTero scanning system for in-person scans. Align Tech claims that this scanning system results in fewer rejections and improved aligner fit compared to standard impressions. However, risk of poorly fitted aligners due to a bad impression is quite low as the kit providers will request a new impression in this scenario. In my view, the biggest advantage of having your teeth scanned is that you’ll be able to start treatment a bit sooner, and avoid the possibility of needing to take a second impression.