9 Best Comforters (original) (raw)
The 9 Very Best Comforters
Lofty, cloudlike, and warm.
By ,a senior writer at the Strategist covering home and parenting. She joined the Strategist as a writer in 2018. Previously, she was an associate editor at Curbed.
For that peaceful sinking feeling.Photo: Marcus McDonald
For that peaceful sinking feeling.Photo: Marcus McDonald
- Best overall
- Best down
- Best down alternative
- Best bamboo
- Best cooling
- Best dual temperature
- More comforters and duvets we like
I love slipping into crisp, cool sheets at night, but nestling under a big fluffy comforter is what feels truly luxurious to me. It can be filled with either goose down or a down alternative like polyester, but no matter the fill, a comforter should feel comfortable in every season. Depending on the climate where you live or whether you sleep hot or cold, you can find a comforter that works for you since most companies offer a range of seasonally appropriate options, from lightweight to all-season (mid-weight) to heavyweight.
To help you find the perfect comforter, I tested several options and consulted interior designers and hospitality professionals about what they use in their projects, hotels, and homes. Below are the best down-filled and down-alternative comforters for every type of sleeper. (And if you’re looking for a more in-depth roundup of down comforters, head to my guide here.) All the prices listed are for a queen size, unless noted otherwise. (A note: While the terms duvet and comforter are often used interchangeably, they technically mean different things. A comforter doesn’t require a cover, but a duvet does. I’ve included both here.)
Updated on March 24, 2026
It’s Sleep Better Week at the Strategist, so we’ve made sure our favorite mattress-topper favorites are in stock and correctly priced. Our best overall and best bamboo down-alternative picks are 25 percent and 30 percent off right now, respectively.
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Sheritca Maynard of Interior Design by S&S says the fill of your comforter should be the quality you pay the most attention to, whether you’re looking for down or down-alternative options. Not only will it impact how warm the comforter will be, but it will also play a huge role in the comfort of your bed, especially for those who want something exceptionally fluffy. Many of our experts prefer down alternative, which is typically made from synthetic polyester fibers, sometimes derived from recycled plastic, because it can be more ecofriendly, hypoallergenic, and less lumpy than down. (You can learn more about the difference between down and synthetic insulation here.)
But for a luxury-hotel sleeping experience, nothing, according to interior designer Elizabeth Strianese of Elizabeth Strianese Interiors, compares to high-end goose-down comforters, which she says have “left a mark on my sleeping psyche.” Without getting too technical, down comforters are either filled with down (the fluffy insulation beneath the feathers) from geese and ducks or a blend of down and feathers. All-down comforters are more expensive than blended ones. (If you want to learn more about the composition of down, head to our story about the best down pillows.) Most have a baffle-box construction, which means they’re made with discrete boxlike pockets that each contain an equal amount of filling, preventing it from moving around the whole comforter or clumping. You’ll see a fill power number associated with some of the down comforters below, and that number indicates how warm the blanket will be. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the warmer the comforter, but for more insight into the topic, read our explainer here. You can read more about our favorite down comforters here.
As I noted above, a duvet is meant to be used with a cover, while a comforter can be used on its own, though a lot of people opt to use a duvet cover on a comforter to protect it from stains (and to prolong the period between washes). If you plan to use your comforter without a duvet cover, or are worried about breathability, you might want to pay attention to its shell material. Look for cotton, bamboo, and Tencel for a more comfortable sleep.
Sweaty sleepers should be able to enjoy the coziness of a comforter without the excessive heat. Interior designer Linda Hayslett of LH.Designs says the weight “can determine how hot or cool you are when sleeping” since the heavier it is, the warmer it is. Pick an “all season” or “summer” comforter if you would like something on the cooler side; these are usually more lightweight.
Comforters are large and bulky and take a bit of effort to clean, but depending on the manufacturer, they can also be washed in the washing machine (like many on this list). If you think your home laundry machine can’t handle the load, take it to a laundromat or even the dry cleaners.
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Filling: 600–650-fill-power European down | Shell: 300-thread-count combed-cotton-sateen shell | Weight: Light, medium, extra | Care: Machine washable
Down-filled comforters are more expensive than ones filled with polyester because of their fill, and you can feel the difference. They’re fluffy and lofty and warm to sleep under and yet still so lightweight, which is a big part of their appeal. I’ve owned this down comforter from the Company Store’s Legends Hotel collection since 2019, and up until recently, when I started testing other comforters for this story, it was the only bed covering I used. I love feeling ensconced under it, and after all these years, it’s still fluffy and warm, even after several trips to the laundromat and dry cleaner.
Filled with European down, it has a baffle-box construction and comes in three weight options: light, medium, and extra. I own the medium weight, and I sleep perfectly comfortably with it during the spring, winter, and fall months. (In the summer, I sleep without the air conditioner on and usually use only a top sheet as a cover.) I haven’t noticed much feather leakage in the time I’ve had it, and because I always use a duvet cover on it, the sateen shell has stayed smooth and white and would still look nice on its own. For its quality, durability, comfort, and price — and the fact that it is often on sale — it’s my top pick for best down-filled comforter.
Under the Company Store comforter without a duvet cover on it.Photo: Lauren Ro
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Filling: 650 fill power, white down | Shell: 300-thread-count combed-cotton-sateen shell | Weight: Lightweight, all-season, ultra | Care: Machine washable or dry clean
For $200, Quince’s down comforter is a good value. It has similar specifications as the Company Store comforter above — 650 fill power, 300-count sateen shell — for less than half the price. I have been testing the ultrawarm weight for a couple of months, and I would say that it feels like the medium-weight Company Store comforter above in terms of fluffiness and thickness. Strategist deputy editor Simone Kitchens has also been testing it (in the all-season weight) and finds it to be warm, cozy, and lofty like her Parachute duvet (see below) in the same weight. One thing she points out is that it’s not as quiet as the Parachute, as it has a bit more of a rustling and crinkling sound. I will continue to test it to see if it stays as lofty over time as when it is new.
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Filling: 750-fill-power European white down and feathers | Shell: Cotton sateen | Weight: Light and medium | Care: Machine washable or dry-clean
Parachute makes our Best in Class down pillows, and the brand’s down duvet insert is just as plush. As mentioned above, it’s Kitchens’s main duvet, and she says that it’s the best one she’s ever owned. “I wanted something super-lofty,” she says. “Three years later, it’s as fluffy as when I first unfurled it” — even after several washes in her washing machine at home. Kitchens owns the all-season duvet (it’s also available in lightweight and ultraweight) and says that it “truly works year-round, keeping me warm in the winter and perfectly comfortable in the warmer months.” The filling is 85 percent down and 15 percent feathers and has a baffle-box design to keep the fill in place, sturdy seams, and an extra-lofty feel. It has a soft cotton-sateen shell, but because it’s a duvet insert, it’s meant to be used with a duvet cover. Kitchens’s duvet cover is choice is Morrow’s matte sateen duvet cover.
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Filling: Down alternative (recycled polyester) | Shell: Long-staple cotton sateen | Weight: Light, medium, and heavyweight | Care: Dry-clean
While I personally prefer a comforter filled with goose down, it’s not always the most practical choice if you are vegan or have allergies. Down-alternative comforters, which are typically filled with a synthetic fiberlike polyester, are hypoallergenic, cost less, and can be more ecofriendly if made with recycled materials. When I tested Brooklinen’s all-season down-alternative comforter over the summer, I found it to be just as comfortable as ones made from goose down. While it felt bouncier than a down-filled one, it wasn’t heavy or bulky, and the thickness was a nice in-between for average sleepers. The cotton-sateen shell felt smooth to the touch, and because of its luxe sheen, it could be used without a duvet cover. The comforter has a baffle-box construction and each pocket is filled with hypoallergenic recycled PET microfiber, which experts say is just as cozy as real down. I will note, however, that down-alternative comforters tend to feel lumpier and are harder to fluff than ones filled with goose down.
From top: Comforters from The Company Store, Quince, and Brooklinen.Photo: Lauren Ro
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Filling: Down alternative (polyester) | Shell: Microfiber | Weight: Medium | Care: Machine washable
Recommended by Lee, Strategist junior writer Brenley Goertzen, plus over 132,000 Amazon reviewers, this down-alternative comforter is a fraction of the price of the Brooklinen comforter above.It’s made with a smooth microfiber shell and filled with 300 GSM-polyester fill that Goertzen says “never clumps up.” While it’s on the “thinner, less fluffy” side, Goertzen loves how versatile it is: It’s cooling in the summer (her boyfriend is a hot sleeper) and keeps them warm, even during freezing Minnesota winters. It doesn’t ever weigh them down or feel suffocating, either.Plus, she says, “it’s very soft, has good airflow, and the shell is cool to the touch.” Lee agrees, saying that it’s “very comfortable” and “super-easy to maintain: You can throw it in the washing machine with the option to tumble dry low.”
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Filling: Down alternative (polyester) | Shell: Bamboo, rayon, and combed cotton-sateen blend | Weight: Medium | Care: Machine washable
Sweaty sleepers might find bamboo particularly comfortable because it tends to be more breathable than cotton or synthetic materials. Devin Shaffer, Decorilla’s lead sales designer, recommends this bamboo comforter from Company Store and uses it quite a bit in his projects. Shaffer is a fan of bamboo linens in general for their smooth texture and excellent temperature-regulation properties, characteristics that are also true of this comforter. “Its cotton and bamboo combination is the secret to maintaining the perfect ‘under the covers’ climate,” he says. Filled with polyester, it comes in six colors — “The hottest colors are ‘misty blue’ and ‘tarragon,’ which fall into the ‘Danish pastel’ color palette that’s in high demand,” Shaffer says — and can be used with or without a duvet cover.
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Filling: Down alternative (lyocell fiber fill) | Shell: 300 thread count lyocell | Weight: Medium | Care: spot clean or dry clean
There are down-alternative comforters that are not filled with polyester, like Buffy’s Breeze Comforter, which is made with lyocell fiber fill and a lyocell shell. The fabric, which is derived from wood pulp from beech, birch, spruce, and eucalyptus trees, is considered to be moisture-wicking and breathable, and you can actually feel how cool it is to the touch — almost silky — making it ideal for hot sleepers. Testing the comforter, I also noticed just how hefty it was. It doesn’t have the loft of a traditional comforter and feels more like a very heavy quilt. If you like the comfort of something heavier but don’t want a proper weighted blanket, then this will be a good option to experiment with. (The weight comes from the lyocell itself, which is more tightly woven than cotton and therefore denser.)
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Filling: Down alternative | Shell: Long-staple cotton | Weight: Light and medium | Care: Machine washable
If you sleep hot but your bedmate is always cold (or vice versa), finding the right comforter to accommodate both preferences can be challenging. That’s why Hayslett recommends the Crane & Canopy dual comforter with two different warmth and weight levels. She says it’s “perfect to keep both happy and sleeping easy,” hopefully limiting any future arguments. One side of the hypoallergenic comforter is labeled “all season,” which features seven-inch squares packed with down-alternative filling, while the “lightweight” side has ten-inch squares for better airflow. As for the comforter’s shell, that’s made from extra-long-staple cotton for a smooth finish.
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Filling: 85% wool, 15% plant-based batting. | Shell: Organic sateen cotton | Weight: Light | Care: Machine washable
If you don’t like the idea of down or polyester fill, consider this comforter made with wool and plant-based batting. Covered in an organic sateen shell, it feels more like a cotton quilt or blanket. It has the same thickness, but it’s instead filled with wool from Uruguay and plant-based batting. It’s a good option if you don’t like the loft or fluffiness of a traditional comforter. Because wool is known as a natural insulator, it has the warmth without the bulk, and can be great for temperature regulation. While I personally prefer something cloudlike, I can see this comforter being cooling in warmer weather and breathable in cooler months. I also like how thin and lightweight it is. And another perk: It’s machine washable. Ray Pirkle, co-founder of Rivertown Lodge in Hudson, also prefers a wool blanket from Coyuchi that’s now discontinued and points out that it’s hyopallergenic and organic, too.
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• Brenley Geortzen, Strategist junior writer
• Kitty Guo, Strategist writer
• Linda Hayslett, founder of LH.Designs
• Lori Keong, former Strategist writer
• Simone Kitchens, Strategist deputy editor
• Courtney Laine, Batterby House & Cottage
• Lyndsi Lee, interior designer
• Sherica Maynard, founder of Interior Design by S&S
• Ray Pirkle, Rivertown Lodge
• Devin Shaffer, Decorilla lead sales designer
• Elizabeth Strianese, founder of Elizabeth Strianese Interiors
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