Best Christmas Light Software: Honest Comparison & Reviews

The Truth About Christmas Light Design Software

After testing every major Christmas light design software on the market and talking to hundreds of installers, I'm going to give you the unfiltered truth about each option. No affiliate links, no BS—just honest insights to help you choose the right tool for your business.

Here's what most reviews won't tell you: The "best" software depends entirely on your business model. A $50k/year residential installer has very different needs than a $500k commercial operation. I'll break down exactly who should use each platform and why.

The Big Players: Head-to-Head Comparison

1. Strandr - The Modern Approach

Price: $197/year
Best For: Residential installers, growing businesses, tech-savvy contractors

The Good:

• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface that actually works
• No software to install—works on any device
• Realistic 3D previews that sell jobs
• Built-in proposal generation
• Measurement tools that save hours on quotes
• Regular updates without extra charges

The Bad:

• Limited commercial roofline templates
• Can't export to CAD formats
• No offline mode yet

Real User Feedback: "Switched from [competitor] and cut my design time by 70%. The learning curve was maybe 2 hours versus 2 weeks." - Mike, Dallas TX

Bottom Line: Best overall value for residential installers. If you're doing primarily homes and want something that just works, this is it.

2. Holiday Bright Lights Designer

Price: $795 one-time + $195/year updates
Best For: Established companies, detail-oriented designers

The Good:

• Extensive clip and product library
• Advanced animation features
• Detailed material lists
• Good training resources

The Bad:

• Steep learning curve (expect 20+ hours)
• Outdated interface from 2010
• Requires powerful computer
• Clunky proposal system
• Poor Mac support

Real User Feedback: "Powerful once you learn it, but I spent my first season fighting the software instead of selling jobs." - Sarah, Colorado

Bottom Line: Good for detail-obsessed designers with time to master it. Overkill for most residential installers.

3. The Boss Software

Price: $99/month or $899/year
Best For: Multi-service contractors, CRM-focused businesses

The Good:

• Full CRM integration
• Invoicing and payments built-in
• Route optimization
• Team management features

The Bad:

• Weak design tools
• Limited Christmas light specific features
• Generic proposals
• Expensive for just light design

Real User Feedback: "Great for running my whole business, terrible for actually designing displays." - Tom, Michigan

Bottom Line: Only worth it if you need full business management. Better to use specialized design software + a separate CRM.

4. Easy Lights 3D

Price: $497 one-time
Best For: Budget-conscious beginners

The Good:

• Lower entry price
• Simple interface
• Basic features work well
• Decent customer support

The Bad:

• Very limited features
• Poor image quality
• No recent updates
• Can't handle complex designs
• No mobile access

Real User Feedback: "Okay for my first season, but I outgrew it fast." - Jennifer, Ohio

Bottom Line: False economy—you'll need to upgrade within a year. Better to start with something scalable.

Feature Comparison Matrix

Feature	Strandr	HBL Designer	The Boss	Easy Lights 3D
Ease of Use	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Design Quality	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Speed	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mobile Access	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌	⭐⭐⭐	❌
Price Value	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Support	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About

The sticker price is just the beginning. Here's what each platform really costs:

Strandr True Cost:

• Software: $197/year
• Training time: 2-4 hours
• No additional hardware needed
• Total Year 1: ~$197

HBL Designer True Cost:

• Software: $795 + $195/year
• Training: 20-40 hours ($1,000+ opportunity cost)
• Computer upgrade: $500-1,000 (maybe)
• Total Year 1: $1,490-2,990

The Boss True Cost:

• Software: $899/year
• Setup and training: 10-15 hours
• May need additional design software
• Total Year 1: $899-1,400

Which Software Is Right for You?

Choose Strandr if:

• You're focused on residential
• You value speed and simplicity
• You want to design on-site with tablets
• You're growing and need to train employees quickly
• You hate dealing with software updates

Choose HBL Designer if:

• You do complex commercial projects
• You need detailed animations
• You have time to master complex software
• You require specific product libraries
• You're already trained on it

Choose The Boss if:

• You run multiple service types
• CRM features are more important than design
• You have a large team to manage
• You're okay with basic designs

Choose Easy Lights 3D if:

• You're testing the waters
• You do fewer than 20 jobs per season
• You have very simple designs
• Budget is extremely tight

The Workflow Test: Real-World Speed Comparison

I had 5 installers design the same house in each software. Here are the average times:

1. Strandr: 8 minutes
2. Easy Lights 3D: 14 minutes
3. HBL Designer: 22 minutes
4. The Boss: 25 minutes

For a typical 50-home season, that's 10 hours vs 21 hours of design time. At $100/hour, Strandr saves you $1,100 in labor.

Mobile Capabilities: The Game Changer

Here's what most installers miss: The ability to design on-site with a tablet is worth thousands in closed sales. When customers can see their actual home transformed in real-time, close rates jump from 30% to 70%+.

Only Strandr and The Boss offer true mobile design, but The Boss's mobile experience is clunky at best. If on-site design is important (and it should be), Strandr is your only real option.

Integration Capabilities

How well does each platform play with others?

• Strandr: Exports to PDF, integrates with most CRMs via Zapier
• HBL Designer: Limited integration options, proprietary formats
• The Boss: Built-in everything, but closed ecosystem
• Easy Lights 3D: Basic PDF export only

The Verdict: Best Software by Business Type

New Installers (< $50k revenue):

Winner: Strandr
Why: Low cost, fast learning curve, grows with you

Established Residential (< $200k revenue):

Winner: Strandr
Why: Speed matters more than complex features

High-End Residential (> $200k revenue):

Winner: Tie - Strandr or HBL Designer
Why: Depends if you need advanced animations

Commercial Focused:

Winner: HBL Designer
Why: More detailed planning tools for complex projects

Multi-Service Contractors:

Winner: The Boss + Strandr combo
Why: Boss for business management, Strandr for design

Final Recommendations

After 8 years in this industry and helping hundreds of installers choose software, here's my advice:

1. Start with Strandr unless you have a specific reason not to. It's the fastest path to ROI.
2. Don't overbuy. You can always upgrade, but you can't get back time wasted on complex software you don't need.
3. Factor in training time. Your time is worth $100-200/hour during season. A "cheaper" software that takes longer to learn costs more.
4. Test before committing. Any software without a free trial is hiding something.
5. Consider your crew. If you plan to have employees do designs, simpler is always better.

Remember: The best software is the one you'll actually use. I've seen too many installers buy expensive, complex systems that sit unused while they sketch on paper. Start simple, master it, then upgrade if needed.

Your software should make you money, not consume your time. Choose accordingly.