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Warby Parker delivers cool eyewear that doesn’t cost a million bucks, all without leaving your couch. It sounds like a sweet way to get some new specs — but does it really live up to the hype?

You could call WP the Everlane of the eyewear world. By cutting out the middleman, they’re able to offer designer-quality glasses and sunglasses, along with brand-name contact lenses, for less moolah. Sometimes, way less moolah.

You can do the whole thing online if you’ve already got an eye prescription. But if you’d rather try on your glasses in the store or also need an eye exam, there’s also the option to pop into one of the brand’s brick-and-mortar spots.

You’ve got two easy ways to get your eyewear. Go the home try-on route or visit a WP store.

At home

Browse through the brand’s frames and pick out what you like. You can download the virtual try-on app to see how the glasses will look on you.

You’ll have to enter your prescription info and use your phone to measure your pupillary distance (PD), which helps center prescription correctly in your frames.

But WP has simple instructions that make this quick, easy, and basically un-screw-upable. Then place your order and wait for your frames to be delivered to your doorstep.

Struggling to decide between a few different specs? You can also select up to 5 model frames to try on at home for 5 days, and shipping and returns are free. Once you find your perfect pair, place your order online with your prescription info and the brand will send out a fresh set made just for you.

At the store

All of the frames on WP’s website are also available to try on in their brick-and-mortar store. That process works pretty much like getting glasses at the eye doctor.

For both

If you don’t love your glasses, you can return or exchange them for up to 30 days. WP also has a 1-year no-scratch policy: If your lenses get scuffed up during the first 12 months of wear, the brand will replace them for free.

Depends on what you’re buying, babe. Here’s a quick crunch o’ the numbers:

  • Glasses. Many of WPs frames start at $95, but some cost more. You’ll pay extra for filtering.
  • Sunglasses. Nonprescription frames start at $95. Prescription options start at $175.
  • Contact lenses. WP offers the same contacts you could get from the eye doctor or other retailers. TBH, the price is about the same as what you’d pay elsewhere, but they do offer free shipping. The brand’s in-house contact lenses cost $55 for a 90-day supply.

Wondering whether Warby Parker takes insurance? They’re in-network with some providers, and if yours is on the list, it’s basically a matter of entering your insurance info to check your benefits. For many providers outside of WP’s network, the brand also offers instructions for how you can submit a reimbursement claim for your glasses or contacts.

Got a flexible spending (FSA) or health savings account (HSA)? You can put those dollars toward your WP purchase too.

We’ve talked some about the brand’s goods, but let’s dive into a little more detail.

Eyeglasses

WP offers a ton of different styles. They’re best known for their acetate frames, which come in a ton of cool designs and colors. But they’ve also got a decent number of wire-rimmed options.

All of Warby Parker’s lenses come with an antiscratch treatment, UV protective coating, antireflective coating to eliminate glare and ease eye strain, and a superhydrophobic coating to minimize smudging.

They’re designed to work for all types of prescriptions. You can get progressive lenses, readers, or even nonprescription frames if you’ve got perfect vision and still also want to look cool.

You can also opt for a blue-light-blocking coating (nice if you’re staring at a screen all day!), transitional lenses (if you want your glasses to also double as sunglasses), or ultra-thin lenses for heavy duty prescriptions.

Sunglasses

Again, you can pick from a ton of different styles in both prescription or nonprescription options. Either way, the lenses are scratch-resistant, offer 100 percent UV protection, and are polarized to eliminate glare and help you see things more clearly in bright sunlight.

Contact lenses

You can buy many of the same lenses you’d get from other retailers, like Acuvue, Bifinity, Air Optix, and DAILIES. WP also has their own in-house contact brand, called Scout. They’re billed as comfortable, breathable, and affordable, and they come in a space-saving flat pack that minimizes waste.

Eye exams

If you don’t already have a glasses or contacts prescription, you can get that from a WP store. The brand’s brick-and-mortar locations offer comprehensive exams, so you can get your vision checked and shop for specs all at the same place.

If all of the above was tl;dr, here’s a quick list of the good and the bad.

The pros

  • Huge selection of cool, high quality frames.
  • Prices are more affordable than a lot of the similar styles you’d find at other glasses stores.
  • Option to try on multiple frames at home for free before buying.
  • Can order frames entirely online, as long as you already have your prescription.
  • Frames can be customized with extra features to match your vision needs.
  • Lenses are guaranteed not to scratch for a year. If they do, WP will send you a new pair for free.
  • Shipping and returns are free.
  • Warby Parker is approved by Greatist’s Medical Affairs team.

The cons

  • Many of the frames have the whole cool-geek thing going on. So if it’s not your thing, you might not find what you’re looking for.
  • Virtual try-on feature is cool, but not exactly the same thing as trying glasses on IRL.
  • You need a prescription to order glasses online.
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Warby Parker has huge selection of glasses at really good prices. You can do the whole thing online or take advantage of their free at-home try-on option.

Either way, buying your specs is pretty easy and takes up way less time than hoofing it to the glasses store. You just need to make sure you have your prescription already handy.

Is it exactly the same as going glasses shopping in person? No, but it’s pretty damn close. And if you want access to WP’s cool, affordable frames but still want the in-store experience, just head over to one of their brick-and-mortar spots. It’s all good.

Ready to start shopping? Check out the frames and learn more at WarbyParker.com.

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