The 10 Best Outdoor String Lights, According to Reviewers

• Why We Love Them: warm vintage glow, thick weatherproof cords
• Bulb Type: LED
• Glow: warm or soft white
• Watts: 2
• Length: 24 feet
• Promising Review: "I've had these...for two years. I do put them away during winter but so far no problems! Perfect amount of light."

Measuring 24-feet long and featuring 2W vintage Edison LED bulbs with a warm white hue that will make you feel like you're sipping a cup of joe at a Parisian bistro, these string lights are bright enough to illuminate your space, but not so bright that your guests will be squinting in discomfort. Each string has a set of seven hanging bulbs, but you can connect up to 20 for larger jobs. The heavy-duty rubberized cord uses the company's WeatherTite technology, too, which Brightech claims will hold up to rain, snow and winds of up to 50mph, so you can confidently leave them up all year round.

• Why We Love Them: classic globe design, compatible with dimmers
• Bulb Type: incandescent
• Glow: warm white
• Watts: 5
• Length: 100 feet
• Promising Review: "I had three sets already and liked them so much I now have four. A wonderful addition to my pergola. They’re very durable and have survived some thunderstorms. Highly recommend."

While these also boast a warm white glow, they're compatible with a dimmer, so you can adjust the brightness as needed. They won't connect to other strings but at 100-feet long, you may not need too. The string is also fully weatherproof to withstand everything from extreme temperatures to damp climates. Note that these use incandescent bulbs, so you'd do well to place them down lower to make things easier when you need to swap them out.

• Why We Love Them: shatter-proof LED bulbs, dimmable, connectable
• Bulb Type: LED
• Glow: warm white
• Watts: .9
• Length: 48 feet
• Promising Review: "We really like these lights. They are great for lighting up a deck for an evening party. Bright but not too bright so that spoil the party vibe. They seem pretty well made and have held up for two months outside so far. The set even comes with a spare bulb."

Not only does this string light set feature LED bulbs that are shatterproof for years of use, they come two to a 48-foot pack, so you can use them in two locations or string them together to light up a larger space (up to 12 strands can be connected). Dimmable and weather-resistant, they'll also give off a gorgeous warm white color that's perfect for reading a good book on the porch swing at night. As an added bonus, you'll get six bulbs to spare.

• Why We Love Them: sun-powered, no outlet needed
• Bulb Type: solar LED
• Glow: warm white
• Watts: 1
• Length: 24 or 48 feet
• Promising Review: "These are great quality and perfect...to either save on light bill or [for a] power outage."

These WeatherTite solar lights will help you save on electricity usage, since you don't need to plug them into a power source. (They also leave your precious outdoor outlet open for other cords.) Instead, these string lights run on solar power: According to the company, six hours of direct sunlight will give them about five to six hours of run time—which is plenty long enough to host your next dinner party. Simply place the included solar panel anywhere in the backyard using the included stake and clip.

• Why We Love Them: vintage design, good value
• Bulb Type: incandescent
• Glow: warm white
• Watts: 5
• Length: 50 feet
• Promising Review: "I have these looped around my deck on a timer at night for about four hours and run [them] all year, including [in] occasional rain and snow. The bulbs are not impacted by the weather....[Five are still lit after two years and 11 months (approximately 4,000 hours usage)....Three years isn't bad."

This two-pack of strings includes 25 clear incandescent bulbs each (50 in all), giving you plenty of bang for your buck. As one reviewer noted, they got nearly three years of use out of them before needing to change the majority of the bulbs—and even then, the set comes with an extra. The buyer noted they also held up nicely through inclement weather, making them quite a bargain at $30.

• Why We Love Them: eight lighting modes, no cords, included remote control
• Bulb Type: LED
• Glow: warm white or multicolored
• Watts: 3
• Length: 20 to 33 feet
• Promising Review: "These work well....I like all the different settings. I got the white-coated ones, which give off enough light but not enough to brighten up a medium area. Input them in my outside umbrellas."

Not only are these string lights battery-operated, so you won’t have to worry about any pesky cords, they also come with eight different lighting modes that you can control from the comfort of your deck chair or hammock with the included handy remote. (Choose from a wave, sequential, slo-go, flash, slow fade, twinkle, steady or combination mode to create the perfect date night vibes.) They come two sets to a pack and have 40 globe-shaped, fairy-style LED light bulbs each. To use them, just pop three AA batteries (not included) in the waterproof battery compartment.

• Why We Love Them: sun-powered, varying display modes, yellow glow available
• Bulb Type: solar LED
• Glow: white or yellow
• Watts: .05
• Length: 66 feet 
• Promising Review: "These are really cute lights. They have different settings....They were very bright when I tested them . ...I would recommend for any outside area."

With solar-powered LED bulbs, these string lights come strung up on flexible copper wires, making them easy to wind around a pole. Weather-resistant, this set also comes with a solar panel and a ground stake that are designed keep them lit up for up to 12 hours without the need for cords or batteries. There are even switchable light modes, so you can alternate between flashing, twinkling or steady twinklers as needed.

• Why We Love Them: can be synched to music, dimmable, app-control, custom colors
• Bulb Type: LED
• Glow: multicolor
• Watts: 12
• Length: 48 to 96 feet
• Promising Review: "These are great! ...They are Bluetooth and not Wi-Fi, so to control you have to be nearby. I used the timer options on the app to get around this issue. I programmed them to turn on at dusk and turn off at dawn."

Sometimes, white bulbs just don't fit the vibe. Whether you're after a soft red for a romantic dinner or a cool blue for an evening by the pool, these Govee smart string lights will fit the bill, since you can select a custom hue from 16 million (!) colors for each of its 15 dimmable bulbs. There's even a built-in mic, so they can sync to a music source and pulse along to your tunes. They work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for voice control as well as the Govee Home app, and the LED bulbs are both waterproof and shatterproof, so you can hang them virtually anywhere without worry.

• Why We Love Them: unique shape, solar-powered
• Bulb Type: solar LED
• Glow: yellow
• Length: 2 feet
• Promising Review: "The lights' size [is] perfect. Nice and and warm color."

Forget basic bulbs: These fairy string lights feature an eye-catching floral design that will look fantastic when strung around a pole, a tree or even when bunched together as a decorative piece. They are weather-resistant, and the LED lights, which are powered by the sun, can reportedly last for 50,000 lifetime hours.

• Why We Love Them: different colors, Bluetooth compatible, connectable
• Bulb Type: LED
• Glow: multicolor
• Length: 65.5 feet
• Promising Review: "Love these lights!!! Its like a carnival in my living room!!...Worth every penny."

Smart lights are all the rage, and we get it: Who doesn't want the ability to control their bulbs' color, intensity and even effects by remote? As far as smart string lights go, Twinkly takes the cake. Its wares work via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, an app and voice command with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. The strings include tiny LEDs (about 100 per string) with the ability to connect up to 4,000 together. They are also waterproof, so you can use them near your pool, sprinklers and the like.