Light up your home for the holidays with the best bulb
LED Christmas lights last 50 times longer than incandescent lights.
Incandescent lights cost about half as much as LED lights.
LED lights are available in almost any color.
Incandescent lights cost 17 to 25 times more to operate than LEDs.
Should you choose LED or incandescent Christmas lights for your home? Whether on a Christmas tree or creating a sense of magic outdoors, colorful, twinkling lights are a staple of the holiday season.
LED lights may be more expensive than incandescent lights, but they’re longer lasting, have more color options, and come in a wider variety of designs. They’re more durable when it comes to installation and storage, plus they’re energy efficient. Incandescent lights are less expensive upfront, but much more to operate over time. Learn the differences between LED vs. incandescent Christmas lights to decide which one is better for your home.
Incandescent Christmas lights have been a popular choice for nearly a century, and many people associate them with a traditional holiday look. But although they’re affordable, they’re not known for being durable or long-lasting, and they can sometimes pose a fire risk.
LED lights, meanwhile, have all the advantages of a much newer technology. They’re very energy-efficient, much longer-lasting than incandescents, and incredibly versatile. They offer superior color options and smart features for those who really want to customize a Christmas display. But that also comes with a significantly higher price tag—sometimes twice as much as incandescents.
Before you can hang holiday lights, you have to parse through the different types of Christmas lights. LED Christmas lights use light-emitting diode technology to create the glow of the light. The diode conducts electrical current in a highly efficient way to generate light.
Whether you hire a local holiday lights installer or hang the lights yourself, you can turn your home into a beautiful display of light and color this holiday season with LEDs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Low power requirements | High upfront costs |
| Lasts for decades | Some models have fewer lights |
| Thousands of color options | Lack traditional incandescent look |
| Durable bulbs |
Best for:
Homeowners who want Christmas lights that will last for years
Decorators with very specific color demands for Christmas decorations
Anyone worried about fire hazards from traditional lights
People exhausted with repairing Christmas lights or strands that go out
It’s easy to see why LED Christmas lights have become such a popular choice. They’re incredibly efficient, taking little power to operate and lasting as long as 50,000 hours—enough to last for decades in theory (although the wiring usually gives out before then).
LEDs have other advantages, too. With colored filters and different diode compositions, they can create almost any color imaginable. Thanks to smart light apps, users have a high degree of control over how the lights look and what patterns they create. Plus, with their durable plastic bulbs, they’re resistant to weather or accidents, so there’s less need to replace bulbs. They also come in a wide variety of arrangements, designs, and bulb sizes.
There’s no way around it: LEDs are pricey. You’ll have to pay significantly more than incandescent bulbs cost, usually 50% to 100% more. If the bulbs get damaged, they aren’t always as easy to replace as incandescents. Also, today’s LED light strings tend to have a bright, steady look that’s noticeably different from the naturally twinkly incandescents some may prefer.
The type of light bulb you choose is reflective of your personal holiday style. If you love a classic holiday look and feel, incandescent Christmas lights might be the better choice for you.
Incandescent Christmas lights rely on tried-and-true lighting technology that’s been in use for more than 100 years, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. When applying electricity, the filament inside the glass bulb heats up. Because of the filament’s resistance qualities, some of that energy escapes as visible light.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Traditional appearance | More expensive to operate |
| Low upfront cost | Low durability |
| Easy installation | May increase fire risk |
| Short lifespan |
Best for:
Anyone who wants to save money on buying new lights in bulk
People who like traditional Christmas light colors and bulb shapes
Decorators who intend to use lights for one special project or evening and then store them away
These traditional, charming Christmas light strings are easy to find and very affordable, so upfront costs stay low. They’re also familiar to everyone: With the right insulated cords, anyone can set them up and turn them on. They often have built-in timers and other controls, although not to the level of LEDs.
If you’re running Christmas lights for a couple of months, incandescent light strings will use significantly more electricity than LEDs, which could increase your energy bill. Incandescents also have glass bulbs, which are more susceptible to breaking or damage. Even well-cared-for incandescent strings don’t have a lifespan anywhere near LEDs and may need frequent maintenance.
While incandescent Christmas lights generate heat, it’s not usually enough to start a fire. But they can be more prone to electrical faults, which can cause overheating or electrical fires, especially around dry Christmas decorations. The older the light strings get, the higher risk. Comparably, LEDs are safer.
If you want to have the jolliest home on the block, you’re going to need holiday lights. While you can’t go wrong with either type, take a look at the differences between LED and incandescent lights below to see where each one excels.
If energy efficiency is important to you, LED lights are the far better choice. Yes, LED lights cost more upfront than incandescent lights, but they also use about 90% less energy than an equally sized incandescent bulb, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In fact, typical incandescent bulbs result in 17 to 25 times more in electrical power costs than LED bulbs.
When used indoors in consistent temperatures, there is almost no difference in the durability of LED versus incandescent Christmas lights. Incandescent lights have glass bulbs, while LEDs use plastic bulbs. Although the glass bulbs are more fragile than plastic bulbs, the chances of shattering a glass bulb indoors are low.
For outdoor displays, however, LED Christmas lights are better, especially in areas with harsh winter conditions. In extremely low temperatures, the incandescent bulb could burst. Plastic LED bulbs, meanwhile, are able to maintain their energy efficiency and performance without failing in cold conditions.
A typical LED bulb can last for approximately 50,000 hours of light-up time, while an incandescent bulb lasts about 1,000 hours on average. Are you likely to keep your strand of Christmas lights for less than a decade before you replace it with a different style? If so, you might replace the strand before any incandescent lights burn out. If having one or two bulbs burned out in your Christmas lights strand drives you crazy, though, go with LEDs. The chances of a single bulb burning out in an LED strand is significantly lower than in an incandescent strand.
When looking to purchase LED versus incandescent Christmas lights, incandescent is more affordable per strand. A strand of LED holiday lights costs $6 to $25, while a strand of incandescent lights costs $4 to $10.
Although your upfront costs are lower with incandescent lights, the cost of operation with LED holiday lights is far lower, which may be an important part of the consideration for you.
The installation process for typical LED versus incandescent Christmas lights is almost identical. Just plug the strand into an electrical outlet or extension cord, and you’re done! You can daisy-chain multiple strands together by plugging them into each other as well. As long as the strands of lights both use an insulated type of electrical cord, installation should go smoothly.
If you choose to hire a pro, holiday light installation costs $1.25 to $3 per linear foot of light strands for labor, regardless of whether you are using LED or incandescent lights. (The cost for the actual lights and extension cords is extra.)
When LED lights first came out, some homeowners found incandescent lights to be larger, brighter, and “warmer.” This sentiment quickly changed as LED technology and bulb design improved.
Fortunately, brightness levels for LED lights (as well as some incandescents) can be controlled. You can also control the overall brightness of your decorations by choosing larger or smaller bulbs, and by altering the color— some hues, like blue, reach farther and are more distracting to the human eye than others. Either way, brightness is unlikely to be a concern when picking your Christmas lights.
LED Christmas bulbs require little-to-no maintenance. These bulbs are not replaceable, and they don’t have fuses on the strands that may need replacing.
An individual light on a strand of incandescent Christmas lights could burn out, and replacing it can be tricky, requiring a supply of replacement parts and often trial and error to find the problem. Some strands contain fuses that may need replacing occasionally, too.
Because incandescent lights use glass bulbs, they require more care when storing them after the holiday season versus LED bulbs.
Incandescent lights change color based on the color of the glass bulb, which limits the color options. That’s why most incandescent lights are yellow, off-white, green, blue, or red. The traditional filament-and-glass design produces a naturally warm glow that many associate with Christmas.
LEDs don’t have those limitations. With the right production, their diodes can produce a wide variety of colors in many different shades, with no need to change the color of the bulb. That makes it easier to program LEDs to the right color to match other décor, or find unusual colors like purple or pink.
It’s easier to put LEDs in a wider variety of decorations, from hanging stars and spotlight patterns to intricate icicles.
Incandescent Christmas lights generate heat as they light up, and they can become hot to the touch after a couple of hours. It can be tempting for a small child to reach out and touch these lights, which could lead to a skin burn. And because incandescent lights have glass bulbs, they could break and cut the skin. Additionally, the age and construction of incandescent lights can make them more vulnerable to faults, overheating, and other issues. That pairs poorly with dry or papery Christmas decorations. The National Fire Protection Association says one in five Christmas tree fires start from decorative lighting.
The technology used in LED Christmas lights means they do not generate heat along with the light. LEDs use plastic bulbs that are almost unbreakable.
Smart features allow you to easily control the patterns your Christmas lights shift to if you want them to change or sparkle. They also influence how easy it is to set a schedule for turning your lights on or off, or using sensors that turn lights on based on ambient light conditions. More advanced options allow users to sync their lights to music and measure energy output to see how much they cost to power. They often work with voice assistants like Google Assistant or Alexa, too.
Incandescent lights traditionally used a simple dial close to the connector to adjust how the lights twinkled or changed color. Over time, those options have grown to include more features and even remotes. Users can also plug simple strands into a smart outlet or plug to give them advanced scheduling capabilities.
But incandescent lights generally pale in comparison to LED smart features. LED Christmas lights are much more likely to have apps for in-depth control of specific hues, light patterns, and scheduling. They’re also more likely to work with voice assistants and music syncing.
If you want to save time and money, a pre-lit Christmas tree can be ready for ornaments in only minutes. Pre-lit trees are available with both incandescent and LED bulbs, but there’s really no competition here.
LED bulb durability and longevity makes them the perfect pick for a pre-lit tree or similar décor like pre-lit Christmas wreaths. Because those built-in bulbs are harder to replace when something goes wrong, trying to deal with incandescents can be difficult on pre-lit trees. LEDs are much more likely to last for years and provide extra customization features for your tree.
Whether you prefer a classic Christmas look or opt for non-traditional colors, lighting can transform your home into a festive wonderland. Now that you know the differences between LED versus incandescent Christmas lights, you can decide which type is better for your home.
That depends. Some LED Christmas lights are designed with removable bulbs. With these lights, you can order backup supplies of LED bulbs and use them to replace failed lights. This is common for many traditional-style LED Christmas light strings, which like incandescents often come with pack of spare “bulbs” to fix unexpected problems. Otherwise, LED lights are very difficult to repair if something goes wrong. Some LED strings can be repaired by cutting out the damaged section and rewiring manually, but we don’t suggest this for Christmas light strands; the risk of electrical fires is too high.
No, you should not leave LED Christmas lights up all year. While the LED lights themselves are very durable, their wiring and casings can be as vulnerable as any Christmas lights. They’re subject to drying out, experiencing cold or sun damage that causes them to crack, and even damage caused by gnawing pests. (The same is true of incandescents.) If you want your lights to last the years that they’re rated for, bring them inside after Christmas is over.
It’s not a good idea to mix LED and incandescent Christmas lights if you can avoid it. LEDs and incandescents can have significantly different electrical current needs. This difference can lead to a higher risk of problems and failure for both light strands. When possible, switch all your lights over to one kind or the other for the best results. Do not connect the different types of light strings to each other, and avoid linking them to the same circuit.
No, you shouldn’t insert an LED light into an incandescent socket. It usually won’t fit anyway, but in the unlikely chance that it does, its electrical demands are too different for it to work properly.
