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The Winix 5500-2 cleans the air with a true HEPA filter, carbon filter, and plasma technology that helps remove odors. It has intuitive controls and thoughtful extras like a sleep mode, and timer.
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We spend most of our time indoors, and the air quality in our homes and offices can be surprisingly poor. Smoke, allergy-causing pollen and dust mites, viruses and bacteria, and common household chemicals all add to indoor air pollution. The best air purifiers improve indoor air quality by removing these pollutants.
After extensive testing, the Blueair Blue Pure 311i(available at Blueair) is the overall best air purifier, combining multiple filters to remove particles and chemicals. For a value-packed HEPA purifier, the Winix 5500-2 (available at Amazon) is a top performer with low operating costs. However, there are many great air purifiers in our guide to pick from.
The Blue Pure 311i Max is the best air purifier you can buy right now. Its signature super-quiet HEPA filter quietly displaces smoke and particles from the air with amazing efficiency, beating out our previous No. 1 pick, the Blueair DustMagnet 5410i.
The exterior of the Blue Pure 311i is a removable, washable fabric prefilter that traps dander, pet hair, and other larger particles. The interior of the air purifier houses Blueair’s proprietary ultra-quiet HEPA filter and a fan.
Sleep mode further reduces the decibel level of the Blue Pure to a nearly silent whisper, making it a perfect bedroom companion that shouldn’t interfere with sleep.
The Blueair app is also more intuitive than it used to be, giving you control over minor adjustments to the fan level and LED brightness. It also facilitates geo-fencing (a location-based feature that automates the purifier) and offers scheduling features to ensure your indoor air quality will be nice and clean before you get home.
The Blue Pure falls short when removing VOCS, only filtering 70% of the average. If VOCs are your concern, the Dyson PH04 is a better, but more expensive purifier.
Otherwise, this attractive, intuitive, and prefiltered air purifier is the best air purifier for your home. It will trounce wildfire smoke, cigarette smoke, dander, and allergens alike.
The Winix 5500-2 is our best air purifier for those looking for a value option, scoring well for particle and chemical removal, ease of use, and low filter replacement costs. The impressive performance comes from a combination of filters.
A washable prefilter protects the other filters from large items like pet hair. Next, a true HEPA filter captures microscopic particles.
A carbon filter absorbs chemical pollutants, like VOCs from paint and cleaning products, and is washable to extend its life. Finally, the Plasmawave stage produces reactive ions that break down more chemicals.
We love the automatic features like an air sensor that adjusts performance to match the air quality and a light sensor that dims the controls and turns down the fan for sleep mode after dark. The washable filter stages and relatively long filter life keep filter costs low.
The Blueair DustMagnet 5410i is the best smart air purifier in our guide. It was our previous pick for the best air purifier overall, with powerful app controls and a build that will double as a table, however its performance wasn’t as strong as our number one pick.
The Dust Magnet includes useful smart features that monitor air quality and filter life and work with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. The purifier monitors indoor air quality and usage to identify when it’s time to replace the filter, helping you get more from your device and spend less.
In lab testing, it cut through particle pollution at an impressive rate. It also combined excellent performance with a thoughtful design. It’s not just an air purifier but also stands out among top-rated air purifiers by doubling as a handy end table.
With exceptional particle removal, the DustMagnet is ideal for tackling smoke particles, pollen, pet dander, or airborne dust.
Even at its highest fan setting, the DustMagnet is one of the quietest air purifiers we’ve tested. In night mode, the sound is barely above a whisper, so swapping out your bedside table for this air purifier won’t disturb your sleep.
Chemical absorption was the only area where the DustMagnet fell short, with lower-than-average performance at removing VOCs.
The DustMagnet uses a HEPASilent filter. HEPASilent refers to the low noise levels we measured. The filter is less dense than most HEPA filters, so it doesn’t need a noisy, powerful fan to create airflow.
Despite the lower density filter, the DustMagnet uses an ingenious workaround to compensate. An electrostatic filter clumps particles together, making them easier to trap with the HEPASilent filter.
In lab tests, the Icon’s HEPA filter displayed outstanding performance for removing particles and chemicals. The Icon also has sophisticated air quality and light sensing. It runs in a quiet, low-energy mode at night or if the air quality is good. It will even charge your phone.
The Coway Airmega Icon may be the best-looking air purifier we’ve tested. Admittedly, that’s a low bar, but with the legs and fabric treatment, this is as stylish as air purifiers get. It looks more like a mid-century end table than a typical air purifier.
The extensive area coverage makes this a good choice for large rooms or open-plan homes. Cleaning the fabric cover is a potential downside, but if you want style and efficiency, the Icon is a sound choice.
The Levoit Vital 200S’ adaptive night mode makes it the best air purifier for a bedroom. Its automatic mode relies on air quality and light sensors. It adjusts fan speed for spikes of pollutants and quiets down at night to interfere less with your sleep.
The Vital offers strong filtration and swappable filters for different use cases. These include a toxin filter that delivers a 34% improvement over the standard filter at eliminating chemicals from the air and a pet odor filter.
The device also has handy app controls and a cleanable prefilter for dander and other large particles, making it a perfect choice for homes with pets.
Our only real qualm about the Vital 200S is that it is visually quite basic and might not match more design-focused homes.
Regardless of aesthetic concerns, with filtration performance in the top 10 of any air purifier we’ve seen, a smaller footprint, and smart features that ensure it won’t interfere with your sleep, the Levoit Vital 200S is one of the best out there—especially for bedrooms.
The LG PuriCare AeroTower is a HEPA-rated air purifier for large spaces. It performed well for both particle and chemical filtering in our lab tests. The flexible functions, automated controls, and smart features placed it near the top of our rankings.
Unlike most air purifiers, the Aerotower is a tall, tapering, column. It resembles a skyscraper near LG’s head office. Although the appearance may not suit all tastes, that extra height has a function.
Air purifiers rely on unobstructed airflow to work at their best. The top two-thirds of the tower is a ductless fan with adjustable rotation, flow rate, and flow patterns. This creates excellent air circulation.
The AeroTower’s design means that you’re getting two products in one, a ductless room fan and an air purifier. It also has one of the largest square footage ratings we’ve tested. If you like the looks and larger rooms, go for this elegant LG.
The Dyson PH04 is one of the best air purifiers we’ve tested for general VOC removal but fell short on particle removal. Many air purifiers monitor dust particle levels, but the PH04 also tracks VOCs, including formaldehyde, using high-quality air sensors.
The PH04 is one of the only air purifiers we’ve tested with a filter stage designed to break down formaldehyde. Formaldehyde and other VOCs have many sources, like paints, particleboard, and cleaning products.
(We didn’t specifically test the formaldehyde filter. We draw the line at filling our lab with toxic gas!)
The PH04 is a multi-function device with a fan, air purifier, and humidifier. If humidity is too low, dust levels increase, and dry air irritates the nose and throat, meaning humidity control and air purification are closely linked.
Even so, the PH04 is a specialized product. The high-powered sensors make for a high price tag. We recommend it if you’re concerned about chemical pollution and have a living space with low humidity.
As well as white/gold the PH04 comes in nickel/gold.
Affordably priced, the Levoit Core 300 is a capable air filter that commits to advanced filtration without the high-end (and costly) sensors that you’ll see in more expensive systems. It’s also nearly silent in sleep mode, making it a sensible pick for a bedroom.
The Levoit has a rounded, tubular build with a perforated bottom plate and a simple illuminated control menu on top.
The Core 300’s filter is a three-in-one design that includes a prefilter, an activated carbon filter, and a HEPA filter. This combined system ranks among the best we’ve tested. The system is also customizable, offering alternative filter types that help with different use cases. These are a pet filter that will help eliminate dander and other allergens and a toxin filter built to handle VOCs, formaldehyde, and other harmful chemicals.
Without an air quality sensor, the Core 300 does not support automatic mode, which could be an issue for some. But before you discount the Core for lack of tech features, be aware that most systems that include an air quality sensor will cost you.
While the 300 might not have the advanced digital bells and whistles that some competitors have, it’s an excellent air purifier for the money, especially given its ability to adapt to different use cases with alternative filter types.
Whether you’re looking for an air purifier to fight allergies, eliminate chemical fumes in a new home, or filter wildfire smoke, the Levoit Core 300 will do you good.
The Medify MA-50 is a powerful air purifier with true HEPA filtration. Its efficient design utilizes a central fan that pulls air through filters on all four sides, maximizing its filtering capacity.
Medify’s filters are rated HEPA 13, a high-efficiency type often used in medical facilities. The HEPA filters can remove the aerosols that spread SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
High-quality filters are expensive, so the annual filter replacement costs are high. The better the filter, the more it blocks airflow. This calls for a powerful fan, meaning an intrusive noise level at higher settings.
Designed for large rooms, the MA-50 is best suited for an open-plan home or office. Fortunately, Medify also has a range of air purifiers with the same HEPA filtration rating but for small spaces.
These are the Medify MA-40, MA-25, and MA14. We didn’t test the smaller units directly, but their similar filter design should give equivalent high performance.
The Coway Airmega Aim is a two-in-one air purifier and fan that delivers targeted, HEPA-purified air.
This Airmega Aim creates a cooling draft that oscillates, directing the air throughout your space. It’s a great pick for a desk fan and purifier hybrid.
If air purifiers are installed in inopportune locations, they can fail to cycle enough air. With such a powerful fan, the Airmega Aim circumvents this issue, passing a substantial amount of air through its filter and thereby ensuring it gets cleaned.
This Coway air purifier also includes an air quality sensor. This sensor facilitates automatic mode, in which the Aim adjusts its fan speed based on real-time pollution levels in your space.
The Airmega does have a major blindspot. With such a powerful fan involved, this HEPA filter is considerably louder than others in our guide. Because of this, the Aim might not be suitable for sleeping.
While it won’t beat out some of our top picks for filtering power, the Aim’s two-in-one functionality should make it more than capable enough to find a place in homes and offices. Overall, the Aim is a brilliant combo unit for clean, cool air.
The Honeywell PowerPlus True HEPA was a solid performer at VOC and particle removal. There’s also an optional extra carbon filter to increase VOC removal.
The particle filters are HEPA, although the manufacturer doesn’t give the exact rating of the filters. The large filter allows for a high air filtering capacity but is expensive to replace.
The air quality sensor triggers automatic mode, changing the fan level to match the air quality conditions, but this is one of the noisier purifiers we tested. Though the light is dimmable, you’ll need to turn down the fan at night to sleep.
The Filtrete FAP-SC02W is a smart purifier designed for smaller rooms. It comes with a HEPA filter only, meaning it can’t tackle chemicals like VOCs. You can add a carbon chemical filter as an option, though.
This purifier has smart features that allow automatic air quality monitoring and connectivity with Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also monitor purifier performance via the companion app.
If particle filtering is your main concern, and you want a purifier you can set and forget, this is a good choice for you.
In our lab, we tested how well air purifiers could remove dust, smoke, and VOCs from an enclosed space. They are also rated on noise and display light levels, ease of setup and use, their looks, and annual filter cost. The top-rated air purifiers made this list.
The Tester
Hi, I’m Dave Ellerby, the Chief Scientist in the Reviewed labs. I got my Ph.D. from the University of Leeds in 2000 and my Bachelor of Science from the University of Manchester in 1997.
I oversee our lab testing, develop tests for new products, and update tests to ensure accuracy and meaningfulness. Pollen allergies in the spring and the year-round aroma of two large dogs make me particularly interested in indoor air quality.
The Tests
Credit:
Reviewed / David Ellerby
We built an airtight chamber in our lab in order to measure how quickly each air purifier could remove particles and volatile organics compounds (VOCs) from the air.
We tested how quickly the purifiers remove smoke particles and volatile organics compounds (VOCs) from an airtight chamber in our lab.
Each purifier is placed in the chamber and turned to its maximum fan setting. If extra filter mechanisms are available, we switch those on. We record changes in particle and VOC levels, measuring the air cleaning rate for each purifier.
For particles, we focus on those smaller than 10 microns, as they’re small enough to make it into your lungs.
We assess how easy it is to set up the purifier and change the filter, noting how many settings and filter stages it has. We also determine the annual cost of replacing filters.
Finally, the air purifiers go home with the tester to see if fan noise and display lights affected sleeping, conversation, and TV viewing. This also allows us to see how they look in a domestic setting.
What You Should Know Before Buying an Air Purifier
Air purifier choice depends on the size of your space, air quality concerns, and automation features.
When choosing an air purifier, focus on your main air quality concerns. If you suffer from allergies, are concerned about airborne viruses and bacteria, or encounter wildfire smoke, you need a particle filter. Particle filters don’t remove chemicals, though. To tackle these, your air purifier will need an activated carbon filter or other chemical removal stage.
For the tiniest particulate matter, like smoke and virus-carrying aerosols, you need a high-efficiency particle (HEPA) filter.
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
We burnt incense near the Blueair Blue Pure 311i purifier to test whether it would sense the smoke and turn its fans on.
The heart of most air purifiers is a fan that pulls room air through the filters and returns filtered fresh air to the room.
All the air purifiers we tested had a particle filtering stage. Many had extra filter mechanisms to tackle chemical pollution, viruses, and bacteria.
Some purifiers include an air quality monitor that automatically adjusts fan speed to match the pollution levels in your home. This keeps down energy and filter use.
What is a HEPA Filter?
High-efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA filters) are rated by how efficiently they remove particles down to 0.3 microns.
HEPA filters have a number rating from H10 to H14; the higher, the better. H10 and H11 filters are sometimes described as “True HEPA,” and H13 and H14 filters as “Medical Grade.”
HEPA filters stop smoke. Even though many viruses and bacteria are smaller than 0.3 microns, they’re spread in larger liquid droplets called aerosols. HEPA filters trap these and limit the spread of airborne bacteria and viruses, including COVID-19.
HEPA filters aren’t just for tiny particles, they trap everything larger than 0.3 microns. So if you have allergies, HEPA will help out with larger particles like pollen, mold spores, and pet dander too. This means HEPA air purifiers are a perfect choice if you’re concerned about any type of airborne particle.
Be careful in your choice, as some filter manufacturers use the terms “HEPA like” or “HEPA type.” These are marketing terms that don’t clearly define filter quality.
If you’re investing in a HEPA filter, also look for a purifier with a prefilter. These trap larger items, like pet hair, before they get to your other filter stages. There’s no point paying for a HEPA filter if it gets clogged with cat hair!
Room Size and Clean Air Delivery Rating (CADR rating)
Most air purifiers list a coverage area in square feet. For reference, a typical living room or master bedroom is in the 200 to 300 square foot range, while small rooms like bathrooms have considerably less square footage.
Get an air purifier that is the right size for your room. If it’s too small or tucked behind other furniture, it won’t filter the air effectively. If it’s too large, you’re paying for fan power and a filter area you don’t need.
If available, the CADR is a more direct performance guide than recommended area coverage. Choose a CADR value that’s about two-thirds of your room’s square footage.
Removing Airborne Particles
Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
We tested each air purifier's ability to handle smoke and other particles.
Airborne particles come in a range of sizes. Allergens like pollen and mold spores are relatively large at 10 to 100 microns. If you’re allergic to these, you may not need the highest-performance filters.
Most other problem particles are much smaller. Pet dander and dust mite allergens are in the 10-micron and less range. Smoke and the aerosol droplets created when you cough and sneeze that spread bacteria and viruses are even smaller, at 1 micron or less.
Most hairs are about 70 microns thick, so you can’t see most of the smaller particles. To stop smoke, bacteria, and viruses, get a HEPA filter.
Removing Chemical Air Pollution
Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
Chemicals and VOCs can be major health concerns, we conducted lab tests to gather data on how each air purifier handled them.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major chemical pollutants released by paint, plastics, cleaning products, hair spray, and glue. Nitrogen dioxide comes from burning fossil fuels, and although traffic fumes are a major source, it can make its way into your home.
Nitrogen dioxide and some VOCs have negative health impacts.
Particle filters don’t remove airborne chemicals. If you’re worried about chemical pollutants, ensure your purifier has carbon filters or other mechanisms specifically designed to trap or neutralize them.
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Meet the testers
David Ellerby
Chief Scientist
Dave Ellerby is Reviewed's Chief Scientist and has a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds and a B.Sc. from the University of Manchester. He has over 25 years of experience designing tests and analyzing data.
Gabriel Morgan is a staff writer on Reviewed's home team, where he covers consumer education topics such as earthquake preparedness, radon in the home, and concerns about health and wellness in product design. He also writes product reviews and how-to articles on appliances, smart home technology, and goods for the home.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.