Credit:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
Credit:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
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Exceptionally good at clearing particles and quiet as a breeze, this HEPA air purifier is a great pick for a bedroom. Read More
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. Read More
The Blueair Dustmagnet has exceptional particle filtering performance and even makes for a nice end table Read More
This air purifier works well to remove particles, VOCs, and more from the air. It also doubles as an indoor air quality monitor. Read More
A smart air purifier with an advanced automatic mode, multiple filter types, a pet mode and more, the Levoit Vital 200S is highly advanced. Read More
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's prefilter is easy to remove and wash.
The Winix is a value pick with a few elite features, like an air quality monitor and strong VOC filtering.
Doubling as an attractive side table, the Blueair DustMagnet 5410i has powerful smart features that will help you get the most out of it.
With a fresh design that doesn't scream "I'm an air purifier," the Coway Airmega Icon won't look so out of place in your living room.
Made for bedrooms, the Vital 200S monitors sunlight and goes quiet at night, to keep from interfering with your sleep.
HEPA rated
Good for large spaces
Includes a ductless room fan
Appearance might not suit all tastes
Requires unobstructed air flow
Excellent at neutralizing VOCs
HEPA filter
Humidifier function as a bonus
Below average for removing particulates
Expensive in the market
Simple to use
Quiet sleep mode
Alternate HEPA, pet allergy, and chemical filters
No air quality sensor
Excellent HEPA filter
Large coverage area
Powerful fans
Expensive filters
Noisy at higher settings
Simple design
Doubles as an oscillating fan
Inexpensive filters
Relatively noisy
No washable prefilter (vacuum only)
Large filtering capacity
Automatic mode
Bulky design
Noisy at higher settings
Packed with smart features
Connects with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
Can set and forget
Basic unit can't handle VOCs
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Some manufacturers also report CADR. As explained by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this shows how efficiently the air purifier removes pollutants.
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.
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.
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.
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
Staff Writer, Home
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.
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