The best budget projectors for movie nights in 2024

Now is the perfect time to nail down your home entertainment setup with one of these top affordable movie projectors.

Allow us to set the scene: you're surrounded by your favourite snacks and are in a duvet cocoon. You've lined up your favourite movie and your projector is beaming it on your wall at 100-plus inches. Who wouldn't want to watch a classic like The Breakfast Club, Taylor Swift’s Eras tour movie or the live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix on a much more cinema-like scale? Just imagine the viewing party possibilities.

Or, for a chilled solo night at home, why not string up loads of fairy lights alongside your projected rom-com of choice, creating a cute self-care den. What could be better? Because let's face it, our television (and/or laptop) isn't cutting it. And we're all still snuggling up during the cold, dark nights - we say draw the curtains and power up the projector.

Just want the top budget projector picks? Here they are:

Before you invest in a home projector, especially a more affordable model, there are some things you need to consider:

• The resolution: you can get everything from cheaper HD-ready 720p projectors to cutting-edge HDR displays, so figure out how often you're going to use yours and what you're actually after
• The picture quality, or contrast ratio: this looks at how well the projector will recreate blacks and whites. The bigger the ratio, the better the performance (e.g. 400,000:1 is very good, 2,000:1 means the image will look murky)
• The brightness of the projector: This is rated in ANSI lumens, with home projector setups usually landing somewhere between 400 and 4,000 lumens
• The throw distance - aka, how far away from the wall or screen you need to place your projector, which obviously impacts how much space you have.
• Streaming service features - Some of the newer projector offerings can link up to your streaming services from the device, meaning you can seamlessly use the likes of Netflix and Disney+ without having to grab a streaming stick.

Once you've got all that in hand, you're good to go with choosing the best one for you! Scroll through for projector options for every budget.