How to select the right electric toothbrush subscription for you (2024)

The toothbrush: Quip skips the clunky design of a typical electric toothbrush and sticks with the shape and size we are all familiar with when it comes to toothbrushes. The Quip brush looks like it'd be manual, but it actually vibrates.

Unlike a lot of electric toothbrushes, Quip features a large brush head that feels like it's actually getting all of your teeth and it has a tongue scrubber on the reverse side. It's the perfect toothbrush for people who like the control of a manual brush but want the power of an electric one.

Once you hit the power button on the handle, the toothbrush starts vibrating for two minutes. It skips a beat every 30 seconds prompting you to switch quadrants of your mouth. The toothbrush comes with a suction mirror mount that doubles as a travel cover.

The subscription service: To get started, you'll need to select whether you want a plastic or metal brush handle and which color you'd like. The plastic brushes are $25 while the metal ones cost $40. You can add toothpaste and refillable floss to your starter kit for $5 and $10.

The refill plan occurs every three months and includes a combination of a brush head and AAA battery, mint toothpaste, and floss refill. Each item costs $5 and you're able to build your own plan. If you don't want to commit to a recurring plan, you also have the option to purchase one-time refills as you like. If you pre-pay for an entire year of refills, you can save 20%.

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The toothbrush: The Shyn toothbrush has a bulkier base with a skinny removable brush head. The brand offers three different brush heads with concentrations on whitening, anti-plaque, and gum care; though I will note that the actual area with bristles is pretty tiny, which I don't particularly love. (But you might!)

What I do love about this toothbrush is that it has four brushing modes: clean, white, sensitive, and massage, each one with a different vibration pattern. There are also five intensity levels — this thing can get real tingly, y'all. I felt like my whole mouth was getting tickled when I used Shyn for the first time. I started out on sensitive at level one until I got used to the brush, and then played around with other settings to find the one that worked for me. There's also a pressure sensor that will notify you if you're brushing too hard, which is cool.

Once you hit the power button, the toothbrush runs for two minutes, buzzing you every 30 seconds to focus on a different quadrant in your mouth. The toothbrush comes in either white or black and includes a charging base, brush head cover, and travel case.

The subscription service: Getting started, you can either buy the toothbrush by itself as a one-time purchase or you can immediately opt in for the quarterly subscription. If you do the one-time purchase it's $50 for the brush, but choosing the subscription off the bat drops the upfront cost down to $45 and then you pay $5 every three months for a replacement brush head. Buying a brush head outside of the subscription will cost you $6.

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The toothbrush: Unfortunately, the toothbrush subscription service industry doesn't offer many oscillating brush options. That's a bummer if those are the kinds of electric toothbrushes you're used to and looking for. Goby is one brand that does have an oscillating brush.

The brush head itself is relatively small, but most round, oscillating brushes are. The brush features two speeds for normal and sensitive cleaning. It also has a built-in two-minute timer that prompts you every 30 seconds to switch quadrants.

The battery on this thing is decent and requires charging twice a month. Something neat about the Goby brush is that the power button lights up when it's time to switch out your brush head, so even if you don't sign up for the subscription service you don't have to keep track of how long it's been since you replaced your brush head.

The subscription service: If this is the toothbrush you decide to get, you should definitely opt in for the subscription service right away. Buying the brush kit as a one-time purchase costs $65, while buying it with the subscription is only $50. (There are also ~fancier~ editions of the toothbrush that cost more.)

You can choose at which frequency you'd like to receive replacement brush head, with one, two, and three months as options. Regardless of the plan you choose each replacement costs $6. The recommended life of a toothbrush head is three months, just FYI.

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The toothbrush: The Buck Brush Co. toothbrush combines a larger handle featuring multiple settings with a good-sized brush head. You get the power you want without having to compromise size.

The brush has three vibration speeds, which means it's good for gentle, sensitive cleans as well as deep scrubs to remove tough plaque. The rechargeable battery lasts up to six weeks, so you can leave the charger at home if you travel.

The subscription service: This is the cheapest subscription service available with brush heads costing just $1 a month. Reminder that brush heads typically need replaced every three months, so this service is a bit more frequent than that. Buck Brush Co. sends four brush heads every four months. (So you actually pay $4 at a time, but it works out to be a dollar per brush replacement.)

The brush itself is $35 and the subscription is automatic — you don't have the choice to opt out, though you can cancel any time.

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The toothbrush: Philips Sonicare is one of the big dogs in the electric toothbrush game. Its curved tip easily reaches your back teeth to prevent cavities while the tightly packed bristles glide smoothly along your gum line without causing bleeding.

This toothbrush has an easy-start feature that slowly increases power over the first 14 uses, letting your mouth get used to the vibration. The toothbrush runs for the recommended two minutes, though unlike others on this list, it does not pulse every 30 seconds encouraging you to switch quadrants.

The battery on the Sonicare lasts about two weeks and the battery change indicator light lets you know when it's in need of a recharge. This toothbrush is pretty basic, with just one cleaning mode. There are some more advanced models in the Sonicare 2 series if you want additional features.

The subscription service: The brush will cost you a $44.99 one-time payment, then every three months you'll get a new brush head and be charged $7.99. That's on the more expensive side of brush head prices.

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The toothbrush: Equipped with a hefty handle, Brüush features six cleaning modes: daily, white, gentle, gum, max, and tongue. The brush heads are pretty small, but have a unique bristle design. You get three brush heads when you buy the toothbrush, which is nice in case something happens and you need to swap out on a dime.

The brush has a two-minute timer and pauses every 30 seconds signifying that it's time to switch quadrants. It comes with a magnetic charging stand and it can hold a charge for an entire month. A travel case is also included with the starter kit. The toothbrush is available in black, white, and pink.

The subscription service: Starting off subscribing to the refill service is the move with this toothbrush. It's a $69 upfront cost versus $89 for a one-time purchase.

Brüush sends you three replacement heads every six months, so you can stay stocked and switch them out as you like within that timeframe. You pay $18 each time, which works out to be $6 per brush head. Because you start off with three brush heads when you purchase the toothbrush, you don't have to get refills for six months.

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The toothbrush: The Boka Brush has bristles infused with activated charcoal, which are supposed to be better for whitening your teeth and absorbing bacteria, though they're actually not really that different from standard bristles. The brush itself is good regardless of the charcoal's influence.

It has a clean, minimal look and is soft on your teeth and gums while still using powerful vibrations to give you a deep clean. It runs on a two-minute timer with alerts at 30-second intervals. The toothbrush comes with a discreet magnetic charging dock that will keep the brush running for 25 days in a row before needing charged again.

The subscription service: When you buy the brush, which is $65, there isn't an option to automatically subscribe to the brush head refill delivery. You'll have to do that separately when you're ready for new ones. Once you do subscribe you'll get two replacement brush heads every three months for $8. Purchasing them without the subscription costs $10.

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The toothbrush: Endorsed by Chrissy Teigen, Burstis a sonic toothbrush with a cute design. The power button is adorned with a little smiley face, the tongue scraper on the brush head takes on the shape of that same smiley face, and the handle has diamond-shaped grooves that add some personality to your toothbrush. Burst's battery lasts a month, so you can go about your day-to-day without worrying about charging your toothbrush.

These bristles are infused with charcoal like the Boka Brush. Again, that's supposed to help whiten your teeth, but take that with a grain of salt.

The toothbrush has three brushing modes: whitening, sensitive, and massage. After brushing for two minutes, Burst automatically shuts off. During the two-minute brush time, you'll be nudged every 30 seconds to move on to brushing a different part of your mouth. The brush is available in black, white, and rose gold — though the latter is more expensive.

The subscription service: The toothbrush itself is $69.99 (the rose gold version is $99.99). Brush head replacements cost $7 as individual purchases or $6 as part of the subscription service. One is delivered every three months if you sign up.

In addition to saving a dollar on brush heads, there's another perk to being a subscriber. If the brush stops working at some point while you're a subscriber, Burst will send you a replacement for free.

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