Best Places to Buy Glasses Online for 2024

Zenni has been around for awhile, and it's the first site I used to buy cheap prescription glasses and sunglasses online. It's more of a budget-minded site, and over the years, I got some nice deals on cheap glasses, particularly when Zenni was running its occasional three-for-two glasses sales. I've had both standard eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses made here and so has fellow editor David Katzmaier, who has since graduated to Warby Parker (he said, however, he would still buy prescription sunglasses at Zenni because they're cheap and decent enough).

In the last couple of years, Zenni has been subtly shifting its image, bringing in celebrities like Rashida Jones and 49ers tight-end George Kittle to give the brand a little more of a hip vibe. The lenses are good and these guys offer nice deals on upgrades to photochromic lenses.

Notable site features: There's a Frame Fit "mirror" feature that allows you to upload a photo and see the frames on your face, as well as new "virtual" try-on feature (powered by Ditto) that allows you to see the glasses on your face as you move around using your computer's webcam or your phone's camera. This is similar to the virtual try-on feature that Warby Parker offers.

Shipping times: "Your eyeglasses are delivered around two weeks from the time we receive your order," says Zenni. In my experience, that sometimes stretches out closer to three weeks.

Current discounts: Check out Zenni's coupons and promotions landing page.

Founded in 2008, GlassesUSA.com offers more affordable options for buying prescription eyeglasses and designer eyeglasses online than sites like Warby Parker and Roka, with full prescription glasses starting at $19. But it also features premium designer frames from high quality eyeglasses brands, including Ray-Ban and Persol. The designer eyewear lists for more -- frames start at $89 for basic completed Rx glasses -- but discounts can bring them down in price. 

The one-stop shop for stylish glasses offers a 50% discount off your first frames, as well as discounts on lens upgrades (photochromic, for instance), contact lens options and reading glasses. And around major holidays you can look for seasonal promotions on men's eyeglasses, women's glasses and contact lenses.

Notable site features: A virtual "mirror" feature lets you upload your photo to the site and see what a pair of eyeglasses looks like on your face shape to help you find the perfect pair of optical frames. And the company is upping the try-at-home ante. Instead of just sending you the frames, GlassesUSA will send you the frame with your actual prescription in it so you can truly try it out for up to 14 days -- though the feature is limited to certain frames and lens options. The site also offers a 100% money-back guarantee so you can return your eye glasses if you don't like what you ultimately get. Lastly, you can download a free prescription scanner app for iOS or Android that allows you to "extract the optical parameters from your current glasses" using your phone and a PC (it works with relatively simple prescriptions, so read the fine print to see its limitations). While we've spotted a few negative online reviews for GlassesUSA, the company seems to diligently follow up and respond to each one.

Shipping times: Expect seven to 10 days between ordering and arrival of GlassesUSA products, depending on the types of glasses and the shipping option you choose.

Current discounts: Check out GlassesUSA.com's coupons and promotions landing page. 

As its name implies, Overnight Glasses can make you a new set of prescription glasses quickly -- and really quickly if you're willing to pay extra for it. If you buy a frame/lens package, fast three- to four-day service is available for $9. (It takes slightly longer for progressive and bifocal lens types.) The quality of the lenses I got was as good as that from other replacement-lens sites, so there's no sacrifice on prescription eyewear quality for speed. Lenses and a new frame will cost you from $42 to $285, while lens replacement orders start at $87.

As for new lenses, you ship your frames to Overnight Glasses and they'll replace your lenses with new ones in 48 hours. They can do polarized, blue light, Transitions and many other types, though progressive take an additional two days (so 72 hours total from the time your frames are received).

If you're looking for a truly overnight option, its emergency, 24-hour rush service costs an additional $30 for single vision. As noted, a progressive lens order can take an additional two days, so the fastest you can get new progressive lenses is three days.

Overnight makes lenses for Bose Frames and Amazon Echo Frames audio glasses.

Notable site features: The site has a clean look and is easy to use. Shipping options are one of the key focuses. 

Shipping times: As fast as 48 hours from the time your eyeglass frame is received, while 24-hour rush service costs an additional $30 for single vision (progressives take an additional two days) or is free on orders $180 and over. Note that coupons and discounts do not change the original order amount so if your original order amount was $185 and you got 30% off, you're still eligible for the free overnight rush service.

As for lens-replacement orders, these are the ship times, according to Overnight: "Orders $150 and over get free second-day Air UPS delivery both ways -- included automatically when the order reaches that amount. New lenses for single vision prescriptions deliver in five days or less if you send your frames the same day you order. Orders under $150 can add the speedy service for an additional $20 or get free ground USPS shipping."

Current discounts: Check out Overnight Glasses' coupons and promotions landing page.

EyeBuyDirect is similar in many ways to a lot of its competitors. Along with an in-house frame brand (Rflkt Eyewear) it has some Ray-Ban and Oakley frames. I went with a more affordable Rflkt frame and paired it with a higher-end lens. The price came out to around $150 -- you can go cheaper or more expensive. The most budget-friendly pairs are under 20 bucks. The frame quality was decent though not on par with, say, Roka's frames. Lens quality was good and the ordering process was smooth, with a standard virtual try-on feature where you upload a photo of yourself to help you find the perfect frame. 

Notable site features: For an extra $29, you can get two-day delivery with single-vision lenses (many frames are available for two-day delivery). It's also worth noting that like Coastal (see below), with every pair of glasses you buy, you can opt to have EyeBuyDirect donate a pair to a person in need somewhere in the world -- you pick where.

Current discounts: All of EyeBuyDirect's deals and promo codes are displayed on its homepage.

One of our editors recently used glasses.com and reported a good experience. She said that glasses.com accepts a lot of vision insurance plans and automatically handles payment if your insurance provider is in their network (you can usually get one pair of glasses free). If your vision insurance plan is out of network, like VSP and Spectera, the site automatically generates a bill (via email) that you need to submit to get reimbursed.

Notable site features: Glasses.com is a pretty no-frills site. It does have a quiz you can take that recommends what frames are right for you. You can also return frames and lenses within 60 days if you have an issue with them.

Shipping times: Expect around 14 days with free shipping option or around eight days with expedited shipping ($15). 

Current discounts: Check out Glasses.com's coupons and promotions landing page.

Eyeglasses.com's huge selection of both frames and lenses is a big selling point, but it also has the downside of offering so many options that it can be a little daunting to figure out exactly what to buy. You can get budget options -- lens prices start at $48 -- but the site skews toward more premium options. The idea is to get a significant discount (upwards of $200) on a high-quality frame-and-lens combo that you'd spend big bucks for in a brick-and-mortar shop. "Our business targets the main part of the eyewear industry, to supply the same products that customers would get at the eye doctor, but at 50% lower prices," CEO and Founder Mark Agnew told me.

The site carries over 300 brands and 200,000 individual models, which seems to be the largest catalog of any online glasses site. The filters are also decent, allowing you to filter by rim style, material, brand, price, category, eye size, clips and country of origin. There are advanced search options too, such as bridge size and temple size, and B measurement. There's no virtual try-on feature, however, and many of the frames don't have models to show you what the frames look like on someone's face. 

Notable site features: Eyeglasses.com says it only sells "high quality, individually made lenses made in the USA" and the sample glasses I tried had excellent lenses that gave me a very sharp image. As I said, there's a huge selection of lens options, and you get a "Perfect Lenses Guarantee" that allows you to send your glasses back if they don't work for you -- you can get a one-time free redo of the lenses, or a full refund on the frames and 50% cash back on the lenses, your choice.

The site also offers a lens replacement option for your existing frames (you send your frames in). Unlike Lensabl (see below), which highlights the feature, Eyeglasses.com doesn't market the option front and center.

You can also get new glasses very quickly if you choose to pay extra for expedited shipping.

Shipping times: Less than six days, according to the site. I received a new pair in a couple of days, but I had an expedited shipping option.

Current discounts: 15% off your first order in exchange for your email address (no other coupon codes available).

What do you do if you've already got a pair of eyeglasses frames you like but your prescription is old (or the lenses on your frames are scratched) and you just want to replace the lenses? Lensabl is one of the few sites that allows you to send in your own pair of frames and get a new prescription lens for them. Its motto is, "Your frames, our lenses," with prices starting at $77 for buying a basic pair of single-vision lenses. A pair of tinted sunglasses lenses start at $97. 

You upload your prescription online, pick the type of lens you want, and then Lensabl sends you a box with a prepaid return shipping label. You simply mail them your glasses in the box (shipping is free). First-time customers get 15% off. This site is also a good option if you have an old pair of glasses that you want to turn into prescription sunglasses.

Lensabl also offers full glasses packages with its own frames. Many of the options are free with an accompanying lens purchase.

Notable site features: For $25, you can renew your prescription online. Not everybody qualifies to take the online eye exam -- you have to answer some questions to see if you qualify -- but if you do, Lensabl says, "All you need is your computer, smartphone and about 15 minutes of time." Your results will be reviewed by an eye doctor or optometrist licensed in your state who will then issue you a new prescription via email.

Shipping times: Lensabl pledges "about two weeks" turnaround time from when you ship your frames to when you'll receive them back.

Current discounts: All of Lensabl's deals and promo codes are displayed on its homepage.

FramesDirect is similar to a lot of the other online glasses retailers out there, but it focuses more on offering decent discounts on premium brand frames, claiming to have the largest selection of designer glasses online. This eyewear retailer is also one of the few places that offers prescription lens inserts for the Quest 2 and other VR headsets.

Finally, the site has strong customer service ratings from TrustPilot.

Notable site features: Like Coastal (see below) and others, FramesDirect has a philanthropic partnership with the Essilor Vision Foundation to improve the sight of people who can't afford glasses. FrameDirect says that "for every pair of glasses bought, we will donate a pair of glasses to someone in need," and you can select the region for the donated pair. 

Like Zenni, Warby Parker and others, it now has a virtual try-on feature.

Shipping times: Expect around 14 days. 

Current discounts: Check out FramesDirect's coupons and promotions landing page.

As you'd expect, SportRx caters to people looking for sports-oriented prescription glasses, with a wide variety of options from big eyewear brands such as Smith, Oakley, Ray-Ban, Costa and Nike. Not all the frames it sells have an Rx option, but most do.

Although you'll get a better deal here than you'd get from your local sunglasses boutique, this is not a budget site and you can end up paying upwards of $250 or more, depending on your prescription. But SportRx runs some deals on frames and also gives you access to a real optician to help you decide which glasses are right for your prescription and athletic pursuits. Making Rx lenses for sports glasses can be tricky.

Notable site features: SportRx says that instead of speaking (or live-chatting) to a run-of-the-mill customer service staffer hidden in some obscure call center, you're speaking with a "friendly SportRx Optician in sunny San Diego" who's gone through a rigorous training regimen (the SportRx Academy) and is well-versed in various aspects of optics: refractive light, myopia, presbyopia, astigmatism and everything else you can think of. "What's more," the site says, "they have extensive training on the best sports frame and lens options on the planet."

Shipping times: Around 14 days.

Current discounts: Check out SportRx's coupons and promotions landing page.