The best highlighter pens in 2023

Three of the best highlighter pens
(Image credit: Sharpie / Staedtlerv / Uni)

The best highlighter pens are often underrated but indispensable items of stationery. No other tool that can mark important information and point you in the right direction in the way a highlighter can, and they can also be used for creative purposes too, so if you need highlighters, you should make sure they're good ones. 

While choosing one of the best highlighter pens might seem like a simple task, there's more to it than might meet the eye. And there are some key considerations to take into account when making a purchase. For example, do you need a gel or pencil highlighter, what tip would be best, how quickly does it dry, will it bleed through a page or smudge the text, how bright is the ink, and what colour best suits? 

I'm not ashamed to admit to being mildly obsessed with stationery, and I've made it my mission to hunt down the best highlighters available right now. There are a lot to choose from, but I've narrowed the options down to a tried and tested selection of the best highlighters for different purposes. If you're looking for a non highlighter pen, see our roundup of the best pens for creatives.

The best highlighter pens available now

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How do I choose the best highlighter pen?

While it might seem like they all do the same, there are many features to a highlighter pen, and depending on where you want to make your mark, there are few things you need to consider when choosing one. Cost is an obvious consideration, but aside from that you'll need to think about what colour you need, whether the the pen will smudge or bleed through to the page underneath, how fast the ink dries and the kind of tip required. You'll find options that address all of these above. 

Which colour is best for a highlighter?

The answer to this really depends on the user and their preferences, but when it comes to making a mark that really stands out, the classic fluorescent yellow is a popular choice, as is light blue and orange. That said, to ease reading, pastel colours have grown in popularity in recent years, with the softer hue being more gentle on the eyes. 

How did we choose the best highlighters for our guide

Creative Bloq has over a decade of experience in reviewing art supplies and providing news and tutorials for creatives. Our reviewers have tried and tested a wide range of equipment to enable us to make our selections for our buying guides. We also take into consideration customer reviews and price in order to provide recommendations for different needs and budgets.

Kerrie Hughes

Kerrie Hughes is Editor at Creative Bloq. One of the original CB crew, Kerrie joined the team back in 2013 after moving from her role as staff writer on 3D World. Since then she's written regularly for other creative publications. Kerrie's work for Creative Bloq involves managing the team and the site's content, developing and maintaining commercial partnerships, and finding innovative ways to bring Creative Bloq's audience the content they're looking for.