Best Electric Fireplace Inserts of 2026, Picked by Fireplace Type

The best electric fireplace insert is the one that fits the opening you already have. Measure first, then pick by what matters most to you: the look of an open hearth, a full glass-front firebox, app control, or more heat than a standard outlet can give. Below are our picks for each, checked against the manufacturers' own manuals. To browse everything, see our electric fireplace inserts.

Our Picks at a Glance

*Depth of the size linked, or the range across all sizes for the Amantii.

First, Measure Your Opening

Measure the width, height and depth of the fireplace opening, front and back. Many masonry fireplaces taper, so the back is narrower than the front, and an insert has to clear the smallest measurement. Each manufacturer publishes the minimum opening for every size, and that number decides your shortlist before anything else does.

Then check for an outlet. A plug-in insert needs a grounded 120V outlet inside the fireplace or close enough to reach without an extension cord. Many older fireplaces have none, so plan on an electrician adding one.

Best Overall: Modern Flames Redstone

The Redstone handles both jobs an insert gets asked to do. Modern Flames' manual gives it two installations: slide it into an existing fireplace and plug it in, or frame it into a wall and hardwire it. That means one model works whether you are converting an old hearth now or building a new wall later.

• What you get: both acrylic crystal media and driftwood logs come standard, so you can switch between a modern and a traditional look.
• Controls: a digital thermostat, timer and remote, with ten flame colors.
• Sizes: widths from 26 to 54 inches across the Redstone series.
• Skip it if: you want app control. The Redstone runs on its remote and the onboard panel.

Best for an Open Hearth: Napoleon Woodland Log Set

A log set is the flame on its own: a log and ember bed that sits in your fireplace the way a grate of real wood would. The brick, the hearth and the opening all stay visible around it. If you love your fireplace and only want to stop burning wood in it, this is the option that changes the least.

• What you get: a log and ember bed lit by LEDs, in widths from 18 to 27 inches.
• Heat: a 1,500 watt heater with a thermostat that holds the room between 61 and 85°F.
• Power: plugs in, or hardwires if you would rather hide the cord.
• Skip it if: your fireplace has glass doors you plan to close. Napoleon's manual says not to use doors that seal the log set in, because of the heat.

More options are in our electric log sets collection.

Best for a Shallow Fireplace: Touchstone Fireplug Pro

At 7-7/8 inches deep, the Fireplug Pro fits fireplaces that are too shallow for most fireboxes. Touchstone designed it to slide straight into an existing hearth, and an optional trim kit covers any gap left around the opening.

• What you get: driftwood logs and smoked glass crystals, plus a crackling fire sound with adjustable volume.
• Power: 120V, 1,500 watts, plugged straight into the wall. Touchstone says not to use a surge protector or extension cord.
• Skip it if: your opening is deep and wide enough for a larger firebox. The slim body is the point of this one.

Best for App Control: Amantii Traditional Lumina

If you want to start the fireplace from your phone before you get home, the Traditional Lumina is our pick. It connects over Wi-Fi to a smartphone app, and its thermostatic remote and programmable timer handle the rest.

• What you get: a firebox with adjustable ember bed colors, flame speed and brightness, in widths from 26 to 48 inches.
• Heat: 1,465 watts on high and 750 on low, which Amantii rates for about 400 square feet.
• Covered outdoor spaces: Amantii approves it for outdoor areas protected from direct rain or spray, which is unusual for an insert.
• Skip it if: you never use apps. You would be paying for a feature you will not touch.

For more app-ready models, see our smart electric fireplaces.

Best for a Smaller Opening: Dimplex 23" Standard Insert

Dimplex built this firebox to fit many existing wood fireplaces and to run from a standard household outlet. It is about 23 inches wide and under 11 inches deep, so it suits the smaller openings common in older homes.

• Heat: 1,375 watts, about 4,700 BTU.
• Finishing: a matching trim kit covers the gap if your opening is larger than the unit.
• Before you install: Dimplex says to seal drafts and cap the chimney first, and not to install it in a fireplace that gets damp.
• Skip it if: you have a wide opening. A small firebox in a big fireplace looks lost, even with trim.

Best for Heat: Napoleon Ascent 40

Almost every plug-in insert tops out around 1,500 watts, or about 5,000 BTU. That is not a weakness of any one model. It is the limit of a standard 120V household circuit, which is why the heat figures above look so similar. Rule of thumb: that is enough to take the chill off roughly 400 to 500 square feet.

To get more, you need 240V, and that means hardwiring. The Ascent 40 ships set up for a 120V plug. With its voltage switch changed and an electrician wiring it to 240V, Napoleon rates it at 2,650 watts, roughly 9,000 BTU.

• Size: just over 40 inches wide and 14 inches deep.
• Also worth a look: the Dimplex Ignite Aspire, which reaches 2,500 watts on 240V and adds control through the Flame Connect app.
• Skip it if: you are filling an existing masonry fireplace. The Ascent is a built-in, so its manual covers framed openings, not old hearths.

See every framed-wall option in our built-in electric fireplaces.

What About the Most Realistic Flame?

The picks above all use LED flame effects, which are patterns of light shaped and moved to look like fire. A small group of inserts plays a filmed recording of real fire on a screen instead, and side by side the difference is easy to see. We cover those, and how to tell the two apart, in our most realistic electric fireplace inserts guide, or you can browse our realistic electric fireplaces.

Log Set or Firebox?

A log set is the simpler change, but it leaves the original firebox, and any drafts and soot stains, in view. A firebox insert fills the opening with a finished interior and a glass front, so the old fireplace disappears behind it. If the masonry is in good shape and you like it, choose a log set. If it is stained, cracked or drafty, a firebox covers it.

Installing an Electric Fireplace Insert

Most plug-in inserts are a do-it-yourself job once there is an outlet in place: clean the firebox, close and seal the damper, plug in, slide the unit in and level it. Hardwiring, adding an outlet inside the fireplace, or wiring for 240V is work for a licensed electrician. Our electric fireplace insert installation guide walks through it step by step.

Still weighing fuels? Our gas vs electric fireplace inserts guide compares the two.

Find the Right Insert for Your Fireplace

Start with your measurements, then compare models by opening size, depth and heat in our electric fireplace inserts collection.

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