Although the toilet is something many people do not like to discuss, it is something all of us use. It is something we secretly make judgments about when we visit other people’s homes – it’s too low, it’s too high, its plastic seat is too cold, I almost fell in. We toss in Cheerios to help encourage our sons to learn how to properly use it. We use it as a place to escape from day to day stress – “No one will bother me in here.”

When it comes to selecting a toilet for your new or soon-to-be-renovated bathroom space, it is important that you get exactly what you want. With so many options available and some people having certain needs, the toilet industry has actually become quite competitive.

My wife and I have done our best to bring you some of our personal favorites on this page. We have renovated flip houses as well as our own house, and have offered a helping hand on more than one family member’s renovation. We have been to actual stores which sell nothing but toilets. We’ve done our research. The toilets we have included here are among the best in the business and they have received excellent feedback from actual consumers.

Before we jump right into things, though, I want to go over a few basic things you should consider before looking at your options. The pointers in the next section are designed to help you narrow down your choices right off the bat.

Buying Information

As you move toward making your toilet purchase, it is important to consider the many options available to you. A toilet is just a toilet though, right? Wrong. Your toilet will affect the overall design of your room. Not to mention that comfort on the toilet is important, considering that you likely visit it multiple times per day. Here is a quick list of some of the options you may want to consider as you begin your toilet search: height, size, shape, one piece or two pieces, type of flushing mechanism.

At this point, I am certain you are stunned by how many options exist in the world of toilets. Honestly, this isn’t even everything. I haven’t even bothered to go into detail about most of these options. I just wanted to give you a few ideas of the options available to you so that you could begin narrowing down your search a little bit.

If you would like to know more about each of these available options, take some time to read through our buying guide.

Two Piece Toilets

Though they aren’t quite as easy to clean and do not have the seamless appearance of a one piece toilet, two piece toilets are much less expensive and are easier to repair. If you are interested in purchasing a two piece toilet, or would simply like to know more about them, this list is for you.

Best Elongated
TOTO CST744SG#01 Drake 2-Piece Toilet with Sanagloss

Whether you, personally, would prefer an elongated toilet or would simply like to take advantage of the fact that you have enough space to accommodate one (and are, thus, able to offer this to your guests), it is my belief that this is the best elongated two piece toilet on the market. In fact, the very popularity of this toilet tells me that I am not the only person with this impression.

As design goes, this is a rather basic elongated toilet. It isn’t skirted for contemporary fashion. It features a simple lever-style flush system. It is, quite simply, a toilet. Despite that fact, it is extremely popular among consumers. Perhaps, however, it is because of that fact that it is so popular. Consider, for a moment, that we’ve all come to accept this basic, white toilet with a fully visible piping system as the standard in the world of bathrooms. There weren’t many other options for many years, so we have grown accustomed to seeing this type of toilet in many different kinds of spaces, from Victorian to industrial and everything in between. While you can certainly find obscure toilets which fit into any style category, this particular toilet is much more likely to fit into all categories. If you ask me, this is great for the resale value of your home, since you will not be requiring potential buyers to accept your personal sense of style.

This particular toilet features a fast flush system, accredited to its extra-wide three-inch flush valve. It claims to run much quieter than many other toilets, evidenced by the positive reviews it has received from consumers who are happy to report that flushing this toilet in the middle of the night will not wake others in nearby rooms. A strong, thick layer of sanagloss keeps this ceramic toilet as clean as possible for as long as possible by allowing messes to slide right off its surface. When it does become dirty, a quick wipe down will clear the mess away with very little effort.

Best Round
American Standard 221DA104.020 Colony Toilet Combo

If an elongated toilet cannot possibly fit into your cramped bathroom space or if you and other family members are simply too small-framed to use an elongated toilet without falling in, this round option may be more your style. Personally, though many people who frequent my bathroom could make great use of an elongated toilet and probably hate the small, round toilet I chose, I simply find the round shape a little more comfortable on my behind. Your own preferences will, undoubtedly, determine your own choice. If a round two piece is what you feel is best for your needs, allow me to direct your attention to this American Standard toilet.

Available in two different sizes and three different color options, this popular, round, two piece toilet is somewhat customizable to your personal preferences. You can select either a 10 inch option (that is, ten inches from the wall to the center drain on the floor) or a 12 inch option. Personally, I love that these options exist. As someone who has renovated many homes, I have found that the location of toilet plumbing differs from one house to another. The ability to select a toilet which fits the plumbing means much less work on my end of things.

If you are curious about color options, they include white, bone, and linen. These are typical choices for many different styles of bathrooms – bone and linen being most commonly used in rustic, Victorian, and country-style bathrooms. The overall design and shape of this toilet is rather standard. Like the elongated option listed above, this round toilet is not skirted and doesn’t feature a special flush system. It is basic in both its design and its function, which makes it more universal among décor designs.

Best ADA Comfort Height
TOTO CST744SL#01 Drake ADA Toilet

Want to talk about color options? This is certainly one toilet which offers you many of those. However, before we get too far into that discussion, let’s begin by discussing the fact that is it ADA Comfort Height approved. As someone who often struggles with muscle problems I can understand the importance of a comfort height toilet. Anyone with back, hip, knee, or muscle problems will surely find this ADA-approved toilet an important part of a functional day.

Moving forward, let’s discuss color options. This toilet is available in the following colors: bone, colonial white, cotton white, ebony, Sedona beige. Whether you are hoping to match the color scheme of a country cottage bathroom, a space-age industrial bathroom, or a clean and crisp contemporary spa space, you will find a color which meets those needs.

Though this toilet does not feature a dual flush option (like the toilet listed below), it doesn’t use nearly as much water as many other toilets on today’s market. It also manages to have a very strong flush despite not using as much water to push waste down the pipes.

Unlike the toilet listed above, this one is not available with multiple distances of plumbing hook-ups. Instead, it has been built to work with drain plumbing which is 12 inches from the wall.

Best Dual Flush
TOTO CST412MF.01 Aquia Dual Flush Elongated Toilet

Why choose a dual flush toilet? For most people, the choice is an environmentally-conscious one. For many other people, however, it is strictly a financial decision. Some people, like myself, choose a dual flush toilet for both reasons – it is much more environmentally friendly than any other option and it helps to reduce my water bill.

Dual flush toilets come in a variety of styles. Some use a lever-style handle which is to be pulled up to use the low flow option and pushed down for the high flow option. This particular toilet does not feature a handle at all. Instead, it has two push buttons located on its top. Pressing the smaller button uses the low flow option, while pushing the large button uses the high flow option.

Overall, this is a rather small, round toilet. Though this means that it will fit into even the smallest of spaces, it also means that it may not be suitable for all body types. If you look at the overall design of the toilet, it is slightly different from those featured so far on this list. Although it is a two piece toilet – like all the others – it does not have the obvious, traditional toilet shape that the others all share in common. Instead, this toilet has more in common with skirted options. It has straight lines and many fewer cracks and crevices. It would nicely accent any modern, industrial, contemporary, or avant-garde décor style.

Best One Piece Toilets

For me, it has always been a toss-up between one piece and two piece toilets. Their advantages and disadvantages seem to match up almost perfectly in terms of weight, making it difficult to choose between the two. If you’ve had an easier time choosing and have decided to purchase a one piece toilet, or if you are still trying to figure things out and are looking for some examples of one piece toilets, this section is for you.

Best Elongated
TOTO MS604114CEFG#01 Ultramax II Het Double Cyclone

If you are looking for an elongated one piece toilet that sits somewhere between a traditional toilet model and a newer, streamlined style, this may be just the one for you. Though its top half is more streamlined than many other toilets on today’s market, its bottom half exposes its inner pipework like most traditional toilets.

Let’s skip over the conversation about elongated toilets in general; we’ve already covered that conversation twice on this page. Instead, let’s focus our attention on some of this toilet’s other features. Its special double cyclone flushing system ensures that everything gets down the drain on the first flush. The sanagloss finish on this toilet’s ceramic means that cleaning will be a breeze as messes slide right off the surface. In fact, the bowl will actually clean itself much of the time, since the force of the water is all that is usually required to remove messes from this slick surface.

Unlike most other toilets (notably, those on this list), this toilet actually comes with a toilet seat. It’s not just any toilet seat, though. This one is perfectly fit to this toilet and to match its overall contemporary appearance. It also features a slow close system which ensures a quiet close every time. As someone whose children love to slam the lid down in the middle of the night, I like to think of this type of toilet seat as a small victory in the battle for sleep.

Did you know that you are pretty much guaranteed to find a version of this toilet which will match your interior décor? With six different colors to choose from, it is hard to imagine a person not being able to find a shade of white or off-white which would not, somehow, accent their bathroom décor. In case you are curious, your color options include (from brightest to darkest) white, cotton white, cotton, colonial white, Sedona beige, and bone.

Best Round
TOTO MS853113E#01 Eco Ultramax Round Front Toilet

If I’m honest, I should tell you that this toilet is very similar to the elongated toilet listed above. In fact, the only easy-to-recognize differences between the two are that this one is round and isn’t available in quite as many colors. Therefore, if you aren’t super picky about the color of your toilet and like the toilet listed above but do not have the space to accommodate it, this one might be worth your attention.

Get rid of waste faster and in one flush. The fast flush system built into this toilet includes an extra-wide drain mouth which helps pull more waste out of the toilet at one time. Clean quickly and easily thanks to the sanagloss finish on both the inside and outside of this toilet. Available colors include cotton white, colonial white, Sedona beige, and bone.

Rest assured that you should be able to sleep soundly through the night, no matter who takes a trip to the bathroom down the hallway. The soft-close fitted toilet seat which comes with this toilet will never slam shut. Worried about water consumption? You can also rest assured that this toilet uses 20 percent less water than the typical, traditional toilet.

Best ADA Comfort Height
Kohler 3810-0 Santa Rosa Comfort Height Toilet

If you have any sort of knee problems, back problems, hip problems, or muscle issues, it is important that you find yourself a toilet which is easy for you to get on and off. For this, there is nothing better than an ADA approved comfort height toilet, such as this one piece Kohler option. We review a similar two piece comfort height toilet by Toto further up this page, but wanted to be sure we also brought you a one piece option as well.

As I’ve said before, I’m kind of up in the air as to my preference when it comes to one piece and two piece toilets. Therefore, I will reserve my opinion for personal conversations and simply give you some information about this particular toilet if a one piece is what you are after.

Slightly wider than some of the other toilets on this list, this toilet’s tank may not fit into every bathroom. Be sure to check your clearance before going ahead and purchasing this toilet. That being said, the tank is also lower than that of many of the other toilets on this list, allowing it to maintain a lower profile than much of its competition.

If style is important to you, I must say that the low profile and sweeping lines of this semi-skirted toilet are perfect for most contemporary and modern spaces. Seven different color options covering a range of whites and off-whites, as well as a black option, mean that you should be able to match this toilet to any interior décor color palette.

Best Dual Flush
Duravit 2157010005 Durastyle Toilet

This one piece, dual flush toilet is definitely set apart from all the others on this list in terms of style. Not only is its base fully skirted, its entire shape is extremely squared and streamlined. This design seems perfect for any modular or Scandinavian design. It can also compliment a fair number of contemporary and industrial designs. If you are looking for something different, this may just be what you’ve been waiting for.

Let’s navigate away from visual design for a moment and take a closer look at this toilet’s functional abilities. A simple push button system on the top of this Duravit allows you to choose between a high pressure, high flow option for solid waste and a low pressure, low flow option for liquid waste. It may not seem like it would make much of a difference to the environment, but if you add up the number of flushes you make in a day you will quickly figure that, over the course of a year, you can make a big impact.

Don’t Flush Your Money Away

I am a very big fan of puns, in case you didn’t guess by the title of this section. In all honesty, though, and with all kidding aside, I want to tell you to be careful not to flush your money away. Purchasing a toilet is an important task. It is one of the most-used fixtures in a home and it will be used by almost everyone who ever walks through your front (or back, or side) door. Take your time to be sure that what you are selecting is what you really want. Hopefully, narrowing down your choices by offering these popular options has helped you get closer to making that final decision.