In our humble opinion, highlighters are the unsung heroes of organization and productivity. Translucent enough to let text peek through but still vibrant enough to grab your attention, their simple functionality makes them perfect for picking out bits of important text. Use them to help organize your bullet journal, toss a set into your kids' backpacks so they can color coordinate their school notes, or have one near the kitchen calendar to emphasize those events you just can't miss. And while most of us have an old yellow pen or two floating around our homes, there are new highlighter designs out there that can help boost your organization skills to the next level. We've done the research to bring you our favorite highlighters on the market today. Zebra Pen Mildliner Double Ended Highlighter Set Multi-Sided StyleFor fine details or broad strokes, you can't go wrong with this great set of soft-colored, double-headed highlighters.Best OverallFind on Amazon Whether you’re looking to underline a key phrase in your textbook, make a title page stand out, or decorate your journals with a few colorful designs, there’s a lot you can do with the right highlighter. And in all those cases, the Zebra Pen Mildliner Double Ended Highlighter fits the bill. Use the fine tip for detailed drawings and tight spaces, and switch to the chisel tip when you need quick, broad marks. In addition to their physical versatility, these highlighters come in a mix of softer pastel colors and brighter neon ones so you can have ultimate control over your notes. Pros: Choice of 8, 15, or 25 pack in different colors Double-headed with color-coded clips No bleeding onto the next page Cons: Not quick-drying Sharpie Accent Pocket-Style Highlighters (12 Pack) Neat in NeonThese classic highlighters deliver bright, quick-drying marks in the colors we know and love.Best ClassicFind on Amazon There’s a reason “classic” never goes out of style. Consistent functionality is always in, regardless of the trends that come and go. And while there are many great highlighter options on the market today, we couldn’t fail to mention the Sharpie pens that most of us grew up with. The Accent Pocket-Style Highlighters are the embodiment of classic as we have defined it — bright, quick-drying, and for a great value to boot. Choose between yellow, orange, or assorted colors, and start making a statement with your journal. Pros: Vibrant, neon colors Great cost value Non-smudging Cons: Color may fade on the page Zeyar Chisel Tip Highlighter Pens Just for HueOrganize your life in style with the vibrant variety of this 12-pack.Best Color VarietyFind on Amazon In case you thought organization had to be boring, colored highlighters are a great way to structure your notes while also adding a bit of fun to the act of studying. And while there are many colored highlighters out there, we love this set by Zeyar in particular because the colors are stunning and unusual compared to the traditional neon hues. Choose the Macaron colorway for brighter tones, the Candy collection for soft pastels, or the Morandi collection for more muted neutrals like those used by the namesake Italian painter. Or, if you can’t decide, choose the assorted 12- or 18-packs for a mix of the three. Pros: Flexible chisel tip Wide, easy-to-hold design Non-toxic, acid-free ink Cons: Slight bleed-through between pages Mr. Pen No Bleed Gel Highlighter (8 Pack) Bleed-Be-GoneThese gel-based highlighter pens go on dry to prevent bleeding on even the thinnest of pages.Least Bleed-ThroughFind on Amazon One of the most frustrating things about highlighters is bleed-through from the previous page. And if you’re an avid, color-coordinating highlighter, then it’s even worse. That’s why the folks at Mr. Pen designed this No Bleed Gel Highlighter that goes on completely dry, making sure there’s no bleeding even on very thin pages. The secret is that their pens use a soft gel material rather than wet ink. But while you can sharpen the material down to get the point you want, these pens are better for over-the-text selection rather than finer-tipped underlining. Pros: Goes on completely dry Great value Easy-to-use twist design Cons: The thicker tip makes fine underlining difficult Stubby Pencil Studio Eco Highlighter Pencils (6 Pack) Plastic-Free DesignFrom the pencils to the sharpener to the packaging, everything is biodegradable with these bright, chubby highlighters.Most Eco-FriendlyFind on Amazon Let’s be honest: when it comes to office supplies, we tend to be a bit more wasteful than with other tools in our lives. The second that pen starts going, we don’t hesitate to toss it. And this goes double for highlighters, which can dry out before their time simply due to our negligence in replacing the cap. That’s why we love greener alternatives like this set of eco-friendly highlighter pencils by Stubby Pencil Studio. Completely biodegradable down to the cellulose packaging, these pencils also get the job done better than some of their ink-y counterparts, preventing bleed-through and smudging due to their dry nature. If you can stomach a slightly higher cost, we think you’ll get more use out of them in the long term. Pros: No drying out Includes a sharpener Jumbo, easy-to-hold hexagon shape Colors exactly as pictured Cons: Higher cost, but worth it for those who want to avoid plastic waste Not for slick, coated paper Frequently Asked Questions What should I look for in a good highlighter? Highlighters are used to emphasize text on a page, and while this sounds like a simple function, it comes with great responsibility. What we mean is that a great highlighter should be bright, smear-resistant, and bleed-proof. If you need to wait a few minutes for each section to dry, or if you can’t quickly recognize your important sections later, then the whole point of using a neon pen for organization flies out the window. Of course, based on your needs, you may not care about your highlighter being smear-proof as long as it’s vibrant or vice versa, but those three criteria are the ones to look out for regardless. What kind of highlighter tip should I choose? Different highlighter tips help you do different things, so you’ll need to consider what you’ll be using them for. If you’re looking to emphasize text by directly coloring on top of it, then aim for a chisel or a window tip, the latter of which has a little opening in it so you can see the text as you’re highlighting it. If you’re looking to circle or underline things, then go for a rounded bullet tip. Lastly, if you tend to highlight in two or more colors but can’t be bothered to keep switching pens, try a dual tip for an easy change of hue.