In this article
I love slipping into crisp, cool sheets at night, but nestling under a big, fluffy comforter is what feels truly luxurious to me. It’s like putting on a really nice overcoat: It provides warmth while tying everything together. Whether they’re filled with goose down or a down alternative, I prefer lofty, cloudlike comforters no matter the season, but more sensitive sleepers may require different weights for warmer and cooler months. Luckily, many companies offer a range of seasonally appropriate options, so if you sleep hot, you won’t have to suffer under an oppressive one. To help you find the perfect comforter, I tested a few options and also consulted interior designers and hospitality professionals about what they actually use in their projects, hotels, and homes. (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.) Below are the best down-filled and down-alternative comforters, plus versions with bamboo shells and dual-temperature control, and one that comes with a convenient zippered cover. (All the prices listed are for a queen size.)
Update on December 9, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
What we’re looking for
Filling
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.
Shell Material
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.
Weight
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.
Care
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.
Best down comforter overall
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, but they do feel more luxurious, like something you’d find at a high-end hotel. I’ve owned this down comforter from the Company Store’s Legends Hotel collection for five years, and up until recently, it was the only bed covering I used all year long. 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 baffled-box construction and comes in three different 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 but would still look nice on its own. For its quality, durability, comfort, and price, it’s my top pick for best down-filled comforter.
Best (less expensive) down comforter
Filling: Down cluster fill from Canada | Shell: 400-thread-count long-staple cotton-sateen shell | Weight: Lightweight, all-season, ultra-warm weights | Care: Spot-clean or dry-clean
For something slightly less lofty but just as comfortable, consider Brooklinen’s down comforter, which also comes in three different weights (all-season, lightweight, and ultrawarm). While I was initially a little skeptical of how thin the comforter looked compared to my Company Store one, sleeping under it on a cool fall night dispelled any notion that it wouldn’t be warm enough. I used it without a duvet cover on crisp percale sheets and was concerned that I might be a little bit cold without the extra heft of a cover and with the coolness of the percale, but I slept comfortably all night thanks to the sourced-in-Canada down clusters and baffle-box construction. Compared to both Brooklinen’s down-alternative option (see below) and my usual Company Store comforter, this one is less fluffy and feels more like a blanket but is, again, just as cozy.
It’s also a favorite of three experts I spoke to for this story. Hayslett loves its fluffy look and its long-staple cotton-sateen shell’s softness, while interior designer Lyndsi Lee appreciates that it can be used all year long. Courtney Laine, owner of Victorian bed-and-breakfast Batterby House and Cottage in Hudson, New York, calls it a good midrange option for those looking for that cloudlike feeling of sleeping under a down comforter without the hefty price tag that down bedding usually goes for. If you prefer a low-maintenance down comforter — a.k.a. one that doesn’t require constant fluffing — this one is for you.
Best lightweight down comforter
Filling: 600 fill power, 75 percent white duck down | Shell: 260-thread-count cotton sateen | Weight: Lightweight, all season, heavyweight | Care: Machine washable
Down comforters are expensive, but you can still find decent ones for under $200, like this one from Target’s home brand Casaluna. I tested the all-season weight, which is on the thinner side but still comfortable and warm, making it a great entry-level option. The 600-fill-power comforter is filled with 75 percent duck down (plus feathers) and is covered in a 260-thread-count sateen cover that feels a little thicker than those of the Company Store’s and Brooklinen comforters on this list. While it doesn’t have the fluffy, lofty feel of the plushest ones I’ve tried, it’s a good value for the price.
Best down duvet insert
Filling: 750 fill power European white down and feathers | Shell: Cotton sateen | Weight: Light and medium | Care: Machine washable or dry-clean
Parachute makes some of our favorite linen sheets, bath robes, towels, and other home goods, including its down pillows, which we ranked the best you can buy. Strategist senior editor Simone Kitchens bought the brand’s all-season duvet insert and says it’s the best one she’s ever owned. “I wanted something super lofty,” she says. “Two years later, it’s as fluffy as when I first unfurled it. And 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 baffled-box design to keep the fill in place, lightweight and all-season options, sturdy seams, and an extra-lofty feel.
Best temperature-regulating down duvet insert
Filling: 550 fill power white down and 37.5 fiber | Shell: Cotton and polyester | Weight: Medium | Care: Machine washable
While Laine likes Brooklinen’s comforter as a solid everyday option for most folks, she uses this temperature-regulating down duvet insert from Pottery Barn at her inn and rental cottage. It’s made of mostly of down but blended with a special fiber that’s helps keep sleepers comfortable in both cool and warm temperatures. “Our inn and cottage have 100-plus-year-old radiator heat, which sometimes works too well, so we switched to temperature regulating down duvets,” she says. “It has the nice fluff and weight of a classic down duvet, but on cold upstate nights when the radiator is really cranking, you won’t wake up sweaty.” The insert’s shell is made of the the same blend for added temperature regulation. If you want to cop the look (and feel) of the bed and breakfast’s setup, Laine covers their duvets in Morrow’s linen duvet cover, which she calls “great-looking, soft, and breathable.”
Best luxury-hotel down comforter
Filling: 650 to 750 fill power European white goose down | Shell: Cambric cotton | Weight: Five weights | Care: Machine washable
For a truly luxurious sleeping experience, consider this European goose-filled down comforter that Strianese discovered a few years ago when she stayed at a luxury hotel in Sweden. “I actually called the hotel a month after we returned to find out the maker so I could purchase one,” she says. Dewoolfson’s high-end, authentic white-goose-down comforters are expensive, but they cost far less than those made by high-end brands like Frette and Matouk, which cost upwards of a couple thousand dollars each. Strianese likens the experience of slumbering underneath hers to “sleeping under meringue.” To minimize feather leakage, it’s covered in a tightly woven chambray-like fabric. It comes in five different weights, including the lightest, “Florida Light,” and the heaviest, “Canadian Winter.”
Best down-alternative comforter
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. The one downside: It’s dry-clean only.
Best (less expensive) down-alternative comforter
Filling: Down alternative (polyester) | Shell: Microfiber | Weight: Medium | Care: Machine washable
Here’s a down-alternative comforter that’s a fraction of the price of the Brooklinen comforter, and it’s recommended by Lee — and over 129,000 Amazon reviewers. “It’s very comfortable and has so many great features,” Lee says. With a smooth microfiber shell that comes in white and five dual-color, reversible options (no duvet cover required), it’s appropriate for all seasons. Plus, “it’s super easy to maintain since it’s filled with a down alternative down. You can throw it in the washing machine with the option to tumble dry low,” she says. (This could also work as a duvet insert, if you prefer to go that route.)
Best bamboo down-alternative comforter
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.
Best dual-temperature down-alternative comforter
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.
More comforters and duvets we like
Filling: Wool batting | Shell: Organic cotton | Weight: Medium | Care: Machine washable
If you don’t like the idea of down or polyester fill, consider this duvet made of wool batting. It’s recommended by Ray Pirkle, co-founder of Rivertown Lodge in Hudson. It won’t have the loft or fluffiness of a down or down-alternative comforter; instead, it’s got some weight to it, not unlike a weighted blanket. Plus, “it’s hypoallergenic and organic,” he says. And because wool is known to be a natural insulator, it will keep you cool on summer nights and warm during the winter.
Filling: Down alternative (recycled polyester) | Shell: Tencel lyocell | Weight: Lightweight | Care: Machine washable
Buffy’s Cloud Comforter is another great option for anti-down folks. It’s covered in Tencel lyocell (made from eucalyptus trees), a material that’s considered to be moisture-wicking and breathable. Strategist junior writer Kitty Guo uses it all year long and says that it “feels lighter and fluffier than other comforters but it’s cool in the summer and warm in the winter,” though she adds a disclaimer that she prides herself on excellent thermoregulation abilities “so it might be a bit too heavy for others in the thick of summer.” Former Strategist writer Lori Keong tested it out back in 2018, too, and described the comforter as “tremendously soft, light, and cool to the touch, and sleeping beneath it, you feel nestled in an airy but cozy canopy.” With a filling made from recycled polyester, Keong said it stays fluffy and maintains a silky soft texture that doesn’t pill.
Filling: Down alternative | Shell: Cotton sateen | Weight: Lightweight | Care: Machine washable
If you’ve ever struggled to put a cover on your duvet only to wake up the next morning to find it bunched up inside, consider Pippen House’s innovative system designed to eliminate all that fuss. The all-weather insert is filled with a hypoallergenic down alternative and has a cotton-sateen shell, but what makes it special are the hidden zippers that attach to the included cover (made from a 300-thread-count bamboo-and-cotton blend).
I was sent one to test and was quite pleased with how easy — and fast — it was to put together. Instead of inelegantly stuffing the duvet into the cover and attempting to secure it with corner ties, all you do is connect the zippers on either side of the duvet with the cover inside out, then flip it out, close the bottom flap, and smooth. (Here’s a video.) I could see this motivating me to wash the cover more frequently since it’s no longer a headache to remove and put back on. The comforter feels admittedly thin with not too much loft, so I would say it’s better for warmer seasons. But both the duvet and cover are supersoft to the touch and very comfortable to sleep under.
Some Strategist-approved sheets to add to your bed, too
Our experts
• Kitty Guo, Strategist junior writer
• Linda Hayslett, founder of LH.Designs
• Lori Keong, former Strategist writer
• Simone Kitchens, Strategist senior 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
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
