10 Best Outdoor String Lights for Your Yard & Patio in 2023 – Reviews & Top Picks

If you’re looking for a unique way to light up your yard or patio today, it’s hard to top outdoor string lights. You can use them for a special occasion or just to take your yard and patio over the top.

But while the right string lights will give you that awesome effect, the wrong ones will fail on you, leaving you frustrated. That’s why we highlighted 10 of the best outdoor string lights for your yard and patio here. There are reviews for each one so you know exactly what they offer, as well as a comprehensive buyer’s guide to answer any questions that you might have.

 A Quick Look at Our Favorites of 2023

Rating	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Brightech Ambience Pro Outdoor String Lights	Great mix of quality and price Comes with a 3-year warranty Easy to install and use	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		Brightown Outdoor String Lights	Affordable Replacement bulbs available Multiple size options	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		Enbrighten Vintage Seasons Café Lights	You can easily change the bulb color Last a lifetime Come with a remote	CHECK PRICE
		Banord Dimmable LED Outdoor String Lights	Multiple lengths available Dimmable Plastic bulbs are durable and safe	CHECK PRICE
		Addlon Outdoor String Lights Commercial Grade	Multiple wire colors You can connect up to five strands Great mix of price and quality	CHECK PRICE

The 10 Best Outdoor String Lights for Your Yard and Patio

1. Brightech Ambience Pro Outdoor String Lights — Best Overall

If you’re looking for the best overall outdoor string lights for your yard and patio, it’s hard to top these Brightech Ambience Pro Outdoor String Lights. They’re an outstanding mix of quality and price and are easy to install and use around your yard and patio.

Each set of these string lights comes with a 3-year warranty, so you know that you’re getting a quality outdoor string light set with each order.

Each set is 48 feet long, which is a great length considering the price, and there are multiple brightness levels that you can pick from when you’re ordering.

So, while you only get one length and color, everything else that these outdoor string lights offer makes it more than worthy of being the top pick.

2. Brightown Outdoor String Lights — Best Value

If you’re looking for great outdoor string lights but don’t want to spend much, these Brightown Outdoor String Lights might be exactly what you want. You can get them in either 25-, 50-, or 100-foot lengths, so you can get exactly what you need without overpaying for a string light that’s too long.

These also have a dimmable design, so you can control the exact amount of light that they give off, though you will need to purchase a compatible dimmer switch if that’s what you want to do with it.

Other great options include the ability to get multicolor or white bulbs, and you can order replacement bulbs in case any break. However, they’re glass, which means they’re not quite as durable as some other options on this list.

Also, the bulbs are close together, which can lead to an overbright area instead of creating a specific ambiance. Still, at this price, they’re easily the best outdoor string lights for your yard and patio for the money.

3. Enbrighten Vintage Seasons Café Lights — Premium Choice

If you don’t mind spending more and want outdoor string lights for your yard and patio that you can control, you’re not going to find a better option than the Embrighten Vintage Seasons Café Lights.

They’re expensive, but they’re the only option on this list that enables you to change the color of the lights with the click of a button. The remote also enables you to turn them on and off.

These lights come in two different sizes, but what helps justify the high price tag is that they are durable enough to last a lifetime. So, while you’re spending more up front, you’re saving money in the long run because you never have to replace them.

4. Banord Dimmable LED Outdoor String Lights

While these Banord Dimmable LED Outdoor String Lights are long-lasting options that you shouldn’t have to replace for years, and the set comes in four different lengths.

Whether you need a small strip for a small patio or a large one for your entire yard, Banord has an option for you. You can also dim these bulbs to get the exact ambiance that you want, but you’ll need to invest in a compatible dimmer to get the job done.

The price of this unit varies depending on the size that you want, and while the plastic bulbs are durable and safe, some people prefer the classic glass bulbs.

5. Addlon Outdoor String Lights Commercial Grade

If you want more customization options for the wiring of your outdoor string lights, few companies give you as much versatility as Addlon Outdoor String Lights Commercial Grade does with these commercial-grade string lights. They only come in one length but it’s long, and you can customize it to fit many different areas.

If you want even more length, you can connect up to five strings on a single line. That’s a maximum of 480 feet of string lights with just one outlet!

The lights themselves are also durable, so you don’t have to worry about them failing on you after you get them. However, these string lights don’t have any advanced features.

You don’t get a remote, you can’t dim them, and you can’t pick from different colors. But if you don’t care about those features, you will get an outstanding product without overpaying.

6. Sunthin Outdoor String Lights

These Sunthin Outdoor String Lights are an affordable set of string lights that you can get for your yard or porch. The bulbs themselves can last for up to 30,000 hours, so you won’t need to replace them any time soon.

Even better, you can connect up to 13 different strands, powering up to 624 feet of string lights with a single outlet. You can also set up a dimmer, but you’ll need to purchase the switch separately to get this feature.

It uses a fused design, so you can’t blow all the bulbs at once, and if you do short out the fuse, it comes with a spare in the plug for an easy fix. Finally, you get your pick of black or white wiring, giving you more customization on the final look.

7. Brightech Ambience Pro Solar Powered Outdoor String Lights

If you don’t have somewhere to plug in your outdoor string lights and don’t want to use batteries, these Brightech Ambience Pro Solar Powered Outdoor String Lights are a great choice.

As the name implies, they use solar power that is stored in the batteries for use when the sun goes down. This means you don’t have to worry about finding an outlet to use these string lights, but you do need to ensure that they have access to sunlight throughout the day.

The solar batteries can store enough power for 5 to 6 straight hours of consecutive use. While that’s quite a length of time, if you need them to run throughout the entire night, it falls a bit short.

Still, these use WeatherTite technology and come with a 2-year warranty, so you know that they will last no matter where you use them.

The only other complaint with these string lights is that they use a short strand. Since you don’t need to connect them for them to work, that’s not that big of a deal, but keep the length in mind when you’re trying to figure out how many to order.

8. Dreamland Outdoor String Lights

Dreamland Outdoor String Lights might be the name of these outdoor string lights for your yard and patio, but what makes you feel like you’re in dreamland with them is the price.

This set is an affordable option, and with shatterproof bulbs, you don’t have to worry about it falling apart on you anytime soon either. The drawback of these affordable outdoor string lights is the length.

At 27 feet, they’re on the shorter side of things, but you can connect up to eight strands on a single outlet, giving you a maximum of 216 feet of string lights. But when you’re purchasing that many strands, the price isn’t quite as nice.

This is an option that you should consider if you don’t need that many string lights.

9. OxyLED Battery Operated String Lights

The OxyLED Battery Operated String Lights are a unique set of outdoor string lights. While the other options on this list use single large LED lights, this kit uses multiple small LED lights.

In fact, there are 200 different mini-LED lights on a single string, or about one every 6 inches. This is also the only battery-powered string light set on this list, using AAA batteries.

While this means you set these lights up just about anywhere, you also need to keep extra batteries on hand in case they die. Still, you get a remote control to turn these lights on and off, and there’s a timer feature that you can use.

Furthermore, there are eight different lighting modes that you can cycle through to set different ambiances. The bulbs are small, though, so if you want traditional large lights, this isn’t what you’re looking for.

10. Baxstel LED Outdoor String Lights

These Baxstel LED Outdoor string lights come in three different sizes for you to pick from, and you can link up to 30 of the smaller strands. That’s 810 feet on a single outlet, which also happens to be the longest length that you can get from any of the outdoor string lights on this list. These lights are also dimmable, but you’ll need a separate switch to unlock this feature.

It uses a fused design to protect the entire line of lights in case of a short. Even better, there’s a spare fuse in the line so you can easily fix the system if it does short.

However, even with all these perks, these outdoor string lights are not as durable as most other options. Still, they’re affordable and have many features, so they’re worth considering.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Outdoor String Lights for Your Yard & Patio

Now that you know more about the best outdoor string lights out there, it’s time to learn how to pick out the perfect set for your yard or patio. That’s exactly what we help you figure out with this buyer’s guide.

Setting Up Your Outdoor String Lights

While you might think that this is a straightforward process, you want to have a vision in mind before you order your outdoor string lights. This will help you figure out how many string lights you need and just as importantly, how you will power them.

If you don’t have an outlet that you can use to power outdoor string lights, you should consider getting battery-powered or solar-powered ones to make the setup easier and less frustrating.

But if getting power from an outlet isn’t a problem, simply plugging in the lights wherever you want them is one of the easiest and most reliable ways to get everything powered up.

Ensuring That You Have Enough Lights

The last thing that you want is to get your string lights, only to realize that you don’t have enough. We highly recommend measuring out the area where you plan to install them.

Also, keep in mind the method by which you plan to install the lights. If you want to wrap the wires around something, be aware that this will significantly shorten the amount of space that the string lights will cover.

Regardless, you should allot at least 1 extra foot per 10-foot measure to account for the bit of droop between each light when you’re hanging them up. In the end, it’s best to have extra lights than not enough!

Pick a Bulb Shape and Size

It might not seem like a big deal, but if you’re trying to get the perfect ambiance and lighting for your yard and patio, getting the right bulb size and shape is crucial.

There’s no wrong choice here, but you do need to have a vision of how it will fit into the rest of the décor. You can go with whatever your personal preference is, though, so take a look at a few of the different sizes and shapes before settling on one.

Conclusion

If you still don’t know what outdoor string lights are right for your yard and patio after reading through the reviews and the buyer’s guide, consider our top choice. The Brightech Ambience Pro Outdoor String Lights easily meet the needs of most yards and patios. If you’re on a tight budget, the Brightown Outdoor String lights are affordable, and you can pick the length that you want.

Finally, the Enbrighten Vintage Seasons Café Lights has everything that you could ever dream of and will last forever, though you have to be willing to drop the extra cash up front.

See also: 9 Types of Outdoor Light Bulbs

Featured Image Credit: funkyteddy, Shutterstock