The best down comforters we tested
Best down comforter: Brooklinen Down Comforter
Best down comforter for warmth: The Company Store Legends Hotel Alberta Down Comforter
Best down-alternative comforter: Buffy Cloud Comforter
You might have the comfiest mattress and the softest sheets, but you won’t truly get quality sleep if your down comforter isn’t keeping you at the right temperature. Too hot? Good luck ever feeling comfortable. A little chilly now that temperatures have dropped? It might be time to rethink your top layer.
The good news is the down comforters we tested can remedy both issues. We tried 14 of the most popular options, and they varied in fill power (basically a warmth rating, which you can read more about in our buyer’s guide section) and stitching construction (more on that to come, too).
After months of frigid testing, during which we evaluated the warmth, softness, care and additional options available on each comforter, we found three dream-worthy options that can upgrade anyone’s sleep.
With the Brooklinen Down Comforter, we felt like we were sleeping on a cloud and never wanted to get out of bed. Between the softness of the outer material and the fluffiness of the fill, it’s one of those comforters that makes you want to stay in bed all day.
If you’re looking for a down comforter to give you that extra warmth, The Company Store Legends Hotel Alberta Down Comforter is on the heavier end and delivers the extra weight you need during colder months.
Not a fan of down and feathers in your comforter? Then the Buffy Cloud Comforter is the best down-alternative option. This quality-made comforter will give you a great night’s sleep, thanks to its soft, lightweight build that provides plenty of warmth.
Best down comforter: Brooklinen Down Comforter
Have you ever wished you could sleep on the clouds? Well, the Brooklinen Down Comforter is the closest thing to that. From the moment we took it out of the packaging, we had a hunch that this would be a favorite. And we were right.
The comforter offers three weight options: lightweight, all-season and ultra-warm. We tested the all-season comforter, and despite it being the middle of winter with temperatures dropping indoors and out, we found it to perfectly balance snuggly warmth with breathability. Though on the heavier end of the spectrum (it boasts a 700-fill power and baffle box design), we never found the comforter to trap too much heat or cause nighttime sweating. The comforter, with its 100% cotton sateen shell, was one of the softest we tested — and the one we kept wanting to cuddle with most nights.
We also found this machine-washable comforter to be one of the easiest to wash and dry. Since the comforter is lightweight, it fits into a washing machine better than others and air-dries much quicker.
Brooklinen offers some of the best return policies, too. You have an incredibly long 365 days to return or exchange your item if you’re unhappy. On top of that, there’s an additional one-year warranty. This is one of the best sleep trial periods we saw compared to others we tested. With such an expensive purchase, you’ll want to love your comforter, so the fact you have a full year to try it out with no strings attached is great.
If your budget allows, this is a comforter not to miss, especially if you want to snuggle up with the clouds.
Best down comforter for warmth: The Company Store Legends Hotel Alberta Down Comforter
When it comes to warmth and coziness, the Legends Hotel Alberta Down Comforter from The Company Store is unrivaled.
Full disclosure: This comforter is for frosty climates or especially cold sleepers. Though available in three different weights — light, medium and extra, all of which sport a baffle box construction — we tested and recommend the extra-warm option (which has a 650-fill power). While our main tester, who tends to sleep hot, found this lofty comforter slightly too heavy to sleep with throughout the night, a cold-sleeping family member loved the warmth the Legends Hotel Alberta Down Comforter provided.
Aside from the weight, we found that the comforter didn’t crinkle when moving around in bed (an annoyance we found with others we tested). Since it’s made with a cotton sateen cover, it’s incredibly soft. It was one of the comfiest we tested, in a way that might have you hitting that snooze button one more time.
This comforter can also easily be used with or without a duvet cover. As for colors, it just comes in white like most of the others we tested and, from a design element, looks rich on its own. But we still added a duvet cover to this comforter to ensure one would fit, and it worked perfectly.
The Company Store also offers a 30-day Rest Easy Guarantee. This lets you fully use the product — including sleeping with and washing it — and you can return it if you don’t like it. On top of that, the company also offers a lifetime guarantee for select products, including the Legends Hotel Alberta Down Comforter. This lets you exchange or receive merchandise credit toward a new product if something happens to your comforter.
The heavy filling does have a drawback: it was too big for our washing machine. We have a top-loading washing machine and the directions say “For best wash and dry, use a front-loading commercial washer and dryer.” While this didn’t cause any damage to the comforter or our machine, we felt like our washing machine was working harder than normal. If you have a small washing machine, in which bulky items could damage the machine, you might want to steer away from this comforter. Either that or be prepared to go to the laundromat when you need to clean it.
Best down-alternative comforter: Buffy Cloud Comforter
The Buffy Cloud Comforter was like no other comforter we tested. This down-alternative comforter was the best alternative version in our product pool — and one of the only ones we’d recommend, as most other down alternatives lacked in quality of construction and comfort.
The Buffy comforter prides itself on being environmentally friendly as well. The shell is made from 100% eucalyptus, and the fill is made from 100% recycled PET bottles (BPA-free). On the Buffy site, the brand states that “this keeps 50 plastic bottles out of landfills and protects 12 geese from live-plucking.”
Although this was a new material for us — as we typically sleep with a down comforter on our non-testing days — we thought the fabric was very soft and lightweight but still heavy enough to keep us warm throughout the night. The comforter was also very quiet, emitting no crinkling sounds when shifting sleeping positions.
Buffy also offers a seven-day trial for you to fully test the comforter before committing to a large purchase. While this might be on the shorter side compared to some of the other comforters, seven days should give you a good sense of whether or not this comforter works for you.
If you’re looking for a down alternative, this is your best bet, especially since the price point is much more reasonable than some of the other luxury comforters on our list. The comforter is well made with quality stitching, is soft to sleep with and has the right warmth to it.
How we tested
After scouring editorial and user reviews, we picked 14 of the most highly reviewed comforters to put to the test. To find the best, we slept with each one for three nights. Like our duvet cover testing, we slept with the comforter right out of the packaging on the first night. The next day, we washed the comforter and slept with it again for the next two nights. With so many options, this meant we got some great sleep along with some not-so-great shut-eye.
We compared everything from performance to quality, noting what we liked and disliked. We also tested comforters in every price bracket to see if price is a driving factor in getting a good night’s sleep. We were sure to test a wide range of price points, with our testing pool spanning from $35 to more than $600. While a high-end price didn’t necessarily mean it was our favorite, we did find that the budget options fall into the “you get what you pay for” bracket.
Here’s how we evaluated each duvet cover to find our winning picks:
Performance
- Sleep feel: We wanted to gauge how each comforter felt while sleeping. Was it soft or stiff? Light or heavy?
- Initial feel: Immediately after taking each product out of the packaging, we wanted to see how the comforter felt. Is it super stiff and scratchy or is it already soft and bouncy?
- Warmth check: Does the comforter provide the right amount of warmth? Or is it too hot or cold while sleeping? We also wanted to determine if the comforter was breathable.
- Weight: Is the comforter too heavy to maneuver, either while sleeping or storing?
- Post-wash: After washing each comforter, we slept with the comforter again to see how it felt.
- Noise: Even before getting in bed, we rolled the comforter around to see if the comforter was loud and crinkly. Then, when sleeping with the comforter, we noted when the comforter was noisy.
- Washing: We washed every comforter to see how easy (or difficult) the process was.
- Storability: After using each comforter, we folded each one to see how cumbersome it was to store. We also considered if it came with a bag for easy storage.
Build quality
- Materials: We analyzed each comforter based on the quality of the materials and the workmanship.
- Filling: After sleeping and washing each comforter, we noted whether or not the filling stayed in place.
- Size options: We wanted to make sure that the comforter came in sizes for all bed types.
- Replacement: Is there a generous return policy or warranty?
Everything you need to know about down comforters
The basics
A comforter (or duvet) is two pieces of fabric — a bottom layer and a top layer — sewn together with a certain type of filling material in the middle (most often down, feathers or synthetic materials, known as down alternative) to provide warmth while sleeping.
While “comforter” and “duvet insert” are typically used interchangeably, the two do differ. Typically, a duvet is used with a duvet cover, adding a design element to your overall bedding, whereas a comforter is used on its own, providing both aesthetic appeal and comfort to your bed. Duvets usually have loops on all four corners (some offer even more loops on the sides), letting you tie the comforter to the duvet cover. This ensures all materials are secured easily to one another and that the insert won’t shift while sleeping.
Fill power
A numerical representation of a comforter’s insulation abilities, fill power is the amount of space that 1 ounce of down occupies (in cubic inches). Therefore, the higher the number, the warmer the comforter. Fill power can range from around 500 (considered lightweight and ideal for warmer climates) to more than 700 (usually the fluffiest, warmest comforters).
Sewn-through versus baffle box stitching
How a comforter is constructed is another important aspect to consider when shopping. Two common terms you’ll see are baffle box and sewn-through. While they both work to hold the filling in place, there are minute differences. A baffle box design features thin strips of fabric that connect the top and bottom layers and form box shapes that keep the filling in place while giving them more room to stretch out. Therefore, comforters with a baffle box construction tend to be fluffier and trap more heat.
With a sewn-through construction, the bottom and top layers are sewn together to form down-filled pockets. Though you won’t have any worry about the down shifting around with a sewn-through design, it can lead to some increased airflow (and therefore less insulation than the baffle box) between the seams.
Other down comforters we tested
If you prefer to layer several blankets or if you tend to sleep warm, the light weight of Garnet Hill's Essential Down Comforter at 550 fill power could make it a perfect top layer.
With a 550 fill power, the Garnet Hill Essential Down Comforter is lighter than even Brooklinen’s lightweight comforter (we tested the all-season option at 700 fill power). It’s also not as soft, carrying a crispy, 230-thread-count percale shell compared to Brooklinen’s 400-thread-count sateen. Still, if you’re a hot sleeper, the lighter weight in Garnet Hill’s comforter could be worth a look. It’s available in 13 colors and doesn’t have any loops for a duvet cover.
A fine option for those who want to avoid real down, the Brooklinen down-alternative comforter slotted slightly behind Buffy in our rankings.
We spent several nights swapping back and forth between this and Brooklinen’s regular down comforter, and — to no surprise — the real thing was the better option. That’s not to say this down-alternative option was bad, it just didn’t have the same airy, light feel of its sibling we loved. We preferred the weight and fill distribution of the Buffy Cloud Comforter to this Brooklinen down-alternative pick. Buffy is also slightly cheaper and available in a bunch of colors, while Brooklinen only has white.
The Riley Goose Down Comforter wasn't far behind Brooklinen in our rankings. It's especially appealing if you want an everyday comforter with more weight.
If we had to pick a fourth favorite, the Riley Home Down Comforter was the best goose-down comforter we tested. The comforter offers two different weight options: All Season and Extra Warm. We tested the All Season option and thought it was perfect for our sleep needs. The comforter is high-quality, with evenly distributed fill and no crinkling noise. It was also extremely comfortable to sleep with.
The comforter came with a perfectly fitting plastic bag for storage purposes too. Instead of opening up on the top, which would make it difficult to squish the comforter into, it opened on the side, giving you more space to fold up the comforter and plop it in.
Although we preferred the Brooklinen thanks to its slightly lighter build, this was a close second as an all-purpose down comforter. If you prefer more weight, the Riley Goose Down Comforter might be a better option. You also have 60 days to try out the comforter, and it has a five-year warranty.
The cooling properties of this comforter were no joke, but you'll have to pay for them.
The UltraCool Comforter from Slumber Cloud is a pleasure to sleep in and another alternative to traditional down. This comforter has a super-soft, silk-like feel thanks to nylon and spandex fabric, and it scored high marks for overall feel and lack of noisy rustling. Ideal for temperature-sensitive sleepers, this comforter uses temperature-regulating fiberfill to help retain heat to keep you snuggly warm while still staying cool to the touch.
Lightweight, warm and easy to wash, the UltraCool Comforter might even be better than a down comforter, especially if you run hot at night. Where it loses us is the price. At $229 for a twin, it’s almost $85 more than a Buffy comforter of the same size. So, while it is an excellent comforter with innovative temperature technology, it might not be the best option for everyone. However, if you want to try it out, Slumber Cloud offers a 60-night trial on all their bedding, which means you can return your comforter for a full refund if you don’t love it.
Cool? Yes. Loud? Unfortunately so — we didn't love the crinkly sounds this not-so-soft comforter made.
This Pottery Barn temperature-regulating duvet insert states that its Sleepsmart 37.5 technology “continuously adjusts to help maintain a climate of personal comfort at the ideal 37.5 degrees Celsius all night long, so you can wake up rested and refreshed.” Even though we didn’t test this comforter during all four seasons — just during the winter months — we felt like it maintained the perfect temperature throughout the night, as we never got overheated, making it a great down comforter for hot sleepers.
That said, this comforter is loud and rigid and there’s no softness to it, which didn’t give us that cozy feel while in bed. Sleeping with a comforter that crinkles all night is never ideal.
Even though we like the technology behind the comforter, the lack of softness and the crinkles throughout the night were deal breakers for us. The comforter also only comes in two sizes: full/queen and king/California king.
We tested the Ultra Warm weight, which was too warm for our liking.
This is the second comforter we tried from The Comforter Store. For this particular comforter, the LaCrosse Down Comforter, we tried the Ultra Warm weight. This is the brand’s heaviest weight — of four different weight options — and, you guessed it, we found it too heavy for our liking. And we even tested it in the middle of winter in the Northeast.
Although we found this comforter a little noisy, especially compared to the other Company Store comforter we tested, it didn’t keep us up at night. But if crinkly noises are something you’re looking to avoid altogether, this is one you’ll want to be cautious of.
The comforter comes in a rainbow of 18 color options. This lets you use the comforter on its own without a duvet cover. Unlike many of the other comforters and duvet inserts we tested, this comforter looks complete by itself. It also comes in every size — twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king — so it’s a comforter you can get for every bed in your house.
Even after washing, Casper's Down Duvet wasn't soft enough. Its loud shell made for a real struggle when we were trying to sleep, too.
We wanted to love the lightweight Casper Down Duvet, especially since its duvet cover was our favorite of the ones we tested, but this didn’t do it for us.
First, the pros: It’s extremely well made with quality stitching. It also comes with smaller sewn-in boxes to keep the fill from shifting.
But now, the cons: It’s extremely crinkly, by far the worst we experienced. It was noisy not only while sleeping with it but also while laying it out and putting on the duvet cover — to the point where it didn’t let us get a good night’s sleep. The entire night we were too focused on not moving so the comforter wouldn’t wake us or our partner. And even after washing this comforter, it didn’t get better. We also found this comforter very heavy; thus, we were quite warm throughout the night.
This duvet did come in the nicest bag of the bunch, allowing it to be stored quite easily. Instead of a plastic bag (which was the case for the others, if the comforter even came with a bag), the Casper comforter came in an extremely durable cloth bag. There was no plastic smell after taking the comforter out of the bag — if stored for a long time — and no chance of the bag breaking. If you want to try it out, Casper offers a 30-night risk-free trial. So, if you end up disliking it, you can always return it for a full refund.
If you know you'll place your comforter inside a duvet cover, the eight-tab system on Lands' End's Essential Down Comforter won us over.
The Lands’ End Essential Down Comforter is perfect for most seasons, although we’d probably steer clear of it during warm summer nights. We tested this comforter in the middle of winter and appreciated the weight it provided. The downside is that it’s slightly crinkly and noisy (though nowhere near as bad as what we experienced with the Casper comforter), but that said, it didn’t negatively impact our sleep. The comforter is filled with 75% down and 25% feathers, which makes the comforter nice and fluffy.
One component that sets this comforter apart is its eight “corner” tabs. Instead of loops on just the four corners as with most of the comforters we tested, this one offers four additional loops in the middle of each side of the comforter. This means on the top and bottom, along with the right and left sides, there are more loops to keep your duvet insert even more secure. While this is great in theory, when we tested several popular duvet covers, none offered these extra ties to secure everything together.
Shifting fill in the Egyptian Bedding comforter left us with lumpy patches, though that might not be much of an issue if you're using it for warmer parts of the year.
The Egyptian Bedding Siberian Goose Down Comforter arrived in a vacuum-sealed bag. While this was perfect for shipping purposes, it meant we had to let the comforter sit out for a few hours to revert to its normal fluffiness. If you have an immediate usage, keep this in mind. Although the packaging was airtight, it came with a larger bag big enough to store the comforter later on.
This comforter is very lightweight in feel and quite thin. If you’re looking for a comforter during the summer months, this will do, but if you’re looking for something for those cold winter nights, this one most likely won’t give you the warmth you’re looking for.
The comforter was also very lumpy compared to others. The fill within each box bunched up quite a bit and left some areas with absolutely no fill at all.
Similar to the Lands’ End comforter, there are four extra ties to keep your duvet cover secure, although these ties were much smaller loops, which would make them difficult to use.
The price might be appealing, but this down-alternative option ranked toward the bottom of our pool in that category.
The hypoallergenic Utopia Bedding Down-Alternative Comforter is made from 100% microfiber on the face and 100% polyester in the filling. Like most down alternatives we tested, this comforter didn’t make us want to snuggle up with it, and it didn’t have the same soft and fluffy feel that many of the other comforters provided.
The comforter came in a vacuum-sealed bag, and it was impossible to get it back in after it was taken out. So, even though it arrived in a small package on our front door, there’s no bag included for storage purposes.
The biggest con with this comforter was its corner loops. They were the smallest of all the comforters we tested, which caused frustration when tying the duvet cover to the insert. This comforter comes in nine solid colors so, while we’d recommend using a duvet cover with the white color option, if purchasing one of the other colors, you might not need a cover from an aesthetic perspective; just keep in mind the material is sheen.
If you're only using this comforter on select nights, we admired the super-small storage bag it came with. That said, the price is representative of the overall quality.
As the most budget comforter of the bunch, the quality unfortunately shows. This comforter is a down alternative and is 100% polyester. Similar to the Utopia comforter we tested, we don’t love the feel of polyester for sleeping purposes.
This comforter also has small loop holes at all four corners, making it difficult to secure the duvet cover ties. Although the holes were slightly bigger than the Utopia comforter, they were still too small and caused frustration. With that being said, the brand did offer extra ties on each side of the comforter, but those were also small and, truthfully, unnecessary.
One of the pros to this comforter is that it folds extremely compact. It comes with a smaller plastic bag, which makes storing the comforter easy and takes up less space in your closet.
The comforter also comes in various sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, oversized queen, king, oversized king and California king. This means if you have a unique bed size, this comforter could provide the necessary solution. There are also six different color options, some with reversible designs.
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CNN Underscored editors thoroughly test all the products we cover and provide full transparency about how we test them. We have an experienced team of writers and editors with many years of testing experience and ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when it makes sense to ensure we are testing each product accurately and speaking about the pros and cons of each. For this article, our writers Jennifer Yellin and Joe Bloss each spent night after night sleeping in and evaluating the comforters covered in this guide.