To learn more about buying prescription eyeglasses online, we spoke to Dr. Christopher Quinn, a past president of the American Optometric Association. And we interviewed seven optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians. We also consulted Alysa Bernstein, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Since 2017, we’ve spent more than 122 hours evaluating the websites of online glasses stores, comparing their policies, ordering and returning dozens of pairs of glasses, playing with fitting tools, and learning how to find glasses that fit—with or without being able to try on frames first.

I’ve worn glasses for more than 30 years and have been buying glasses online for over a decade. From fancy, $1,000 pairs sold by upscale Manhattan opticians who refused to fix my scratched-up lenses a mere month after purchase to $13 online specs that arrived bearing another person’s prescription, I’ve seen it all.

More than 75% of US adults use some form of vision correction, according to research from the Vision Council, a nonprofit trade association. Various estimates put the average cost of a pair of prescription glasses at north of $200. According to vision insurer VSP’s calculator, without factoring in insurance coverage, you can expect to pay approximately $527 (including $150 frames) for a pair of glasses with single vision, high-index lenses with anti-glare and scratch-resistance coatings. So it’s no surprise that, according to the Vision Council, eyeglasses are a $49 billion business in the US.

If you buy glasses online, you can cut your bill by up to half the brick-and-mortar price (or even more), with comparable frame and prescription lens pairings from our picks going for anywhere from $13 to $400+ at the time of our research. Note, though, that with optional upgrades or specialty-lens needs, your online costs can quickly add up—sometimes even matching or exceeding what you might encounter in person with an optician.

If you have a hard time finding frames that fit your face or your personal style, shopping around for glasses online may broaden your options. Collectively, online glasses retailers have a far greater variety of frames—including wider, narrower, and shallower styles, plus frames for people with lower nose bridges, higher cheekbones, or frame-weight restrictions—than what you’d find at any one optical shop. Many online glasses stores have tools to help you find the perfect-fitting pair of glasses for your face, through in-home frame trials and sophisticated virtual try-on tools (and, less formally, through generous, no-questions-asked return policies). To get a jumpstart on finding frames that will fit, check inside the arms of a pair you already own, as many frames are etched with their measurements. You can then search for the same dimensions in a new set of frames. Many sites also have style-searching tools, so you can quickly find glasses that fit—and that you like the look of. Keep in mind, though, that if you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for, you can try on the widest variety of styles and sizes in the least amount of time by visiting an optician in person.

Buying prescription glasses online is not ideal for everyone. The collective advice from the eight eye-care professionals we talked to was that buying online is generally okay if you have a low or uncomplicated prescription. Individuals who have very strong prescriptions or other complications, such as the need for prism correction or progressive lenses, may feel more comfortable getting glasses from a brick-and-mortar shop to ensure prescription accuracy (though even they can sometimes make mistakes). There is no official designation for what constitutes a “strong” prescription, but, in general, it means prescriptions of +/-4 power or more, Dr. Neil Pence of the Indiana University School of Optometry told us.

Some readers who say they have strong or otherwise “complicated” prescriptions have noted that, after they’ve taken the time to find frames they like from our picks, the retailers have refused to fill their prescriptions. This is understandably frustrating. If your prescription is on the strong side, check the company’s parameters before spending too much time on its site (or go to an in-person optician).

What you’ll need: Prescription and PD

To buy glasses online, you need two things: a valid prescription and your PD, or pupillary distance.

The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that all adults under 65 have their eyes examined in person at least once every two years, and that people over 65 see an eye doctor each year (though most prescriptions won’t officially expire until closer to five years). It strictly recommends against online-only eyeglasses prescription renewal services and do-it-yourself prescription checkers. “Patients need to be wary of any company that claims its [service or] device can replace the care that a doctor provides,” the AOA wrote in an emailed statement. Optometrist Dr. Camille Cohen pointed out that only in-person eye exams can reveal early signs of glaucoma, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Along with a valid prescription, you’ll also need a number known as pupillary distance, or PD, which is unlikely to be on your prescription. Pupillary distance is the length in millimeters between your pupils (in a single PD number) or from your pupils to the center of your nose bridge (dual PD). PD values indicate where the company filling your prescription ought to place the horizontal center of vision in the lenses, so you can see clearly through them. According to Indiana University’s Pence, the stronger your prescription (that is, the larger the spherical numbers—positive or negative), the more important it is that the lenses are lined up correctly in front of your eye. (Read more about this and other alignment issues in Should I Buy Glasses Online?)

Online glasses retailers should ask for your PD when you order frames with prescription lenses. Even though your doctor probably determined this number during your eye exam, they’re not necessarily required to provide your PD (unlike your glasses prescription, which is required by federal law to be patient-accessible). According to the FDA, currently, only a half-dozen states—including Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Rhode Island—require that your PD be recorded on your prescription. Elsewhere, it’s up to the eye-care professional whether or not to provide this important information. To mitigate any awkward exchanges, ask when you’re booking your appointment whether your PD will be included on your prescription. If you have already gotten your eyes examined and your doctor didn’t provide your PD on your prescription, contact their office to request it. Chances are, your doctor will provide the information when asked—even if they technically don’t have to. But if your doctor decides to hold this information hostage, you still have options.

All of the retailers we ordered glasses from offer workarounds for determining your PD without a professional’s help. These include everything from marking dummy lenses on in-home try-on frames to using a piece of paper and a ruler to virtual eye exams. However, as they said of online and other DIY eye exams, experts we spoke with unanimously advised against trying to determine your PD on your own.

For the best shot at getting online glasses that work for you, it’s worth having a professional measure your PD—if you can find one who’s willing. We called a random sampling of eight “big box” opticians nationwide and asked if we could get our PD measured for a fee. Every one of them refused to provide this measurement to someone who was not planning on buying glasses directly from their establishment. Some retailers’ representatives cited state laws making them liable for glasses that did not fit well. And others (including a customer service rep for a LensCrafters in New York) insisted that their companies never shared this information (even with their own customers), and that we should try “a mom and pop shop.” Indeed, independently owned Oscar Oglethorpe Eyewear in Greensboro, North Carolina, was the only shop we called whose rep said its staff would measure anyone’s PD free of charge, whether or not someone purchased glasses from their establishment. With a few phone calls, you may be able to find a local pro who is willing to measure your PD for a nominal or no fee.

There are hundreds of places where you can buy prescription glasses online. We first eliminated any retailer that did not offer some form of try-on service, whether virtual or in-home, because ordering glasses online without a modicum of an idea of what they might look like on your face can lead to wasted time and money. Since regrets and mistakes are both inevitable, we culled any company that didn’t offer a no-questions-asked full-refund policy (though we made an exception for Zenni Optical, a retailer that stands out for its extensive budget-friendly offerings and rave customer reviews, but does not refund shipping costs). And because cost-cutting is a key motivation behind buying online versus in person, we focused on companies that could sell us a variety of stylish frames fitted with single-vision prescription lenses for less than about $150.

In 2019, these parameters made it easy for us to narrow down our testing list to two promising online glasses companies that provided free in-home frame trials to customers in the US:

• Liingo Eyewear by 1-800 Contacts
• Warby Parker

and nine that offered virtual try-on services:

• Bonlook
• Eyebuydirect
• Eyeconic
• Firmoo
• GlassesUSA
• Jins
• Kits
• Lensabl
• Zenni Optical

In addition to the free in-home frame trials, Liingo and Warby Parker both offer virtual try-on services through their websites. Warby Parker also has an outstanding virtual-try-on app (iOS only).

In 2022, we retested Eyebuydirect, Liingo, Warby Parker, and Zenni. As they now offer virtual try-on options, we added Lenscrafters and Target Optical to our testing pool.

For this guide, we considered only glasses for adults. We did not test any frames or lenses meant for children, though Bonlook, Eyebuydirect, Firmoo, GlassesUSA, Jins, Lenscrafters, Target Optical, Warby Parker, and Zenni all carry kid-size glasses (Liingo and Lensabl do not). (Bonlook’s kids frames are only available in-store.)

Because you don’t always need entirely new specs—just replacement lenses—we also tried the BYO-frames, prescription-lens-filling service Lensabl.

To find the best online glasses stores, in 2022 we shopped for, ordered, and returned prescription lens-and-frame pairings from each of the retailers we chose to test. We evaluated each retailer’s frame selection and lens options, virtual try-on experience, the overall ordering experience, standard shipping times (which ranged from two days to four weeks), and—crucially—return policies and processing.

In 2019, two test panelists—one who has a relatively weak single-vision prescription (-3.75, -1.25 with moderate astigmatism) and prefers minimalist, wire-framed glasses, and another (me), who has a strong single-vision prescription (-6, -7 with mild astigmatism) and gravitates toward plastic-heavy statement styles—ordered from all seven retailers we tested. A third panelist—who wears moderate progressive prescription lenses (with moderate astigmatism), and most often chooses statement specs made primarily of plastic—ordered glasses from the four best-performing retailers based on the first two testers’ evaluations.

Even though frames cost a pretty penny, it’s usually the lenses that most affect the final cost of prescription glasses, with thinner, lighter ones potentially doubling or even tripling the total cost. The higher the lens number, the higher the lens index, and the thinner and lighter the plastic of the lenses. The “free” lenses in the frames of most online retailers have a standard index (1.50). Zenni offers 1.50 or 1.57. (Lenscrafters and Target Optical have a base lens called “enhanced slim” that doesn’t have an index attached.) All of the retailers that we tested offered lens upgrades, with some offering lenses all the way up to an ultra-thin index of 1.84; these higher-index options generally cost much more, but they can be worth the upgrade, particularly in certain frame styles.

To make the strongest possible direct comparisons across brands, we had each tester choose near-identical frames and lenses from each retailer. Of course, there were some slight differences in styles based on the options each retailer offered at the time of our testing. For example, some of the wire-framed glasses that Tester 1 ordered were a slightly different shape than others. The anti-glare and hydrophobic coatings we ordered differed slightly from pair to pair, depending upon retailer offerings and costs.

Whereas I (Tester 2) was aware of the prices of each pair I was evaluating, Testers 1 and 3 had no idea whether they were trying on, for example, a $19 pair of glasses or a $145 pair.

When we ordered my glasses (metal-and-plastic frames filled with comparatively stronger Rx lenses), we found that two retailers, Eyebuydirect and GlassesUSA, required that we order more-expensive lenses based on the prescription (costing an extra $79 and $70, respectively). Firmoo and Zenni allowed us to order basic lenses, with the option to upgrade.

Finally, to test how the four most-promising retailers handled progressive prescriptions, we ordered near-identical plastic frame-and-lens combinations from each. In all of the acetate frames, the difference between the cheapest and best-available lenses was almost imperceptible. That’s largely because the all-plastic frames typically do a better job of “hiding” thicker lenses. We also found that the weight difference between these thicker basic lenses and thinner, more expensive ones was negligible, ranging from 0 to 2 grams.

In wire frames, however, the difference between thick and thinner lenses is generally much more visible. Even though many of the online glasses retailers we tested insist that upgrading to thinner lenses is about more than appearances, and that they can improve, as Felix + Iris put it, “visual clarity,” the reality is not so clear-cut. “High-index lenses bend light faster, which causes a difference in perception that is not always ‘better’ or ‘worse,’” explained Pence of Indiana University. In fact, sometimes pricier, lighter lenses can distort vision more than thicker, basic ones. “When light goes through lenses faster, it’s like going faster in a car,” he continued. “More things can go wrong.” So if you’re wearing thick plastic frames anyway and are not concerned about an extra gram or two of weight, you may do well to skip paying more for thinner lenses.

Finally, we had an independent eye-care professional evaluate each pair of glasses, to be sure all of the prescriptions were accurate. All were within an acceptable margin of error.

Although we didn’t test them, all three of our picks sell prescription sunglasses. Eyebuydirect and Zenni Optical also offer photochromic lenses (we didn’t test this lens type).

On coupons and insurance coverage

Online glasses retailers know that shoppers love a “deal.” So most will gladly throw coupons and discount codes your way, essentially as soon as you start browsing their sites. In our testing, we used coupons and codes whenever possible (designer frames tend to be excluded). We did end up saving quite a bit of money this way, versus paying the full, published price—though whether we got any true deals is up for debate. Some tips:

• Sign up for retailers’ newsletters as soon as you know you’re going to be looking for new glasses. Sometimes it takes a few days for the coupons to hit your inbox, and you want to be aware of “flash sales” and other money-saving opportunities.
• When you find the frames and lenses you like, if you aren’t satisfied with the current coupon offerings, keep the pair (or pairs) in your virtual shopping cart for a while if you can wait to order. You may receive a retention discount: an extra markdown that some companies share with customers they perceive as being on the fence about their potential purchase. When we left glasses in our cart for a few days, Eyebuydirect, Firmoo, and GlassesUSA all sent emails with retention discounts that ranged from 15% to BOGO (buy one, get one free). During our test period, Warby Parker, Liingo, Zenni, and Felix + Iris all sent reminder emails with no retention discount offers.
• If you can’t find a coupon, consider chatting with the retailers’ customer service. I was able to snag 10% off our first Zenni order this way.
• Consider choosing frames (through virtual try-ons or in-home trials) before your eye exam. That way, as soon as you have your prescription in hand, you’ll be ready to order using the best-available discount codes.

If you have vision insurance, retailers that participate in your insurer’s network may be able to bill the insurance provider directly, lowering your upfront cost. Otherwise, you may be able to submit an out-of-network claim for prescription eyeglasses you buy online. Check with your insurance provider to see how this applies to your benefits. Even though neither of our picks directly take insurance, customers with vision insurance can submit their receipts for out-of-network provider reimbursement. (For people who want to easily use vision insurance, even if it means paying a bit more overall, we recommend considering Eyeconic, Lenscrafters, or Target Optical, three retailers that are in network for a variety of insurers.

Returning online glasses

If the glasses you buy online don’t work for you, for whatever reason, return them! Really.

Ten of the 11 retailers we ordered glasses from offered no-questions-asked return policies. And indeed, though we did follow each company’s instructions perfectly, all accepted and processed our returns on time. The eleventh retailer, Zenni Optical, offers refunds, less any initial shipping costs. We had no problems with our previous refund transactions at Zenni, nor did we have problems using the store credit we were issued.

Wondering what happens to returned spectacles? We asked each of the retailers we tested what they did with unwanted prescription glasses. Liingo Eyewear by 1-800 Contacts said it reuses returned frames for its in-home try-on services, as well as donates glasses to various organizations. Eyebuydirect, Firmoo, GlassesUSA, and Warby Parker all said they partner with charities to distribute glasses to those in need. Zenni donates them to Lions Clubs International.

Of the 11 brands we tested, Eyebuydirect offers the most impressive balance of aesthetics and affordability. All of the prescription lenses we ordered were accurate, and our 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022 test panelists all found Eyebuydirect’s extensive selection of more than 2,000 frames to be superior to all other companies we tested. Although the company doesn’t offer in-home frame trials, we found its virtual try-on tool more than adequate. For lower single-vision prescriptions, the company offers a plethora of lens-thickness and coating options. Eyebuydirect does force customers with strong prescriptions to upgrade to thinner, lighter lenses, but the fee is nominal ($30 to $50), especially after you apply a coupon (the retailer offers many, though some frames may be excluded). We found that most people can buy a stylish yet substantive pair of high-quality glasses with single-vision Rx lenses for under $100—even for stronger prescriptions. Those with weaker prescriptions should usually be able to find a pleasing pair for well under $50 when they use an on-site or emailed discount code.

Eyebuydirect’s superlative catalog makes sense considering that the company is owned by the world’s largest manufacturer of eyeglass frames and lenses, EssilorLuxottica. As a standalone company, Eyebuydirect has been in the online glasses marketplace for more than 15 years (among the online-only retailers we tested, it’s second in age only to Zenni).

Eyebuydirect can fill bifocals for an additional $29, on top of the standard lens prices, and progressives for an additional $49 or $89, depending on upgrade options. In 2022 we tested its photochromic lens option, which, for a cost of $99 and up (before any eligible coupons), enables eyeglasses to “transition” into sunglasses in the presence of sunlight. We found Eyebuydirect’s transitional lenses to be high quality and quick to switch to and from sunglasses.

Orders over $119 ship for free (orders costing less incur a $6 shipping charge). Eyebuydirect says glasses can take one to two weeks to produce and mail, but all of our test pairs arrived within seven days of ordering, save for the more-complicated progressives, which arrived within the promised two weeks.

Eyebuydirect offers two-day delivery on single-vision prescription glasses in more than 400 frame options, for an additional fee of $19 (though sometimes it’s free, and you can usually pay less with a coupon code). We tried this service and were pleasantly surprised to receive our order within 33 hours of placing it.

The 14-day “fit & style guarantee” may seem spartan compared with the 30- to 90-day return policies of other companies we tested (it’s the shortest of them all, tied with Zenni and GlassesUSA). But in most situations, two weeks should be plenty of time to figure out whether you like your new glasses. If you order more than one pair, the company will provide a prepaid label for you to ship the glasses back, no questions asked. If you order only one pair of glasses, the shipping costs are on you (though Eyebuydirect reimburses up to $6 of your expenses). Make sure to read the return instructions and all communication from customer service about the return process. We found that unless Eyebuydirect provided a prepaid shipping label, we were expected to put in a little more work to receive a refund than with other retailers, since the process is not automated. After paying to return the unwanted eyeglasses that did not come with a prepaid label, we had to reach back out to the company to ask it to provide a receipt and tracking number and again request a refund. In our experience, Eyebuydirect customer service reps work hard to get you to accept 115% store credit instead. We found the tactic somewhat annoying, but we had no trouble declining such offers and receiving full refunds, along with the $6 shipping credit, within two weeks.

The company offers a one-year warranty on all prescription eyeglasses.

Our long-term testers are happy with both their glasses and Eyebuydirect’s customer service. One tester did note that one of the screws that holds the lenses in place kept falling out, and while they didn’t reach out to Eyebuydirect about the issue, a local optometrist was happy to replace the screw for free. After that, the glasses went back to performing well.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

In addition to Eyebuydirect’s shorter return policy than most and mandatory lens upgrades for stronger prescriptions, we don’t love that the company also charges at least $3.50 for a glasses case (most companies provide a protective case and a lens-cleaning cloth by default). We also dislike the company’s mercurial coupon strategy, which can cause extreme fluctuations in the price of a pair of prescription eyeglasses, to the point where you almost never know if you’re getting the best “deal.” In an eight-week timeframe, as we were shopping around, Eyebuydirect offered varying discounts: anywhere from 15% to 50% off the total price of frames, lenses, or both.

The company always offers a 20% discount for veterans and 20% to 30% off for students; this may or may not be better than another coupon and cannot be combined with other offers.

Although Eyebuydirect generally has strong TrustPilot customer reviews, some customer reviewers have cited poor customer service. A few Wirecutter readers have reported difficulty unsubscribing from the company’s promotional emails. A spokesperson said that anyone who experiences issues with the email “unsubscribe” function or updating the contact preferences associated with their customer account can contact the company directly in order to be removed from the distribution list.

If you want to spend as little as possible on prescription eyeglasses and are willing to forego a refund of outbound shipping costs in the event you return them, you might strike gold at Zenni Optical. Our testers did (and, yes, all of the prescriptions on pairs we ordered were accurate).

Like Eyebuydirect, Zenni does not offer in-home frame trials. We found the company’s virtual try-on tool satisfactory, though some styles still were not included, and it wasn’t as seamless of a try-on experience as that from our main pick, Eyebuydirect. But Zenni has an incredible selection of more than 1,500 frames (more than Eyebuydirect's) and myriad lens options, including the choice of basic lenses even for people with stronger prescriptions. For example, with Zenni I was able to choose the 1.57 lenses (included in the base price of $13), whereas Eyebuydirect forced me to pay $33 to upgrade my $12 frames to 1.67 lenses, for a total cost of $45 for a similar pair of glasses.

It is entirely possible to snag a handsome, functional pair of single-vision glasses from Zenni for under $30 shipped: We did it multiple times, both during testing and after (when I bought myself a complete pair of $28 glow-in-the-dark specs). Tester 3, who wears progressive lenses in acetate frames, chose Zenni glasses ($149, including 1.74 lenses) as her favorite pair. These were half the price of the similar Warby Parker pair we’d ordered for her ($295, with 1.59 lenses), and significantly cheaper than the equivalent glasses we got at Eyebuydirect and Liingo. As part of our 2022 testing, we tried Zenni’s photochromatic lens option, an add-on that starts at $39 (before and applicable coupons), and turns regular eyeglasses into sunglasses when exposed to sunlight. Zenni’s transitional lenses were of high quality, darkening quickly to protect eyes from the sun, and swiftly transformed back to clear when we moved indoors.

Our testers gave high marks to the quality of most of the Zenni frames we ordered (on par with their scores for frames from Eyebuydirect and Liingo), though some of the cheapest ones did indeed look and feel cheap. We were somewhat surprised to discover that in both style and construction, some of the more expensive Zenni frames (which top out at $50) could easily rival $400 ones. However, some Wirecutter readers have noted that they have been less impressed with the quality of the glasses they’ve received from the retailer. (One reported receiving glasses with an air bubble in a lens.)

Each pair we ordered arrived within seven to 10 business days, on par with Eyebuydirect’s and Liingo’s shipping times.

In 2020, we ordered the exact same glasses that we ordered in 2019 to evaluate consistency. We were pleasantly surprised to note that not only was the prescription perfect, but the glasses were also slightly less expensive the second time around, thanks to the recent uptick in Zenni coupon codes.

Some may consider Zenni’s return policy a dealbreaker. The retailer provides a 100% refund or store credit for returns made within 14 days. (Only store credit is available for returns made between 15 and 30 days from the delivery date.) We also don’t love that anti-reflective coating isn’t included in any of the lens options, which forces customers to pay an extra $5 for something that’s included in our other pick. Zenni’s warranty coverage is also lackluster compared with that of our other picks. Zenni offers a year of protection against lens-coating defects only.

The company ships all glasses with a hardshell case and a lens-cleaning cloth.

Overall, our testers are still happy with their glasses from Zenni, with no reported complaints.

If you already wear glasses that fit, you’ve got a head start on finding and buying new ones. Take a favorite pair of frames and look at the inside arm: You’ll probably find three numbers that tell you, in order from the left, the lens width, the bridge width, and the temple arm length. If not, and you remember where you bought your last pair of specs, give the shop a call. That’s what I did with my favorite pair of glasses, which were unmarked (or the numbers had eroded with time and abuse). The store was happy to give me the frame measurements and designer over the phone, since I’d purchased the glasses there.

Of the retailers we tested, Eyebuydirect, Firmoo, GlassesUSA, and Zenni Optical allow you to limit viewable frames to a variety of toggleable desired size parameters. (Liingo Eyewear by 1-800 Contacts lists the measurements on each frame’s page, but offers no way of setting parameters to see frames only in certain lens heights, frame widths, or arm lengths.) Note that even when a frame has nearly the exact same official measurements as another, style and fit can vary dramatically.

If you don’t have frames that you already know fit, you’ll probably need to try some on, either in person or through the in-home try-on services. Though the virtual try-on services are better than nothing, especially for a seasoned glasses wearer who knows their face, to find flattering frames, a novice in need of specs should probably take a bit more care the first go-round.

When it comes to an all-day accessory like eyeglasses, weight matters, and frame size and material can have a lot to do with how heavy your specs are—which can determine how long you can comfortably wear your glasses. Eyebuydirect and Zenni allow customers to search specifically for lightweight frames, which can help someone avoid picking attractive yet unwearable glasses. Generally speaking, mostly-plastic frames are lighter than all-metal ones, but some wire frames fit the featherweight description.

A common fitting issue arises if you have a low nose bridge—meaning the shallowest part of your nose is at or below your pupils—or high cheekbones. Frames that don’t accommodate such facial features typically sit too low or too close to your eyes for the glasses to be comfortable and effective.

Likewise, if the temple arms are too long for you, the glasses can slip forward and off your face or dig in behind your ears, an issue that can sometimes be mitigated with an in-person fitting with a professional (for which Liingo offers a $25 credit; Eyeconic offers this service for free).

We previously recommended Warby Parker, and it remains a fine place to buy glasses for some people. Folks who love Warby styles and can take advantage of the company’s baseline single-vision pricing will likely be satisfied with this hybrid online brick-and-mortar shop. But after updating our brand comparison and glasses testing in 2019 and 2022, we think most people will find better prices on potentially better prescription eyeglasses elsewhere.

In 2019, our test panelists preferred glasses from our top picks over Warby Parker specs in every case. More importantly, in several instances we paid less for glasses containing thinner, higher-index lenses from other companies than we did for essentially the same glasses with thicker basic lenses from Warby. Compared with any of our picks, Warby Parker offers far fewer frame styles; this limited catalog may mean you’re less likely to find something you love. Overall, the included hardshell case and beautiful packaging were the things we found we loved most about the glasses we ordered from Warby Parker.

Warby Parker was one of the few retailers we tested that required a copy of our eyeglasses prescriptions before filling our orders. (Many allow you to enter the values notes on your Rx yourself, and don’t require proof once you’ve signed off on the accuracy and up-to-dateness of your input.) In our 2022 testing, this added check triggered a conversation with a customer service representative who sought to double check that we indeed meant to order single-vision lenses instead of progressive ones. We appreciated the look out.

Warby Parker’s shipping times and return processing were within a few days of those of our pick. But Warby’s six-month scratch-free lens warranty is half that of Eyebuydirect’s.

It’s almost always cheaper to buy both frames and high-index lenses from Eyebuydirect or Zenni Optical than to buy new lenses alone from Lensabl, a company that specializes in filling prescriptions on frames you already have. However, if you have frames and you just need the prescription lenses, Lensabl is an affordable, fast, and reliable BYO-frames option. Basic plastic 1.50 lenses start at $77, and polycarbonate 1.59 lenses are $157. Although this is almost twice what a complete pair of glasses from Eyebuydirect might cost, it’s a steal compared with the same lens-filling service offered by brick-and-mortar opticians. In our research, we were quoted anywhere from $200 to $350 for replacing prescription lenses only.

Lensabl says it can put Rx lenses in any frames for these flat rates. To test this claim, I bought an $8 pair of foldable reading glasses (currently unavailable). Within two weeks of sending the frames and prescription to Lensabl, I had a pair of perfectly prescribed folding eyeglasses for less than $100.

Lensabl covers only scratches and coating defects for up to 90 days, with the option to pay $10 for an extended warranty that provides nine additional months of coverage. Lensabl does not accept returns, unless there is a problem with the prescription and/or lens coating, and even then there is a 30-day limit on requests.

The company now offers complete pairs of prescription glasses with a smaller selection of frames than our top picks (fewer than 400 options at the time of publication). We had no problems with the frame-and-lens combination we ordered from Lensabl in 2020: The prescription was correct, and the frames fit well and felt as expected. The not-free return policy keeps us from recommending Lensabl (everyone must pay for return shipping, and there’s a 25% restocking fee on most glasses types), though the retailer is one of the few that bakes typically expensive add-ons into its base prices. With a commonly available coupon code, a pair of Lensabl blue-light blocking glasses with hydrophobic coating, scratch resistance, and UV protection can be purchased for less than $100.

Long beloved for its “alternative fit” glasses for people with low nose bridges, Jins recently made its virtual try-on tool available for nearly all of the 300+ frames it carries. The virtual try-on tool is finicky, though, and the site navigation isn’t intuitive, making it difficult to ensure that you’ve actually gotten to see all of the frame styles offered. But the frames we ordered were of high quality, and Jins shoppers in San Francisco and Los Angeles have the added benefit of visiting a few brick-and-mortar stores as well. well. Jins offers a 30-day free returns policy, though manually-entered prescriptions are precluded from this benefit.

If you want to try on up to four frames at home, for free, consider Liingo Eyewear by 1-800 Contacts. Year after year, we’ve been consistently impressed by the company’s in-home try-on service (which includes frames loaded with dummy lenses) and the prescription pairs we’ve ordered. And Liingo has a 60-day return policy. However, we think most people will find more frame options and better values at Eyebuydirect and Zenni, where we found the virtual try-on tools more than sufficient.

If you have vision insurance through Aetna, EyeMed, Humana, or United Healthcare, consider Lenscrafters or Target Optical, which offer near-identical online shopping experiences (probably because they’re owned by the same parent company). Although the glasses we ordered from Target Optical and Lenscrafters were, on average, more expensive than the ones we ordered from our top picks, the ability to use vision insurance directly at checkout (without needing to submit for reimbursement) may make any additional spend worthwhile for some. According to associates we spoke with at both retailers, store associates at Lenscrafters and Target Optical will measure PDs for customers who plan to order glasses. Lenscrafters has a 30-day return policy. Target Optical has a 90-day return policy.

If you have vision insurance through Cigna Vision, Metlife, or VSP Eyeconic may be a good solution for you, because the retailer is in network with all three of these major insurers. Although most of Eyeconic’s frames are more expensive than our picks (even after insurance benefits are factored in), Eyeconic—like Target Optical and Lenscrafters, and—unlike our picks—carries many of the name-brand frames found in some brick-and-mortar stores. Eyeconic also offers virtual try-on, free returns for 30 days, and a national network of eye doctors that will adjust your frames for free, if needed.

Since we last tested its services, in addition to virtual try-on, 39DollarGlasses now offers a (possibly) free option for in-home trial of up to five frames. The in-home trial costs $10, but that fee can be applied to any prescription glasses order with the company. We’ll update this guide with our findings.

Kits frames are gorgeous but pricey, due to mandatory upgrades for stronger prescriptions and expensive upsells for add-ons that are either included or less inexpensive at the sites we recommend. Kits offers free returns for 30 days and free exchanges and repairs for a year. It is one of the few online retailers we’ve considered that offers free prescription renewal, though the American Optometric Association does not recommend people use this type of service.

We were excited to try DiscountGlasses.com because of its generous year-long return policy. Though technically anyone can order a pair of glasses for under $20 (including shipping), they are truly barebones eyeglasses with major upsells for any add-ons. Anti-reflective coating, for example, costs an additional $20 (this option is either included or significantly less expensive at the retailers we prefer). With DiscountGlasses.com, our testers found that when trying to order glasses similar to ones they’ve ordered from our picks, the glasses came out to be 30% to 60% more expensive, even when sticking with thicker lenses.

Bonlook has a useful virtual try-on tool and almost 200 frame options. Its website isn’t intuitive, though, and some prescriptions incur additional lens fees that customers aren’t alerted to until deep into the checkout process. We found it difficult to reach the company’s customer service by any method: chat, email, or phone. Bonlook does, however, have a 30-day free returns policy for orders over $80, which is easy to activate online.

Firmoo is beloved for its extensive selection of stylish and unusual frames and affordable pricing. Even though the unwieldy website navigation, exclusive use of PayPal, and lack of package-tracking numbers leave us unable to fully recommend the site, our panelists generally loved the Firmoo glasses we tested. And the return experience was positive, though not free (you’re not refunded for the outbound and return shipping costs).

GlassesUSA’s enormous, 1,500-plus frames selection (around the same number as Eyebuydirect’s, but with name-brand options) was sullied, in our experience, by fluctuating prices, coupon landmines, and upsells upon upsells. It is the only company we considered that did not include anti-scratch coating with lenses, instead offering a $39 “package deal” for anti-glare, anti-scratch, and UV protection. When one of our orders didn’t arrive, we contacted customer service. GlassesUSA sent a new shipment notification two days later. Nearly two weeks after that, the glasses arrived. We quickly received full refunds for the glasses we returned to this retailer.

We eliminated the following retailers without testing:

Coastal is now part of Eyebuydirect. Previously, it had the same return policy and virtual try-on options, as our pick, Compared with Eyebuydirect, Coastal offered more-expensive with Eyebuydirect, Coastal offered more-expensive frame options (including from brand names like Coach and Tory Burch).

Barner and Sunnies Studios are both pricier than most of our picks, and neither company offers free returns.

See Saw Seen offers virtual try-on of its small but unique selection of frames, but prescription lenses are nonrefundable.

SmartBuyGlasses offers virtual-try on, but its seemingly generous 100-day return policy applies only to brand-new, unused items with manufacturer seals intact.

Archibald London offers in-home try-on, but these made-in-Japan frames and lenses start at $225, and prescription lenses are nonrefundable.

Cooper Crwn prescription lenses are nonrefundable.

Quattrocento offers free returns, but has a smaller selection of frames that are more expensive than any of our picks.

Covry offers in-home try-on for $10 (credited to the purchase of new glasses), but prescription lenses are nonrefundable.

GlassyEyewear returns are not free and there are fewer than 40 available frames.

David Kind offers in-home try-on and a no-questions-asked, 30-day return policy, but the least expensive frame and lens combinations are at least $295.

Roka prescription lenses are nonrefundable.

We also eliminated the following online eyeglasses retailers because they lacked a personalized virtual or in-home frame try-on service at the time of testing: Ambr Eyewear, America’s Best, Coco Leni, Diff Eyewear, Eyeglasses.com, FramesDirect, GlassesShop, GreatEyeglasses.com, Overnight Glasses, Polette, Payne Glasses, Visionworks, and Walmart Optical.

Leigh Krietsch Boerner contributed reporting to this guide.

This article was edited by Tracy Vence and Kalee Thompson.