Top 5 compared
The best electric toothbrushes
Teeth that feel smooth and properly clean every morning and night, with far less effort than a manual brush.
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The top 5 at a glance
An electric toothbrush moves the head for you, so the job is guiding it around the mouth rather than scrubbing. There are two kinds. Oscillating brushes, Oral-B’s kind, turn a small round head back and forth to cup each tooth; sonic brushes vibrate a normal-shaped head at tens of thousands of strokes a minute. Both clean well, and it comes down to which feels better.
The heads are the running cost: the big makers say to replace them every three months, so what a pack of spares costs matters as much as the handle. Heads don’t always cross over within a brand, either, and a brush’s newest range can take only its own. Sonic brushes can feel strong at first, which is what the gentler modes are for.
What matters
- A gentler mode for tender gums.
- Days per charge, for trips without the charger.
- A travel case that holds the brush and a spare head.
#1Oral-B Pro 1000 Electric Toothbrush
$50–$75
Oral-B’s round head cups each tooth and oscillates around it, a feel many prefer to a sonic sweep, and the Pro 1000 adds the pressure control that cheaper brushes leave out, cutting the pulsing when you push too hard. Three modes, including Sensitive, and a timer that pulses every 30 seconds cover everyday brushing for the whole family.
What owners say: Owners like the timer that splits the two minutes into quarters and say their teeth feel much cleaner than with a manual brush; some find it loud, and reports differ on battery life and on how long the charging base and the brush keep going.
A closer look: Hold the head still on each tooth for a second or two and let it do the work, then move on; the brush slows its pulsing if you lean on it. Any Oral-B round head fits, so you can switch to a Sensitive or 3D White head later without changing the handle. Leave it on the stand between uses and it’s always ready.
- Timer pulses every 30 seconds
- Takes any Oral-B round head
- Round CrossAction head
- 2-year warranty
Best for: Timed brushing with a pressure check
- Type
- Oscillating-rotating
- Modes (gentle mode)
- 3, incl. Sensitive
- Pressure alert
- Yes
- Battery per charge
- About 10 days
- Travel case
- No
- Heads in the box
- 1
#2Aquasonic Black Series Electric Toothbrush (8 heads)
$50–$75
A sonic brush with eight heads, a hard travel case and a wireless charging base in the box, which is two years of brushing before you buy anything else. A full charge lasts about four weeks, so the base can stay at home for most trips.
What owners say: Teeth feel squeaky clean after it, owners say, the battery goes and goes, and the eight heads last a long while; opinions split on how strong the vibration feels, how comfortable it is and how long the handle lasts.
Heads up: It has no pressure sensor, so go easy: let the bristles do the work and just glide the head along the gumline.
A closer look: Start on the gentlest mode for the first week, then step up; the whitening and gum-care modes change the vibration pattern rather than the head. The case holds the handle and two heads, so it packs for a trip without the base.
- Wireless charging base
- 40,000 vibrations a minute
- ADA Seal of Acceptance
- IPX7 waterproof
- Case fits handle, two heads
Best for: Sonic fans tired of buying heads
- Type
- Sonic
- Modes (gentle mode)
- 4, incl. gum care
- Pressure alert
- No
- Battery per charge
- About 28 days (4 weeks)
- Travel case
- Yes
- Heads in the box
- 8
#3Oral-B iO Series 5 Limited Electric Toothbrush (3 heads)
$150–$200
Oral-B’s iO handle drives the round head with a magnetic motor for what Oral-B calls a smooth, gentle clean; an LED display shows the mode, and the Oral-B app shows where you’ve brushed and where you’ve missed. The ring around the head glows red for too hard and green for just right.
What owners say: Owners say their teeth feel fresh-from-the-dentist clean, and the pressure ring, the quiet motor and the app all win praise; the worry is durability, with some handles dying within the first year, and views on battery life and value vary.
A closer look: Pair it with the app for the first couple of weeks and it will show the spots you keep skipping, then most people leave the phone elsewhere and watch the ring. It only takes iO heads, not Oral-B’s standard round ones; the three in the box cover the better part of a year. The charger is a small magnetic puck that rinses clean.
- Display shows the mode
- App shows missed spots
- Takes iO heads only
- Magnetic charging puck
Best for: Coaching from an app
- Type
- Oscillating (iO)
- Modes (gentle mode)
- 5, incl. Sensitive and Super Sensitive
- Pressure alert
- Yes
- Battery per charge
- Up to 14 days (2 weeks)
- Travel case
- Yes
- Heads in the box
- 3
#4Oral-B Pro 300 Sensitive Clean Electric Toothbrush
$20–$30
A simple way into Oral-B’s round-headed brushing: the head oscillates and rotates to cup each tooth, an in-handle timer runs the full two minutes, and a Sensitive mode turns things down for tender gums. It skips the Pro 1000’s pressure control, which is the main thing you give up for the lower price.
What owners say: Owners say it leaves teeth far cleaner than a manual brush, find it good value and like the soft bristles and the timer; battery life, power and how long it keeps going all get mixed reports.
A closer look: There’s no pressure sensor, so hold the head lightly against each tooth and let it do the work rather than scrubbing. With no pacer to prompt you, move on to the next quarter of the mouth at steady intervals so each gets its share of the two minutes. Swap to a CrossAction or Floss Action head later if you’d like a firmer clean.
- 2-minute timer in the handle
- Soft Sensitive Clean head
- Swap in CrossAction heads later
- 2-year limited warranty
Best for: Switching from a manual brush
- Type
- Oscillating-rotating
- Modes (gentle mode)
- Sensitive mode
- Pressure alert
- No
- Battery per charge
- –
- Travel case
- No
- Heads in the box
- 1
#5Philips Sonicare 5950 Series Electric Toothbrush
$100–$150
Philips’ current mid-range Sonicare pairs its C3 two-in-one head with a pressure sensor that pulses the handle the moment you press too hard, and six settings (Clean or Gum Health at three intensities) to suit sore gums or a thorough scrub. Up to 21 days per charge, and a travel case comes with it.
What owners say: Owners say it does a thorough job day to day and feels well made; opinions split on battery life, on how the vibration feels and on the price.
Heads up: The charging stand is a USB-A cable with no wall adapter, so plug it into a phone charger or a USB outlet.
A closer look: Gum Health mode at the lowest intensity is the one to start on if your gums bleed, then work up as they settle. The BrushPacer buzzes every 20 seconds to move you around the mouth, and the handle tells you when a head is worn. Twist a head off and rinse the stem each week to keep paste from building up inside.
- Pacer buzzes every 20 seconds
- Flags a worn brush head
- 62,000 bristle movements a minute
- USB-A stand, no plug adapter
Best for: Sensitive gums and a thorough clean
- Type
- Sonic
- Modes (gentle mode)
- 2 (Clean, Gum Health), 3 intensities
- Pressure alert
- Yes
- Battery per charge
- Up to 21 days
- Travel case
- Yes
- Heads in the box
- 2
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Oral-B Pro 1000 | #2Aquasonic Black Series | #3Oral-B iO Series 5 | #4Oral-B Pro 300 | #5Sonicare 5950 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best sonic | Best premium | Best budget | ||
| Picked Rating | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.8 |
| Price | $50–$75 | $50–$75 | $150–$200 | $20–$30 | $100–$150 |
| Type | Oscillating-rotating | Sonic | Oscillating (iO) | Oscillating-rotating | Sonic |
| Modes (gentle mode) | 3, incl. Sensitive | 4, incl. gum care | 5, incl. Sensitive and Super Sensitive | Sensitive mode | 2 (Clean, Gum Health), 3 intensities |
| Pressure alert | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Battery per charge | About 10 days | About 28 days (4 weeks) | Up to 14 days (2 weeks) | – | Up to 21 days |
| Travel case | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Heads in the box | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Best for | Timed brushing with a pressure check | Sonic fans tired of buying heads | Coaching from an app | Switching from a manual brush | Sensitive gums and a thorough clean |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
