A bed isn't complete without a comforter. Along with a fresh set of sheets and a supportive pillow, the right duvet insert is an essential aspect of your bedspread. The best comforters are light and fluffy – and, since they come without a cover, they're wrapped in soft and stylish shells.
Hot sleepers will appreciate a lighter layer, while a heavyweight comforter is more suitable for cooler climes. Down comforters are filled with real feathers, which creates natural loft to make a beautiful bedspread, though vegan shoppers might prefer a down alternative option. In short, there are so many duvet insert types that it can be difficult to know where to start.
That's where I come in. As H&G's specialist sleep expert, I've tested some of the world's best duvet inserts. I've narrowed it down to my top six to suit every season, every budget, and every style of sleeper. For the sake of a fair fight, each duvet insert is assessed against the same criteria: comfort; cooling; ease of care; and the all-important price. Follow my comforter buying rules and you won't go wrong.
Best duvet inserts 2024 − ranked + reviewed
You can trust Homes & Gardens. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing the latest products, helping you choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Before we begin, it always helps to define our terms. The difference between a comforter and a duvet is that a comforter can stand alone, while a duvet insert needs a duvet cover. If you're struggling to decide between the two, then you're in luck: we've weighed up the pros and cons of duvets vs comforters.
The quick list
If you've already got a particular insert in mind, you can skip straight to that section using our navigation menu. If you'd rather take stock of your options, then you can browse our picks for the best duvet inserts and comforters below.
The best duvet insert overall
Our reigning champion for the title of 'best duvet insert' comes in three weights to suit every sleeper. Each insert is wrapped in a cotton shell that's soft on your skin and cool to the touch.
The best down alternative duvet insert
This down alternative duvet insert upcycles the plastic from discarded bottles and spins it into super-soft fiber-fill. It's a great option for vegans and eco-conscious shoppers.
The best down duvet insert
The Brooklinen Down Comforter is filled with fluffy down clusters, rather than individual feathers, to maximize warmth and minimize waste.
The best duvet insert for hot sleepers
Wool is a natural thermoregulator and it's great for moisture-wicking. I recommend this comforter for anyone who suffers from night sweats or hot flashes.
The best duvet insert for cold sleepers
This comforter is filled to the brim with down alternative fiber and wrapped in cotton percale for a crisp finish. It's just the thing for cold sleepers, winter evenings, and duvet days.
The best organic duvet inserts
Filled with alpaca wool and covered in GOTS certified cotton, this duvet insert gets rave reviews on the Avocado site. Shop the Lightweight layer for summer or opt for the All-Season.
The best duvet insert overall
The Boll & Branch Down Duvet Insert offers something for everyone, whether you sleep hot or cool in a Twin bed or a California King. This comforter comes in three warmth weights to suit all seasons and sleep styles. I recommend the Lightweight for hot sleepers and warmer climes, the Ultraweight for cold sleepers and cooler climes, and the Midweight for everybody in between. Each insert comes with corner loops for easy attachment to duvet covers.
The clue is in the name: this duvet insert is filled with duck and goose down. This might raise alarms for animal lovers, but take heart that Boll & Branch down is sourced from American farms and certified by the IDFL Down Standard. That means every stage of production, from farm to factory, is investigated by an independent organization to ensure the highest standards of animal welfare.
I love the look and feel of the Boll & Branch Down Duvet Insert. It's by far the most luxurious of any insert on this list. All that down creates natural loft which makes for a beautiful bedspread. It's the sort of insert I'd expect to see in a high-end hotel or luxury spa. If in doubt, opt for the lighter weight: customer reviews indicate that the Down Duvet Insert errs towards the weighty side.
Admittedly, the Boll & Branch Down Duvet Insert is on the more expensive side: we're talking more than $400 for a Lightweight Queen. If you're looking for a down comforter, but you're working with a tighter budget, then I suggest you shop the Brooklinen Down Comforter, instead.
The best down alternative duvet insert
I started testing the Buffy Cloud Comforter back in the spring, but it's really come into its own this summer. Where down duvet inserts tend to trap heat, down alternative inserts are more breathable, and the Buffy Cloud Comforter made a great lightweight layer to get me through the heat and humidity.
Each Cloud Comforter incorporates and upcycles the materials from approximately 50 plastic bottles to minimize waste and maximize warmth. I was worried that I'd be able to feel the plastic shards through the shell of the comforter, but I can't. The plastic is spun into super-thin, super-soft fiberfill that looks and feels a lot like real down, without the animal produce.
The Buffy Cloud Comforter comes in 11 shades to complement any color palette. I opted for classic white, but you could choose between soft blues, bright pinks, and fresh greens. If you'd rather use it as a duvet insert, you can: the Buffy Cloud Comforter comes with corner loops for quick ties.
For a down alternative comforter, the Cloud feels exceptionally light and fluffy. Although it can't hold quite as much air as a real down comforter, it comes close. I'd recommend the Buffy Cloud Comforter for hot sleepers, eco-conscious shoppers, and anyone working with a tighter budget: this is one of the most affordable comforters on the market, starting at $116 for a Twin.
The best down duvet insert
There's a difference between down clusters and duck feathers. Clusters are just the fluff, while feathers have the filament. Where most down comforters are filled with individual feathers, which can poke through the shell to scratch your skin, the Brooklinen Down Comforter is stuffed with down clusters for a fluffier feel.
As down comforters go, this one is pretty animal-friendly. Brooklinen sources their down sustainably from Canadian farms and meets the Downmark standard for quality assurance (that's not quite as big a deal as the International Down Standard, but it counts for something). Still, if you prefer to purchase vegan products, you'd be better off with the best down alternative comforter.
The Brooklinen Down Comforter comes in Lightweight, All-Season, and Ultra-Warm to suit every style of sleeper. Where the Boll & Branch Duvet Insert comes up pretty heavy, the Brooklinen Down Comforter feels pretty light: I'd only recommend the Lightweight option for seriously hot sleepers or summer use.
The best duvet insert for hot sleepers
The best cooling comforter for night sweats is filled with wool. Hear me out: I was skeptical, too. Before I sampled the Woolroom Organic Washable Wool Comforter, I thought of wool as the stuffy, scratchy stuff that made up my old school sweaters. As a hot sleeper who suffers from night sweats, especially over the summer, I couldn't think of anything worse.
Turns out, wool is a natural thermoregulator and an excellent moisture-wicker. According to the 2024 Woolroom Clean Sleep Report, wool can hold up to 33% of its weight in water before it evaporates first thing in the morning. I first slept under the Woolroom Organic Washable Wool Comforter on the Woolroom Sleep Retreat, and I couldn't believe the breathability: so much better than my old down alternative duvet.
Fun fact for eco-conscious sleepers: the wool in the Woolroom Organic Washable Wool Comforter is totally traceable. When I scanned the QR code on my care tag, I could identify the exact farm and flock of sheep that made my wool. It's great to see this sort of transparency from a major bedding brand.
This wool comforter comes in four weights: Lightweight; Medium; Warm; and All-Season. I sleep best with the All-Season insert, but bear in mind that the price of the product increases with its weight. Also, the Woolroom Organic Washable Wool Comforter only comes in Twin, Full, Queen, and King sizes.
The best duvet insert for cold sleepers
Not everyone is a hot sleeper. As we head into winter, you might appreciate one of the best warm comforters to keep you cozy. The Saatva Heavyweight Comforter is filled with a unique blend of down alternative and thermoregulating lyocell fibers to keep you just the right side of warm and dry.
For a down alternative duvet insert, the Saatva Heavyweight Comforter has a lot of loft. That'll be the thick, fluffy handfuls of fiberfill, stuffed into the comforter and held in place via baffle-box construction. That means no lumps, no bumps, and no cold patches. Still, nothing compares to the natural loft of the best down comforter.
The Saatva Heavyweight Comforter is wrapped in a cotton percale shell to boost breathability. Our expert tester, Jaclyn, tried it out as the Atlanta weather turned from winter to spring, and she was pleasantly surprised to find she could sleep comfortably in milder temperatures. Even with the best warm comforter, you don't want to overheat.
Retailing at $345 for a Queen, the Saatva Heavyweight Comforter is on the more expensive side, but that's the price you pay for such heaped handfuls of fiberfill. For an affordable, all-season alternative, consider the Saatva All-Year Comforter.
The best organic duvet insert
'Down alternative' is a catch-all term that encompasses everything other than feathers. I've slept under comforters filled with breathable bamboo, smooth silk, and even sheepskin. For eco-conscious customers looking to try something new, I recommend alpaca wool.
Shearing the alpacas doesn't hurt them − in fact, getting rid of all that excess wool helps their skin to breathe. It's much better for the environment to buy an organic duvet insert that incorporates animal produce than it is to buy a cheap, synthetic comforter that will only end up in landfill.
Alpaca wool is naturally antimicrobial, so it should slow the spread of bacteria, mold, and mildew while keeping bed bugs and dust mites at bay. As H&G's resident Sleep Editor, and a hot sleeper, I'm always raving about the natural benefits of wool: it's thermoregulating and moisture-wicking to keep us cool and dry, all year round.
While the Avocado Alpaca Duvet Insert is neither machine-washable nor dryer-safe, it's relatively easy to clean. Avocado recommends spot-cleaning to tackle smaller spills or stains and hanging the comforter in direct sunlight to restore freshness.
How we test duvet inserts
I put a lot of thought into how we test duvet inserts. From our pool of expert testers, I select the right sleeper: hot sleepers for cooling comforters, cold sleepers for warm comforters, and so on. For the sake of a fair fight, we assess each comforter against the same criteria: comfort; thermoregulation; ease of care, and the all-important price. We test each duvet insert for months, ideally through several seasons, in order to monitor its thermoregulation throughout the year.
FAQs
What duvet inserts do hotels use?
Most hotels use goose-down duvet inserts. They're light and fluffy, suitable for all seasons, with plenty of loft to make a beautiful bedspread. If you're interested, I've interviewed top hoteliers and head housekeepers to work out: 'which bedding do luxury hotels use?'
Where is the best place to buy comforters?
I've compiled a list of the best places to buy comforters. I've even picked out my favorite comforters from specialist sleep stores, such as Saatva and Brooklinen, to streamline your shopping experience.
Final thoughts
Once you've bought one of the best duvet inserts, it's time to dress the rest of the bed. I've ranked and reviewed 12 sets of the best bed sheets to suit every style of bedroom and every size of budget.
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