The 5 best pre-lit artificial Christmas trees in 2021

Best pre-lit Christmas tree overall

The lush and full Balsam Hill Classic Blue Spruce features realistic needles and warmly glowing LEDs.

Pros: Easy assembly, realistic color and needles, 3-year limited warranty

Cons: Time must be spent to spread and fluff the branches to achieve fullness

Even if you’ve never been to Colorado, you’ll love their state tree, the blue spruce, with its blue-green, light grey, and moss green needles. Balsam Hill captured the majesty in its Classic Blue Spruce Pre-lit LED Artificial Christmas Tree. The 7-foot height and 53-inch width are perfect for a statement tree in your home.

Balsam Hill trees are exceptionally realistic because they have so many branch tips that can be fluffed and spread to create fullness. The PVC needles are soft, pliable, and flat just like real spruce needles. The sturdy branches are hinged for quick and easy setup.

My favorite feature is the lights. While many LED clear lights are dazzlingly bright, Balsam Hill uses Candlelight LED bulbs that cast a soft glow more like an incandescent bulb. There are 850 hand-strung lights attached to the branches. The tree comes with extra bulbs and fuses, and the lights stay on even if one bulb on a strand goes out.

The tree comes with a tree stand with rubber, scratch-proof feet; storage bags; and a power foot pedal so you don’t have to crawl under the tree every night to unplug it.

Best budget pre-lit Christmas tree

This Home Accents Holiday 7.5-foot Festive Pine Pre-Lit LED Artificial Christmas Tree will light up your holiday decorations without taking up too much of your budget.

Pros: Sturdy, easy to assemble

Cons: Not the most realistic artificial tree, does not come with a storage bag

If you are looking for a pre-lit artificial tree that delivers a decorating punch but won’t break the bank, the Home Accents Holiday 7.5-foot Festive Pine Pre-Lit LED Artificial Christmas Tree from The Home Depot is a perfect choice. With warm white LED lights and over 1,000 branch tips, this tree has plenty of fullness and brightness. 

The tree comes with a high-density metal stand for support and three sections of hinged branches and has a full silhouette at 46 inches. There’s lots of room underneath for a train set or presents. This tree is tall enough for an office or public gathering space and will hold dozens of ornaments.

The branches can be fluffed out easily for a full look. This is a good-looking tree at a bargain price.

Best narrow silhouette pre-lit Christmas tree

The Puleo International Slim Fraser Fir Pre-Lit Artificial Tree provides all of the fullness of a perfectly shaped Christmas tree within a slim silhouette.

Pros: Fits in tight spaces

Cons: Lights are not LED, no storage bag included

There are spaces like entryways, tight corners, and small apartments where a wide Christmas tree won’t work. Most artificial trees come in full, slim, or pencil widths. The Puleo International Slim Fraser Fir Pre-Lit Artificial Tree stands at 7.5 feet tall and gives the illusion of a wide, full tree but in a slender 42-inch diameter.

When a friend moved to a new home, her previous tree wouldn’t work unless everyone wanted to stand around the tree because there was no room for chairs. So we went shopping for a narrower tree. Pencil trees didn’t offer enough branches to accommodate her favorite ornaments, but this slim Puleo International Fraser Fir Artificial Tree was perfect.

The tree is pre-strung with 500 lights and has 1,453 branch tips to create the illusion of a wider, full tree. It’s simple to assemble with just three sections to put together. The included tree stand is sturdy, and the lights are soft white, UL-listed. The lights are “continuous on” so that if one bulb goes out, the others stay on. However, they’re not LED, so they won’t last as long.

Best flocked pre-lit Christmas tree

If you enjoy a white Christmas, the Flocked Mixed Pine Pre-Lit LED Tree will make you feel like you’re in Vermont.

Pros: Sprinkled with pine cones, foot pedal for light control

Cons: Flocking can shed during setup

When I was growing up, we added a wintry touch to live trees with a can of spray-on snow. I can tell you it was quite messy, and cleaning the floor was not simple. So I was thrilled to discover I could have the look without the extra effort and mess.

This pine is accented with flocked pine cones to add to the natural, woodsy look. There’s still space for your ornaments and maybe a red bird or two peeping out of the branches.

The tree sets up quickly because the plugs for each section of lighted branches are located inside the pole. As you add each section, the lights illuminate automatically as you connect the plugs. The tree features a foot pedal for turning the tree on and off, and extra lights and fuses are included.

Best silver pre-lit Christmas tree

If you love a retro-modern holiday style, then the Wondershop Silver Tinsel Alberta Spruce Tree with 210 lights is just what you need.

Pros: Slender silhouette, unique color

Cons: No storage bag is included, not as full as other trees on the list, non-LED lights

The first silver tree I ever saw was in my aunt’s living room. It was like celebrating Christmas with the Jetsons.

The Wondershop Silver Tinsel Alberta Spruce Tree is shaped like a natural spruce tree, but it still holds the allure of a dazzling tree. Just like its green counterparts, a tinsel tree is made from PVC plastic, coated to give the needles their shimmer. With 210 pre-strung incandescent clear lights, this one is a showstopper.

The tree has a slender 27-inch diameter and weighs just 10 pounds, making it simple to assemble. The tree comes with a four-point tree stand and has pull-down branches. There are over 500 branch tips to fluff out and hold all of your favorite ornaments.

If you want a fashion-forward holiday, use only one color of ornaments for a stylized effect. Or silver trees are great for highlighting antique ornaments, especially fragile mercury glass pieces. Either way, you’ll be smiling each time you use the foot control to turn on and off the lights.

What to consider when buying an artificial tree

After going through a series of trees, I’ve gained a bit of knowledge that allows me to help others make a good decision when buying a pre-lit artificial tree:

• If you opt for non-LED lights, it is important to look for a pre-lit tree that is labeled “with burn-out protection” or “continuous on.” This means that if one bulb goes out, the rest of the strand will stay lit.
• Measure the space where you plan to put the tree so you can purchase the height and diameter that works for you.
• Look for trees with branches and needles that are molded as one, not attached by wires, to resemble a real tree more closely.
• Choose a tree with the highest tip count you can afford. More tips make an artificial tree look fuller and provide more spots to place ornaments.
• A higher light count means a brighter tree. A good rule is 100 light bulbs per every 1.5 feet of the tree.
• Most artificial trees have a life expectancy of around 10 years. Invest in a tree bag to help protect the tree from dust and insects while it’s in storage.
• If you crave the scent of a real tree, skip the artificial sprays and buy a fresh pine wreath or garland to bring the outdoors into your home.

Check out our other great Christmas decorating buying guides

• The best Christmas decorations
• The best Christmas lights
• The best tree skirts
• The best Christmas tree stands