Roundup
Best cellular shades
The best-insulating window covering there is, and the softest light. The trade is that you can't see out of it.
By Janet H. · Last updated September 23, 2026 · How we choose
Are cellular shades good? Yes — they are the strongest thermal performer among common window coverings, and they produce the softest light of anything you can put on a window. The honeycomb cells trap a sealed pocket of still air against the glass, which insulates on the same principle as double glazing, and the same structure diffuses daylight into an even glow with no hotspot.
The trade-off is absolute and worth knowing before you buy: cellular fabric is opaque, including the light-filtering versions. Lowering the shade means losing the view completely. If keeping the view matters, you want a roller in a solar-screen fabric instead.
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Before the list
The three decisions
Cell count. Single cell has one row of air pockets; double cell has two, stacked front to back. Double insulates better and costs more, and stacks deeper when raised. On old single glazing, double earns it. On modern double glazing, single is usually enough.
Fabric. Light filtering diffuses daylight and gives daytime privacy. Room darkening dims to a comfortable dusk. Blackout blocks nearly all light through the fabric. The thermal performance is roughly the same across them — the cells do that work, not the opacity — so pick the light level you want.
Mechanism. Standard cordless lift, or top-down bottom-up, which lets you cover the lower window and keep the daylight above. On a street-facing room that second option is transformative and worth the extra.
| # | Best for | Product | Cells | Fabric | Mechanism | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best overall | Cordless Cellular Shades, light filtering The default for a living room, bedroom or home office where you want soft light and a warmer window. | Single | Light filtering | Cordless lift | Check price on Amazon #ad We don’t show prices — check the current one on Amazon. How we’re funded |
| 2 | Best for a bedroom | Blackout Cellular Shades, cordless Bedrooms, nurseries and media rooms. | Single | Blackout | Cordless lift | Check price on Amazon #ad We don’t show prices — check the current one on Amazon. How we’re funded |
| 3 | Best for an overlooked room | Top Down Bottom Up Cellular Shades Ground-floor living rooms, bedrooms facing a neighbor, and bathrooms with a view worth keeping. | Single | Light filtering or blackout | Cordless, dual rail | Check price on Amazon #ad We don’t show prices — check the current one on Amazon. How we’re funded |
| 4 | Best value | Cordless Blackout Honeycomb Cellular Shades Covering several windows at once, where custom pricing across a whole house becomes the constraint. | Single, lined | Blackout | Cordless lift | Check price on Amazon #ad We don’t show prices — check the current one on Amazon. How we’re funded |
| 5 | Best room-darkening | Single Cell Room Darkening Cordless Cellular Shades Home offices, living rooms and daytime-nap nurseries. | Single | Room darkening | Cordless lift | Check price on Amazon #ad We don’t show prices — check the current one on Amazon. How we’re funded |
01 — Best overall
Cordless Cellular Shades, light filtering
CHICOLOGY
A cordless single-cell shade in light-filtering fabric, made to size across a wide range including the large widths most stock ranges do not carry. It diffuses daylight beautifully and insulates meaningfully at the same time.
Who it’s for: The default for a living room, bedroom or home office where you want soft light and a warmer window.
The catch: Opaque, like every cellular shade — lowered, the window is gone. And without side channels an inside mount still leaks at the edges.
At a glance
- Cells
- Single
- Fabric
- Light filtering
- Mechanism
- Cordless lift
- Sizing
- Made to size
- Best mount
- Inside, tight fit
#ad We don’t show prices — check the current one on Amazon. How we’re funded
02 — Best for a bedroom
Blackout Cellular Shades, cordless
CHICOLOGY
The same cell structure in a blackout fabric, so you get darkness and insulation from one product. In a bedroom that is the combination that matters — a cold window and a bright morning are usually the same window.
Who it’s for: Bedrooms, nurseries and media rooms.
The catch: Inside-mounted it shows a light outline around all four edges. Pair it with a curtain or specify side channels if you need true darkness.
At a glance
- Cells
- Single
- Fabric
- Blackout
- Mechanism
- Cordless lift
- Sizing
- Made to size
- Best mount
- Inside, curtain over
#ad We don’t show prices — check the current one on Amazon. How we’re funded
03 — Best for an overlooked room
Top Down Bottom Up Cellular Shades
CHICOLOGY
Two movable rails, so the shade can be lowered from the top to cover the lower window while leaving the daylight above. It is the single best answer to a street-level room that would otherwise sit with the blinds closed and the lights on.
Who it’s for: Ground-floor living rooms, bedrooms facing a neighbor, and bathrooms with a view worth keeping.
The catch: Costs meaningfully more and the extra mechanism is one more thing to fail. On an unoverlooked window you would never use it.
At a glance
- Cells
- Single
- Fabric
- Light filtering or blackout
- Mechanism
- Cordless, dual rail
- Sizing
- Made to size
- Best mount
- Inside
#ad We don’t show prices — check the current one on Amazon. How we’re funded
04 — Best value
Cordless Blackout Honeycomb Cellular Shades
SBARTAR
A cordless honeycomb shade with a liner between the fabric layers, aimed at light and UV blocking, available in stock and cut sizes at a lower price than most made-to-measure options.
Who it’s for: Covering several windows at once, where custom pricing across a whole house becomes the constraint.
The catch: The added liner stiffens the fabric, so the stack at the top is deeper when raised — noticeable on a short window.
At a glance
- Cells
- Single, lined
- Fabric
- Blackout
- Mechanism
- Cordless lift
- Sizing
- Stock and cut
- Best mount
- Inside
#ad We don’t show prices — check the current one on Amazon. How we’re funded
05 — Best room-darkening
Single Cell Room Darkening Cordless Cellular Shades
Arlo Blinds
Room-darkening rather than blackout: it dims to a comfortable dusk while the room stays usable in daylight. On a cold room you actually sit in during the day, that distinction matters more than the thermal spec.
Who it’s for: Home offices, living rooms and daytime-nap nurseries.
The catch: Not blackout. In a bedroom that has to be dark at 5am in June, buy the blackout fabric instead.
At a glance
- Cells
- Single
- Fabric
- Room darkening
- Mechanism
- Cordless lift
- Sizing
- Made to size
- Best mount
- Inside
#ad We don’t show prices — check the current one on Amazon. How we’re funded
Buying guide
Measuring is the whole product
A cellular shade's insulation depends on the cell pocket sealing against the window. A half-inch gap at each side lets room air circulate behind the shade and carries away most of the benefit — so the measuring is not a formality, it is the difference between the product you paid for and a decorative one.
- 1Width: measure at the top, middle and bottom of the recess. Use the narrowest.
- 2Height: measure at the left, center and right. Use the longest.
- 3Depth: check the recess against the product's stated minimum for an inside mount. This is the spec people forget and the one that makes a shade unfittable.
- 4Do not subtract anything. Give the exact figures; the manufacturer applies the clearance deduction. Subtracting yourself produces a shade an inch too narrow.
If total darkness or maximum insulation is the goal, look for side channels — tracks on the jambs that the shade runs inside. They close the edge gap, and they do more for the result than upgrading from single to double cell.
Methodology
How we chose
Selection is on cell construction, fabric and mechanism options, cordless operation and sizing flexibility. Manufacturer R-values compare products with each other; they are not a promise about your window, because no real installation matches the test fit. We do not test these. Methodology.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Are cellular shades worth it?
For insulation and light quality, yes — they are the strongest thermal performer among common window coverings and produce the softest light of anything you can fit. For keeping a view, no: cellular fabric is opaque in every version.
Single cell or double cell?
Double cell traps more air and insulates better, which earns its cost on old single glazing or a genuinely cold room. On modern double glazing single cell is usually enough and stacks smaller when raised.
Can you see through cellular shades?
No. Even the light-filtering fabrics are opaque — they diffuse daylight rather than letting you see through. If keeping the view matters you want a solar-screen roller shade instead.
How do I measure for cellular shades?
Width at the top, middle and bottom — use the narrowest. Height at left, center and right — use the longest. Check the recess depth against the stated minimum, and do not subtract anything: the manufacturer applies the clearance.
Do cellular shades help with noise?
A little, inside the room — the cells absorb some high-frequency sound and reduce echo. They do nothing meaningful for traffic noise, which needs mass and an airtight seal that no shade provides.
Keep going
Read next
Drafts
Best insulated cellular shades
The strongest thermal performer in window coverings — if you measure the fit properly.
Blackout
Best blackout cellular shades
Honeycomb shades that darken and insulate together, and how to fit them so they do both.
Compare
Blinds vs cellular shades
Aim the light or insulate the window — two products, two different problems.
Glare
Roller shades vs cellular shades
Keep the view or keep the heat — the one trade-off that decides between them.
Privacy
Top down bottom up vs standard shades
Cover the half people see through, keep the half that gives you daylight.
About the author
Janet H.
Janet H. is the owner of Janet Media Group and the person behind Drape & Dawn. She researches every pick against the site's published methodology.
Published by Janet Media Group · Last updated September 23, 2026