Cold and Flu Season Are Here—These Top Thermometers Will Help You Stay on Top of Your Health (2024)

Our Top Picks

Key Specs

Weight: 3.2 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions: 2 x 5.5 x 1.25 inches | Power Source: Battery (included)

Why We Recommend It

The Mobi Air Non-Contact Digital Forehead Thermometer provides rapid and accurate temperature readings as well as a robust, user-friendly design that withstands frequent use and accidental drops.

We were particularly impressed with the thermometer's large, easy-to-read LCD screen that offers a backlight to help you see readings in the dark. And the fever indicators of red or green help seamlessly distinguish between a normal temperature and a high temperature. This thermometer even has a unique distance sensor that helps ensure accurate readings as well as proper positioning from the forehead.

We love that it has a memory recall of up to 20 readings, which allows you to keep track of fluctuating temperatures. For added convenience, it has an auto shut-off, which helps preserve your batteries—a plus when you are monitoring an illness and using the thermometer frequently. It can even display temperatures in either Fahrenheit or Celsius.

Keep In Mind

This thermometer doesn’t have a protective case. You will need to find a way to keep it free from dust and debris and clean it before use.

Key Specs

Weight: Not listed | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: Yes | Dimensions: 5.86 x 1.39 x 2.19 inches | Power Source: Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

When it comes to families with multiple children, you need a thermometer that accurately measures each person's temperature. We love the Braun ThermoScan 7 Connect Ear Thermometer for families because it allows for age-specific temperature calibration, is quick and consistent in providing accurate readings, and is exceptionally reliable for monitoring the health of multiple children.

We also appreciated its user-friendly features like Age Precision Technology and a supportive app. Plus, its ergonomic design, quick setup, and detailed fever guidance system make it exceptionally suitable for families with children. It is reliable, easy to use, and has a very quick setup process. As an added bonus, this thermometer is capable of pairing with a mobile app via Bluetooth, which also is easy to download and set up. The app includes fever tracking and timeline logging, treatment reminders, a cold and flu map, and a family health journal.

We found the display was large, clear, and easy to read with a backlit feature. And, unlike other ear thermometers, this device features a pre-warmed tip that ensures accurate temperature readings and is more comfortable for kids.

Keep In Mind

This thermometer is on the higher end when it comes to the price of other thermometers on our list, so it may not be ideal for a home without kids when your need for taking temperatures is not as frequent. But in families with multiple children, we felt the convenience, accompanying app, and adjustability made it worth it.

Key Specs

Weight: 2.36 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions: 5.11 x 1.77 x 2.16 inches (LxWxH) | Power Source: Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

Sometimes, when you or a family member is extremely ill, you need a temperature reading quickly, and the Berrcom Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer does not disappoint. We loved that this device can deliver almost instantaneous temperature readings and that it’s a non-contact device, meaningyou don’t have to disturb someone when taking their temperature. It’s also extremely versatile, offering modes for measuring the temperature of people, objects, and rooms—a real plus if you have kids and need to keep their room temperature consistent.

We also really appreciated the ease of setup and the thermometer's capability to store up to 32 temperature readings. And, the large, easy-to-read display also caught our attention in more ways than one. As an added bonus, the thermometer is equipped with a fever indicator with orange for a mild fever and red for a high fever. It even has the ability to automatically turn off to save power when it hasn’t been used for 30 seconds.

Keep In Mind

While this thermometer does provide temperature readings quickly, it does not provide fever ranges. This could potentially be a disadvantage for people without medical knowledge of when a baby, child, or adult needs to see a healthcare provider.

Key Specs

Weight: 4.8 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions: 6.7 x 1.9 x 1.9 inches | Power Source: Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

If you’re looking for a thermometer that allows for non-contact use, we like the GoodBaby No Touch Thermometer for Kids and Adults. Not only is a non-contact device hygienic, but it’s also easy to use without disturbing the person. We also like that it features a simple, one-button operation and includes a color-coded backlight for easy reading of results.

More importantly, it takes a temperature reading within about one second—a plus when you want to be in and out of your child’s room without waking them. The backlit screen displays different colors based on temperature, making it easy to determine if your child’s fever has spiked. We also appreciate that the device iseasy to holdand has enough weight to make it feel sturdy in your hand without being heavy. It can even take the room’s temperature and toggles easily between Fahrenheit and Celsius.

Keep In Mind

This is a great non-contact thermometer, but if you’re planning to use it with sleeping kids and you don’t want to disturb them, you will need to remember to use the mute button. The thermometer beeps a pattern when it is done with the temperature reading, which can be disruptive. To mute the thermometer, you will need to hold the mute button for five seconds. If you’re in a hurry, though, it’s easy to forget this step.

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.

Key Specs

Weight: 2.4 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: No | Dimensions: 4.60 x 1.40 x 0.60 inches | Power Source: Battery

Why We Recommend It

Whether you have multiple kids or different preferences for temperature readings, it can be helpful to have a multi-use thermometer that gives you options for temperature taking and the Vicks RapidRead Thermometer fits the bill. Not only can it be used to take oral, underarm, or even rectal measurements, but it also can be adapted to the person’s needs.

We also liked the fact that the screen lights up with the temperature. It even provides temperature ranges—or green for no fever, yellow for a slightly elevated temperature, and red for fever—which can be useful reminders when feeling exhausted or overwhelmed. This thermometer also has memory recall and will remind you of the last reading as well as a water-resistant flexible tip.

Keep In Mind

Our editor found the process for turning on the thermometer and selecting the measurement site a bit time-consuming. So, this could be a pitfall for busy parents who need a thermometer that does not require a lot of extra steps. But we felt this issue was minor when compared to the fact that this thermometer provides so much versatility.

Key Specs

Weight: 7.2 ounces | Bluetooth/App Connectivity: Yes | Dimensions: 2.00 x 3.00 x 6.00 inches | Power Source: Batteries (included)

Why We Recommend It

If you’re someone who is looking for a smart thermometer, look no further than the Kinsa Smart Ear Thermometer. This unique device offers connectivity with a smartphone app. We especially appreciated the quick and synchronized temperature readings between the thermometer and the connected app.

This thermometer is used in the ear with a simple button press after inserting the included batteries and offers enhanced functionality when paired with the app—although this was not essential. We also like that it offers personalized guidance based on age, fever and symptoms and can track your family's health, including everything from temperatures, symptoms, medications, and diagnoses to medication dosages and reminders. Plus, it has a large backlit display and emoticons that indicate normal temperature, mild fever, or high fever.

Keep In Mind

Although this thermometer allows you to track your family’s health, it is a little on the heavier side which could be cumbersome for traveling or for people with hand and wrist pain. It also is a high-powered device that can drain batteries quickly if used quite a bit.

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.