Best Online Eyeglasses: EyeBuyDirect vs Zenni Optical vs Warby Parker vs Coastal vs Goggles4u & More!

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Need new glasses but not excited to spend a couple hundred dollars on new glasses? We’ve got a secret that could save you big bucks! You can shop for designer frames and high-quality lenses online for a fraction of the cost (as low as $6).

There are also a handful of benefits you receive when you order glasses online including free shipping not to mention feeling awkward trying them on in front of people.

Whether you’re looking for an everyday pair of glasses or a stylish, colorful pair for fun or sunglasses to see better outside, you should buy glasses online and save yourself some time and money. Read our best online eyeglasses review to find out how you can see 20/20 in no time (and for much less than you normally pay).

Article Overview

Best Eyeglasses Online

Ready to see 20/20? We’ve got you covered. Here are our top three as well as a few other note-worthy. Read on to check out our full online eyeglasses review.

Zenni Optical Review

#1

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Zenni Optical is our #1 pick for best online glasses. Their eyeglasses cost less than $20 (and that’s including shipping!). If your frames don’t fit, you can return for 100% store credit. Zenni Optical’s try-on feature consists of you uploading a picture and the system overlaying the glasses onto the picture. The big perk here are the discount glasses online start at $6.95.

Pros

Cons

  • Progressive and bifocal glasses available
  • Live chat, email, phone and FAQs support
  • Extremely discounted glasses
  • Upload a photo to “try-on” the glasses
  • 60-day refund for 50% money back or a one time 100% store credit
  • No designer brands

Pricing

  • Eyeglasses starting at $6.95
  • Sunglasses starting at $25.95

Coupon

Our link above applies discounts if available.

EyeBuyDirect Review

#2

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EyeBuyDirect is our #2 pick for best place to buy glasses online. If you’re a budget-conscious consumer, EyeBuyDirect may be the company to go with. They offer great quality, cheap glasses online. You can purchase stylish glasses for adults and children and customize them according to your choice of frame style, color, material and shape.

Eye Buy Direct offers prescription glasses in addition to transitions lenses, bifocals and progressives. If you’re looking for designer glasses though, this isn’t the site for you.

Pros

Cons

  • Progressive and bifocal glasses available
  • Transition lenses
  • Kids and sunglasses also offered
  • Can add-on case for a small additional fee
  • Live chat, email, phone and FAQs support
  • 14-day refund
  • Upload a photo to “try-on” the glasses
  • No designer brands
  • No contacts

Pricing

  • Eyeglasses starting at $6
  • Sunglasses starting at $19

Coupon

Our link above applies discounts if available.

Frames Direct Review

#3

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Frames Direct was founded in 1996 by two doctors. The company is known for selling designer glasses from over 150 brands with over 100,000 frames to choose from. Their try-on feature consists of you uploading a picture of yourself and then choosing the glasses you’d like to try on. This FramesDirect.com feature gives you an idea of what you’d look like with the glasses on.

Pros

Cons

  • Contacts and sunglasses available
  • Progressive and bifocal glasses available
  • Email, phone and FAQs support
  • Designer brands: Ray-Ban®, Oakley, Gucci and Persol
  • Lots of sorting options
  • Military discount
  • 1-year warranty
  • Free shipping
  • Upload a photo to “try on” the glasses
  • No big discounts
  • No live chat

Pricing

  • Eyeglasses starting at $40
  • Sunglasses starting at $38

Coupon

Our link above applies discounts if available.

Eyeglasses Online Reviews

Below are some other online glasses reviews that didn’t make our top three. Be sure to look through them, as well, because one website for Rx glasses online may have a feature you’re looking for.

Coastal | GlassesUSA | Goggles4U | Liingo Eyewear | Warby Parker

Coastal Review

Coastal logo

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Coastal offers a mixture of inexpensive glasses as well as designer name glasses. The try-on feature consists of you uploading a picture and then seeing the frames overlaid on the photo. So you can get an idea of what the glasses will look like on you. At the time we reviewed Coastal.com the try-on feature was not working for us. We were unable to upload a picture at all.

Pros

Cons

  • Children glasses, sunglasses and contacts offered too
  • Progressive and bifocal glasses available
  • Phone and FAQs support
  • Designer brands: Ray-Ban®, Oakley, Nike, Calvin Klein
  • Free shipping
  • 1-year warranty on lenses and frames
  • Some glasses have good discounts
  • No live chat
  • Broken images on the website
  • Not the best “try on” feature (it was broken when we tried to use it)

Pricing

  • Eyeglasses starting at $19
  • Sunglasses starting at $50

GlassesUSA Review

Glassesusa logo

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GlassesUSA offers 2,000 frames from over 50 name brand designers. Their photo “try on” feature, in conjunction with a questionnaire, helps you find the right frames for you. The questionnaire helps choose frame size, measurements and personality (aka what hobbies are you interested in and what glasses would accommodate those hobbies).

One feature that stands out for GlassesUSA.com is their price guarantee. If you come across the same frames being sold elsewhere for less, Glasses USA will match that price.

Pros

Cons

  • Sunglasses and contacts also offered
  • Progressive, multifocal and bifocal glasses available
  • Email, phone and FAQs support
  • Designer brands: Ray-Ban®, Oakley, Armani Exchange and DKNY
  • 1-year warranty on all frames and lenses
  • “Try on” feature consists of uploading a photo in addition to filling out a questionnaire
  • Price guarantee
  • Free shipping and returns
  • No glasses for children
  • No live chat

Pricing

  • Eyeglasses starting at $19
  • Sunglasses starting at $47

Goggles4u Review

Goggles4u logo

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Goggles4U offers prescription glasses starting at a low price of $6.95. They say they offer designer glasses but at the time we researched this article, there were none listed online. They offer strictly eyeglasses, so if you’re looking for sunglasses you’ll have to look elsewhere.

The Goggles4U try-on feature is like the others—you upload a photo and overlay the glasses onto it. They only have a 15-day warranty/return period but for under $10 you really can’t beat it.

Pros

Cons

  • Glasses for children also offered
  • Sunglasses with multiple colored tinting options
  • Progressive and bifocal glasses available
  • Phone, email, live chat and FAQs support
  • Upload a photo to “try on” the glasses
  • 15-day warranty
  • Says sunglasses offered but difficult to shop for them (add tinting when selecting lens type)
  • Website a bit dated and a challenge to navigate/search
  • No contacts

Pricing

  • Eyeglasses and sunglasses starting at $9.90

Liingo Eyewear

Liingo logo

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Founded by two guys in 2012 who were frustrated with the eyeglasses buying process, Liingo prides itself on stylish, trendy and high-quality frames. Their precision cut, polycarbonate lenses are 20% thinner, 30% lighter and 10-12x more impact resistant than your traditional plastic lenses. They also come with UV protection and scratch-resistant coating.

Their triple quality check and colorful selection of frames’ prices start at $79 including lenses. Their turnaround time is around 10 days and they have a 100% “Delight Guarantee” if you are not satisfied.

Pros

Cons

  • Glasses for women and men
  • Progressive glasses available
  • Filter by size, color or collections
  • Free In-Home Try-On lets you test drive them for 10 days risk-free
  • Better than average, durable polycarbonate lenses
  • Free shipping and returns
  • 100% Guarantee
  • No ability to sort by price
  • No children’s frames
  • No sunglasses
  • No contacts
  • Higher price-point

Pricing

  • Eyeglasses starting at $79

Warby Parker Review

Warby Parker logo

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Warby Parker is the trendsetter when it comes to buying glasses online. They send you 5 pairs of glasses of your choice to try on for 5 days. So you don’t have to worry about uploading a picture and trying the glasses on online — you can get the real deal by testing glasses on your own face. Avoid the entire in-store shopping experience if you want and do it all at home.

Warby Parker also has a 1-year no-scratch guarantee for their lenses, which is a great added bonus. One of our website’s founders has used WarbyParker.com to buy glasses twice and has been very happy with the experience, frames and pricing.

Pros

Cons

  • Glasses for women and men
  • Eyeglasses, sunglasses and Rx sunglasses
  • Progressive glasses available
  • Live chat, phone, email and FAQs support
  • 1-year no-scratch guarantee
  • Free shipping
  • 30-day return policy
  • At home try-ons for some glasses
  • No glasses for children
  • Few sorting options
  • No designer brands
  • No bifocals

Pricing

  • Eyeglasses starting at $95
  • Sunglasses starting at $145

Tips For Shopping For Eye Glasses Online

You might have found the best online prescription glasses, but will they fit properly? Since there are so many technical requirements you need to buy glasses online, here are a few things to help you in out in the ordering process.

Video: How To Read Your Eyeglasses Prescription

Obviously, you’ll need this in order to get your lenses ordered. But need help figuring out what all the numbers mean? This short video from EyeBuyDirect breaks down how to read your eyeglasses prescription:

How To Choose Glasses For Your Face Shape

Wondering what style frame to get? Although the virtual or at-home try-on features are great, sometimes you might be looking at the wrong style. This article from Huffington Post has some great advice on how to choose the best glasses for the shape of your face.

Understanding Frame Size And Measurements

This graphic from Goggles4U shows how to get the frame measurement. In addition, you’ll need the “PD” or pupillary distance which is the length between your two pupils. This number is important to ensure proper lens placement within the frame.

Eyeglasses with measurements

Our Personal Experience With Buying Frames Online

I’ve purchased three pairs of eyeglasses online from Zenni. The second pair I purchased ended up being the wrong frame size for my face. So be sure to watch the video above so that you get the proper size. I ended up having to return mine but fortunately, I was given store credit to get a proper size. I have had a great experience with purchasing eyeglasses online and would recommend them to anyone.

Another person on our team bought eyeglasses and sunglasses through EyeBuyDirect and had a great experience. It had a quick turn around time, quality lenses and came with a very nice leather case and cleaning cloth (in nice packaging to boot).

If you wear contacts, be sure to check out our comparison of companies that sell contact lenses online.

What’s stopping you from purchasing glasses online?

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Disclaimer: the information provided through this website should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease; it is not intended to offer any legal opinion or advice or a substitute for professional safety advice or professional care. Please consult your health care provider, attorney, or product manual for professional advice. Products and services reviewed are provided by third parties; we are not responsible in any way for them, nor do we guarantee their functionality, utility, safety, or reliability. Our content is for educational purposes only.

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Vooglam is an eyewear brand that has become popular in North America in recent years. The price is even cheaper than zenni, and the quality is similar to eyebuydirect.

You guys missed globaleyeglasses.

Hey Arjun, thanks for sharing! We’ll add them to our list to possibly include in our next audit as we try to make sure we have all the latest and greatest companies in our review. Thanks again for reading!

I used Goggles4U and it was super easy and inexpensive to use their service (even ordered from my iPhone) but the frames weren’t at all what I expected. They looked much different than what they looked like online (at least from my iPhone screen). Luckily I didn’t pay a lot for them, especially because they are pretty flimsy plastic. But I ended up finding my regular glasses so I use my “Goggles” as a backup pair.

Update: I tried EyeBuyDirect and couldn’t be more pleased! By far the best glasses I’ve ever had, very high quality, durable lenses and frames, super affordable (got frames and sun glasses plus 2 cases for $80) and they arrived in a beautiful, heavy duty box. The only thing was the turn around time was about 2 weeks, but well worth the wait!!

Hey Sadie – Check out Liingo Eyewear (as another potential option to this list) and let us know what you think. 🙂

Bryce thanks for sharing, we’ll add to our list to potentially review in the future, appreciate it!