We Tested 35 Thermometers To Find the Best Ones for Easy & Reliable Temperature Checks (2024)

• Our Picks

• The Experts

• How We Tested

• The Different Types of Thermometers

• Additional Features to Look For

• What Type of Thermometer Is Most Accurate?

• Why Trust Verywell Health

Key Specs:

Weight: 8 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions: 5.31 x 2.36 x 7.87 inches | Power Source: AA Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

The Braun No Touch Thermometer is our best overall pick because it’s efficient, easy to use, reliable, and accurate. During both our lab and real-world testing, we found that this is a great no-contact thermometer for families because you can change the mode based on the age range of the person being tested (infants, toddlers, and up). Because infants' fevers (101.3ºF) are higher than adults' (100.4ºF or higher), this thermometer takes the guesswork of reading your results. It reads green, yellow, or red to show whether your temperature is normal or elevated.

We were able to track our body temperature changes after the slightest difference in activity, such as drinking water. The no-contact nature is perfect for taking children’s temperature since they can tend to squirm, and it also helps stop germ transmission as well. Plus, you can use this thermometer on food and bathwater.

Keep In Mind

The reading does take a little longer than advertised (we got a proper reading in five seconds though the instructions claimed it would only take two) but given the pinpoint accuracy that didn’t bother us at all.

Key Specs:

Weight: 5.61 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions: 3.46 x 1.57 x 5.51 inches | Power Source: Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

The Vick’s Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer made taking our kids’ temperatures a seamless process. We love that this thermometer is simple to set up and is no-contact to reduce the spread of germs between children. The display on the digital screen is easy for kids to understand: red with a frowny face means they have a fever, and green with a smiley face means they're healthy.

This thermometer gave us consistent readings faster than the instructions advertised (one second), which is important when taking the temperature of small children who may not want to sit still for long. While it only logs one user, it stores up to 50 readings so you can look back at past readings.

Keep In Mind

The battery compartment is a little hard to open. This also sits at a higher price point than other no-contact thermometers.

Key Specs:

Weight: 5.29 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions: 1 x 2 x 1 inches | Power Source: Batteries

Why We Recommend It

The Berrcom Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer is easy to use and has an easy display to read. When we say it’s easy to use—we mean it. During testing, we actually didn’t read the instructions before use and still managed to use it perfectly and get consistent readings. Plus, it's highly sensitive and if our temperature shifted just a little, this thermometer would recognize it and record it. The display is big and bright with a color-coded backlight indicating whether you don’t have a fever (green), a slight fever (orange), or a high fever (red).

This thermometer can record up to 32 temperatures and it’s simple to flip between Fahrenheit and Celsius. It has six modes (including food and bathwater reading options) and has a low battery indicator to tell you when you need to replace the batteries.

Keep In Mind

The batteries didn’t come included when we received this thermometer, so you may have to go get some from the store.

Key Specs:

Weight : 5.29 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions: 3.5 x 1.5 x 5.63 inches | Power Source: Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

We chose Homedics Non-Contact Infrared Body Thermometer as our pick for the best thermometer for a fever indicator because, unlike other thermometers that will only light up, this thermometer has an audible beep to alert you if you have a fever. The display screen lights up according to your temperature (green for normal, yellow for low-grade fever, and red for high fever) and tells you the results in bold writing that is easy. to read, especially in the dark. There’s also a quiet mode that you can select so the thermometer doesn’t wake up children during middle-of-the-night readings. It has a very wide base that easily fits in your hand comfortably.

This thermometer also comes with an object mode, so be sure you set it to human mode or else it won’t record your temperature correctly. Otherwise, this thermometer is accurate and reliable.

Keep In Mind

We noticed that the temperature reading would shift slightly based on how far we held it from our forehead. To make sure your results are accurate, make sure to keep the same hand-to-forehead distance every time.

Key Specs:

Weight : Not listed | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions: 5.7 x 1.41 x 1.49 inches | Power Source: Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

If you prefer tympanic (or inner ear) options, our favorite is the Equate Infrared 1-Second In-Ear Thermometer. It was immediately ready to use out of the box during testing, and we found it to be a simple and sturdy thermometer that gave us reliable readings consistently. It’s a straightforward thermometer that doesn’t require an app or any Bluetooth connection. Readings were ready within three to five seconds, faster than we expected, and beeped when it was done recording the temperature.

The thermometer display is bright, with bold writing so you can easily read your temperatures and it will remember up to 10 readings. There’s also a low battery indicator, a Fahrenheit and Celsius conversion option, and it comes with a protective storage cap and case.

Keep In Mind

We noticed inconsistent readings if we used this thermometer between different ears, so stick to a single ear. We also noticed that it worked best without the ear covers so we had to clean the tip more often, especially between switching users.

Key Specs:

Weight : 3.84 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions : 6.26 x 1.93 x 1.85 inches | Power Source: Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

Our favorite multi-use thermometer is the iProven Head and Ear Thermometer because it gives you a quick and reliable temperature reading regardless of the way you choose to use it. This is a very straightforward thermometer from the moment you unbox it. To get started, you simply need to select and hold the mode you want to use (head or ear) and then your results will appear.

This thermometer's display uses color-coded pictures to give you your results—red and a frowny face signals a fever, while green and a smiley face means you have a healthy temperature. It takes about one second to get your reading in both ear and head modes, and there’s an audible beep when it’s done. If we were within a fever range, it would beep in succession to let us know, which we found helpful. Overall, we found that this option is lightweight, fits well in the hand, and offers an incredibly intuitive and seamless process.

Keep In Mind

One thing we didn’t love is that sometimes our temperature wasn’t consistent across the two modes—ear and head. For this reason, we recommend choosing one body part and sticking with it as you test throughout the duration of a cold or illness. It’s also a little hard to find the stored temperature readings.

Key Specs:

Weight : 1.59 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: Yes | Dimensions: 5.63 x 3.03 x 0.94 inches | Power Source: Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

Nowadays, everything has an app, and that includes thermometers. Our pick for the best smart thermometer is the Kinsa QuickCare Smart Thermometer. Even though it's high-tech, it’s not hard to use. During testing, we found that the app made getting our temperature results fun because it offers interactive features (you can even ask the app questions when you’re feeling sick to learn more about your symptoms). The app can also track medicine usage and dosage and provides multiple user profiles to keep track of the whole family's readings.

As you take your temperature, the thermometer gives you a light and sound indication when it’s done taking the reading. We adored the little elephant animation on the thermometer. It distracted our kids when taking their temperature, which was an added bonus. To top it off, all of our results were accurate and consistent.

Keep In Mind

This thermometer doesn’t come with a protective case. We also wish the app synced more efficiently.

Key Specs:

Weight : 0.37 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions : 4.93 x 0.76 x 0.49 inches | Power Source: Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

The Boncare Digital Oral Thermometer is our pick for the best oral thermometer because it’s affordable, straightforward, and no fuss. This oral thermometer uses a soft silicone tip that’s comfortable for babies and adults alike when taking their temperature. The silicone tip is also washable so you can clean the thermometer easily.

During testing, we found that it gave fairly accurate readings that took between five to 30 seconds. When you turn on the thermometer it’ll display the last reading you had so you can compare your current results to your most recent.

Keep In Mind

The time it took to take our temperature readings was inconsistent. Even though this is a fairly basic thermometer, setting it up proved to be a little difficult, and we had to turn it on and off again in order to take another reading.

A note about forehead thermometers

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