Two new donor–π-bridge–acceptor zinc porphyrins with dimethylaminonaphthalene electron donating moieties, coded T1 and T2, were synthesized and used as sensitizers in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Both dyes showed excellent photovoltaic properties with power conversion efficiencies of 8.0 and 9.6% for T1 and T2 respectively, for which the device performance of T2 dye is superior to that of N719 dye.