Is a cheap aurora projector just as good?
Short answer: no. And you don't need to know anything about optics to see it — the difference shows up in about four seconds, in three specific places.
The three-second test
7 things you notice the moment you put them side by side
Both of them turn on. That's where the similarity ends.
One lights a patch. One lights the room.
This is the difference you see first and the one that matters most. A cheap projector throws a circle onto the ceiling directly above it. Stand in the doorway and you can see exactly where it stops.
Aurora covers 300 to 400 sq ft — ceiling, walls, into the corners. It isn't a light on the ceiling, it's a room that's changed.
★★★★★
"This is magical when I switch it on in the bedroom, it fills the entire room… I actually bought it as a gift but have decided to keep it for myself."
Anne Ogilvie · Verified · Trustpilot
You can see the grid.
Cheap projectors use a simple lens over an LED array, and it shows. Look up and there's a faint grid across the whole thing — lines, dots, a repeating pattern. Once you've noticed it you can't stop noticing it.
No grid, no dots, no pattern. A smooth continuous glow, the way it looks when it's real.
And then it moves, and that settles it.
The cheap ones rotate. That's all they do — a motor spins the lens, so the pattern goes round at a constant speed, over and over. Your eye clocks the loop in under a minute and after that it's just a thing turning.
Aurora drifts. Slow, uneven, never quite repeating — which is the whole reason it's restful rather than distracting.
★★★★★
"My wife and I went to Norway in 2024 to see the Aurora Borealis, inside the Arctic Circle. It was 'soul changing' in her words… She LOVES the Aurora!!! We have it on every evening on our vaulted ceiling."
Michael McGeein · Verified · Trustpilot
Which is why the cheap one ends up in a drawer.
Nobody returns a twenty-dollar projector. They use it twice, notice the grid, get bored of the loop, and it quietly stops getting switched on. Six weeks later it's in a drawer with the phone chargers.
The cheap one isn't expensive. It's just not used.
★★★★★
"I have bought 3 other similar projectors from other companies in the past, but I much prefer my Aurora projector… I ordered a second one I can use with my phone."
Jackie Foote · Verified · Trustpilot
Everything that isn't the light.
A built-in speaker for white noise, rain or ocean sounds. A timer that shuts it off after 30, 60 or 120 minutes — no getting up, no lying there wondering if you left it on. App control from bed. Near enough silent.
USB-C, no drilling, no mounting, nothing to install.
| Cheap | Aurora | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | A patch of ceiling | 300–400 sq ft |
| Pattern | Visible grid and dots | Smooth, continuous |
| Movement | A rotating loop | Slow, fluid, non-repeating |
| Sound | None | Speaker + white noise |
| Timer | Rarely | 30 / 60 / 120 min auto-off |
| Warranty | None worth having | 2 years |
Two years, not two months.
Every Aurora carries a two-year warranty, because we expect it to still be working in two years. Most of this category gives you one year, and the cheap ones give you a seller name that won't exist by spring.
And you get 30 nights to try it. If it isn't what you hoped, send it back.
★★★★★
"I am OBSESSED with lights. I've got red ones, ultra violet ones, pink ones, low lighters, colour changing bulbs and fairy lights all over the house. I love them all and this is just the icing on the cake."
Mrs Hughes · Verified · Trustpilot
200,000 homes, and plenty of them tried a cheap one first.
Three years, a quarter of a million people, 4,300 reviews at 4.8 out of 5. The review we get more than any other starts the same way — "I bought a cheaper one first."
200,000+ homes · 4,300+ reviews · 4.8/5 average
- Covers the whole room — 300 to 400 sq ft
- No grid, no dots, no repeating loop
- Speaker, white noise and a 30 / 60 / 120-minute timer
- Two-year warranty and 30 nights to try it
- 30-night trial
- 2-year warranty
Two is the most common order. A second one for another room, or one to give away — it's the thing that comes up most in our reviews. The 2-pack saves a further 15%.
Verified buyers · Trustpilot
What people actually say
★★★★★
"I have bought 3 other similar projectors from other companies in the past, but I much prefer my Aurora projector… I ordered a second one I can use with my phone."
Jackie Foote · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"We have bought 6 of these. We have seen the real aurora a few times and this reminds of those nights… The reason we have bought 6 is that we given 4 as presents."
Karen Hanten · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"Was not sure what to expect after ordering. Had that feeling that I should not have ordered it… Helps my brain detach from the world and allow me to calm down and go to sleep."
Michael · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"I have worked a nightshift for 20 years & love the natural moon & stars. The projector is awesome. It helps me to wind down after work… plus put some of my favorite music on the built in Bluetooth speaker."
Brian · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"I am OBSESSED with lights. I've got red ones, ultra violet ones, pink ones, low lighters, colour changing bulbs and fairy lights all over the house. I love them all and this is just the icing on the cake."
Mrs Hughes · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"We purchased 2 over the winter and they've really helped with the dark evenings. So relaxing! It's great to have on while getting lost in my own world with the piano."
Phillip · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"I have bought 3 other similar projectors from other companies in the past, but I much prefer my Aurora projector… I ordered a second one I can use with my phone."
Jackie Foote · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"We have bought 6 of these. We have seen the real aurora a few times and this reminds of those nights… The reason we have bought 6 is that we given 4 as presents."
Karen Hanten · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"Was not sure what to expect after ordering. Had that feeling that I should not have ordered it… Helps my brain detach from the world and allow me to calm down and go to sleep."
Michael · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"I have worked a nightshift for 20 years & love the natural moon & stars. The projector is awesome. It helps me to wind down after work… plus put some of my favorite music on the built in Bluetooth speaker."
Brian · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"I am OBSESSED with lights. I've got red ones, ultra violet ones, pink ones, low lighters, colour changing bulbs and fairy lights all over the house. I love them all and this is just the icing on the cake."
Mrs Hughes · Verified · Trustpilot
★★★★★
"We purchased 2 over the winter and they've really helped with the dark evenings. So relaxing! It's great to have on while getting lost in my own world with the piano."
Phillip · Verified · Trustpilot
Try it for 30 nights.
If it's not for you, send it back. That's an offer the cheap ones can't make.
Check availability- 30-night trial
- 2-year warranty
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