Best Showerheads of 2023

Our top-performers have the following in common.

• They exude a terrific spray. The best showerheads received strong marks for how the spray felt to our evaluators. We looked for aspects that most people would find appealing: robust pressure, satisfying water-droplet size, and good coverage. Our favorites often featured at least four settings, from a rainfall-style deluge to a more-targeted stream, enabling users to adjust the feel to their needs.
• The water emerges from the nozzle hot and stays hot. A common problem with modern-day low-flow showerheads is that they produce a lukewarm spray. Our picks generate large droplets, which, in turn, lose less heat as they fall, so you don’t need to crank up the hot water to have a satisfying shower. The top scorers kept water a full 10° F warmer than the worst scorers. That translates to a savings in both energy and money.
• They save more water than most. The recommended showerheads often use significantly less water than the 2.5-gallon-per-minute maximum set by federal law, without sacrificing spray quality. In fact, a few top scorers use as little as 1.8 gpm. That’s a savings of seven gallons of water for every 10-minute shower you take.
• They’re a breeze to maneuver. Intuitive, easy-to-use dials, knobs, or buttons make it a cinch to switch spray settings, or even stop water flow while you’re soaping up, to save more water.

Our tests included a mix of lab measurements and feedback from four panelists. We installed every showerhead in the fitness center in our Yonkers, N.Y., headquarters and asked our panelists to shower with each one according to their preferred settings. They then scored each model based on the overall feel of the shower, using a five-point scale. 

We also measured the volume of water usage and tabulated water consumption on a per-minute basis. On our model pages we post both the claimed and actual amount of water used by each showerhead—as you’ll see, the two figures can vary considerably. Next, we installed each showerhead in our labs at a set height, then measured the drop in temperature as water fell from the showerhead to a container near the height of a typical user’s back. Finally, our engineer assessed how easy it was to switch spray settings or to pause water flow—the latter is handy if you’re aiming to save even more water while lathering up. 

Multisetting showerheads typically offer three to eight patterns, ranging from a concentrated stream to a rainfall-like spray. Most are controlled by a rotating dial on the showerhead itself; others have a remote control.

You have just one shower mode with these models—typically a wide crowd-pleasing spray emitted with decent pressure. That said, only one showerhead in this group earned a high-enough rating overall for us to recommend.