While historically, 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit has been considered “normal” body temperature, one recent study calculated it is closer to 97.9. Regardless, health experts are pretty unanimous when it comes to what defines a fever—100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. “Fever is often just a sign of the body fighting some type of an infection—and an elevated temperature is a good thing and is helping your body recover,” explains Maryellen Flaherty-Hewitt, MD, FAAP, Interim Section Chief of General Pediatrics Yale Medicine.

Identifying a fever is crucial and “accuracy is critical for your physician to make an appropriate assessment of the situation,” she continues. She adds that investing in an accurate thermometer can keep you and your family’s health in check. When shopping for a thermometer, keep the user in mind as well as the type of thermometer the user will be comfortable with. Additional thermometer features, like connected apps, can also be beneficial in tracking your health. To make shopping easier, we tested 25 thermometers and reviewed each one to find the best based on five categories: ease of setup, response time, consistency of results, ease of use, and data readability.

Here are the best thermometers on the market today.

Our product testers noted that because the thermometer connects to an app via Bluetooth, setup may take longer than other thermometers, scoring a four out of five in the ease of setup category, Regardless, this thermometer received an overall score of five.

Price at time of publish: $25

The thermometer received four and five ratings for most attributes, except response time. Our tester noted that the response time took roughly 10 seconds. While not the fastest, it delivers information quickly.

Price at time of publish: $9

It’s also built with a one-button design that is suitable for adults and kids. You can use the thermometer to get the temperature of different household items, too. It can take a couple of tries to lock in the perfect position for the thermometer to grab your temperature, per our tester, but it’s generally easy to use.

Price at time of publish: $19

One caveat is that it’s got a heftier price tag than all the thermometers on the list. But with all of the unique features, we think it’s worth the splurge.

Price at time of publish: $78

This thermometer received no lower than a four for all categories. One tester did note that this model has such a minimalist design that she wasn’t sure what to press or how long to push the button to turn it on at first, but was able to figure it out pretty quickly. Nonetheless, this thermometer features a sleek, simple design that offers instantaneous results.

Price at time of publish: $20

One thing our tester noted is that response time is a little slower than other thermometers on the list, taking about eight to nine seconds to give a reading. If you don’t mind waiting a few more seconds for your reading, then this thermometer may be for you. Even more impressive? It’s waterproof, comes with a storage case, and has a one-year warranty in case anything happens to it.

Price at time of publish: $10

4.5 to 4.7 stars: These thermometers are excellent—they might have minor flaws, but we still recommend them.

4.0 to 4.5 stars: We think these are great thermometers, but others are better.

3.5 to 3.9 stars: These thermometers are just average.

3.4 and below: We don’t recommend thermometers with this rating; you won’t find any on our list.

For example, testers looked for how easy it was to set up the product from the box, how long it took for each thermometer to deliver a temperature reading, and additional features, such as a color-coded fever indicator and app connectivity. This process was repeated for each thermometer. Thermometers that took too long to deliver results or didn’t function properly were excluded from the roundup. 

Additionally, overall value ratings were given by our testers, while star ratings were based on the average of all attribute scores. None of our picks received perfect five-star ratings across the board and all scales had something that could have been improved.

What to Look for in a Thermometer

Types 

There are different types of thermometers that target different areas of the body to get your temperature readings, such as oral, tympanic, temporal, and rectal areas. According to Bradley Katz, MD, PhD, professor at the University of Utah Medical Center and CEO of Axon Optics, rectal thermometers are considered to be the most accurate because they check internal body temperature and are less likely to be influenced by drinking cold or hot drinks, or fluctuating temperatures. However, in practice, oral thermometers are used among adults. Rectal thermometers are more widely used among children or patients in a hospital setting, Dr. Katz adds.

Oral - thermometers that read temperature from the mouthTympanic - thermometers that read temperature from the earTemporal - thermometers that read temperature from the foreheadRectal - thermometers that read temperature from the anus or anal canalAxillary - thermometers that read temperature from the armpit

Additional Features

When looking for a thermometer, Dr. Katz recommends people look for a thermometer that’s easy to read and use.  You will “also want thermometers that can give accurate readings in the shortest time possible for the convenience,” Dr. Katz says. “If you’re buying a thermometer for your baby or infant, a baby thermometer is more suitable as they have flexible tips and smaller size.” 

Beyond the temperature reading capabilities, some thermometers have additional features, such as a color-coded system that informs you whether you have a fever or high temperature. Some smart thermometers come with a free, downloadable app that keeps a record of your temperatures and provides health insights.  

Type of User 

There are different types of thermometers that are better suited for various ages. For example, baby thermometers tend to be smaller in size and have a flexible tip. Others are specialized for specific uses, such as fever. Ultimately, the thermometer you choose will depend on your age and what you need it for.

Cost

How much you can expect to pay for a quality thermometer varies based on the extra features it may include, such as app connectivity for temperature tracking or the ability to take the temperature via forehead or ear. Some of the thermometers on our list cost as little as $9, such as the Vicks Speedread Thermometer, which we chose as our best for indicating a fever. Meanwhile, the Braun Thermoscan 5 IRT6500 is more expensive ($78 at the time of publication) because of its special features, like infrared technology and a pre-warmed tip for comfort.

Why Trust Verywell Health

Receiving her master’s degree in public health in 2020, Kayla Hui is a seasoned public health practitioner and health journalist. She has interviewed dozens of experts, reviewed numerous research studies, and tested a plethora of products to deliver well-researched product reviews and roundups. Her goal is to help readers make more informed decisions about their health and well-being.

Other “thermometers work by using heat or infrared sensors to measure the temperature at a specific part of the body,” Dr. Katz explains.

Positioning is important to get a correct reading because different areas of the body have varying levels of heat concentration. “Forehead thermometers should be held perpendicularly to the person’s forehead at the distance recommended by the manufacturer of the thermometer for optimal accuracy,” he explains. Temperatures should also be taken away from direct sunlight, a heat source, and without a hat or headband, to minimize factors that can influence the temperature reading.