The Best Electric Toothbrushes for Your Pearly Whites

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OralB Oscillating Toothbrush Heads next to Philips Sonic Toothbrush Heads

Best Smart Toothbrush

Colgate Hum

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Best Oscillating Brush

Oral-B Pro 1000

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Best Sonic Brush

Philips Sonicare 4100 Electric Toothbrush

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I hate brushing my teeth. I do it, yeah, because I have to, but it’s a time-consuming, uncomfortable process—two minutes standing in front of the mirror can feel like an eternity. My dentist says I brush too harshly as well. And don’t even get me started on flossing.

Electric toothbrushes make the whole experience easier. Their vibrations and oscillations can more effectively get rid of plaque on your teeth and gums, and most brushes have a timer that encourages you to brush for the full two minutes. We’ve tested several types, from basic models to fancy ones with oscillating brushes and everything in between. A good brush doesn’t need to cost you more than a few Hamiltons. Listed below are the best electric toothbrushes you can buy. We also have eco-friendly nonelectric options if you don’t want to own yet another device that needs charging.

Updated September 2023: We have new picks from Sonicare, Bitvae, and Moon. We’ve also updated our honorable mentions.

Christopher Null’s reporting contributed to this guide.

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Photograph: Oral B; Philips

The Types of Electric Toothbrushes

Sonic Vs. Oscillating

There is a seemingly endless array of electric toothbrushes to pick from, but they generally fall into two categories: sonic and oscillating—for U-shaped brushes, see below. The best toothbrush is the one you’ll use twice a day for two minutes. You can buy the most highly-rated toothbrush around, but if it feels weird in your mouth or hurts your gums, you might not want to reach for it.

Ada S. Cooper, a dentist and consumer adviser spokesperson for the American Dental Association, told me that both styles are effective in reducing plaque, according to recent studies. She notes that you should talk to a dentist about which one will work best for you, and she says to look for the ADA Seal of Acceptance—most, but not all, of our picks have it. (If they don’t, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad.)

A sonic toothbrush looks similar to a manual brush, with an oval brush head. It vibrates gently and quietly, using high-speed side-to-side bristle motion to break up plaque. Sonicare was the first brand to introduce a sonic toothbrush and is probably the most well-known name in the category.

Oscillating toothbrushes rotate and pulsate—oscillate means to move or swing back and forth—around the whole tooth. They tend to be louder than sonic brushes and might make your head vibrate more while you brush. (You will get used to this if you’re new to electric brushes.) Like Sonicare, Oral-B is probably the best-known brand for these types of electric toothbrushes.
Photograph: Colgate

Best Smart Toothbrush

Colgate Hum

The Colgate Hum (9/10, WIRED Recommends) sonic brush is our favorite smart toothbrush. It’s slim and light, with a small brush head that can reach the back of your mouth without causing discomfort. It connects to a companion mobile app that offers insight into your habits too. The Hum costs significantly less than most app-connected brushes, and the mobile app’s features are superior to its competitors.

The system accurately tracks your brushing and shows you spots you’ve missed. You don’t have to open the app every time you brush your teeth as your brushing sessions are stored on the brush for 10 days (they get uploaded to your phone when you open the app). You can collect “smile points” every time you brush, which translates to a few dollars off things like replacement brush heads. The biggest downside is the Hum only has one type of brush head, so you can’t swap out different heads made for sensitive teeth or more powerful cleaning. It comes with a travel case and a charging base, or you can get the battery-powered version.

★ A cheaper alternative: The Hum Smart Rhythm for $25 is a battery-powered brush with two cleaning modes. (The regular Hum has three.) It has less cleaning power overall, but it makes for a great first electric brush for a kid.

Photograph: Amazon

Best Oscillating Brush

Oral-B Pro 1000

You don’t need a smart brush. You can spend a little bit less and get a more powerful cleaner with Oral-B’s Pro 1000. Oral-B’s electric toothbrushes all have oscillating brush heads, which are those circular bristles that get right in between all your teeth. The Pro 1000 has been around for a while and continues to outshine more expensive models with fancier features. Though we haven’t tried all of them, most of the Pro models are probably a good bet if the price is right for you.

It’s rechargeable, but the whole thing is chunky and can easily get grimy from toothpaste. You need to rinse it thoroughly after every brush. It’s so powerful that my first few brushes left me feeling dizzy, but it has a wide array of compatible brush heads. You can subscribe to get them mailed to you automatically every few months.

★ What about the Smart Oral-B iO?: I tried the iO Series 8 in 2020 and wasn’t a fan of the app or the price. In 2021, Oral-B released the slightly less expensive Series 6 ($150), which is the fourth of the iO lineup, with five cleaning modes. It’s a fantastic brush in terms of cleaning, but other brushes have better apps. I found the tracking to be much better while I brushed, but I would occasionally see my post-brushing coverage stat as 0 percent. It’s just clunky.
Photograph: Philips

Best Sonic Brush

Philips Sonicare 4100 Electric Toothbrush

If you find oscillating brushes to be too intense, you may prefer a sonic brush. You’ll probably like any of Sonicare’s brushes, but it comes down to features and price. At $50, the 4100 is a good mid-range brush with two intensity levels, a pressure sensor, and a two-minute timer. It does what it needs to do without a bunch of unnecessary bells and whistles.

I’ve also tried the very expensive Sonicare brushes that we mention in the honorable mentions below. They’re also great cleaners, but you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars when good brushes are this price.

Photograph: Bitvae

A Cheap Electric Toothbrush

Bitvae Sonic Electric Toothbrush

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this brand I’d never heard of, but Bitvae’s sonic toothbrush was powerful and cleaned my teeth effectively. It also comes with eight (!!) replacement heads and typically costs just $16 to $18—if you’re seeing it for more, consider waiting for the price to drop. There are a bunch of cute colors to choose from, too.

The worst thing about it is its charger. Most electric toothbrushes sit on a charging base, but this one has to be plugged in directly from the bottom of the handle. So you either have to lay your brush down sideways on the sink while it charges or stick the included holder to the wall. I don’t particularly like having to do that.

★ Alternative: The battery-powered Philips One by Sonicare toothbrush for $25 was our affordable pick, but Bitvae’s is more powerful, rechargeable, and cheaper. But this one is cute, thin, and offers gentle vibrations for a step above a manual brush. It also comes with a carrying case. If you’re willing to go up to $40 for the rechargeable version, consider a more powerful brush like the Sonicare or Oral-B above.
Photograph: Goby

Another Oscillating Brush

Goby Electric Toothbrush

Goby and Oral-B’s brushes are quite similar in design and function, with chunky bodies and round brush heads. Goby feels a bit more modern, especially with its options (sadly pink is no longer available), and I enjoyed brushing with it. It’s lightweight, relatively affordable, and has a nice stand with a charger that clips onto it when it needs some juice—you won’t have to do that often, because the battery lasts a while. It was one of the first to offer subscriptions for brush-head replacements, but nearly every brush on this list offers that now. You can get a new one for $6 every one, two, or three months.

Photograph: Philips

A Brush for Kids

Philips Sonicare Kids Electric Toothbrush

You don’t necessarily need a kid-specific toothbrush, but this is a well-priced rechargeable option. The companion app is filled with cartoon lessons and rewards, and your kids can monitor progress even when they aren’t viewing the app in real time (so you don’t have to be in the bathroom with them).

WIRED senior writer and reviewer Scott Gilbertson had his 8-year-old give it a try, and the two-minute timer kept her brushing until it was done—no shortcuts. She eventually lost interest in the app, but younger kids may stick with it longer. Even without the app keeping his kid’s attention, he said he would still purchase this brush. Plus, the battery lasted through nearly three months of daily use. It comes with stickers to customize the handle, though in Gilbertson’s experience, they didn’t stick for long.
Photograph: SURI

A Repairable, Sustainable Brush

Suri Sustainable Electric Toothbrush

The Suri toothbrush’s soft bristles and gentle vibrations clean well, and even the most sensitive gums won’t suffer in the process. I also appreciate the slim, lightweight handle. Beyond clean teeth, the company offers a more sustainable approach to electric brushes.

Electric toothbrushes are less wasteful than nonelectric models in the short term since you don’t have to throw away the entire thing every time you’re done with it. But electric toothbrushes have an expiration date too, as their batteries and motors will eventually give out. Suri wants to offer a more sustainable approach. It takes back and recycles used brush heads (made from cornstarch with castor oil bristles that should break down without leaving microplastics behind). The body of the brush isn’t sealed, meaning the company can repair the battery or motor should the need arise. If you decide you don’t want it repaired and simply want to get rid of it, you can send it back to be recycled.

Photograph: Amazon

This One Uses LED Lights

Snow LED Electric Toothbrush

Snow started out with a handful of whitening products, and has rounded out its lineup with a toothbrush that has LED lights right in the brush head. They typically work in conjunction with a gel. When I spoke to Bill Busch, a dentist at North Kansas City Dental, he explained that LED lights work by warming the toothpaste gel, which makes it more efficient. To get the full effect, you’ll want to use a whitening toothpaste too. Snow sells one, but any should be fine.

My teeth aren’t shining bright after a month of use, but they are clean. I’ll keep monitoring the color, but I like that it lights up my mouth as I brush. The battery lasts a while, so you won’t be caught with a dead battery in the morning. It’s just really pricey.
Photograph: Moon

For Living in a Barbie World

Moon x Barbie Pink Electric Toothbrush

We tried Moon’s toothbrush for our roundup of the best Barbie collabs. Whether you want this pink version or one of the other colors—it comes in all your classics like black, silver, and gold—it’s a solid brush that cleans well and is moderately priced. There are five cleaning modes. It’s nice to have options, but I tend to think anything over two or three is overkill, and you won’t notice much of a difference between them. Moon’s brush comes with two brush heads plus a travel case.

Photograph: SmileDirectClub

Try a Water Flosser Too

SmileDirectClub Water Flosser

If you go to the dentist regularly, you have probably fibbed once—or 100—times: Yes, doctor, I have been flossing regularly. For something that is so simple, it’s also annoying and sometimes makes your mouth bleed, and you have to squeeze your hands all the way to the back of your mouth. Water flossing is a good alternative. Though it’s not a substitute for regular string floss, it’s better than nothing or for use in between.

There are a lot of water flossers available, but most that I’ve seen are big, requiring a chunk of your sink space. This one from SmileDirectClub is small because its tank is right on its body. (The company has an even smaller pop-up version we didn’t try.) It really did get the gunk out of my teeth that my toothbrush couldn’t. Water flossing does hurt at first, unfortunately, so start with the soft-pressure setting.
Photograph: Better and Better

Honorable Mentions

More Electric Toothbrushes

There are far more electric toothbrushes than we can recommend in a single guide. If none of the above options appeal to you, one of these might do the trick.

Brushes Under $100

Shyn Sonic Toothbrush ($55): Wired contributor Christopher Null rated the Shyn 7/10 in his review of toothbrush subscription services, although most electric toothbrushes have brush-head subscriptions now. When checking out, you can choose a whitening, anti-plaque, or gum-care brush head. Shyn’s handle and brush heads are also cross-compatible with Philips Sonicare products. Null says its pressure sensor (with a beep to signal that you’re brushing too hard) is not always accurate, but its cleaning power was exceptional. He hates the incredibly bright light that flashes when the brush is charging.

AquaSonic Black Series for $60: This brush also comes with eight brush heads, like the Bitvae above, which is nice for the price. I think it cleans well, but the heads are a bit small, and the whole thing was too vibratey for me, like the body was vibrating the plastic of the brush head more than the bristles.

Quip Toothbrushes for $25-$60: People either love or hate Quip brushes. They aren’t the most powerful, but they’re comfortable to use, easy to maneuver around your mouth, and importantly, affordable. Choose between plastic or metal handles, battery-powered or rechargeable, all of which have smart or regular-brained options. If you have the basic brush and decide you want Bluetooth, you can swap out your motor for a smart one for $25. No other brush I’ve seen has this option.

Better & Better Bamboo Sonic Toothbrush for $70: This is another great brush that doesn’t exceed the $100 mark. The entire thing isn’t made from bamboo, but the brush heads—which get swapped out more frequently than the actual body—are. That makes it a little more eco-friendly.

SmileDirectClub Electric Toothbrush for $19: We think you’ll like this one as much as the Philips One—they’re similar, but the SmileDirectClub is just slightly bigger and has more coarse bristles, which you may prefer.

Brushes Over $100

Mode Electric Toothbrush for $148: Mode’s bristles are soft, but not too soft. The round charging block plugs directly into the outlet, and the brush handle attaches to it magnetically—plus it can rotate so you don’t block the other outlet, and there’s a dim nightlight. The only problem is the high price.

Izzo Oral Care Kit for $125: This is a powerful oscillating brush with three speeds. The kit comes with a plastic tooth scaler, a polishing attachment and polishing paste, and a UVC sanitizing case. At first, I found that the polishing paste got hard in its tube quickly and was a bit of a nuisance to use after a few times. The company changed its formula, and it seems to be holding up better now.

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9300 for $230: This is a great toothbrush as far as cleaning abilities and comfort, but its smart features leave something to be desired. As with the Oral-B iO, I couldn’t get the app to accurately track my brushing sessions. Plus, it’s too expensive.

Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige for $380: Like the Sonicare above, the 9900 Prestige is a great toothbrush, and it has SenseIQ that detects pressure and changes the intensity if you’re pushing too hard. That’s helpful for me because I tend to scrub too hard, but that isn’t a good enough reason for me to spend this kind of cash on a toothbrush.

Oclean X Pro Digital for $109 and X Pro Elite for $100: Oclean brushes give a satisfying clean, and the little screen on the handle shows a chart of which teeth you’ve cleaned or missed without having to look at your phone. That screen can be kind of a pain to scroll through though.

Photograph: Preserve

Normal, Non-Electric Brushes

Manual Toothbrushes With Less Waste

Electric toothbrushes have their perks: They can help you get a deeper clean, they (usually) come equipped with a two-minute timer to ensure you’re brushing long enough, and they create less waste since you’re only throwing away a brush head. Disposable plastic lingers in a landfill forever. However, we’ve found a few planet-friendly alternatives for more traditional toothbrushing.

Colgate Keep for $10: This Colgate brush is designed with less plastic than traditional toothbrushes, partly because most of its handle is made of aluminum. The handle is sturdy and cool in your hand, and only the brush head needs to be replaced. The starter kit comes with a handle and two brush heads. A two-pack of brush heads is $8, or around $10 for four.

Bite’s Bamboo Brush for $12 (Two-Pack): Unlike plastic, bamboo is biodegradable. There are many bamboo options out there, but Bite’s brush is the best one I’ve tried. The brush head comes apart for travel.

Preserve Toothbrush for $4: This toothbrush sits at an extreme angle that feels surprisingly natural as you brush. The handle is made of 100 percent recycled plastics, and you can mail your used brush back to the company so it can be recycled again. It’s dirt cheap, too.

Bogobrush for $10: This one is also made of recycled plastic and comes with a nice little stand you can stick to your bathroom sink or counter.
Photograph: Willo

What About Alternative Toothbrushes?

What You Need To Know

There are many U-shaped toothbrushes available now that use a mouthpiece full of bristles to brush one section of teeth—or sometimes the entire mouth—all at once in around 30 seconds. We’ve tried three and think they’re fine to use in addition to regular brushing, like for those nights when you just want to hit the sheets or your kids are being difficult. None of them left us feeling perfectly minty fresh and none can clean your tongue.

AutoBrush for $149: AutoBrush is the original in the category, and I tried both the old silicone model and new nylon version. I wasn’t wowed by either, but if you want a U-shaped brush and can get this one on sale, try it. You can read about AutoBrush’s study with Salus Research here.

Willo Essential Kit for $150: This was my favorite but it’s big—it looks a little like something you might find in a dental office. It works by pushing water and its tooth rinse through the mouthpiece as it pulsates, causing the nylon bristles to scrub your teeth in about a minute on each side. Willo is marketed for kids, but with its range of mouthpiece sizes, adults can use it too. My mouth felt clean after using the Willo, but didn’t deliver exactly the same feeling as a good scrub.

SymplBrush for $149: WIRED reviewer Brenda Stolyar has been using the SymplBrush, which looks like a mix of the Willo and AutoBrush, and she likes it. “I can tell it hits each tooth and each side of it that might be missed with a standard toothbrush,” she says. “It’s a nice, all-around, clean-type feeling.” But she notes that it didn’t always get the buildup around her gums, so she’d have to go in with a brush anyway. As someone who brushes too hard, she felt this offered a gentler experience for her gums. However, Stolyar didn’t like the toothpaste it came with, and thankfully, her regular toothpaste worked fine though she had to spend extra time to keep the brush clean.

The dentists I spoke to, Bill Busch of North Kansas City Dental and Joseph Salim, owner of Sutton Place Dental Associates, agreed that these aren’t replacements. At the time we spoke, they and their patients had used the older, now unavailable silicone version of the AutoBrush. The current iteration uses nylon bristles. “I find the best use for it is for children and in nursing home environments, where to get quick and easy compliance to brush is critical,” Busch says.

Photograph: Quip

Consider These Brushing Accessories

Oral Care Accessories

In addition to a good toothbrush, you’ll need a few other things to keep your mouth clean.

Quip Refillable Floss for $15-20: I prefer floss picks to a string, but disposable ones are a huge waste. Quip’s refillable pick solves this, but it’s still easy to use and the small container can go wherever you do.

Bite Toothpaste Bits for $32/four-month supply: Toothpaste tabs aim to reduce the plastic waste caused by typical toothpaste tubes. You bite down on them and start brushing with a wet toothbrush. They come in nice glass bottles, and refills arrive in compostable pouches (you can subscribe to get them every four months).

Huppy Toothpaste Tabs ($12/one-month supply or $32/four months): Your first Huppy order comes in an aluminum container, and as with Bite, refills arrive in compostable pouches. Bite tabs taste a little better, but Huppy’s are still a solid option. Both brands are comparable in price, which is more than a regular toothpaste tube.

Tongue Scraper for $10: You can brush your teeth efficiently twice a day, but you’ll never feel fully fresh if you ignore your tongue. You don’t need to buy a tongue scraper, but I find it makes the process of cleaning your tongue more bearable than using a brush. Just rinse it thoroughly between uses. Plastic ones don’t do as good a job as metal ones.