The Best Artificial Christmas Trees, According to People Whose Taste We Trust

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Also available in 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, and 12-foot heights

Before getting this Dunhill Fir (designed by decades-oldNational Tree Company), Stefania Orrù, director of production atEater, owned fakes that were best described as “Charlie Brown–y.” Her hunt for her first full-size tree included lots of review reading and Googling — and it was aYouTube videothat persuaded her to getthistree. “It was a steal,” considering how costly an artificial tree can be and especially with current inflation levels, Orrù says. The tree is painless to set up and comes unlit — something common when buying a cheaper fake, as adding lights yourself will require buying them separately and spending time putting them on. ButOrrù appreciates the flexibility of being able to swap styles of lights this way. She even went with a “disco junk food” theme one year — featuring ornaments in the shape of a hot dog, pizza, and stick of butter. She notes that the branches are “pretty pliable in terms of positioning.”

Also available in 7-, 7.5-, 9-, and 12-foot heights and either clear or dual-color lights

Strategist writerKitty Guogrew up with an artificial tree that her dad put up every year — and this year, she put up one of her own. Guo set up the Downswept Douglas Fir (sent to her by National Tree Company to test) a few weeks ago and says that it was “extremely easy” to assemble. The tree’s parts slot together in a puzzlelike way, and the branches fall into place naturally. “All you need to do is a bit of fluffing and you’re done,” she says.

The Downswept Douglas Fir comes in heights of6.5,7,7.5,9, and12feet. Guo keeps her 6.5-foot tree at the foot of a staircase and says that the “pencil slim” silhouette prevents it from feeling in the way, even with the tree’s tall height. You can choose between clear or multicolored LED bulbs for the tree’s lights. “There are ten different options that you can toggle between with the foot pedal, and the lights will change colors, twinkle gently, or flash quickly in a kaleidoscopic whirl,” Guo says. She’s been buyingbaublesto fill out the tree ever since it was delivered: “I can definitely see this tree being the centerpiece of my Christmas decorations for years to come.”

Also available in 4-, 4.5-, 6-, 6.5-, 7-, 7.5-, 9-, 10-, 12-, and 14-foot heights with the following pre-lit options: unlit, clear, multicolor, and dual-color

If you’re looking to fill in some high ceiling space, as Strategist junior writerBrenley Goertzenwas in her old apartment, consider this nine-footKingswood fir. Yes, you’ll need a ladder to handle it — but the slim silhouette makes it easy to fit into the corner of a room, or between a couch and fireplace, which is where Goertzen set up hers. This one is a relatively low-maintenance tree: It comes clad in 500 white LED lights, so you won’t have to do much additional decorating to make it look festive. Last year, Goertzen only wrappedwood garlandsacross the branches and added some twinkling string lights. “Maybe we’ll try ornaments this year,” she says.

Available in 4.5-, 5.5-, 6.5-, 7.5-, 8-, 9-, 10-, 11-, 12-, 15-, and 18-foot heights and with the following pre-lit options (see Balsam Hill’s guidehere): unlit, LED color and LED color + clear lights, and LED clear lights

The Vermont White Spruce is another Balsam Hill bestseller. It’s meant to resemble the true white spruces of New England. Strategist senior editorJen Trolio, who was sent a sampler kit, says the branches on the Vermont White Spruce are ever-so-slightly darker with pointier needle tips than those on the Balsam Fir’s. Joanna Douglas, the former director of branded content at Vox Media, says guests always compliment hers for how real it looks. That was especially important to her, as someone who was formerly against going faux. Douglas praises the branches’ bendability, allowing her to arrange and rearrange them as needed. Hers is decorated with photos of hercatsdepicted as angels — they were once naughty, nibbling on the needles and sipping on trunk water of her real trees, but are now “completely disinterested” in messing with her fake.

Available in 4.5-, 5.5-, 6.5-, 7.5-, 8-, 9-, 10-, 12-, 15-, and 18-foot heights and with the following pre-lit options (see Balsam Hill’s guidehere): unlit, LED color + clear lights, clear incandescent lights, LED clear lights, twinkly light show, and C7 multicolor LED

Balsam Hill’s Classic Blue Spruce wasfeaturedon the set of Hallmark’sOne Royal Holiday. Fittingly, the movie’s set decorator, Christi Whiteley, calls it “majestic.” Another fan is Lauren Ragan, director of ad operations at Vox Media. The real-looking needles on this tree take a while to arrange the first few times — each branch has needles arranged in a sort of fan shape, and they need to be pushed out and down — “but after some time, it gets easier and easier, my husband tells me,” Ragan says. After pulling the trigger on the “onetime investment” four Christmases ago, she hasn’t looked back. Ragan goes for a “nice dressing” of different-colored ornaments on the tree, a compromise with her husband. Her in-laws, who are big on Christmas, have theirs “doused in ornaments,” a tradition her husband embraced before.

Available in 5-, 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-foot heights and with the following pre-lit options (see Balsam Hill’s guidehere): unlit and LED clear lights

If you want a realistic tree that nonetheless looks a bit frosty — and isn’t flocked — Trolio recommends Balsam Hill’s Sanibel Spruce. “It’s one of my absolute favorites of the handful of Balsam Hill trees I’ve acutally seen in person,” she says. Plus it “very much matches the product photo on the site,” which isn’t always the case when it comes to artificial trees. The tips of the needles on this tree are a bit lighter in color, and the branch tips are especially lifelike. “One of the more obvious giveaways that makes a tree look fake is how the needles look,” explains professional organizerBritnee Tanner. The Sanibel Spruce resembles the evergreen in her yard instead of the “loose, sparse, and floppy” look of other fakes. Trolio agrees: “There are a good number of tips per branch” with longer ends that allow for “excellent ornament distribution.” (An important note: It comes pre-fluffed with memory-wired arms that fan into place, according to the company, though Trolio notes that you should still plan to do a good bit of finishing on your own.) Even after a few Christmases, Tanner still considers it to be her best buy for the holidays.

Available in 6.5-, 7.5-, 9-, 10-, and 12-foot heights and with the following pre-lit options (see Balsam Hill’s guidehere): LED color + clear lights, LED clear lights, and twinkly light show

This is the narrow version of Balsam Hill’sfamed Fraser Fir(46 inches wide versus 60 inches wide for a 7.5-foot-tall tree).Selina van den Brink, a freelance set decorator, used this tree for the Oscar-winning filmGreen Book. She needed something that would last for the entire weekslong shoot and “wouldn’t drop needles while being decorated,” settling on Balsam Hill’s Fraser fir after doing a quick poll of fellow set decorators. “It just has all the characteristics of a real tree,” she says. “It’s not too perfect — with an organic quality to the manufactured branches.” It was featured in a traditional tree-decorating scene, with star Viggo Mortensen coming home for Christmas “just in time to celebrate with his family,” so “the tree was a very big deal,” van den Brink explains.

Available in 6- and 7-foot heights, and with either of the following pre-lit options (see Balsam Hill’s guidehere): LED clear lights or LED multi-lights

Before trying Balsam Hill’s Fifth Avenue Flatback last Christmas, I’d only ever owned the real deal. The Fifth Avenue Flatback did not disappoint: It’s convincing enough that I didn’t even miss the fresh-pine smell of a real tree. But the biggest selling point of the Flatback is that, well, the back is flat. You’re still getting all of the fullness of a real tree in the front, but this tree can stand flush against a wall. It’s ideal for small spaces like mine, where I can only fit a tree between my staircase and thecouch.

I also loved that the Flatback assembled (and disassembled) quickly. Because I didn’t have to think about a full 360-degree view, I could cut down on some decorating time, too. Just note: You’ll want to measure the bottom carefully for atree skirt— I used a standard-size 48-inch one on mine, and had to tuck it around the trunk rather awkwardly. But I’m planning on getting something better-fitting this coming Christmas.

Editor’s note: This tree is currently sold out, but you can sign up to receive an email when it’s back in stock.

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Available in 4.5-, 6-, 7.5-, or 9-foot heights

Once a traditionalist, Strategist contributorIvy Pochoda“left the fake spruce and tinsel trees behind” for what she describes as a “profane pink number” back in 2021. Even though the tree seemed frivolous at first, it’s well made — sturdy and plush and “filled the living room with shiny pink delight,” she says. Fluffed to its fullest, it “swallows lights and ornaments” — Pochoda decorates the tree with string lights, silver garland, and vintage ornaments from Christopher Radko and Kurt Adler alongside boxed wine and disco-mirror-ball ornaments. She’s since become known as the “person with the pink tree” in her neighborhood. “People paused as they passed my window. They went out of their way to take a look,” Pochoda says.

Once branded as “Champagne,” the color of this tree has since been rebranded as “Silver Pine,” which is more accurate to the “elegant pewter” shade Trolio describes it as having. Even while Trolio has looked at alotof artificial Christmas trees in her time, she thinks it’s special —particularly since it’s a pine, not the usual fir or spruce. It’s unlike shinier “tinsel” trees on the market, too. The tree comes lit; just note that if you want to add extra lights, “it’ll be more of a project than slapping on any string from the hardware store,” says Trolio, adding that you’ll need to track down clear lights liketheseto match the ones that come strung on the tree.

Available in 4.5-, 6.5-, 7.5-, 9-, 10-, and 12-foot heights with LED clear fairy lights (see Balsam Hill’s guidehere)

This was the the first Balsam Hill tree Trolio bought for herself (after previously inheriting a hand-me-down in a different style). Though in the end “a fake is still a fake,” Trolio says she chose the “sparse-on-purpose, pre-lit” design specifically for displaying certain ornaments. “I have become a way too over-the-top-Christmas-ornament person. I own hundreds andcan’t stop buying them,” she admits.

This Alpine Balsam Fir has a place in the corner of her dining room as a “theme tree” holding her collections of pickle and pretzel ornaments. Since the branches aren’t especially full, the wires for the lights are a bit more visible, so Trolio advises that you be extra thoughtful about what kinds of ornaments you’re hanging — and mindful about getting the right “drop.” (On the same note, she recommends using atree skirtinstead of a tree collar, as the branches don’t go very low on the trunk and a skirt does a better job of hiding the flat metal base.) As for assembly, the tree “goes together super-easily, and the light connectors are built into the sections of the trunk so you don’t have to plug them together separately,” she explains.

This miniature tinseled tree isn’t intended to be a dupe of a real Christmas tree, which is exactly why Trolio likes it. “It’s a shiny purple tree, after all,” she says of the “pink” one she owns, advising that the shade is much darker and more magenta in person. The tree comes in a rainbow of other hues as well, including white andturquoise. Trolio usually displays her three-foot tinsel tree in her daughters’ room, but thinks the style would be ideal for anyone with “a more kitschy aesthetic.” You can also get it inpre-lit four-footandseven-footversions.

Available in either 5- or 7-foot heights

Interior designerLiz Lipkinis eyeing these pre-lit, already-potted trees. Lipkin likes their “cartoonish” look, as “they’re not trying to fool anyone into thinking that they’re real.” She imagines grouping them together — they come in three- (now sold out) , five-, and seven-foot versions — like having a row of the smallest size, or pairing the tallest size with two in the medium size. These are modeled after trees seen on the slopes of the Alps — though there’s nofauxsnow topping them. (You can always try toDIY the effect.) Lipkin suggests clipping a few fake birds onto the branches or stringing through a cranberry garland.

Also available in 6- and 7.5-foot heights

This potted and pre-lit tree comes fromPuleo International, a fourth-generation family-owned business that calls itself “the oldest family name for Christmas trees in America.” It’s “proudly fake-looking,” according to Abby Aronofsky, executive director of corporate marketing at Vox Media. Aronofsky got it out of an abundance of precaution against her “demon cats,” Marshmallow and Marzipan. She decorated with them in mind, hanging her collection of ornaments so the least breakable ones were at the bottom and her sentimental favorites at the top. “The cats got into it but no catastrophes,” she says. Since she lives in a small New York City condo, the tree lived in her dining room–slash–kitchen for the holidays and went right back into the box once New Year’s came around.