12 Best Outdoor Christmas Lights of 2023

We love that you can use these bright, warm white Christmas lights both indoors and outdoors to create a postcard-perfect wintery scene. Our pros like that you can connect up to five strings of lights for a 500-bulb festive glow. They’re both classic and versatile so you can also keep them up year-round on your patio or use them for other parties and special occasions.

A heavy hitter in the lighting category, GE is known for high-quality lighting solutions that have stood the test of time. These dual indoor-outdoor mini lights feature the brand's color choice technology, which enables two different colors to be displayed on the same string (for instance warm white and multicolor).

This means that you can switch between multicolored lights for the holidays and white lights on other occasions. They also feature eight different light modes and come with a handy switch. If you're looking for more high tech ways to liven up your outdoor space and don't mind veering from traditional wired Christmas lights, we're also fans of the GE CYNC Full Color Direct Connect Outdoor Smart Bulb, which allow you to set up different lighting scenes from your phone and can make creating a festive ambience a lot quicker.

Christmas in the roaring 2020s means high-tech solutions to yesteryear's problems. Twinkly makes some of the most advanced string lights on the market, giving you more control over your Christmas light show than ever before. These lights are Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connected to an app on your phone, letting you set custom patterns, program timers, design light shows and more.

They're also compatible with Google Assistant or Alexa, provided you have a smart speaker. You can also wirelessly connect multiple strings and types of Twinkly lights together so they work in unison. Though they're pricey, our pros think they’re worth it for the ultimate Christmas light display and we like that you can use them for celebrations year-round.

When it comes to smart outdoor lights, Philips has made some of our top-tested models, and their non-smart lights are still just as good. We like that these simple miniature lights are designed to stay bright, even if a bulb blows somewhere on the string. Offered in both white and multicolored versions, these feature a 24-inch lead-in wire before the lights begin so you don’t have to set them up next to an outlet.

Hang these icicle lights from your roof, fence or entryway to give your home a frosty makeover. Each icicle features a different drop length, giving it a more organic look. With the possibility to link three strings of lights, you can cover around 25 feet of lighting with just one outlet. But if you need a longer length and don't have access to another outlet, you should consider purchasing LED icicle lights, which can oftentimes handle more connections. Also, our pros recommend purchasing light clips along with these lights for the easiest setup around your home.

We love that these battery-powered globe lights don’t require any outlets or extension cords so you can hang them wherever you want in your front yard. Our pros like that they feature a remote to make operation easy, in addition to a timer function so you can automatically turn off your lights before heading off to bed. You can also adjust the lights' brightness and play around with eight different effect modes to create the perfect holiday scene.

These plug-in LED twinkle star lights will turn your space into a starry night. Each whopping 49-foot string is filled with 100 stars and can be linked together to reach nearly 350 feet, making these suitable for large indoor or outdoor spaces. Just keep in mind that these cannot be submerged underwater, making them best for a covered porch or indoor display. While we haven’t tested these yet, our pros like that the lights feature various modes, like slow fade, twinkle and more.

These multi-colored mini bulbs look a bit like vintage Christmas lights, but they also have the power to twinkle and flash among six additional light modes. They’re extremely long at 66 feet so they’re ideal for larger spaces, and you can link strands to connect up to 1000 LED bulbs of bright light! We also like that these come with 17 feet of leading wire so you can set them up further from the outlet. Just keep in mind that they’re not fully waterproof and aren’t recommended for harsh rain or snow conditions.

Dreaming of a white Christmas? These cool white snowflake icicle lights are perfect for creating a winter wonderland inside or outside of your home. Though these are shorter than other outdoor Christmas lights, you can link up to 44 sets and the LEDs will last longer than incandescent lightbulbs. Plus, according to the brand, each snowflake is built to withstand any shattering that can be caused by wind.

If you don’t have much time to hang outdoor Christmas lights, speed up the process with this snowflake projector. You can decorate your home in a flash and create the effect of falling snow either inside or outside your home thanks to an interchangeable flat base or ground stake. Our pros like that a remote comes included so you easily set a timer, change the light mode and more, though keep in mind that you’ll only be able to project snowflakes.

If you’re looking for traditional Christmas lights to deck your front yard in multicolored holiday cheer, this pick is both affordable and easy to use. These lights are suitable both for indoor and outdoor use, and you’ll have plenty of length to work with since you can connect up to five strings. Our pros warn, however, to be careful indoors since incandescent bulbs can heat up over time.

If you want your home to look like a gingerbread house, you’ll need these multicolored icicle lights that feature eight different light modes like twinkling or flashing. We like that they come with a memory function so when you turn them back on they’ll automatically remember your last setting and they also feature a built-in timer.