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While we love the home cinema experience you can create with a new flat-screen TV or a 4K home projector, sometimes you don’t need much more than a projector under $500 that not only saves you money but doesn’t take up any precious wall space. Budget projectors can be useful for a number of occasions that require a larger screen, including outdoor movie nights, presentations at the office or events like weddings and karaoke parties. What’s unique about them is that most compact and portable projectors feature the flexibility to either plug in a cable to connect it to your laptop or use Wi-Fi to stream content from a myriad of devices, including phones, laptops and tablets.
BEST OVERALL BUDGET PROJECTOR
Anker Nebula Capsule Max
Our pros love the sleek, modern design of the Anker Nebula, which features HD resolution so picture quality will look clear and defined in low-light settings. We like that with the Nebula Connect app streaming is easy; all you have to do is use your phone as a remote and decide which Netflix series to binge next.
While we haven’t tested this model in the Lab, our experts have vetted other variations of the Nebula and have been impressed with the projector’s audio quality and ease of setup and operation. We also like that, unlike other more expensive models, this mini projector is small enough to fit into most backpacks and has 4 hours of rechargeable battery life so you can project on-the-go. It’s a top choice for outdoor movie nights or streaming anywhere in your home.
Kodak Luma 150 Portable Wireless Projector
We love this budget projector for its compact size and ability to run off 2.5 hours of battery life, according to the brand, making it extremely convenient and easy to throw in a purse to share slideshows, presentations and more from anywhere you go. Unlike other budget projectors of this size, you can connect certain iOS, Android or Windows 10 devices wirelessly to project content via AirPlay or Miracast. Though you’ll have to make sacrifices when it comes to picture quality, the projector’s bells and whistles make it worthwhile.
Nebula Anker Solar Outdoor Projector
The pros at the Good Housekeeping Institute think this pick from Anker is a fantastic choice if you’re looking for an outdoor projector. Not only is the resolution impressive at full HD, but the brightness is higher than most other budget projectors featured on this list. Our testers liked the built-in projector stand, which is convenient when you want to set up your screen and don’t have a tripod handy. Watching movies and shows is easy via HDMI or directly with Android TV 9, which offers more than 7,000 streaming apps. While this model doesn’t have a built-in battery, for a slightly higher price you can opt for a model that will offer three hours of power cord-free.
Vankyo Leisure 3
This small, compact projector from Vankyo is a great option for streaming videos, watching shows or gaming. It’s not only affordable, but it’s easy to connect your phone to stream or you can use a streaming stick like a Roku via one of the multiple ports. While we haven’t tested it in the Lab, we like that the screen size can be projected up to 176”, though our pros warn that resolution won’t be as high-quality as other projectors.