The Best Electric Toothbrushes in 2026
We put five of America's most popular electric toothbrushes through four tests: plaque, inflammation, bacteria, and value for money. One carries an innovation that has dentists talking.
THE WHOLE TOOTH
Whether you are fighting bleeding gums, recession, cavities, or sensitive teeth—or just shopping for a good electric toothbrush—this ranking will save you money. And probably your teeth.
Walk down the toothbrush aisle and every box promises the same things: more vibrations, a sensor, an app, at anywhere from $25 to $400.
Here is what none of the boxes say: every brush on that shelf is built for one job. Scrubbing plaque off the visible surface of your teeth.
But cavities, bad breath, bleeding, and receding gums do not start on the visible surface. They start at and below the gumline, where bacteria collect in a sticky film no bristle can reach. It is why people who brush perfectly still hear bad news at the checkup.
So we scored each brush on four tests, not one:
CLEAN.How well it removes plaque.
CALM.Does it do anything for inflammation?
KILL.Does it target bacteria where they live?
VALUE.What your money actually buys.
Every brush here passes test one. The other three are where the shelf falls apart. Here are the five, ranked worst to best.
THE TOP 5
best electric toothbrushes of 2026
#5 · Philips Sonicare DiamondClean
★★★★★ B− Rating
Verdict: The glassy smooth feeling, perfected. And that is all.
Test results: Clean ✓Calm ✗Kill ✗Value ✗
B−RATINGPrice: about $230
It is a lovely brush. It really is. The polish feels like walking out of the hygienist. But polish is surface work. Nothing here calms inflammation or kills bacteria below the gumline. $230 for the feeling, not the function.
Best for: people happy to pay $230 for a feeling.
PROS
Glassy clean feel
Gentle on sensitive teeth
Premium build
CONS
Surface polish only
Nothing for inflammation or bacteria
A charging glass and 5 modes
#4 · Burst Pro
★★★★★ B Rating
Verdict: The most brush for the least money.
Test results: Clean ✓Calm ✗Kill ✗Value ✓
BRATINGPrice: about $80
Hygienists recommend it, and on value they are right. But the bristles are charcoal infused, and charcoal is an abrasive. Enamel does not grow back. Beyond that, all 33,000 vibrations stop at the gumline. 1 job, fair price.
Best for: a good clean on a budget.
PROS
Lowest price here
Solid sonic clean
No gimmicks
CONS
Abrasive charcoal bristles
Nothing below the gumline
#3 · Suri
★★★★★ B+ Rating
Verdict: The most beautiful toothbrush on the list.
Test results: Clean ✓Calm ✗Kill ✗Value ✓
B+RATINGPrice: about $95
The best looking brush ever made. Aluminum, repairable, honest price. But inside the beautiful shell is a standard sonic motor. All of it works on the surface. Gorgeous, at 1 job.
Best for: making the bathroom counter look good.
PROS
Gorgeous and sustainable
40 day battery
Honest price
CONS
Standard sonic motor
Nothing below the gumline
#2 · Oral-B iO Series 9
★★★★★ A− Rating
Verdict: The strongest plaque remover money can buy.
Test results: Clean ✓Calm ✗Kill ✗Value ✗
A−RATINGPrice: about $300
It is a decent cleaner. The round head does each tooth 1 at a time, and the pressure sensor stops you pressing too hard. The other $220 buys a screen that says good morning and an app that scores your brushing. Gimmick tax, maximum.
Best for: a strong scrub at a steep price.
PROS
Best plaque removal here
Pressure sensor
Premium build
CONS
Nothing for inflammation or bacteria
The screen and app clean nothing
#1 · Helios EDITOR'S CHOICE
★★★★★ A+ Rating
Verdict: The only brush on this list built for all four jobs.
Test results: Clean ✓Calm ✓Kill ✓Value ✓
A+RATINGPrice: $149
The Helios looks like a premium sonic brush, and it is one: 40,000 vibrations per minute, soft tapered bristles, and a flagship clean.
Then you press the light button.
No bristle on this page reaches below the gumline, where inflammation and bacteria live. But light can. The brush head carries 3 clinical wavelengths, backed by 1,800+ clinical papers, each aimed at a job bristles cannot do:
WHAT THE LIGHT DOES
460nmBlue light kills bacteria at the gumline. That is test 3.
660nmRed light passes into the gum tissue, calming swelling and helping the tissue rebuild. That is test 2.
830nmNear infrared light reaches deepest, down to the structure that holds your teeth in place.
Best for: anyone whose gums bleed, recede, or feel tender—and anyone who would rather focus on prevention than catch-up.
PROS
The only brush on this list that passes all four tests
3 light wavelengths plus a 40,000 VPM sonic clean
Half the price of the runner-up
No screen, app, or gimmicks
90-night money-back guarantee
CONS
Only sold at the official Helios site
Costs more than a basic sonic brush
Why The #1 Pick Actually Works
Three quick reasons we chose Helios. Then you can decide on your own.
01
The science came first.
Red, near infrared and blue light have been studied on human tissue for decades, with 1,800+ clinical papers behind the wavelengths Helios uses. Dentists already use light in the clinic. Helios put it in a brush head, at the exact spot it is needed, 2 minutes a night.
02
Real mouths, real results.
You are not the first to try it. These results come straight from the Helios site, from people who were exactly where you are now.
03
The 90 nights make it a free test.
Brush with it every night for 90 nights. If your mirror and your next checkup do not tell a different story, send it back for a full refund. You risk nothing but the habit.
My conclusion
I went into this expecting the iO to win. It is a serious cleaner, and if plaque were the whole story, it would have taken the top spot at 2 times the price.
But plaque is not the whole story. The problems that actually cost people teeth and money, the inflammation, the bacteria, the slow retreat of the gumline, all happen where bristles do not go. 4 of these brushes have no answer for that. 1 does.
That is why Helios took the top spot: not because it beat the iO at cleaning, but because it is presented as doing the other half of the job.
Healthy gums don't bleed.
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