Our choice: Oral-B Pro 3 3500
The Pro 3 features a more user-friendly pressure sensor and is the cheaper option. It cleans the teeth just as well as the iO2.
Brush heads for the iO2 are about twice the price of those for the Pro 3. This makes a big difference over several years of ownership.
In recent times the Pro 300 availability hasn't been as good and it feels as though it may soon be discontinued. This has meant that on occasion the price has been higher than we would expect.
But if you can pick a variant of the Pro 3 up for less than £40, it is still a bargain. We tend to find that the Pro 3 3500, which is the same as the 3000 but comes with a travel case, actually tends to be cheapest.
When to choose the iO2
The main reasons to choose the iO2 over the Pro 3 would be if you prefer the design of the iO range, or if you would benefit from a brush with a long battery life.
The iO2 has the best battery life of any Oral-B brush I've used. In testing it lasted 37 days, whereas the Pro 3 lasted 20 days, which still isn't bad overall. Unless you don't have the means to charge your brush frequently, it's not worth paying too much attention to.
Key Differences: Pro 3 vs iO2
The following table lists the key differences between each brush.
A more detailed list and explanation of the differences can be found beneath the comparison table.
| Find out more |
| Electric Teeth Rating |
| Cleaning Action |
| Number of cleaning modes |
| Brushing intensities |
| Timer |
| Pacer |
| Pressure Sensor |
| Hands-on battery life |
| Battery type |
| Number of heads included |
| Travel case included |
| Bluetooth connectivity |
| Position tracking |
| Noise |
| Warranty |
| Approximate 3 year cost |
| Buying options |
|
Our Choice
|
|
|---|---|
| Review | Review |
(4.7)
|
(4.4)
|
| Oscillating-rotating & pulsating (3D) | Linear Pulse Drive |
| 3 | 3 |
| - | - |
|
|
| 30 second quadpacer | 30 second quadpacer |
|
|
|
| 20 days | 37 days |
| Rechargeable Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) | Rechargeable Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) |
| 1 | 1 |
|
|
- |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| 73dB | 72dB |
| 2 years | 2 years |
| £65 | £133 |
- Cleaning/brushing action
- The iO2 uses a different type of brush motor than the Pro 3.
- Handle design/colours
- The iO2 has a matte finish to the handle vs the gloss finish on the Pro 3.
- The Pro 3 has a dimpled texture to the back of the handle that the iO2 does not have.
- The iO2 has a larger concave power button than the Pro 3.
- The iO2 has an LED for the battery charge status and pressure sensor built into the power button. The Pro 3’s LED is located towards the bottom of the handle.
- Both are available in 4 colours. The Pro 3 comes in white, black, blue and pink. The iO2 is available in white, black, pink and green.
- Marginal weight and handle size differences.
- Cleaning modes
- Both models have a Daily Clean and Sensitive mode. However, the Pro 3 has a Whitening mode whereas the iO2 has Super Sensitive.
- The default cleaning mode on the iO2 can be changed. it can’t on the Pro 3.
- Brush heads
- The iO2 uses a different style of brush head exclusive to the iO Series.
- The iO2 comes with 1 x Gentle Care brush head compared to the 1 x CrossAction supplied with the Pro 3.
- Pressure sensor
- The iO2 illuminates an LED in the power button with a red light when the pressure sensor is activated whereas the Pro 3’s light ring around the neck of the brush handle is lit red.
- Battery
- The iO2 has a 37 day battery life compared to the 20 of the Pro 3.
- The Pro 3 takes 12 hours to charge vs up to 24 of the iO2.
- Price
- The iO2 is more expensive with a retail price of £100 compared to the £90 of the Pro 3 Series.
- The cost of replacement brush heads for the Pro 3 Series is half that of the iO2.
Please note. Every effort is made to ensure the key differences listed are correct, but these differences are subject to change without notice. Products and the box contents can be changed without notice and different variants can exist.
How we scored them: Pro 3 vs iO2
I found little to differentiate these two brushes in terms of overall performance. The starkest differences are in the overall cost and the battery life.
| Overall Score |
| How well it cleans |
| How it feels |
| Recommended features |
| Additional items & features |
| Battery performance |
| Smart features |
| Price |
| Support & reputation |
| Buying options |
Does one clean better than the other?
The short answer is no, there isn’t any meaningful difference in the cleaning results offered between the iO2 and the Pro 3.
This is confirmed by our testing results in the category of ‘How well it cleans’, both score a commendable 100%.
The motors inside each handle are different in their design and how they work. Both offer oscillations and rotations of the brush head. The Pro 3 Series also offers pulsations. I am under the impression that the iO2 offers similar movements, but I have a lack of detail to confirm this. Ultimately, what this means to me is they do the same job.
I do feel different after using each brush. Both leave my teeth clean, but there is an intensity to using the Pro 3 that isn’t matched by the iO2. The iO Series feels softer and less aggressive in how it delivers the clean.
My preference is for the deeper clean feeling the Pro 3 offers. The slightly weaker sensation of the iO2’s motor is not a reason to pick the Pro instead. In fact, new electric brush users, or those with sensitive teeth and gums will arguably find the iO2 to be the better option.
Is one priced better than the other?
When we last updated this post, the Oral-B Pro 3 was still the more affordable option.
However, in recent times the Pro 3 availability hasn't been as good and it feels as though it may soon be discontinued.
If you can pick a variant of the Pro 3 up for less than £40, it is still a bargain. We tend to find that the Pro 3 3500, which is the same as the 3000 but comes with a travel case, actually tends to be cheapest.
Based on the brush's selling price alone, the Series 2 is a great buy.
Where the Pro 3 scores a perfect 100 in our "What it costs" scoring model, the iO2 scores a low 43.
This is because the iO Series brush heads have a seriously negative impact on the ownership cost.
A single iO brush head costs double that of the Pro 3. I have no logical explanation as to why, having used both. Material costs might be higher with the iO heads, but this must be pennies rather than pounds.
Priced over 3 years, the Pro 3 Series will cost £55 less than the iO2 because of the brush heads, so this is something to consider when you're weighing up the total cost.
Detailed features comparison
In terms of the features they offer, there is very little to set these two brushes apart. For a long time, the Pro 3 was our first choice recommendation in our best electric toothbrush article because of its overall value and feature set.
It is still an excellent choice, particularly if you are on a budget, but we do include some updated recommendations and now rate the iO3 as the best Oral-B brush.
Given the strong recommendation for the Pro 3, the iO2 follows fairly closely. In the following sections I look more closely at my experience of testing the two brushes side by side.
All things considered, I prefer the design of the iO2
You might feel differently, but to me the gloss coating on the body of the Pro 3 doesn’t look as sophisticated as the matte finish of the iO2.
Whilst there is little to differentiate them, the iO2 feels slightly better in hand. Something gives it that extra premium feeling.
In the ‘how it feels’ section of our rating system, the iO2 scores 88 compared to the 76 of the Pro 3. Whilst this may seem like quite a difference, overall it has little impact on the user experience. Both brushes feel very comfortable to use.
It is very slight, but despite the dimpled texture that runs the length of the back of the handle on the Pro 3, the iO2 feels marginally more grippy to me, even when wet.
There isn’t much between them, but I prefer the iO2’s slightly larger power button. There are 2 almost complete circles of raised dots that help the button stand out to the fingertip.
I also like how the LED within the iO2’s button is more obvious than that of the Pro 3.
Located in the lower third of the handle on the Pro 3, I found it easier to miss a low battery warning because the LED is smaller and not quite in the eyeline like the iO2’s.
There are marginal size and weight differences between the 2 handles as shown in the following table:
| Toothbrush height with head |
| Width |
| Depth/thickness |
| Weight with head |
|
|
|
|---|---|
| 23.2cm / 9.1 inches | 24cm / 9.5 inches |
| 2.5cm / 1 inches | 2.8cm / 1.1 inches |
| 2.9cm / 1.1 inches | 2.8cm / 1.1 inches |
| 124g / 4.4oz | 124g / 4.4oz |
The iO2 is available in 4 colours, black, white, pink and green. There are also 4 choices with the Pro 3, white, black, pink, and blue. All things considered, I prefer the design of the iO2.
From handling both, the iO2 is my preference. The overall user experience and feel in the palm is more satisfying. This does have a small impact on the overall user experience, though.
The Pro 3 pressure sensor is more user-friendly
I am thankful that both brushes have a pressure sensor built into the handle. This automatically reduces the number of bristle movements should I brush with too much force. In turn, it reduces the chances of the brush damaging my teeth and gums.
When activated, neither brush changes the sound or the vibration pattern in the handle, meaning it isn’t always immediately obvious when it is active.
Both do illuminate an LED, though.
On the iO2, the LED built into the power button illuminates red when the sensor is activated. During testing this was almost impossible to see unless I was holding the brush at a particularly unusual angle. When held normally the power button faces my body and my eyes simply cannot see the LED.
In contrast, the light ring around the neck of the Pro 3 brush handle stands out. It is much more obvious. It can still be missed if I’m not paying attention. But, I do tend to notice it out of the corner of my eye, or more commonly in my reflection, as I have a mirror in front of my sink.
I think both brushes would benefit from changing the vibration pattern felt in the handle to give an additional alert. Visually impaired users in particular would benefit from this. It’s a feature included by other brands such as Sonicare.
Different brush heads with very different prices
With the introduction of the iO Series in 2020 came a new range of brush heads specific to the iO brush handles.
The existing range of Oral-B heads that are used by the Pro 3 do not fit nor are they compatible with iO handles. The iO2 compatible heads do not fit any other non-iO handles either.
iO2 heads are twice the price of the older style heads. There is no logically explainable reason as to why.
The experience differs slightly, but both styles of head can do a perfectly good job of cleaning your teeth if used correctly.
The iO brush head can feel a little gentler and cups a larger surface area of the tooth. They are a little larger at the back though, which can make it harder to move the head into some of the tightest spots in the mouth.
Both head styles push on and pull off the handle, but the attachment mechanism is different.
In a positive move, Oral-B has reduced the number of brush head choices within the iO range to just 4. This helps picking between them easier. My pick is Ultimate Clean or the softer bristled Gentle Care head.
I have no qualms in recommending the smaller and more affordable non-iO heads over those for the iO. It’s just a shame they don’t fit iO handles.
Something I have picked up from the extended use of both models is that the heads for the Pro 3 are easier to keep clean.
Holes in both the non-iO and iO Series brush heads allow for moisture to escape, but they also allow for moisture to get in. As this video shows, there is a tendency for the iO head to accumulate mold. I only became aware of this as a result of the more stagnant taste as I brushed.
This is something that doesn’t seem to pose an issue on most other sonic toothbrushes as it’s only Oral-B that has holes in the head itself.
I have accounted for this in the overall scores given in my full Oral-B iO2 review and shown in the comparison table above. I must stress, I don’t think it is a reason to avoid the iO2, but it is something to be aware of.
The iO2 typically comes supplied with 1 x Gentle Care head. The Pro 3 on the other hand comes with a single, firmer bristled CrossAction head, in most instances.
Both brushes have my preferred cleaning modes
Three cleaning modes are available on both handles, including my preferred Daily Clean and Sensitive brushing modes.
The third mode is where they differ; the Pro 3 has a whitening mode whilst the iO2 has a super sensitive mode.
Of the two, I think super sensitive is the most useful. It’s well suited to new electric toothbrush users and those with very sensitive teeth and gums.
The whitening mode is the one our readers ask about the most. The name implies that it has a stronger effect than it really does. I’ve found that it’s no different to other modes when it comes to lifting stains from the teeth. If used correctly, an electric toothbrush will at best remove light staining, it won’t ‘whiten’ your teeth.
Neither model has any cleaning mode icons or labels to show which mode is active. This can be infuriating. The iO2’s power button LED flashes a different number of times based on the mode chosen, but this still doesn’t make it particularly easy to tell at a glance.
Thankfully, a slight redemption for the iO2 is that you can change the default cleaning mode to any of the 3 available. Changing the default cleaning mode isn’t an option with the Pro 3 3000.
In my testing, the iO2 registered at 72 decibels, which was 1 dB quieter than the Pro 3. However, because the motors work differently the noise the iO2 produces is less mechanical sounding than the Pro 3. It’s less harsh on the ear.
The iO2’s battery life is almost double that of the Pro 3
Based on their performance, the iO2 scores slightly better overall in our ‘battery performance’ category.
Both brushes have a Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery sealed inside the handle.
However, the iO2 outperforms the Pro 3 by quite some margin. In my testing it achieved 37 days from a single charge. That’s almost double the 20 days usage time I got from the Pro 3.
The iO2 has the best battery life of any Oral-B brush I’ve tested.
That being said, the iO2 does take twice as long to fully charge, requiring 24 hours compared to 12 for the Pro 3. Overall, the battery life and charging time isn’t worth worrying about too much unless it’s very inconvenient for you to put your brush on charge.
I don’t travel frequently, so I don’t typically need extra battery life, but both exceed the minimum 2 weeks I think a decent toothbrush should achieve.
Both brushes give feedback on the charge status via the LED in the brush handle and both use the same charging stand.
Conclusion
Both brushes are nice to use and will do a very good job of cleaning your teeth.
But, if you’re on a budget, the extra ongoing cost of the iO2 brush heads is a big factor.
The minor perks of the iO2 don’t outweigh this unjustifiable premium.
If there were more parity between the costs of the brush heads, my feelings might be different.
Hi Jon,
Oral b is discontinuing the 3 3500/3300 in favour of the iOS (which is more expensive 😭) . Is there another equivalent option ?
Thanks for all the tips . Been following for years .
Hi Lara,
In the Oral-B range, outside of the iO range there isn't really an equivilant for Oral-B now. You might still be able to find it on eBay.
If you are willing to look at other brands, I'd suggest the Sonicare 5300 or the SURI 2.0.