I’m sure a question on most people’s minds is what will this cost? And what type of lights are most cost effective?

It’s really sort of a complicated question, depending on exactly what you’re trying to accomplish. I put together some assumptions to give you a directional idea of the costs associated with this hobby. This is not an inexpensive hobby no matter what you do, but remember that most people start relatively small and grow their shows each year.

Below I compare WS2811 pixels vs. Twinkly Lights on an estimated per pixel and total system basis. The thing that scares most people off about WS2811 is the up-front cost of the controller. A $500-700 controller setup is MUCH more capable than the controllers that come with each set of Twinkly lights, and can run upwards of 15,000 pixels. Once you get past that up-front cost, the breakeven point is around 3,000 to 4,000 pixels where WS2811 pixels become less expensive than Twinkly. The system cost also includes estimates for a Raspberry Pi to run RPP, FM Radio Transmitter and in the case of Twinkly an Outdoor WiFi Access Point and Gigabit Switch (see buyer’s guide).

Of course, prices may vary and there are new products coming out constantly, especially in the WS2811 space (for example seed pixels have made MegaTrees more affordable). Prices below were based on standard bullet pixels (using pre-buy bulk pricing above 4K pixels) and the Twinkly per pixel prices are based on list price weighted by what versions are in my layout . Your cost will be unique to your shopping list.

I would expect to spend roughly $3,000-$3,500 the first year on a modest 5,000 pixel light show, including a 10 foot MegaTree, and broadcasting synchronized music on FM radio.