How Much Do Clear Aligners Cost?

Clear aligners cost $649 to $1,499 from at-home brands. Treatment in a dentist’s or orthodontist’s office averages about $5,100. The office figure comes from a national cost study that reports a range of roughly $1,800 to $8,100¹. The at-home prices come from the brands’ own stores, checked on September 3, 2026.

We rate SmileSet the best value in the at-home group at $1,295 (list $1,795, depending on when you buy). The impression kit is included, a licensed dentist reviews your case and treatment plan, and you get a 30-day refund window². Cheaper brands exist, and we cover them below with the trade-offs.

At-Home Clear Aligner Prices Compared

At-home aligners run from $649 for a single-arch plan to $1,499 for a plan that includes an in-person exam. Every price below is the sale price shown in each brand’s store, with the list price in parentheses. Treat the table as a snapshot and confirm the price at checkout before you buy.

All prices checked September 3, 2026, except SmileSet, whose checkout price was verified September 2, 2026.

The SmileSet price is the live checkout price, shown on the site as a “Save $500” promotion against a $1,795 list price². SmileSet publishes no APR or down payment; the $89/mo figure is Affirm’s widget on the aligner page, and the lender sets the terms in its own application. Nighttime aligners cost the same $1,295. SmileSet offers them for mild cases, and NewMouth usually suggests daytime wear, so read the nighttime aligner guide before choosing that option.

Is SmileSet worth it? We think so for mild-to-moderate crowding or spacing. The price sits above the cheapest mail-order brands and below every office option. It includes the kit, two virtual consults, a fit guarantee, and the Protection Plan’s touch-ups³. The SmileSet review covers the refund terms, the complaints, and who should skip it.

What Changes the Price of Clear Aligners

Care model moves the price more than anything else. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) says orthodontic cost depends on treatment type, complexity, and duration⁴. Here is how each factor shows up on the price tag:

Clear aligner treatment cost depends on:

• Who supervises you: Office treatment averages about $5,100 because a clinician sees you in person and adjusts as you go¹. At-home brands cost $649 to $1,499 because check-ins happen by photo and app.
• Case complexity: At-home brands accept mild-to-moderate cases only. Bite problems, rotations, and impacted teeth push you into office care, which costs more⁵.
• Number of arches: Treating one arch is cheaper. Smileie’s lowest price is for a single arch, so compare it with dual-arch prices carefully.
• Nighttime plans: ALIGNERCO and NewSmile both charge more for night-only plans than for all-day plans. SmileSet charges the same $1,295 for both.
• Refinements: Extra trays at the end of treatment cost money unless the plan includes them. SmileSet’s Protection Plan includes touch-ups during treatment and one within 30 days of finishing³.
• Retainers: You wear retainers for life after any aligner treatment. Budget $149 to $199 per set with SmileSet, or check whether your office fee includes them.

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At-Home Clear Aligner Brands and Costs

At-home brands ship an impression kit, have a licensed dentist or orthodontist approve a plan, and monitor you remotely. The American Dental Association warns that direct-to-consumer models can skip parts of diagnosis and planning, so brands with real dentist review are the safer buy⁵. SmileSet, the top pick, is covered above. Here are the other brands worth knowing.

ALIGNERCO

ALIGNERCO is the cheapest dual-arch plan in our table at $725 (list $1,095), and that is a sale price that could change. A Kit First Plan lets you buy the impression kit for $29.99 before committing. ALIGNERCO says a US-licensed orthodontist reviews each plan.

ALIGNERCO quotes four to six months for all-day treatment. Its NightOnly plan costs $925 (list $1,295), with 8 to 10 hours of wear a day and an 8-to-12-month timeline. The ALIGNERCO review covers the fit and support experience.

Smileie

Smileie prices by arch and by tier, so the cheapest number is not the whole story. A single-arch plan starts at $649 (list $799) and a dual-arch plan at $849 (list $999). Smileie Pro runs $999–$1,499 depending on the city and adds an in-person exam, scans, and X-rays.

You can buy the impression kit first for $49.99 and decide after you see the plan. Smileie quotes four to six months of treatment, with each tray worn 7 to 14 days. Read the Smileie review before picking a tier.

NewSmile

NewSmile’s Fast Track all-day aligners cost $1,095 (list $1,795). Its Night Aligners cost $1,195 (list $1,895). The impression kit is $29 on top. The trays are trimmed along the gum line rather than over it, which NewSmile says makes them less visible and less irritating.

NewSmile offers a live video call to walk you through your impressions. After you approve the plan, treatment is mostly hands-off. The NewSmile review has the details.

Candid

Candid has moved to a fully dentist-led model called CandidPro. You start and finish with a CandidPro dentist or orthodontist in person. Your provider sets the fee, so Candid publishes no consumer price and has no online checkout. Expect it to land closer to office pricing than to mail-order pricing.

Candid accepts a wider range of cases than mail-order brands, including some moderate bite problems. Candid treatment runs four to 12 months. One of our writers finished Candid treatment, and the review shows the before and after.

In-Office Clear Aligner Brands and Costs

Office aligner treatment averages $5,108 in the United States¹. The reported range is about $1,800 to $8,100, depending on region, case complexity, and tray count. That figure comes from a 2023 to 2024 procedural cost study by Synchrony, published by CareCredit. The ADA discontinued its national dental fee survey in 2023, so there is no current ADA benchmark to cite⁶.

Office treatment costs more because a clinician examines you, takes scans, and adjusts the plan in person. It also handles the cases at-home brands turn away. The FDA describes the aligner phase as 6 to 18 months, with each tray worn one to two weeks for about 22 hours a day⁷.

1. Invisalign

Invisalign uses a patented material called SmartTrack and is sold only through trained providers. Each provider sets the fee, so Invisalign publishes no price list. Its own cost page shows three hypothetical cases with doctor’s fees of $5,490-$7,000 before insurance¹⁴. That is the upper half of the office range¹.

Invisalign treats overbites, underbites, open bites, and gapped or crooked teeth. Most AAO orthodontists offer free or low-cost first consultations, so the exam should not add much⁴. Ask each office what its fee includes: retainers, refinements, and X-rays are the usual extras.

2. ClearCorrect

ClearCorrect publishes no consumer price at all; its site is written for dentists. The cost varies by office and by how many trays you need. Refinement trays at the end of treatment add to the total unless your quote includes them. Treatment length is set by your provider and follows the same 6-to-18-month window the FDA describes⁷.

Traditional braces are priced the same way. The AAO publishes no fixed braces price and says the total depends on treatment type, complexity, and duration⁴. Get two quotes and compare what each one includes.

Does Insurance Cover Clear Aligners?

Many dental plans cover part of orthodontic treatment, but the details decide what you get back. The AAO recommends asking your plan for the percentage covered, the lifetime orthodontic maximum, any age limits, and whether your provider is in network⁴. Lifetime maximums of $1,000 to $2,500 are common, so a $5,000 case still leaves most of the bill to you⁸.

At-home aligners are the harder case, because some plans exclude mail-order, direct-to-consumer, and virtual orthodontic programs even when they cover braces. Cigna and at least one 2026 federal employee plan have written that exclusion into policy^9,10. SmileSet does not bill insurance but gives you a claim form with procedure codes to submit yourself². Call your plan before you order and ask about “teledentistry” or “remote orthodontics” by name.

Paying With an HSA or FSA

A health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) lets you pay with pre-tax money, and orthodontic treatment qualifies under IRS rules¹¹. Reimbursement still depends on your plan’s own rules and on keeping your receipts¹². SmileSet accepts HSA and FSA cards at checkout because its store uses medical merchant code 8021². Other brands accept them too, so ask before you pay with a regular card.

What a Monthly Payment Really Costs

A low monthly number tells you nothing about the total until you know the APR. Federal rules define APR as the cost of credit expressed as a yearly rate, and it is the number to compare across lenders¹³. A 0% plan over 12 months costs you the sticker price. The same balance at 30% APR over 36 months costs hundreds more.

SmileSet’s checkout offers Shop Pay installments, Affirm, Afterpay, CareCredit, and Truemed for HSA/FSA². Affirm’s widget shows “as low as” $89/mo, and the real rate depends on your credit and the term you pick. Before you sign with any brand, write down the APR, the number of payments, and the total you will pay, then compare that total with the cash price.

Which Brand Offers the Best Value?

SmileSet is our pick at $1,295 (list $1,795, depending on when you buy). The price includes the impression kit, a dentist-reviewed plan, two virtual consults, a fit guarantee, and the Protection Plan’s touch-ups^2,3. Add $199 for a dual-arch retainer set and you know the full cost before you start.

Candid is the pick if you want to see a dentist in person at the start and finish. Its provider-set price lands closer to office treatment, and it takes on cases mail-order brands decline. Invisalign or ClearCorrect through a local orthodontist is the answer for bite problems.

Why You Can Trust NewMouth’s Recommendations

Our Methodology

The NewMouth editorial team compares at-home and in-office clear aligner brands on the same rubric. The evaluation and recommendations are based on:

1. Quality of treatment, including expert involvement throughout treatment: 35% of total score
2. Feedback from real customers: 20% of total score
3. Doctor recommendations: 15% of total score
4. Cost, financing options, and guarantees/warranties: 10% of total score
5. Treatment duration: 10% of total score
6. Additional services offered: 5% of total score
7. Ease of use: 5% of total score

Our Qualifications

NewMouth is a dental information resource covering orthodontics, at-home teeth straightening, primary dental care, and procedure costs. A team of medical writers, researchers, licensed dental professionals, and medical reviewers oversees every article on the site.

We have ordered SmileSet’s aligners and night guard ourselves. The aligners arrived as described, and taking the impressions was similar to other brands in past testing. One writer completed a full course of Candid treatment and documented the before and after. Two in-house editors fact-check each article and an in-house dentist reviews it for accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is $3,000 a good price for clear aligners?

For office treatment, yes. The national average is $5,108 and the range starts near $1,800, so $3,000 for a supervised case is on the low side¹. For an at-home plan, $3,000 is high; the brands in our table run $649 to $1,499.

Are clear aligners worth the money?

For mild-to-moderate crowding or spacing, an at-home plan with real dentist review is a reasonable buy at $1,000 to $1,300. For bite problems, pay for office care. The cheapest fix is the one that works the first time, so match the care model to your case.

Do cheaper aligners work as well?

The plastic is similar across brands. What you pay for is supervision, refinements, and what happens when something goes wrong⁵. Read the refund and refinement terms before you buy on price alone.

Summary

Clear aligners cost $649 to $1,499 from at-home brands and about $5,100 on average in an office. SmileSet is our pick for mild-to-moderate cases at $1,295 (list $1,795, depending on when you buy). Check your insurance, use your HSA or FSA, and compare total financing cost before you commit.