Adding solar string lights to your backyard is a quick, easy, and cheap way to enhance the look and feel of your space.
Whether you choose fairy lights, globes, old school edison style bulbs, or another type, it just adds that “let’s chill out and enjoy the outdoors” vibe.
Having them powered by a solar panel just makes sense. You don’t have to worry about getting an extra extension cord to plug them into your house, and you don’t have to worry about tripping over the cord.
Just put the panel somewhere it’ll receive a lot of sunlight during the day, and enjoy the ambience at night.
There’s not a lot of technical know-how that goes into picking string lights, so we’re going to give a pretty good sized list of our favorites that actually work (always hit-or-miss when you’re dealing with low priced solar gadgets) so that you don’t have to spend your precious time humming and hawing while you click through Amazon…
Or worse…having to drive to the shop and stand in the aisles of Lowes, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, or some other big box store.
Let’s dive in and get to the reviews!
Quick-Find Best Solar String Lights Table
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How We Picked The Best Solar String Lights
Like all of our solar lighting reviews, it all comes down to research and testing things out.
We looked at a ton of string light options and realized that many are just the exact same product that companies order from factories in China.
That’s fine, since they’re pretty basic, but often times you’ll get new entrants into the market who cut corners and costs, leading to an inferior product.
We looked at:
- Real customer reviews (to see how they hold up in the wild)
- Length of cords
- Number of lights
- Charging and “working” time
- Battery and Solar Panel type/strength
- Modes
- Waterproofing
- Style
Like I said, many are just exact copies of others, so we made sure to pick the most trustworthy versions that have not cut corners. That means what you’ll find below are the best versions of the product, with the most likelihood that the battery is big enough, the solar panel is strong enough, and the longevity is high.
Most have auto-light detection as well, so they’ll automatically turn on when the sun goes down after charging all day.
All the products on this list are high quality, so it basically comes down to your style preference.
Reviews of the Top 10 Best Solar String Lights
Joomer actually holds two spots on our list, but we’re leading with their globe option.
These look great in pretty much any yard, and give that not-too-bright, perfectly cozy feel.
They create a subdued, relaxed atmosphere…perfect for chilling out at home after a long day.
- Length: 20 or 39 feet (plus 6.5 feet of lead cable)
- # of lights: 30 or 60
- Charging Time: 6 hours
- Working Time: 8-12 hours
- Battery: 1000 mAh rechargeable
- Solar Panel: 2V/200mA
- Modes: 8
- Waterproof: Yes
The Joomer globe lights come in 6 color options, they’re super easy to install, and obviously look great.
The bulbs themselves are quite small, at 1 inch in diameter, so don’t be fooled by the pictures that might make you think they’re a little bit bigger than reality.
Overall, this is a super popular option, with a really good solar+battery combination for long-lasting and fast-charging power.
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
These are a very popular style of string lights, and there are a lot of companies making them.
However, none do it quite as well as Brightown.
They are highly rated, long-lasting, and one of the best sellers in the space.
You can choose from a one, two, or four pack, depending on the size of your yard, or where you’d like to place them. One string is powered by one solar panel, so if you get a multi-pack, just remember you’ll need room to place two or four panels.
They aren’t the longest, but there aren’t actually many options longer than this for this type of light.
One of the best things about this model is that it’s very affordable, which means choosing the 2 or 4 pack can make a lot of sense.
You’ll find these are less for providing a lot of light, and more for setting an ambience or for stringing through a DIY project like the image above shows.
- Length: 33 feet
- # of lights: 100
- Working Time: 6-8 hours
- Battery: 800 mAh rechargeable
- Modes: 8
- Waterproof: Yes
If you’re looking for little lights on copper wire, these are your best bet.
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
Sunlitec solar string lights are VERY popular, have a large rechargeable battery, and can even work without the sun by plugging them into a microUSB port.
- Length: 27 feet
- # of lights: 25
- Charging Time: 8 hours
- Battery: 3.7V/2000 mAh rechargeable
- Modes: multiple
- Waterproof: Yes
Most of the images you’ll see have these hanging under a patio umbrella, but they can actually work anywhere – trees, ceilings, or pretty much anywhere you can hang them and hook up a solar panel.
They are definitely a premium option, but these are one of the few solar powered string lights that actually offer a much better product than their competitors.
While the length of the string isn’t all that long, for this type of bulb, it’s very generous. The battery is huge compared to many other companies, and you can even run them off of regular electricity if you want to use them inside or if the solar panel didn’t get a lot of sun during the day.
They sell a LOT of these, so you’ll be in good company if you choose these as the right lights for you.
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
Alright, personally? These are my favorite.
I love the vintage look combined with the modern technology!
They’re actually a very high quality product, too, and they stand behind that fact with a 3 year warranty.
Most other lights we came across only offer a 1 year warranty, if anything.
So…these look great, they charge quickly, they’re rated for all sorts of extreme weather, AND they’re backed by a sweet warranty.
What’s not to love?
OK they’re not the cheapest, but you’re getting what you pay for here.
- Length: 27 or 48 feet (including the 6 foot length between solar panel and lighted portion)
- # of lights: 12 or 15
- Charging Time: 6 hours
- Working Time: 5-6 hours
- Battery: Rechargeable
- Modes: 1
- Waterproof: Yes
They come in 2 lengths, too, so you’ll be able to find something that works for you.
Plus, the solar panel can be both staked into the ground, or clipped to something like the top of your fence. Huge points for versatility.
They are also THE most popular lights we’ve reviewed, selling a ton every day and with a ton of reviews (while also having the highest Amazon rating on this entire list).
Basically, the only thing stopping you from buying these is if you don’t love this style. Otherwise, get to it!
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
Super long. Super high quality. Super battery + solar panel combo.
These are pretty darn basic, but they pack a punch!
They’re like the christmas-tree style lights that are popular, but you can put them anywhere.
Yes, they’ll work for your tree, but they’ll also give a great look to your patio or other outdoor space if you want a little bit of ambience lighting.
- Length: 72 feet
- # of lights: 200
- Charging Time: 6-8 hours
- Working Time: 8-10 hours
- Battery: Rechargeable 1200mAH NI-MH
- Solar Panel: 2V/300mA
- Modes: 8
- Waterproof: Yes
Somehow they manage to pack quality and quantity into a quite affordable price range, particularly when compared to competitors.
They also come in 4 color options.
Joomer is our top pick for another one of their string lights, and we’re pretty happy putting them on here twice now!
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
Alright, so these are very similar to the Joomer ones above. Nearly the exact same, actually.
However, each string of lights is shorter, which might be what you need.
They also take a little longer to charge and might not hold a charge for as long, but that’s reflected in the lower price than the Joomers listed above.
- Length: 42.7 ft (including the 10 feet of non-lighted length leading to the solar panel)
- # of lights: 100
- Charging Time: 8-12 hours
- Working Time: 8 hours
- Battery: Rechargeable
- Modes: 8
- Waterproof: Yes
There’s not too much more to say about these, except that they come in a multi-color pack as well, which is perfect for the Christmas tree, if you have a window in which you can install the solar panel.
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
These are very similar to our #1 pick above, but they’re on a shorter length string.
They are slightly closer together, too. The Joomers offer 60 lights on a 39 foot section of wire, whereas these offer 50 lights on just 24 feet of wire.
- Length: 24 feet
- # of lights: 50
- Charging Time:6-8 hours
- Working Time: 8-14 hours (though I’d say this is really pushing it with such a small battery)
- Battery: Rechargeable Ni-MH battery: Class A++600mAh
- Solar Panel: 2V/100mA
- Modes: 8
- Waterproof: Yes
These are not necessarily the very best in terms of build quality, but for the price, you’re getting a nice set of globe lights that are shorter than our first recommendation if you only need a small set of lights.
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
Yes, more fairy lights for Christmas.
Honestly, these are nearly identical to the others listed above, but since they’re so popular, we wanted to give you an option in case one of the others is out of stock, or if these, for whatever reason, seem like a better deal to you.
They’re really highly rated, actually, so they’re high quality, it’s just they’re not truly differentiated in any way.
- Length: 72 feet with a 6.5 foot lead to the solar panel
- # of lights: 200
- Charging Time:6-8 hours
- Battery: 1200 mAh
- Modes: 8
- Waterproof: Yes
There are multiple color options to choose from, so you can use them for both Christmas lights, and for outdoor ambience lighting.
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
This is a great package deal if you’re looking for a lot of lighting.
Each strand is about 30 feet long, so getting two allows you to cover quite a lot of space.
This style is great for both mood/background lighting, and to use as part of DIY craft/decorating projects.
- Length: 32.8 feet
- # of lights: 100
- Charging Time: 8-12 hours
- Working Time: 8
- Battery: Rechargeable
- Modes: 8
- Waterproof: Yes
They’re affordable, highly rated, one of the top sellers, and also come in 4 color options.
Pretty hard to go wrong here, they’re a great gentle lighting option!
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
These are quite a unique product on the market.
They’re not huge, as each string only has 10 bulbs, but they’re pretty darn cool.
With the remote control, you get a TON of…control.
6 different lighting modes, dimmer options, and 10 possible colors means you can change the look for whatever you’re up to.
Change the colors each season, or just to change up the mood!
- Length: 21 feet
- # of lights: 10
- Charging Time: 8-12 hours
- Working Time: 5-6 hours
- Battery: 3.7V 2000 mAh 18650 Lithium battery
- Modes: 6, with 10 color options
- Waterproof: Yes
The solar panel can be installed one of three ways for maximum versatility (stake, clip, or wall mount).
If you’re looking for something a little different, the Westinghouse option is pretty cool!
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<