The Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout is the value champion, Reviewed.com's Editor's Choice for blackout curtains, which found it blocked light better than every other panel they tested. Its triple-weave 240 GSM polyester with a back coating is rated 100% blackout, and it adds thermal insulation and noise reduction for around $35. It is plain and stock can be spotty, but for pure light-blocking per dollar it is the best buy on this list.
Full review
Real-World Light Blocking
The Amazon Basics panels earned the most decisive lab endorsement of any curtain here: Reviewed.com named them Editor's Choice for best blackout curtains, reporting that 'these blackout curtains performed the best, doing an excellent job of blocking out unwanted light.' In a head-to-head against NICETOWN, BGment, and others, Reviewed found the Amazon Basics panels blocked light better than the rest.
Amazon rates the line at 100% blackout, achieved through a dense fabric plus a blackout coating on the back of each panel. While CNN's flashlight test crowned the NICETOWN, Reviewed's testing put the Amazon Basics on top, and the truth is both are genuinely strong blockers, the Amazon Basics simply does it for less money. For the buyer who trusts Reviewed's methodology, this is the best-performing panel on the list.
Construction and Materials
The Amazon Basics uses an 'innovative triple-weave 240 GSM polyester fabric that blocks light and also acts as an insulating barrier,' with a thick blackout coating applied to the back. The 240 GSM weight is substantial, heavier fabric blocks more light, and the back coating is what lifts it from room-darkening to full blackout.
The panels hang from metal grommets that, per Amazon, 'slide easily and look modern,' fitting standard or decorative rods up to a typical diameter. The set includes two Velcro tie-backs for pulling the curtains open during the day, a small but genuinely useful inclusion that specialty brands often charge extra for.
Thermal and Noise Benefits
Like the other dense panels here, the Amazon Basics works as an insulating barrier. The 240 GSM triple-weave fabric slows heat transfer through the window, helping keep rooms cooler in summer and warmer in winter, which can reduce energy use over time.
The fabric weight also dampens outside noise. It will not match a dedicated soundproofing solution, but for a bedroom facing a street or a sunny exposure, the combination of 100% light blocking, thermal insulation, and noise reduction in a single inexpensive panel is exactly what most blackout-curtain shoppers are after.
Value and Everyday Use
Value is the Amazon Basics' defining trait. At around $35 for a two-panel set, it is among the cheapest options on this list, yet it took the top spot in Reviewed.com's testing, an unusual combination of best-in-class performance and lowest price. For a shopper who simply wants the room dark without overspending, it is the obvious choice.
In daily use, the grommets glide smoothly, the included tie-backs keep the panels neat when open, and the machine-washable fabric is easy to maintain. There is nothing fancy here, but everything works, and the panels do the one job a blackout curtain exists to do.
How It Compares to Alternatives
The Amazon Basics and the NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout are the two best blockers here, and which one ranks first depends on whose test you trust: Reviewed.com put the Amazon Basics on top, while CNN's flashlight test favored the NICETOWN. The Amazon Basics wins clearly on price, undercutting the NICETOWN and well below the Eclipse Fresno and Best Home Fashion Premium Blackout.
Against those pricier specialty panels, the Amazon Basics gives up styling options, no lace overlays or wide color ranges, but matches or beats them on the fundamental light-blocking job. And it decisively outperforms the room-darkening Sun Zero Barrow, which only reduces light rather than blocking it fully. The Amazon Basics is the value-and-performance sweet spot.
Where It Falls Short
The biggest practical issue is availability. The top configurations periodically go out of stock or get retired and reintroduced, so the exact color and size you want may not always be available. The line is also plain, there are no decorative options, and the color and size range is narrower than specialty curtain brands offer.
As with every panel here, light can leak around the edges and top without a wraparound rod, so pairing it with the right hardware matters. But for the core function and the price, these are minor compromises.
Who It's Best For
The Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout is the right pick for budget shoppers who want the best-tested light blocking for the lowest price and do not care about decorative styling. If your priority is a dark room and a low bill, and you can get the size and color you want in stock, it is the smartest buy on this list.
It is a weaker fit for shoppers who want a specific decorative look or an unusual size (the Best Home Fashion Premium Blackout offers more style options), and for anyone who wants the flashlight-test-validated pick specifically, where the NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout edges ahead.
Strengths
- +Reviewed.com's Editor's Choice for best blackout curtains, doing 'an excellent job of blocking out unwanted light'
- +Triple-weave 240 GSM polyester rated 100% blackout, with a thick blackout coating on the back
- +Metal grommets slide easily on standard or decorative rods and look modern
- +Acts as an insulating, noise-reducing barrier on top of blocking light
- +Among the cheapest options here, with Velcro tie-backs included
Watch-outs
- −Stock can be intermittent, with the top configuration occasionally unavailable
- −Limited color and size range compared with specialty curtain brands
- −Plain styling without decorative options like lace overlays
- −As with any panel, edge gaps can leak light without a wraparound rod
How it compares
Reviewed.com ranked it ahead of the NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout for outright light blocking, though NICETOWN won CNN's flashlight test. It uses the same triple-weave approach as the NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout and undercuts the Eclipse Fresno, Best Home Fashion Premium Blackout, and Sun Zero Barrow on price.
Who this is for
At a glance: Budget shoppers who want the best-tested light blocking for the lowest price and do not need decorative styling or a wide color range.
Why you’d buy the Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout
- Reviewed.com's Editor's Choice for best blackout curtains, doing 'an excellent job of blocking out unwanted light'.
- Triple-weave 240 GSM polyester rated 100% blackout, with a thick blackout coating on the back.
- Metal grommets slide easily on standard or decorative rods and look modern.
Why you’d skip it
- Stock can be intermittent, with the top configuration occasionally unavailable.
- Limited color and size range compared with specialty curtain brands.
- Plain styling without decorative options like lace overlays.
Rating sources
“These blackout curtains performed the best, doing an excellent job of blocking out unwanted light.”
“Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout Curtains, lab-tested and reviewed”
“innovative triple-weave 240 GSM polyester fabric that blocks light and also acts as an insulating barrier”
Our 4.6 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
