The best Christmas light projectors

For most houses, the Enjoyedled 9-pattern laser - nine stated patterns, an IP65 rating, a timer, and a 33 ft RF remote that works through a closed window, which an infrared remote does not. If the wall you are aiming at is wide and plain, the FLITI moving star laser covers more of it than anything else here.

Be clear what you are buying. Not one projector in this category publishes a brightness figure, a coverage distance or a lumen value, so the comparison below is built from what the listings do state: how many patterns, how the remote works, what the waterproof rating is, and whether there is a timer. That is thin, and it is everything available.

Every complaint about this category comes back to one of three things, and all three are about the surface rather than the box.

Existing light. A projector cannot compete with a porch light on the same wall. If the fixture over your door lights the wall you want to project onto, the projection will be a faint smear until you switch that fixture off - which is usually not an option, because it is the light people need to find the step. Pick a wall the working lights do not reach.

Texture. Pattern projection needs a flat, pale, matte surface. Clapboard is good, render is excellent, dark brick is poor and glass is useless. Laser dot fields survive texture far better, which is why they suit older houses.

Distance. Patterns blur as the throw grows; laser dots do not. A garage door from fifteen feet is pattern territory. A two-story facade from thirty feet is laser territory. No listing here publishes a recommended distance, so this is the judgment the page is making for you.

1. A stated IP rating, not a waterproof claim. One of these states IP65. The rest state "waterproof", which is a word rather than a rating.
2. How the remote works. RF reaches through a wall or a window; infrared needs line of sight, which means standing outside in December.
3. A timer. All five state one, and it is what keeps a projector on good terms with the street.
4. What the projection actually is. Laser dots, moving stars or recognizable shapes - three different looks sold under one category name.

We did not test these; every figure is the listing's own. No brightness value is quoted on this page because no manufacturer publishes one.

Enjoyedled 9-pattern laser projector - the pick. Nine stated patterns, five dynamic modes, four speeds, IP65, a timer and a 33 ft RF remote, with both an indoor base and an outdoor stake in the box.
Who it is for: a typical house wall or garage door, where you want to change the effect without going outside. Who should skip it: anyone projecting onto dark brick - the laser will show, the patterns will not.
Cons: no brightness figure; laser dot fields look like speckle close up; needs an outdoor-rated outlet or cord; no way to simply turn it down.

Toodour dual-head snowflake projector - two surfaces at once. Two independently aimed heads throwing falling snow, with a timer.
Who it is for: a house with two things worth lighting - the wall and the driveway, or the porch and the garage. Who should skip it: anyone with a pale wall; white snow on white render is invisible.
Cons: one effect only; no rated waterproofing, only a claim; no remote, so adjustments mean walking outside; nothing published about coverage.

FLITI moving star laser projector - the biggest coverage. A moving star field with remote and timer, aimed from as far back as you can stand.
Who it is for: a two-story facade, or a wide frontage that strings would take a day to cover. Who should skip it: anyone whose only aiming position points past the house toward a neighbor's window.
Cons: dearest here; no published coverage area; dots read as speckle from close up; lasers need careful aiming away from the street.

NHOWIN 16-pattern projector - the cheap one that earns its storage. Sixteen stated patterns across several holidays, with a remote and a timer, at the lowest price here.
Who it is for: a household that decorates for more than one holiday and does not want a box used two weeks a year. Who should skip it: anyone projecting a long way - patterns blur where lasers stay sharp.
Cons: no brightness or coverage figure; shapes on a wall read as slides, which is a taste; no dimming; waterproof claim with no rating.

GUSODOR RGB star projector - the one you can color-match. Three colors across seven modes with a remote and timer.
Who it is for: a display that already has a color scheme and should not be fought by the projection. Who should skip it: anyone running warm white strings - the blue and green settings will clash and the result reads as busy.
Cons: no brightness or coverage figure; modes rather than dimming; colored projection next to warm white is the commonest way a display goes wrong; waterproof claim with no rating.