The Top 3 Laundry Detergent Pod Brands, According To Consumer Reports

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When looking for the best results in getting your laundry nice and clean, at one time, you might have only focused on using the most popular and best-ranked laundry detergent brands. Now, though, you also have to make sure your favorite brand offers detergent in the format you want to use, whether that's liquid, powder, sheets, or pods.

If you're a fan of the laundry pod format, it has multiple benefits, including being convenient to use and eliminating the need to measure. Pods are certainly popular, as a Market Research Future study estimated the worldwide laundry pod market size was $12.86 billion in 2024. The largest laundry companies offer pods in their most popular brands, which include Tide, Gain, Persil, Arm & Hammer, Dreft, Kirkland, All, and Great Value.

If you're unsure which brand you should purchase, the product quality experts at Consumer Reports are ready to help. The independent, non-profit organization tested 20 different laundry pod products from several different brands. The three brands that received the highest scores from CR were Tide, Dreft, and Gain. Before digging into the strengths and weaknesses the CR reviewers assigned to each of those brands, it's important to note that some people believe you should stop using laundry pods immediately if you have young children or adults suffering from dementia in the house, as they may try to put the pods in their mouths, potentially causing symptoms of poisoning. Some people also believe the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) used to encase the detergent should be avoided because it's toxic for the environment.

Tide-branded pods are available in many different configurations, offering ways to keep your clothes smelling fresh with added fabric softener or providing extra cleaning power with specialized detergent. Consumer Reports tested six different Tide pod configurations when creating its list, and all six products were ranked in the top eight among the 20 laundry pods included in the testing procedure, showing Tide's overall dominance.

Among all the configurations, Consumer Reports lists the Tide Plus hygienic clean heavy-duty 10X power pods ($14.57 for 25 pods) as the best cleaning product. CR's reviewers liked the ability of this formula to clean challenging stains and to perform well for households that may have hard water problems. This product received perfect scores in the cleaning categories of body oil, dirt, and salad dressing. The second-ranked product on the CR list also features the Tide brand with the Tide Plus ultra oxi with odor eliminators power pods ($15.94 for 32 pods). When you have odor problems with your laundry, CR says this product is perfect for giving you clean-smelling clothing, yet it still performs very well in stain removal. Consumer Reports gives this product perfect scores for removing dirt and salad dressing stains.

For some consumers, Tide is almost synonymous with laundry detergent pods. Tide's parent company, Procter & Gamble, is considered the company that introduced this format to the market. The manufacturer unveiled the pod format in 2012 in a Tide TV advertisement during the Academy Awards.

Although Tide dominated the Consumer Reports list of the best laundry detergent pod brands, Dreft and Gain joined Tide among the top eight positions. The Dreft lightly scented pods product ($19.94 for 45 pods) received above-average scores for cleaning difficult stains like dirt, salad dressing, and grass, and it received perfect scores for removing chocolate and blood stains. It was the only pod product on the CR list to receive an above-average score for cleaning coffee stains. It also received an above-average score for working well in hard water. The Dreft brand positions itself as a laundry product made specifically for cleaning baby clothes, saying its formula won't irritate young and sensitive skin. Like Tide, Dreft is a Procter & Gamble brand.

Gain is also a Procter & Gamble brand, giving P&G a sweep of the top eight spots on the CR list of the best laundry detergent pods. The Gain Flings 3-in-1 laundry detergent pods have a far lower cost than the other top brands and products on the list at $15.97 for 60 pods. However, Consumer Reports' testing showed that this brand isn't quite as efficient at cleaning tough stains as the pods in the Tide and Dreft brands. Gain received a perfect score for cleaning body oil, but it only received average scores for the cleaning categories of coffee and blood. It also received only an average score for successfully cleaning clothing for households that have hard water issues.