Buying prescription glasses online is always a bit of a leap of faith, since you can’t usually try on the pair you want before ordering.
Sure, virtual try-ons are helpful, but when it comes to finding the perfect fit, nothing beats a physical try-on.
Thankfully some online retailers offer home try-ons, where you can select a few frames and try them on in the comfort of your own home, usually for free.
This is one of the most convenient ways to buy glasses online, so we wanted to round up some options for you. Here are some of our favorite sites offering home try-on options:
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Best Online Glasses Home Try-On Programs
Warby Parker: The Original Home Try-On
If there’s one brand synonymous with the online glasses revolution, it’s Warby Parker. They didn’t just hop on the home try-on bandwagon, folks; they created it.
What’s the Deal?
Warby Parker’s famous 5 frames for 5 days home try-on is as simple as it sounds.
Choose 5 frames (glasses or sunglasses – or a mix of both) from their website or app to your Home Try-On cart.
They’ll mail them to you to try on for five full days, then you pack them back up and return via prepaid postage – all completely free!
You do need to provide a credit card for authorization, but they won’t charge you unless you go MIA with their frames.
If you don’t know what suits your face, there’s a style quiz to help you pick out some frames that should go well with your features.
Or you can hit up customer service by phone, email or chat with questions about style, fit, or your prescription.
Despite growing their store footprint, Warby Parker hasn’t changed their home try-on program, which is awesome.
The only downside is that not all frames are available to try on at home. To see the pairs that are eligible, filter the selection by availability for home try-on.
Liingo Eyewear
Liingo Eyewear offers the same sweet deal: 5 frames for 5 days. And, the vast majority of their frames are eligible for in-home try-on, so that’s a big plus.
The process is pretty much exactly the same as Warby Parker’s:
- Create an account on Liingo Eyewear
- Browse through their collection and select the glasses you want to try
- Provide your credit card information so they have something in case you don’t return the frames
- Wait for your home try-on kit to arrive (normally takes a few business days)
- Try on your 5 frames for up to 5 days
- Return the glasses using the prepaid shipping label and you’re done!
Don’t Be Surprised
Liingo sends their try-on frames sans lenses. Which may feel a bit weird when trying them on as it’s just open space where the lenses should be.
If you’re looking for an alternative to Warby Parker, this is as close as you’ll get when it comes to a free home try-on program.
GlassesShop
We were pleasantly surprised to learn that GlassesShop has a free home try-on too. It wasn’t on our radar until recently (they must have launched it not too long ago).
With GlassesShop, you get 5 frames for a full 7 days – that’s right, a whole week to try them bad boys on.
As usual, you’ll need a valid credit card in order to place the home try-on order, even though the program itself is free.
They’ll place a $20 hold on your card until you send the kit back.
We love that more and more online eyewear retailers are offering free home try-ons.
GlassesShop has a good selection of frames to choose from, but it looks like less than half of them are available for home try-on.
Still, it’s definitely worth doing since it’s fun, doesn’t cost anything and is no-obligation.
39DollarGlasses
If it seems like everyone’s jumping on the home try-on bandwagon, you wouldn’t be wrong.
39DollarGlasses has their own version of the 5 frames/5 days home try-on, though they do charge a $10 fee for it.
So, it’s not free like the other programs.
But you can get the $10 back as a coupon towards your purchase (that’s $10 off each pair, not your entire purchase, so it’s worth getting more than one pair of glasses here if you like their glasses).
Like the others, you get a prepaid shipping label included in the kit so you can pack them back in the box to return.
The vast majority of their frames are eligible for home try-on, including kids frames.
To add a frame to your home try-on cart, click the house icon in the upper right corner of the product page.
39DollarGlasses is a great place for affordable frames, excellent customer service, and good quality frames and lenses – as noted by an actual optician:
Jonas Paul Eyewear (Kids)
If your child needs glasses, you probably don’t think of shopping online.
And who can blame you? How can you know what fits your kid’s face and style without trying different frames on?
Thank goodness Jonas Paul Eyewear – the go-to brand for stylish kids glasses – has a convenient home try-on kit available.
For a $7 fee, they’ll send you 7 pairs from their bestselling frames for 7 days.
That’s right, you get a whole week for your child to try them out.
Just choose the right size for your kiddo: ages 4-7, 8-12, or young teens (13+).
Unfortunately, you don’t get to select the actual frame styles yourself, so it’s kind of limiting that way.
They do have a virtual try-on feature on their website and app so you can use that to “try on” a pair not included in the home try-on kit.
Overall, Jonas Paul Eyewear is a great option for kids so you don’t need to drag your kid to the store to try on new glasses.
Bonus: single vision Rx polycarbonate lenses are included in the cost of the frame.
Or you can also order the frame and have your child’s optician fill the prescription.
Optics Outfitter (Sports/Recreation Glasses)
Into active pursuits and need a pair of prescription sports glasses or goggles?
Rec Specs by Optics Outfitter has a whole line of sports and safety glasses and sunglasses, and even youth swim goggles that are prescription-eligible.
Even better, they have a free home try-on program that allows you to pick out 4 frames that they’ll send to you to try out for 5 days.
They’ll put a $1.95 hold on your credit card until they receive the frames back, but the trial itself is totally free.
Their selection of safety and performance glasses is decent, and they cater to both adult and youth sizes, so you can easily get prescription sports glasses for yourself or your kid.
And…if you’re still undecided by the end of the trial period, you can even ask for an extension if you need a little more time to decide which pair you want.
Best Prescription Safety Glasses
Other Home Try-On Programs
David Kind
David Kind is an independent optical shop that offers an at-home try-on program but with a twist:
You choose 3 frames and one of their opticians picks 3 frames (so you get 6 in total) for you to try.
They say this helps their customers out tremendously since most lay people don’t know how to pick the right frames for their features.
The company charges a $20 “styling fee” for this service that is credited back to you if you make a purchase.
However, we were unable to figure out how to pick out frames for the home try-on, so it’s not exactly intuitive to do.
We’re guessing you’d need to get in touch with customer service directly to start the process.
PetiteGlasses.com
If you’re a woman with a particularly narrow or petite face, you know how difficult it can be to find a pair of glasses to fit you well.
It’s not necessary to wear kids frames if you’re a full-grown adult – PetiteGlasses.com offers a selection of frames specifically designed to fit petite faces comfortably and stylishly.
They even have a free home try-on for you to actually wear a few frames and see how they fit.
It’s 5 frames for 5 days, with a $1 card authorization and prepaid shipping labels both ways.
The nice thing about this try on is that you can actually keep the pair (or pairs) you want to buy straight from the kit.
That’s because PetiteGlasses.com doesn’t actually fit their frames with prescription lenses for you.
You have to buy the frame and have your optician fill your lens order.
Things To Know About Home Try-Ons
Before diving into home try-ons for glasses, here are some things to know:
- Not every frame listed online is available for home try-on. Most retailers have a filter to display only those available to send to you so you know which frames are eligible.
- There’s no obligation to buy anything. If you don’t like any of the frames, just send the kit back on time and in good condition.
- Even if the trial is free, you need to provide valid credit card details. This is to ensure that you return the demo frames in good condition and on time.
- Generally, you’re required to select the exact number of frames specified for home try-ons. For example, if the program offers 5 frames, you’ll need to select 5 frames for them to send you the kit. They won’t usually ship with fewer frames even if you only want to try a couple out.
- The trial period begins the day you receive your kit, not when you place the order.
- The frames you receive for trial typically come with placeholder or demo lenses. In some cases, you might receive only the frame without any lenses at all.
- Popular designer brands, such as Ray-Ban or Oakley, aren’t available for home try-ons, unfortunately. The companies that offer home try-ons usually only offer in-house frames for sale.
Tips For Maximizing Your At-Home Try-On
If the frame you want to try isn’t available for home try-on, check to see if the same pair in a different color is eligible.
Sometimes the same frame in a different color is eligible, so you can at least get a feel for the fit on your face even if it’s not the color you want.
Then, use the virtual try-on with the color you prefer to get a sense of how the color looks on you.
If you don’t like any of the frames in your first try-on kit, you can order another one by going through the same process again.
You just need to return the first kit within the return period first.
Finally, if you decide to purchase prescription glasses, you still have the option to return or exchange them in accordance with the retailer’s return policy if they don’t work out for you.