The Best Highlighter
We looked at the top 14 Highlighters and dug through the reviews from 8 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best Highlighters.
Our Review Process
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Our Picks For The Top Highlighters
- 1. G.T. Luscombe Fluorescent Fine Highlighters, 3-Count
- 2. ZEYAR Non-Toxic Instant Dry Highlighters, 6-Count
- 3. Sharpie 27145 High Contrast Easy Glide Highlighters, 12-Count
- 4. STABILO Pocket-Sized Slanted Tip Highlighters, 6-Count
- 5. TWOHANDS Quick-Dry Two-Line Highlighters, 6-Count
- 6. Avery 98034 Fluorescent Underlining Highlighters, 12-Count
- 7. BIC Non-Toxic Ultra-Bright Highlighters, 12-Count
- 8. ZEBRA Mildliner Flourescent Double Ended Highlighters, 5-Count
- 9. AmazonBasics Molded Built-In Clip Highlighters, 12-Count
- 10. Stabilo BOSS Anti-Dry-Out Water-Based Highlighters, 6-Count
- 11. Mr. Pen Acid-Free Gel Highlighters, 20-Count
- 12. BIC Classic Pen-Shaped Highlighters, 24-Count
- 13. PILOT FriXion Bullet Journal Erasable Highlighters, 12-Count
- 14. JAVAPEN Smear Guard Traditional Highlighters, 12-Count
If you're looking for a versatile highlighter set, this pack of three is an excellent option. Use the fine point on the bottom to underline or add notes. Flip the marker over and use the thick tip to highlight important text. The ink is designed not to fade or smear and comes in green, yellow and pink.
Thick and Thin PointsThis non-toxic highlighter set won't bleed, so you can use the markers on both thick and thin paper.
Make important text stand out with this highlighter set. It includes a total of six markers - all of which feature a chisel tip. The highlighters have a short, but wide body, which makes them comfortable to hold and easy to use. You can even get the set in pastel, candy and macaron color schemes.
Most VersatileYou can use these highlighters on a variety of surfaces, including glass, wood, paper and ceramic.
You don’t have to worry about your pen ink smearing when you use these highlighters over top. They come in a slim shape which is easy to hold and use. This set includes several colors including yellow, pink and orange.
Uses Smear Guard InkThese highlighters will not smear pen or marker ink.
Organize your notes and planners with this set of highlighters. Each is made using water-based ink and designed to withstand up to four hours without the cap. The markers feature a slanted tip to allow for creating both fine and wide lines.
Several Color OptionsYou'll find these highlighter sets come in a choice of pastels, fluorescents and multicolors.
Buying Guide
Whether you’re studying for an exam and need to remember important information or just casually reading and like highlighting your favorite passages, a good highlighter pen is handy to have. Highlighters come in several different colors and intensities and have different styles of tips. Are all highlighters the same or should you be looking for something specific?
One aspect you should pay attention to is bleeding. This is when the highlighter ink goes through the page onto the other side. This can make it difficult to figure out which side you actually highlighted and which text you want to stand out. Some highlighters bleed through the paper even if it’s thick. Another element to note is whether the highlighters smear. This is when you highlight something and accidentally touch the ink. The ink can then spread across the page wherever you hand goes. A fast-drying highlighter will not smudge or smear on your work.
The style of tip on the highlighter pen also affects its quality and usability. There are a few different types of tips you’ll encounter: A chisel tip is one of the most common. This kind of tip is flat so it’s ideal for highlighting straight lines of text. Similar to the chisel tip is the window tip, which has a clear section, or window, inside the tip. This way, you can see what you’re highlighting. A bullet tip is rounded, which makes it perfect for circling information. Some highlighters come with two colors. A dual tip has a color on each side so you can pick the color you want to use without them mixing or bleeding into each other.
Why we recommend these highlighters?
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Our experts reviewed the top 14 Highlighters and also dug through the reviews from 8 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best of the best Highlighters.
DWYM is your trusted roduct review source. Our team reviews thousands of product reviews from the trusted top experts and combines them into one easy-to-understand score. Learn more.
The Best Bang For Your Buck
Sharpie 27145 High Contrast Easy Glide Highlighters, 12-Count
Key Takeawy
You don’t have to worry about your pen ink smearing when you use these highlighters over top. They come in a slim shape which is easy to hold and use. This set includes several colors including yellow, pink and orange.
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What to Look For
- Consider what kind of colors you need in your highlighter pens. Yellow is the most common color, and it’s also the easiest to read text through. Some darker colors make it difficult to read what you’ve highlighted. For example, blue and purple are fairly dark so you may not be able to see the text underneath so clearly. Some people find the yellow highlighter color too bright and difficult to look at. You can find highlighters in softer shades of yellow, pink and green as well.
- When you’re highlighting something, try to only go over it once with the highlighter. Otherwise, you may over-saturate the paper and the highlighter ink may bleed through the page. If you do multiple layers of highlighter, the ink may take longer to dry and smudge. Plus, it may be too dark for you to easily read what’s underneath.
- Highlighters come in different sized packaging. Consider how many you’re going to need, and in what color. You can buy highlighters in single-color packaging or a set with multiple colors in it. Packages typically include between five and twelve highlighters.
- Consider what kind of tip is best for you based on what you plan on doing with the highlighters. If you’re mostly looking to highlight straight lines of text, then a chisel or window tip is your best option. if you prefer using two colors at a time and don’t want to constantly change pens, then opt for a dual tip highlighter. For circling or making diagrams, a bullet tip is best.
More to Explore
The humble highlighter is a type of felt-tip pen that is filled with water-based ink. The predecessor to the highlighter was invented at the Tokyo Stationery Company in 1962 by Japanese inventor Yukio Horie. He made a pen that was similar to today’s highlighter in that it had a felt tip; however, it was not filled with fluorescent ink. This pen inspired the Carter’s Ink Company to begin developing their own pen with a similar tip. This pen was filled with a translucent ink and was called the Hi-Liter. This type of ink enabled you to see the text underneath, but it was not very bright. In 1978, the Avery Dennison Corporation bought the Carter’s Ink Company. They begin manufacturing Hi-Liters filled with fluorescent colors, very similar to the highlighter pens we have today. Highlighters didn’t become popular till they invented a dual pen-highlighter combo.