Once you’ve upgraded your mattress and sheets, the best down comforters or duvets should be next on your list. While your bed defines the slumber experience on a basic level, nothing can match the bliss of diving into a truly luxurious duvet. Whether temperatures are dipping below freezing, or spiking so high you think your bed might need its own air conditioner, you want the most breathable, all-around best comforter that money can buy. Why should any night’s sleep take place in anything less than the luxury of a fluffy cumulus cloud?
The Best Down Comforters, at a Glance
To get right to the good stuff (dreamy, downy softness), here are our top picks curated after extensive testing from our team. Check out our runner-up section below, too, for a short list of other considerable options we’ve tried.
- The Best Down Comforter for Most People: Riley Extra Warmth, $499
- The Best Down Duvet: Casper, $299
- The Best All-Season, Down-Alternative Comforter: Brooklinen,
$259$233 - The Best Budget Down Comforter: Italic, $255
- The Best Down-Like Wool Option: Nest Bedding,
$224$202 - The Best Plant-Based, Down-Like Comforter: Buffy Breeze,
$249$212 - The Best Down-Like Weighted Comforter: Brooklinen, $249 $224
What’s the difference between a comforter and a duvet?
It’s understandable why you’d get them confused, since they’re both thick, fluffy blankets. A duvet insert—which is what we’re referring to when we’re talking ‘bout a “duvet”—is intended to be used with a separate duvet cover, which you can wash separately and swap. A comforter is basically a duvet insert with the cover sewn on that can come in different colors, prints, or patterns. That makes cleaning it a bit harder, especially if it’s spot-treat or dry clean only.
What goes into a good down comforter or duvet?
The best comforters and duvets should:
- Feel soft
- Provide a whole lotta warmth
- Breathe enough to keep you from sweating
- Be machine-washable
- Have a satisfying fluffiness (described as “loft,” and often a function of “fill weight” or “fill power”—we’ll explain in a moment)
Oh, and in the case of duvet inserts, they ideally have those loops at the corners that let you snap them into the cover. So handy!
But those are the basics. The best comforter is specific to you. You have to look deep inside yourself to triangulate your ideal fluffiness-breathability-warmth ratio. Are you a hot sleeper? Allergic to down feathers or synthetics? How much are you willing to spend?
How long should a down comforter last?
If you’re treating it right, the shelf life of a down comforter should last about 10 years or longer. Sometimes bedding companies will offer limited warranties to cover certain types of repairs, but otherwise keep an eye on how to care for your comforter and if yours can go in the wash.
How we tested the best comforters
Finding the best down comforters—or duvets, which it turns out are a slightly different thing—took some work. In order to focus the scope of this mission, we first judged a mountain of queen-size comforters based on hand-feel: Basically, upon first touch, how luxe does the shell material and puffiness feel without any kind of cover? Then, after narrowing down some initial contenders we curled-up in, napped under, and flopped onto an absurd selection of the most well-reviewed ones that we could find over several nights. All in service of discovering the comforter or duvet that’ll keep you just the right kind of cozy. (Note: duvets were tested alongside a 310 thread count sateen duvet cover; duvet covers typically range from 300-400.) Later, we brought in a bunch more new comforters and sent them out to members of our staff to reevaluate our options.
Pricing
Be warned, prices on duvets and comforters can get pretty steep. A lot of the best duvets we tested, particularly the ones made with real down, cost more than $300. And you do get what you pay for here: Those options often proved to be the ones our testers were the most enthusiastic about. But we did find a few options around $200 that we are enthusiastic enough about to recommend as new favorites. On a fundamental level, though, the most important thing about a comforter isn’t price. It’s how badly you want to leave your fluffy feather nest when that alarm goes off in the morning. Below, you’ll find some of the best down comforters and duvets (along with some down alternatives) to help you slip into the coziest sleep of your life.
The Best Down Comforter for Most People: Riley
Fill: 750-fill power white goose down
Weight options: All season and extra warm
Warranty: Five-year warranty
Care: Machine-washable