The Best Steam Irons of 2025

Like a pair of skates on ice, the PurSteam SteamBurst+ smoothly slides across fabrics and excels at removing wrinkles quickly with little to no effort, which is, well, the point here. It’s also sums up why she’s won our award for best steam iron. More specifically, we love how easy the controls are to read and easily found the right temperature settings for our fabrics. The iron’s large, 13.5-fluid-ounce water tank is one of the biggest of any iron we tested and easy to fill, allowing it to give off loads of steam, as its name suggests. The tank also does not leak, which is a nice, if surprising perk, as leakage is a common issue with other steam irons we tested. The PurSteam SteamBurst+ offers several levels of steam options. The water buttons are on its handle for easy adjustment while ironing, and the anti-drip feature keeps water from leaking out of the ceramic soleplate. We previously tested PurSteam Professional Grade 1700W Steam Iron, an earlier version of the PurSteam SteamBurst+.

The Oliso smart steam iron has the most advanced design of any steam iron in our guide. Using touch sensors on the handle, the steam iron automatically lowers and raises itself off the ironing board based when you touch and lift your hand from the handle. This is a useful feature because it means you don’t have to set the iron on its heel when you’re not using it, and it keeps it from toppling over—a concern for many steam irons. Instead, you just take your hand off the iron and it raises up on legs that protract and retract from within the iron plate—no more burns on your ironing board or clothes. The Oliso iron does a great job at ironing. During testing, it removed all wrinkles from both linen and cotton. It has easy to read settings that clearly describe the heat level and fabrics its best used for. Generally, it tracks smoothly across fabrics. However, we did notice some occasional creasing. As the steam function warms up, there is some water spray released before the steam is ready, so we recommend testing the steam button away from clothes the first time you press it. This is a fantastic choice if you’re looking for one of the best steam irons with smart technology. Not only do you get an iron that performs well, but the smart touch feature makes it especially handy.

Steamery’s Cirrus 3 is a clothes steamer first, but unlike most steamers, it features a ceramic plated head. This lets you use it like a steam iron, too. Out of all the irons we tested, the Cirrus 3 tracked the smoothest across fabrics with no creasing. Despite the Cirrus having a smaller ironing surface than others we tested, it got the job done just as quickly. It only has one temperature setting that heats up to 210°F and isn’t adjustable for different fabrics. The steam button is well placed on the machine and easy to reach. Since it is a steamer first, it releases a lot more steam than other irons we tested, which helped loosen up fabrics for wrinkle releasing. It has a very small water compartment that is removable and easy to fill. The iron is shaped similar to a hammerhead shark, far different from the standard steam iron. Because of its design, we found that it strained our arm after ironing just two items. Also, beware that it is quite tippy. While it features a flat base, the steamer iron is top heavy and falls over easily. Despite its few downfalls, this steam iron is a versatile tool, pulling double duty as a clothing steamer and steam iron that deftly blasts wrinkles away.

Despite being a well-made iron that didn’t wobble on the ironing board, the DW5280 only got out 50% of the wrinkles in our tests. Its heavy-duty design tracks smoothly across fabric and its setting buttons are easy to reach while in use. However, its steam isn’t nearly as powerful as our top pick’s. The plumes of steam this iron released were on the smaller side, and we had to press the steam button more often than we did with the other irons to get sufficient steam for ironing out wrinkles. This iron was also difficult to angle under the sink faucet, and the tint of the water tank made it tough to see when it was full.

Reliable Maven’s steam iron is one of the bulkiest we tested. Instead of a built-in water tank, this iron is tethered to a base that doubles as a 54-ounce tank. Even with its large design, the station fits on our ironing board, and it feels sturdy sitting there during use. While other irons rest on their back heel, the dedicated base means there’s less risk of burning your ironing board or clothes when the iron isn’t in use. There’s no water spray feature, though we didn’t miss that feature during testing. The amount of steam power alone thoroughly removed the wrinkles in the cotton shirt and linen tablecloth. If you’re doing a lot of ironing, this iron will help you run through your whole closet quickly and efficiently. You can position it on an ironing board, but it will take up a lot of space, so we recommend placing it on a table nearby.

The Chi Steam Iron has one of the longest cords, making it a great choice if you live in a home with fewer electrical outlets. It’s also one of the easiest to fill and the controls are clear and easy to use. Unfortunately, the iron fell over quickly during topple tests, causing the water tank lid to pop open and resulting in a pesky, wet mess to clean up. Using the steam function also caused water droplets to leak from the plate, soaking the fabric. The ceramic-coated soleplate didn’t travel as smoothly as stainless-steel-plated irons did. It stumbled on the fabric, creating creases that needed another pass to smooth out.

The Black and Decker D3030 steam iron stood out for its innovative water tank design. It has the best opening, creating a little pocket so water easily pours into the tank without any spillage. Unfortunately, its controls lack clear markers and are difficult to read. The plates are made from stainless steel, which should last you plenty of years. The smooth steel plate superbly pressed out the creases in a wrinkled dress shirt. However, the iron caught on the fabric several times, and required a bit of skill to avoid creating more wrinkles. The D3030 is also steadier than other irons when resting on its heel, so it can withstand a few accidental bumps of the ironing board without tipping over right away.

The Nori Steam Iron‘s sleek design resembles a hair straightener than a steam iron. This unique iron has two aluminum panels that clamp around fabric to smooth out wrinkles in pant legs or shirt collars. It sits lower down on our list because the water tank is small (1 ounce). You’ll need to refill the tank more frequently than others in our guide, which can be difficult as the tank is narrow. (A funnel can help.) It isn’t ideal to use as an everyday iron, but it is a nice supplement to your ironing routine as it can tackle smaller sections and areas that a larger or less capable steam iron can’t. The Nori is a great compact option for a travel iron that easily stores in your luggage or carry-on bag. It’s also a handy alternative to a full-size iron for storing in small spaces like under bathroom counters or in dorm rooms or tiny homes.