AlignerCo vs Byte – Which At-Home Teeth Aligner Is Best?

Are you ashamed of your smile? Does the condition of your teeth worry you?

You’re not alone. A report by the American Dental Association found that 1 in 4 adults avoid smiling due to the condition of their mouth and teeth. 1 in 5 feel embarrassed or experience anxiety.

And 82% of Americans believe that straight, white teeth help you get ahead in life. [1]

So why haven’t you done something about it?

Most people cite the high cost of traditional dental treatments like braces (often $3,000+) for failing to improve their smile. Most dental insurance plans don’t cover orthodontic treatment for people over the age of eighteen. They also cite the time for the treatment to be effective, which is 1.5 years or more.

This is where home aligners come in. They are generally cheaper and quicker than traditional methods. On the downside, they are not a solution for severe types of tooth or jaw misalignment but are better suited to mild or moderate teeth straightening requirements. 

However, home aligners have opened up a whole new, more cost-effective way to improve your smile. You can even opt for nighttime only aligners so that the treatments work only while you’re sleeping.

What Are AlignerCo & Byte?

AlignerCo and Byte are both popular companies supplying a complete at-home treatment for misaligned teeth. 

Your aligners and everything else you need is delivered to your door, while you still have access to professional staff who guide you through the course of your treatment remotely.

Both companies supply an initial impression kit, aligners, and retainers to use after the treatment has finished. 

They also offer nighttime only aligners and extras like teeth whitening. You can either pay upfront or take advantage of their finance plans. 

Both AlignerCo and Byte are generally cheaper than having the treatment done directly through orthodontists.

AlignerCo vs. Byte: Comparison Table

BPA-Free Aligners	Yes	Yes
Nighttime Only Aligners?	Yes	Yes
Hours Per Day Worn	20-22 hours: all-day aligners 8-10 hours: nighttime aligners	20-22 hours: all-day aligners 10 hours: nighttime aligners
Treatment Duration	6-11 m: all-day aligners 8-12 m: nighttime aligners	3-4 m: all-day aligners 5-6 m: nighttime aligners
Extras	–	HyperByte device reduces discomfort and lowers treatment duration.
Remote Monitoring	Dentists and Orthodontists	Dentists and Orthodontists
Access to Doctor Throughout Treatment?	Yes	Yes
Overall Cost	$1,145 : all-day aligners $1,345: nighttime aligners	$1,895: all-day aligners $2,295: nighttime aligners
Finance Plan Offered?	Yes	Yes
Cost Per Month (Daytime Aligners)	$90 a month	$83 a month
Cost Per Month (Nighttime Aligners)	$109 a month	$99 a month
Retainers	First set of retainers are free. Thereafter $199	First set of retainers are free. Thereafter $129
Insurance Coverage	Dependent on your policy	Dependent on your policy – Byte work with Anthem Guardian and Empire
Impression Kit Cost	$75 or less with AlignerCo offers	$95 or less with Byte offers
Impression Kit Refund	Cost refunded if your case is not suitable for treatment.	Refund of impression kit cost if your problem is not suitable for treatment.
Whitening included?	No	Yes
Guarantee	Refund if there are manufacturing defects with your aligners. $200 refund if you are not satisfied with your results.	Lifetime guarantee provided you wear retainers – free additional treatment for life if needed.
Reviews	4.6 out of 5 stars from 477 reviews	4.8 out of 5 stars from 4408 reviews
Special Offers	Up to $150 off aligners: AlignerCo Offers	$100 off aligners plus $65 off Impression Kits for a limited time: Byte Offers
Website	AlignerCo	Byteme

Are At Home Aligners Safe?

Home aligners are safe if the treatment is well-monitored. Companies like Byte and then AlignerCo, have brought home dentistry into the 21st century.

They both employ qualified dental professionals who create a personalized plan based on your impressions. 

Your aligners are also manufactured from your impressions using state-of-the-art technology, ensuring they are safe to wear.

AlignerCo Review

AlignerCo is the new kid on the block. It has, however, quickly made a name for itself as one of the leading home aligner companies. Founded in 2019 in New York, it concentrates on providing quality home dentistry at an affordable price.

Why Choose AlignerCo ?

From the start, AlignerCo’s aim was to have the best prices in the industry. 

To this end, you won’t find all the frills you get with other home aligner companies included. This helps them keeps the cost down. 

Their prices are hundreds of dollars cheaper than Byte or other home dentistry companies.

How Do I Get Started With AlignerCo?

Some companies have physical locations that allow you to book an appointment for a teeth scan.

AlignerCo doesn’t have physical locations in order to keep costs down. Instead, you can order an impression kit which should arrive in a few days. Once you’ve taken the impressions, you can post them back to AlignerCo for review. 

If your case is a good fit for their invisible aligners, they will create your treatment plan. If not, they will refund the cost of the impression kit to you.

Impression Kit

AlignerCo’s impression kit includes a guide and extra putty so you can practice. You can even send them a picture of your practice effort so they can tell you if you’re doing it correctly.

And don’t worry. If you get it wrong, contact customer service, and they’ll send you a new impression kit.

If AlignerCo decides on studying your impressions and photos that they can’t help correct your problem, they’ll refund you the cost of the kit.

If they decide you are suitable for treatment, then you can move ahead with the teeth straightening plan.

Up to $150 off: AlignerCo

Invisible Aligners

Once you’ve sent off your impressions, you can expect to wait for 12-14 days. In this time, AlignerCo will create your personalized plan, make your aligners and post them out to you.

The aligners you will receive are made of high-quality, FDA-approved RaintreeEssix plastic and are clear and almost invisible.

They work much like traditional braces, placing targeted pressure on specific parts of wayward teeth in order to slowly move them into line.

You will need a few sets of aligners for your treatment, with each set applying incremental pressure to keep the teeth moving into the right alignment. 

No matter how many aligners you need to complete your treatment, the cost is included.

During the plan, you need to wear your aligners 20-22 hours a day (for all-day aligner plans). 

However, unlike braces, with AlignerCo aligners you can remove them for eating and drinking. 

Retainers

Once your treatment is over, you’ll need to wear retainers to stop your teeth from slipping out of alignment again. The first pair is included in the cost of the plan.

After that, you need to pay $199 for a new pair. This is quite expensive compared to some companies (Byte charges $129), but if you order 9 or more pairs when you pay for your initial treatment, the price drops to $49 per pair. 

Everybody varies, but on average you’ll need a new retainer every 6 months.

Up to $150 off: AlignerCo

Do Aligners Hurt?

Around half of AlignerCo’s customers report mild discomfort, usually tenderness or pressure. AlignerCo suggests that if after a couple of days or more your retainers are painful or generally uncomfortable, you should contact their customer support.

Can AlignerCo Aligners Fix Overbite and Underbite?

Like all home aligners, there is a limit to what AlignerCo’s aligners can correct. According to AlignerCo, their treatments could correct:

• Overbite: mild to moderate cases of, and sometimes even more complex overbites.
• Underbite: simple cases.
• Crossbite: some types.
• Crowded teeth.
• Excessive spacing: it can close the gaps, but it depends on the cause of the gaps.
• Overjet: depends on the complexity and severity.

The only way to know if AlignerCo can help your specific condition is if you send them an impression.

If from this they decide your condition will not improve with their treatment, they will give you a refund of the impression kit.

How Long Does the Treatment Take?

It depends on how severe the problem is to start with. On average, the process takes 6 – 11 months if you have daytime aligners.

Do They Offer Nighttime Only Aligners?

AlignerCo provides nighttime-only aligners. However as you’ll only be wearing these for 8 – 10 hours a day, the length of treatment is longer, typically 8 – 12 months. They cost a little more as well.

Up to $150 off: AlignerCo

How Much Do AlignerCo Invisible Aligners Cost?

You can either pay upfront for your treatment or take advantage of one of AlignerCo’s finance plans. If you pay upfront for their SmileAdvantage package (all-day aligners), the cost is $1,145.

You can get up to $150 off with their special offer: AlignerCo All-Day.

All-Day Aligner Finance Plans

They also have a finance plan, SmileFlex available through Affirm. With this, you make 12 monthly installments of $90 ($1,080 total cost).

Their second plan is their own, SmileFlex Easy, and this has a downpayment of $275, followed by 11 monthly payments of $95.00 (total cost of $1,320).

Nighttime Aligner Cost 

For their NightAdvantage package (nighttime aligners), the cost is $1,345. You can get up to $150 off for a limited time: AlignerCo Nighttime. 

Nighttime Aligner Finance Plans

Again, there are two finance packages available.

The first, NightFlex through Affirm, is 12 monthly installments of $109 (total cost $1,308).

Their second is their own NightFlex Easy plan, which is a downpayment of $345, followed by 11 monthly payments of $95.00 (total cost of $1,390).

Up to $150 off: AlignerCo Nighttime Aligners

Is AlignerCo Covered By Insurance?

Your insurance may cover part of the cost, but you’ll need to contact your insurer to find out. If your policy does cover you for orthodontics, you’ll probably be able to claim a reimbursement.

What Extras Does AlignerCo Offer?

AlignerCo’s ethos is to keep treatment costs as low as possible. Therefore they don’t offer any extras in their plans apart from the free retainer at the end of the treatment. 

There may be no extras included, but there are also no hidden costs, which is refreshing.

Do AlignerCo Teeth Aligners Really Work?

On average AlignerCo received 4.6 out of 5 stars from 477 reviews on two trusted platforms Trustpilot and Facebook.

Here are some typical reviews:

Overall, reviewers praise the customer service and the detailed instructions they receive.

They also loved the aligners themselves and the price. A few reviewers said the process took longer than they expected.

AlignerCo Before and After (snapshots):

Up to $150 off: AlignerCo

Is AlignerCo Legit?

Despite AlignerCo’s unusually low prices, they have an excellent track record of happy customers. Their staff are highly qualified, and their aligners are made from high-grade plastics by an established dental supplier.

Byte Review

Founded in 2017 by serial entrepreneurs Scott Cohen and Blake Johnson, the company launched in the home aligner market at the beginning of 2019.

Since then, it has seen rapid growth, establishing itself as one of the leading companies in the industry.

Why Choose Byte?

One of the main reasons to choose Byte is speed. They achieve this through their HyperByte device, which is included for free with their aligners.

This device uses their patented HyperByte technology to gently vibrate your teeth, guiding them into alignment faster.

It’s used for only 5 minutes a day, but it cuts traditional treatment times in half. A side benefit is it also reduces aligner discomfort.

You can find more details about this device in our dedicated Byte Aligner Review.

Up to $165 off aligners and kits: Byte Offers

How Do I Get Started With Byte?

Like AlignerCo, Byte doesn’t have physical locations for you to have a teeth scan. They rely instead on posting you an Impression Kit that does a similar job.

Impression Kit

Inside Byte’s kit, you’ll find putty, trays, a cheek stretcher, gloves, and a prepaid shipping label. 

The kit is more expensive than AlignerCo at $95 but is currently on offer for $29.95. 

And, like AlignerCo, if Byte decides you won’t benefit from treatment, they will refund the cost of the kit.

Aligners

Byte takes slightly longer on average than AlignerCo to set up your personalized plan and send your aligners. Byte take around 30 days as opposed to AlignerCo’s 10 – 12 days.

The unique element with Byte’s aligners is that you also get their HyperByte included for free, which retails for $699 separately. HyperByte uses HFV (High-Frequency Vibrations) that send tiny pulses through the root of the tooth to the bone around it.

This improves the seating of your aligner and reduces discomfort. The biggest benefit, as mentioned, is it decreases treatment time.

Retainers

Like AlignerCo, the first retainer is included in the cost of the overall treatment. Byte’s retainers are cheaper than AlignerCo’s ($129 as opposed to $199) but if you go for their monthly payment plan you also get 2 free retainers a year for 5 years and 2 free replacements for lost or damaged retainers.

Byte recommends wearing their retainers at night and replacing them every 6 months.

Up to $165 off aligners and kits: Byte Offers

Do Byte Aligners Hurt?

Byte says users usually feel some pain or discomfort and this is likely to be most pronounced when first starting, or when changing to new aligners.

If you find that discomfort continues you should contact their customer service.

Can Byte Fix Overbite and Underbite?

Whichever company you chose, their aligners can only correct certain conditions, and then mostly only mild forms.

• Overbite: mild to moderate cases can be corrected in a matter of months.
• Underbite: Mild cases.
• Crossbite: Some types.
• Crowded teeth. Mild to medium cases.
• Excessive spacing: Can close gaps of up to 4mm.
• Overjet: Not suitable for all cases.

The only way to know for sure whether your condition can be fixed is to send in an impression kit.

If Byte decides your condition cannot be rectified by their treatment, they will refund the cost of the impression kit.

How Long Does the Treatment Take?

Everyone’s teeth and treatments are different. However, due to Byte’s HyperByte technology, treatment lengths are substantially shorter than its rivals.

The average treatment is around 3 months for daytime aligners, half that of AlignerCo.

Up to $165 off aligners and kits: Byte Offers

Do They Offer Nighttime Only Aligners?

Byte offers nighttime aligners, and like AlignerCo, they cost a little more. 

One of the reasons is they use medical-grade, grind-resistant BPA-free polymer material designed specifically for their nighttime aligners. It’s slightly thicker than the daytime aligners.

The other difference is that, whereas you need to use HyperByte for only 5 minutes with Byte’s daytime aligners, you need to use it for 10 minutes with their nighttime ones. 

They recommend commencing the treatment as soon as you put your nighttime aligners in. After the Hyperbyte treatment, you need to keep the aligners in for a minimum of 10 hours.

Up to $165 off aligners and kits: Byte Offers

How Much Does Byte Cost?

Like AlignerCo, you can pay for the aligners upfront or spread the cost with a finance plan.

If you pay upfront for their daytime aligner package the cost is $1,895.

Alternatively you can pay a $349 downpayment and 29 monthly payments of $83 (total cost $2,763). A full aligner treatment plan is included in this price. 

Byte Nighttime Aligner Cost

The nighttime aligner package costs $2,295.

Alternatively you can make a $449 downpayment and 29 monthly payments of $99 (total cost $3,336).

Is Byte Covered By Insurance?

This depends on your insurance policy. With AlignerCo the only way to find out is to contact your insurer and find out what orthodontic treaments your policy covers. 

Byte, on the other hand, will check with your insurer for you and help with the claim.

What Extras Does Byte Offer?

In the basic treatment price, Byte includes a bottle of BrightByte, a 3-in-1 foam cleanser, whitener, and breath freshener which retails separately for $30.

They also offer their HyperByte device free of charge.

Do Byte Teeth Aligners Really Work?

On average Byte received 4.8 out of 5 stars from 4408 reviews on two independent platforms, Trustpilot and Consumer Affairs.

Here are a couple of reviews from their users: 

Byte Aligner Before and After Photos:

Up to $165 off aligners and kits: Byte Offers

Up to $165 off aligners and kits: Byte Offers

Are Byte Aligners Good?

Byte aligners are made from top-quality materials and individually created for you by trained orthodontists. Their glowing reviews and unusually high customer satisfaction rating bear this out.

AlignerCo vs. Byte, Which is Better? 

Both AlignerCo and Byte are well-respected home aligner companies that supply BPA-free, quality aligners and retainers.

They have thousands of happy customers and high average ratings on trusted review sites like Trustpilot. There are, however, some differences between the two.

If you are on a budget, you may want to try AlignerCo. Their prices are more affordable than Byte’s and they also have very easy finance plans. On average AlignerCo aligners cost around $1,145 compared to Byte’s $1,895.

If, however, your most important criteria is speed, then you may prefer Byte. Using their proprietary HyperByte technology, their average treatment times are half those of AlignerCo.

With Byte you can have a better smile in an average of 3-4 months as opposed to 6-11 months with AlignerCo. The HyperByte technology also helps reduce aligner discomfort.

Another difference between the two companies is their refund policies. They both offer refunds of their impression kits if they believe your condition won’t respond to their treatment. If you aren’t satisfied with the final result of your treatment, AlignerCo will only refund you $200.

Byte, on the other hand, offers a lifetime guarantee. Provided you wear the retainers, if your teeth ever go out of alignment again, they will correct them by providing new aligner sets at no extra charge. They are one of the only home aligner providers to offer such a long guarantee of their results. 

Whichever company you chose, it’s time to stop the state of your teeth holding you back. And to love your smile.

AlignerCo FAQs

Is AlignerCo covered by insurance?

If your insurance covers orthodontic treatment, it may cover some of the cost, but you’ll need to confirm this with your insurers.

Are AlignerCo aligners bad for your teeth?

They are made from high-quality, FDA-approved RaintreeEssix plastic and are not bad for your teeth.

Are home aligners safe?

Home aligners are believed to be safe. The journal of American Dental Association reported that a study of people who had had DTC (Direct To Consumer) dental care showed that “87.5% were satisfied with DTC treatment” and reported no problems. [10]

Can aligners ruin your teeth?

A study in the Journal of American Dental Association showed that (of those using home aligners), 6.6% had to visit their dentist due to the severity of adverse effects. [10]

Byte FAQs

Is Byte bad for your teeth?

Byte aligners are made from BPA-free, medical-grade, tear-resistant polymer film and are not bad for your teeth.

How much is Byte monthly?

The All-Day Aligners cost $83 a month, for 29 installments with a downpayment of $349 (total cost $2,763). The Nighttime Aligners cost $99 a month for 29 installments with a downpayment of $449 (total cost $3,336).

Can Byte fix overbite and underbite?

Byte aligners can treat minor cases of overbites, underbites, crowded teeth, gapped teeth, and in some cases, overjet.

Are Byte’s aligners safe?

Byte’s staff are all trained orthodontists or board-certified doctors who overview every step of your treatment, making it generally very safe. If you experience any complications, you can always contact their team for advice.

See more on home aligners.