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Our home experts selected the top 16 comforters to test side-by-side. We cozied up with each blanket for weeks of daily use and nightly temperature and humidity tests while evaluating construction quality, comfort, and loft. We rotated between models every night, stuffed them in washers, and stored them on shelves to determine which we liked best.
Our favorite down option is the Brooklinen Lightweight for its ability to provide warmth without getting too heavy. If you prefer a down alternative, the Buffy Cloud Sleeper is a quality option that is almost as warm as the Brooklinen and is a bit more breathable.
If you covet quality sleep (and who doesn't?), the addition of a few items can help transform your bedroom into the ultimate retreat without requiring a complete makeover. A mattress topper can help modify your current mattress to your liking, and a body pillow can add an extra level of support and comfort to your bed. If you struggle with getting cold at night even with a good comforter, an electric blanket may be a good option for you.
Editor's Note: We updated our comforter review on December 6, 2024, with additional advice on some of our favorite options.
The Brooklinen Lightweight Down is one of the warmest in this lineup but weighs half as much as the other top performers. That's likely because this is one of the only comforters we tested stuffed with 100% duck and goose down instead of a mix of down and feathers. While some prefer a heavier option for the weighted blanket effect, if you like a featherweight layer that will keep you toasty no matter the weather, this is the one. It's also handmade in Canada, and the high standard of quality shows. The edge stitches are sturdy, and though they are easier to snag, the center stitches don't bunch the robust fabric when they do. Since it's thinner than most down options we tested, it's also easier to handle and store.
Despite its low weight, the Brooklinen may be too warm for hot sleepers or during summer months without air conditioning. It's also expensive, as handmade items tend to be. But our biggest complaint is that you can't throw it in the wash. This is a problem with most down comforters, but that doesn't mean we like it. Brooklinen recommends spot-cleaning or, if you must, dry-cleaning this comforter. Many sources warn that dry cleaning chemicals can damage down feathers, though. We protect it with a duvet cover to keep it clean while enjoying its quality construction, instant warmth, and incredibly light, lofty comfort. If you want an even loftier and easier-to-clean model that doesn't weigh much more, check out the Feathered Friends Bavarian 700 Down.
With soft, silky fabric, arcing seams, thick stuffing, and boxed hems, the Buffy Cloud Sleeper is well-named. It's the hug of a comforter you want to wrap around you on the couch after a long day. The Tencel Lyocell fabric is made of eucalyptus wood fibers, and the fill is crafted from recycled plastic bottles. Buffy claims it's BPA-free and meets the Global Recycled Standard. We always appreciate products that work to limit toxins coming into contact with our skin and mitigate negative environmental impacts. The comforter is also well-made, with snug stitches, consistent seams, and sturdy fabric.
In our tests, down alternative fibers reduced humidity under the covers better than actual down, and the Cloud Sleeper regulates temperature well. It kept testers warm but comfortable in a 62-degree room. The smooth eucalyptus face fabric is slippery, though. Without a duvet cover, it can easily slide to the floor. Though the Buffy is machine washable, it's bulky and hard to fit into older, top-loading models. We don't mind the odd trip to the laundry mat and recommend this comforter to any of our friends looking for a cozy alternative to down. If you're a hot sleeper or prefer crisp cotton to satin-like fabrics, consider the Saatva All-Year Down Alternative.
75% waterfowl feathers and 25% waterfowl down, 61 oz fill weight
Tabs for Duvet
Yes
Measured Weight
7.0 lb
Dimensions
Queen - 90" x 90"
The Three Geese Pinch Pleat Goose Down is lofty, warm, and lovely. It's generously stuffed with a 61-ounce fill weight, comprised of 75% waterfowl feathers and 25% down. This provides plenty of weight and great warmth for the fall, winter, and spring. Its baffled construction keeps the feathers from shifting around, so you don't end up with those dreaded drafts. This is the heaviest comforter in our tests, creating that cozy, compressed sensation that weighted blanket lovers appreciate. This comforter transformed our beds into a warm and reassuring feathered nest.
Though the natural fabrics and pinch pleated design are lovely, we often pair it with a duvet cover since you have to take it to a professional launder to have it cleaned. The 1200-thread count cotton outer material is nice looking but also loud, crinkling whenever you move. Adding a duvet cover helps here as well. This relatively affordable model is among our favorites due to its superb value, warmth, and comfort. The Hotel Grand White Goose Down is another affordable option that isn't as warm but breathes better if you tend to sleep hot.
The Linenspa All-Season Down Alternative is an excellent all-around comforter at an impressively low price. It's soft, warm, and low-maintenance. The colorful fabric looks finished without a duvet cover. And, since you can throw it in the washing machine, you don't have to worry about keeping it clean. This comforter feels light and airy when wrapped around you and is about medium weight among the models we tested. Our testers found themselves warm and sleeping soundly in a 62-degree room. This is also one of the most breathable comforters in the test, letting moisture escape to keep your sheets from feeling sweaty.
The Linenspa doesn't provide the same high-quality construction as pricier options. The seams and fabric just aren't as robust. Several threads on ours were loose, the fabric pilled over time, and it was prone to punctures and scrapes. The center stitches were big and loose enough to snag, and the fabric bunched between them when it did. Though it may not be an heirloom item, if money is tight and you seek superb comfort, look no further. The Bedsure All-Season Down Alternative Insert is a similar blanket that we find more durable and comfortable; it's just not as warm.
If you want your bed to feel like an actual cloud, we recommend the Feathered Friends Bavarian 700 Down. Its sewn-through construction creates individual squares that are simply stuffed with the lightest, loftiest down filling we can imagine. The comforter practically floats when you unfurl it over your bed. It's also very warm, which could work for or against you, depending on your internal thermostat. Luckily, Feathered Friends gives you a lot of options, and you can order this comforter in summer, light, medium, and Arctic weights. We tested the medium weight, which worked wonderfully for our moderate sleeper in temperatures up to 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
We found that down comforters don't breathe as well as those filled with synthetic fibers. Among the feather-filled options, though, this one allowed more moisture to escape than most. It's also quite well-made, with sturdy edge seams. You can snag the center seams, though, and they bunch the fabric when you do. We recommend protecting this investment with a duvet cover to keep those seams intact. While that gives us pause, it's hard to argue with a cloud bed, and this is the best option in the lineup to be able to enjoy that particular dream. The Three Geese Pinch Pleat Goose Down comforter isn't as breathable as the Bavarian, but it has more heft for those who like a weighty feel. It's also less expensive.
Best for Hot Sleepers
Homelike Moment Lightweight All Season Down Alternative
T-shirt soft, easy to wash, and with forgiving colorways, the Homelike Moment Lightweight All Season Down Alternative is perfectly at home on your bed, on a camping trip, or holding down the nearest pillow fort. Its low weight and excellent breathability make it feel more like a thick blanket than a comforter. This makes it an excellent option for anyone who often overheats at night. Add to that its incredibly reasonable price point and hypo-allergenic materials, and this option is hard to argue with.
On the flip side, it's not the warmest comforter we tested. It often takes ten minutes or so for our feet to warm up when we first crawl into bed on a chilly evening (many of the others offer instant warmth). Still, it kept our testers contented through the night in a 64-degree room. It's not surprising at this price point, but the quality of materials and construction could be better. There were loose threads and stitches in the one we tested, though the fabric seemed tough enough. That earned it a rough-and-tumble reputation in our tests. If you want a light, comfortable, and affordable comforter that you don't have to worry too much about, we recommend this one. The Bedsure All-Season Down Alternative Insert is another breathable, cozy, and affordable synthetic option.
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How We Test Comforters
We researched the most popular and impressive comforters available today before purchasing the most promising models and putting them through a series of side-by-side tests. We evaluated their comfort, breathability, warmth, construction quality, and maintenance requirements, like laundering and storage. Our team lounged, slept, and washed these comforters (when possible). Then broke out the temperature and humidity sensors and placed them in the bed with us as we slept, recording the accompanying data. We also weighed every comforter and used the decibel meters to decipher their relative strengths and weaknesses.
We break down each comforter's overall score into five key metrics:
Comfort (25% of overall score weighting)
Warmth (25% weighting)
Breathability (20% weighting)
Maintenance (15% weighting)
Quality and Durability (15% weighting)
Why Trust GearLab
Our testers bring their scientific backgrounds, attention to detail, and extensive experience sleeping to this review. Our lead testers, Isaac Laredo and Clark Tate, are no strangers to seeking comfort. Isaac spends the better part of his life nestled in bedding. His expertise lies in differentiation and identifying the perfect fabric for every occasion. Clark holds a master's degree in environmental science and loves designing robust testing protocols to find products that work well, are reasonably priced, and are created with respect for humans and their environment. These two worked with a team of GearLab testers to help you find the exact comforter you're looking for.
We've slept under, washed, crumpled, weighed, and temperature-checked dozens of comforters to determine which one is best for your sleeping habits.
How to Pick the Best Comforter
When choosing a comforter, you'll first want to consider what type of fill is best for you. Down and down-alternatives each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Below we discuss these fill materials, along with further considerations about fill power and thread count.
Fill Material
Down: Down fill uses the down clusters found on the underside of ducks and geese. These feathers have no quill and can provide a high level of loft, or fluffiness. Down comforters tend to be warm, lightweight, and last longer than down-alternatives. However, this prime material is pricey and not best for those sensitive to allergens.
Down-alternative: Down-alternatives refer to anything that is not made from down clusters. This can be cotton, polyester, siliconized filling, and more. Down alternatives don't contain dander, so they are considered hypoallergenic. Though comforters with this fill won't be as warm, they are inexpensive and don't require constant reshaping.
Down comforters tend to be lighter and loftier, though down alternatives are budget-friendly and hypoallergenic.
Down Fill Power
Down fill power is determined by measuring the space taken by one ounce of down clusters. Generally, down is rated within the 300-1000 range, but higher quality down starts around 550. The larger the loft value, the lighter the comforter is, as fewer clusters will be needed to fill the space. If you're after a light, fluffy, and warm comforter, opt for an option with a higher loft.
Thread Count
Thread count refers to the number of threads within one square inch. The higher the number, the softer the fabric. This number can range from about 100 to over 600, however anything over 200 is considered high-quality cotton. Higher thread counts are also more breathable. So, even if you plan to encase your comforter in a duvet, one that has a higher quality count might be best.
Analysis and Test Results
To test comforters, we blended subjective, post-sleeping notes with objective data to build a well-balanced assessment of each product's performance. We assessed comforters stuffed with down, down, and feather blends, and synthetic filling, including both premium and budget options to meet your needs.
What's the Best Value?
Comforter prices vary widely, and the models that score the highest are usually among the most expensive. Luckily, several options offer exceptional quality at a lower price point, offering exceptional value. We highlight those with our Best Buy awards. In this review, the Linenspa All-Season Down Alternative and Homelike Lightweight All Season offer excellent performance-to-price ratios for models with synthetic filling. Choose the Linenspa if you prefer a warmer, weightier comforter. Pick the Homelike if you tend to overheat.
The Three Geese Pinch Pleat and Hotel Grand White Goose Down offer the best value among the down options. The Three Geese is a weightier, warmer option. The Hotel Grand is still very warm but is lighter, loftier, and more breathable.
Price isn't the only value we consider. If animal and worker welfare and environmental health are important to you, you may be willing to pay more for responsibly sourced and constructed products. To help you find this information, we've listed each company's ethical claims and certifications in the specs table.
The Three Geese Pinch Pleat and Egyptian Bedding Luxurious Siberian Goose Down comforters meet the Responsible Down Standard. Feathered Friends claims to use ethically sourced and trackable down, and Brooklinen uses recycled down. It's important to note that synthetic fibers don't involve animal harm, but many contribute to microplastic loading.
Comfort
Most of us spend a quarter to a third of our lives asleep, so it's worth investing in quality bedding for a good night's sleep. To compare these inherently snuggly products, we dig into the details. We note the buttery softness or pleasantly crisp feel of their fabrics and the light and airy loft or reassuring weight of their fill. We also use a decibel meter to measure how much noise they make when we shift in the night.
The most comforting comforters have one thing in common -– loft. And the Feathered Friends Bavarian 700 Down is the lightest and fluffiest of all. When you press down on one generously stuffed square, it feels like squishing a cloud. The down also rebounds quickly, faster than any other in the test, possibly thanks to its sewn-through construction.
Sewn-Through versus Baffle-Box Construction
Comforters usually sport a stitching pattern that holds their insulation in place to provide consistent weight and warmth. They vary in construction, though. One of the most consequential distinctions is whether each seam is sewn-through, with a seam connecting the top and bottom covers directly, or whether vertical fabric panels are sewn between them to form the sides of a baffle-box.
Baffle-box construction provides more space for the down feathers or down-alternative synthetic fibers to spread out and maintain their loft. On the other hand, it requires more fill to take up all that space and leaves more room for the stuffing to shift around, creating dead zones. The baffle box comforters often don't bounce back as quickly after being compressed as the sewn-through versions we tested.
The Brooklinen Lightweight Down and Buffy Cloud Sleeper down-alternative are comfort standouts due to their cloud-like feel. We love their soft fabric and the Buffy's thick and generous synthetic fill. The airy Brooklinen is the lightest weight down comforter we tested. While many of our testers loved the airy option, it's not the best for those who prefer the secure feeling of a heavier cover.
The Three Geese Goose Down Pinch Pleat and Superior Solid White Down Alternative are also excellent. The heft and warmth of the down and feather Three Goose comforter is a great option for those who prefer a cover with some weight. The Superior's smooth face fabric and fluffy fill are luxurious. The Saatva All-Year Down Alternative is another favorite and one of the few synthetic fill options with 100% cotton face fabric. If you prefer natural fibers against your skin but want to stay away from down, it's our top recommendation.
Since most of the down-alternative, synthetic comforters tested have fairly similar levels of loft, the softness of their fabric is a more important factor in gauging their comfort. Some folks prefer the sensation of natural fibers like cotton, while others are drawn to the smooth and silky feel of many synthetic fabrics. No matter which camp you're in, some marvelous options are available.
The Easeland All-Season polyester exterior feels almost like satin, and Homelike Lightweight All Season Down Alternative's polyester outside is as soft as your favorite t-shirt. Since they're machine washable, we used them without duvet covers more often than the rest. With its polyester covering, the Linenspa All-Season Down Alternative makes very little noise, but the fabric feels cheap. The microfiber cover on the Bedsure All-Season Down Alternative is more pleasant.
No one wants to be woken up by a noisy blanket. While most of the coziest comforters are also the quietest, the Three Geese and Hotel Grand options are exceptions. Their relatively crisp cotton fabric crinkles. Adding a duvet cover also helps quiet any rustling comforter.
Warmth
We tested warmth by sleeping several nights with each comforter with a temperature and humidity monitor under the covers and another one measuring room conditions. In general, down versions are warmer than their synthetic counterparts. It's important to keep in mind that the highest-scoring options in this metric may not be right for you. How much warmth you need from your comforter depends on where you live, how warm your home is, and how hot or cold you tend to sleep.
If you keep your house between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit year-round and are a hot sleeper, a lightweight model is likely to offer plenty of warmth. If you tend to wake up freezing, you may need a heavyweight option. That said, in our tests, the very lightweight Booklinen was among the warmest options in the test. Since the quality of down, feathers, and synthetic fill varies, one brand's lightweight version could be as warm as another brand's heaviest. That's why we tested them all in great detail for you.
Along with the toasty Brooklinen, the Three Geese Pinch Pleat, Hotel Grand, and Feathered Friends Bavarian 700 hold the most warmth. One of our testers often overheats in the night and found all of these options were too much for regular use at 66 degrees Fahrenheit. Our moderator testers found them to be cozy for that temperature range, though they would prefer using them in a cooler room.
Our warmth tests aren't subjective - we actually measure how warm each comforter keeps us.
All of these top performers are called down comforters, but only the Brooklinen Lightweight Down, Hotel Grand, and Feathered Friends claim to be filled solely with down. Yes, there is a difference. Down is the lightest and loftiest feathers that insulate birds from the cold. Feathers are stiffer and more streamlined, meant more for weatherproofing than for warmth. The Three Geese's filling is only 25% down, though it has so many feathers that they add up to a lot of warmth. The Egyptian Bedding comforter gives you a more efficient ratio with 80% down filling.
Of the non-down options we tested, the Buffy Cloud Sleeper, Superior Solid White Down Alternative, and Linenspa All Season Alternative kept us the warmest. The Cloud is generously stuffed with recycled plastic fiber insulation held in place with curving lines of tightly held stitches. Boxed-off hems allow the insulation to hold air, and thus heat, all the way to the edge. It works wonderfully.
The Superior Solid Down Alternative also employs baffle-box construction to keep its insulation evenly distributed and lofty. While the Linenspa lacks in the loft department and has sewn-through seams, it manages to offer impressive warmth.
Again, if you're a hot sleeper, you may not want the warmest option in the test. Our warmest sleeping testers preferred the Homelike Lightweight All Season Down Alternative. It's slower to warm up, but kept all of our testers comfortable in a 64-degree room. The Saatva All-Year Down Comforter offers impressive comfort and average warmth, and that could be perfect for you.
Breathability
Breathability refers to how well a textile allows excess heat and moisture to flow from the inside to the outside. Breathable comforters help you maintain an ideal sleep temperature and can prevent sweat from building up. To test breathability, we slept with a humidity tracker under each one for several nights.
The results were clear — natural fabrics like cotton are often more breathable than synthetic fibers, but synthetic fill is more breathable than down. If you are prone to night sweats, choosing a cooler sleeping, more breathable down-alternative option will likely keep you more comfortable. Keep in mind though, that even the low-scoring down options breathe reasonably well, more than well enough for our moderate to cool sleeping testers. Don't let low breathability scores stop you if you prefer to feather your nest.
The Homelike Lightweight All Season Down Alternative held consistently lower humidity levels in our tests, suggesting that it's the most breathable option. The LinenSpa, Bedsure All-Season Down Alternative, and Saatva All-Year Down Alternative aren't far behind. The Buffy Cloud Sleeper did feel overly warm occasionally and seems to offer less airflow than some of the thinner synthetic options.
Of the down models, the Hotel Grand allowed more moisture to escape than the rest, with the Feathered Friends Bavarian 700 a close second place. Both are made of 100% high thread count cotton and fully downfill, which might have something to do with the increased airflow. The rest of the down held in a bit more moisture, again, not enough to be problematic to those who don't often overheat.
Maintenance
Since we spend eight hours a day in our beds, we really should clean them regularly. If it's hard to do, you're less likely to. We looked at each model's laundering requirements and tossed the machine-washable options in the wash. They all came out well, but the easiest to clean are the less bulky items. We also tested how easy these options are to store during the warmer months, mainly by measuring how tightly we could fold them and seeing how well they shook off the wrinkles to reach peak loft.
The Homelike, Amazon Basics, Linenspa, Bedsure, and Easeland synthetic options are all machine washable and relatively lightweight. Their low bulk profile makes them easy to stuff in any sized machine. They're also relatively easy to store since they fold compactly, the Homelike most of all. The Buffy Cloud Sleeper and Saatva All-Year are machine washable (though you have to hang dry the Cloud Sleeper). They're both thicker than the rest, though, making them more comfortable but also more difficult to wrestle into the washing machine or onto a shelf in the closet.
All the down and feather options we tested recommend spot cleaning, professional laundering, or dry cleaning; save one. Feathered Friends recommends hand washing their comforter but concedes that a front-loading machine is acceptable. They do emphasize that you should never dry clean it. Dry cleaning down and feather products has a reputation for ruining them. That's partially why the Hotel Grand receives such a low score here; it's dry clean only. Since down comforters are harder to wash than synthetic versions, it's more common to cover them with a duvet that you can wash as often as you'd like.
Quality of Construction
To rate each option's relative construction quality, we examined their materials and tested the seams and fabrics. We also paid some attention to aesthetics, finding the neutral color and wholesome look of cotton hard to beat. We appreciate that natural materials have benefits ranging from increased breathability to not shedding microplastics in your house and washing machine.
The pinch pleated, baffle design on the Three Geese's cotton face fabric is a lovely flourish, and the double seams around the edge are sturdy and snug. We are able to slide a paperclip through some of them, but they don't pull far, and the fabric doesn't pucker. The anchoring stitches in the middle of the comforter are invisiblely tucked inside, making them very hard to snag or damage. The Three Geese and Cosybay 100% Cotton Quilted Down options both have a higher ratio of feathers to down, and we could see more of these poking through over time.
The Brooklinen is another quality option. The outer stitches are too tight to snag. Though you can hook the center stitches pretty easily, they don't pull the fabric with them. The same is true of the Hotel Grand, but there are three sections where one of the seams is ripped along the edges, which brought down its score.
Of the synthetic options, the Buffy Cloud is very well made, with regular stitching to hold everything in place. The eucalyptus face fabric seems less robust than cotton, but we expect it to stand up to everyday use. The Saatva All-Year impressed with very secure stitching around the outer edge, but the center stitches are not only easy to snag — two of them broke while we were testing them. This one may require more care.
Many thinner, less expensive options already have dangling threads and loose stitches. We don't expect options like the Amazon Basics and Utopia options to last as long as the pricier versions in the test.
Conclusion
Shopping for a comforter can feel overwhelming, especially when surfing neverending options online. Our testing team spent weeks sleeping with and testing these comforters to formulate this comprehensive review and help you buy bedding confidently. We sincerely hope it leads you to the cloud-like comfort of your dreams.
For other ways to wind down and relax, take a look at our best foot massager review and head over to our list of massage guns if you're in the market for a tool to help you with recovery after an intense workout.