The best window shade is a perfect accessory for your living room and bedroom windows, allowing you to control the amount of light shining through. Our evaluation focused on design, customization, ease of installation, child safety, and corded vs. cordless window shades. At the end of the day, you want to get the best prices on appliances you want to buy.
After more than 13 hours of research and testing, our top pick goes to the Windowsandgarden Custom Cordless Single Cell Window Shade. This window shade features a cordless instruction and a textured, pleated honeycomb design with many of color options. An easy to use head and bottom rail also allows it to expand and retract smoothly with no snags. Keep reading to learn more about the Windowsandgarden Custom Cordless Single Cell Window Shade and five others that met our strict grading criteria.
Top 5 Best Window Shades
#1 Windowsandgarden Custom Cordless Single Cell Window Shade
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Award: Top Pick
WHY WE LIKE IT: This window shade comes in a pleated, honeycomb design and offers custom sizing from 21 to 72 inches wide and 24 to 72 inches high. It is a great choice for families who need a fit for not-so-common window dimensions.
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- Best for non-standard window sizes
- Easy to use
- Child-safe & made in the USA
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- Large hard to remove sticker on the bottom
- Pleats may wrinkle
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We love this window shade’s honeycomb design. A semi-glossy PVC head and bottom rail also match your curtain’s tone, making it look as if it were all one piece. It is also kid-friendly, with no cords that can tangle and become a choking hazard. Our favorite feature is its customization down to one eighth of an inch, which serves well for non traditionally sized windows.
Pulling this window shade up and down is a breeze. Simply grab the bottom rail, pull down gently, and expand or retract. Though it is easy to use, it can only be opened from the bottom up. Bonus points for filtering out the light really well. It works well with the best window air conditioner.
#2 Original Blackout Pleated Window Shade
Award: Honorable Mention
WHY WE LIKE IT: This offers the best blackout shades behind blinds, blocking 99% of light. It is a perfect choice for anyone looking for blackout shades that could fit inside or outside your window frame.
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- Great blackout effect
- Very easy to install
- No cords
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- Not moisture-resistant
- Some users reported non-sticky adhesive
- Do not include clips
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This window shade, which blocks out 99% of sunlight, is made using 100 percent polyester that has an insulating effect, preventing heat from coming in. Instead of cords, it uses clips to lower and raise the shade to any height. We really like pairing this with actual window curtains to alternate easily between prioritizing sleep and window decorating.
Our favorite feature with this window shade is how easy it is to install. Simply trim it to match your window’s width, peel off a liner, and stick it to your window. No drills, screws, or any type of modification is needed. Plus, it is child-safe with no cords. Its child-friendliness and easy installation makes it a winner in our book. Don’t forget the best window cleaning kit to keep them looking nice. Make sure to check out another stylish alternate window treatment: the Arlo Cordless Petite Rustique Bamboo Roman Shades. Mounting hardware is conveniently included, the cordless lift system is safe and easy to use, and the blinds filter as much light as needed for a natural but satisfying effect.
#3 Achim Home Furnishings Top-Down Cordless Honeycomb Window Shade
Award: Best for Kids
WHY WE LIKE IT: This is one of the best roller shades, comingin a cordless honeycomb design with top down and bottom up rails. It is a great choice for people who want to let in natural light from the top of the window and cover the middle and bottom for privacy.
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- Great
- Lots of available sizes
- Soft fabric
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- Tricky to install
- Flimsy plastic tab
- Does not insulate well
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This window shade is very easy to use. Simply drop and release the bottom rail to retract it back into the headrail. The bottom rail can lock in any vertical position, controlling the amount of natural light. Its top down and bottom up design allows you to cover most of the window while allowing natural light to come in from the top. Kudos to its cordless design, which makes it safe around children and pets.
We love the fact this window shade comes in a variety of colors, including mocha, white and dove grey. It looks equally good in living rooms and bedrooms with more than ten sizes available. Be sure to also check out the Yoolax 100% Reed Woven Wood Window Blinds that are a stylish but semi-private option that would be better for certain rooms versus others. Yoolax provides quality customer service as well with having a service team that provides instant feedback and support if you run into any issues. Shades help keep you cool just like the best ceiling fans.
#4 Redi Shade Original Light Filtering Pleated Fabric Window Shade
Award: Best Budget
WHY WE LIKE IT: This pleated window shade takes less than a minute to install. It is a great choice if you are looking for a fast and cheaper option to furnish your home windows.
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- Quickest & easy install
- Child-friendly
- Easy to install
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- Only two sizes available
- Easily wrinkled
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This window shade looks great in dorm rooms, apartments, and large homes that receive plenty of natural light. It is more transparent than our first three picks, filtering in a lot less light. Kudos for not including cords, but a set of clips to raise and lower the shade to any vertical position.
Related: You could also benefit from our best cabinet hangers guide.
Thanks to its trimmable fabric, this window shade is very easy to customize. Simply measure your window and trim your window shade to the desired width. From there, stick it to the top of your inner window and raise or lower it using the provided clips. While testing, this process took no more than 5 minutes. The best usb fan doesn’t keep you as cool as a good shade. Another affordable option is the Chicology Cordless Cellular Shades, which comes in an assortment of colors and gives your space sufficient light filtering and privacy. The shades’ cellular design contributes to noise reduction and insulation as well.
#5 SUNFREE Blackout Window Shades Cordless Window Shade with Spring Lifting System
Award: Best Light Filtering
WHY WE LIKE IT: This window shade offers inside and outdoor mounting and comes with a UV blocking back silver coating. This is a great choice for anyone who wants to control light coming in from the top and sides and protect themselves from UV rays.
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- Silver coating
- Cordless, spring load design for easy up and down
- Does not wrinkle
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- Tricky to install
- Plastic frame edging
- Flimsy screws
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These best window blinds do an excellent job of blocking sunlight and UV rays thanks to a black silver coating,. It also has an insulating effect, helping prevent excess heat and cold from entering the room. Our favorite feature is its ability to mount inside or outside of the window frame, allowing users to let light in from the top/side or block light altogether.
Related: Check out our guide to the best window curtains.
We like this window shade’s adjustable tension. When installing using an inside mount, pulling it from side to side is smooth without any jerking or snagging. It also retracts and lifts to the top frame with no issues. Bonus points for its smooth surface, which wrinkles less than cellular, pleated window shades. One of the best light filtering window treatments is the Springblinds 100% 23″ Blackout Roller Shade, which has 100% Blackout/UV Protection to shield your skin from UV rays, protect your home from overheating, and make sure you get a better night’s sleep.
How We Decided
In determining the best window shade to buy, we explored safety, design, customization, and ease of installation. We recommend cordless window shades, which eliminates the danger of tangled cords around children and pets. Cordless window shades retract and expand just as well as corded window shades by pressing a bottom tab or rail. Look for coated backings, which help block light and UV rays that can protect your home’s interior over time.
Our recommended window shades come in two styles – pleated cellular and smooth. Deciding on either is mainly a question of style preference.
Customization is also essential. Some picks, like our #2 pick Original Blackout Pleated Window Shade and the #4 pick Redishade Original Light Filtering Pleated Fabric Window Shade, are trimmable, which allows you to customize it to your window’s width. Bottom up and top down mounting is also privacy-friendly, allowing natural light to come in from the top while covering your middle and bottom windows.
Lastly, we considered ease of installation. Some window shades, such as the Redishade Original Light Filtering Pleated Fabric Window Shade, take less than five minutes to install with no tools required – only adhesive.
Best Window Shades Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider
- Installation
We like trimmable window shades with provided adhesive to match your window’s width and mount without the use of tricky brackets and tools. - Customization
Several of our window shade picks are trimmable, which allows you to match your window’s width. They are also very easy to install, taking less than five minutes using adhesive. - Cordless Window Shades
Cordless window shades allow you to expand and retract the shade using a bottom tab or rail, with the ability to lock it into any vertical position. It is much safer than corded window shades, which can easily get tangled around children’s necks.
