The 5 Best Portable Air Conditioners, According to Testing

Best Overall

Black+Decker Portable Air Conditioner and Heater

You need a compact unit that packs a powerful punch at an affordable price point.

You need a compact unit that packs a powerful punch at an affordable price point.

As with most portable air conditioners, panels have to be custom-fitted to your window or another form of venting, limiting use to windows of the same size.

As with most portable air conditioners, panels have to be custom-fitted to your window or another form of venting, limiting use to windows of the same size.

This small but mighty Black+Decker portable air conditioner had no trouble taking on the oven-like conditions of a three-season sunroom in Iowa with full-size windows and a door constantly ajar. During hot and humid summer days, the space is virtually unusable for up to six hours (basically up until the sun starts to set), even with the blinds fully drawn. But 30 minutes after installing this unit, the temp dropped from 80°F down to 72°—and held there.

Our tester shares that the room is much more comfortable since the AC unit also doubles as a dehumidifier, removing hot, sticky air from the space. Since the average decibel rating hovers around 54 (that’s about the same as a fridge or dishwasher running, according to Yale Environmental Health and Safety), it never once interfered with conversations during casual hangout sessions.

While the room is on the smaller side—9x10 feet—this unit sits compactly in the corner and never fights for free space. Setup, our tester revealed, was relatively easy but a bit time-consuming, as the panel divider had to be sawed to the correct size. Thankfully, it ships with all the necessary parts you need for installation (the hose, plastic panel, foam strips, and a dehumidifier hose). While it is equipped with four caster wheels and indented side handles for easy transport from room to room, it will only work in windows the same size as the one originally installed in since the panels have to be custom-cut.

Other noteworthy features include a slide-out washable filter discretely located in the back, self-evaporation so you don’t have to worry about emptying a reservoir, and four modes (cooling, fan, dehumidifier, and heat) and three fan speeds that can be controlled via a remote or top LED display. Plus, the unit also doubles as a heater for year-long temperature control.

Key Terms to Know

Btus: British Thermal Units quantifies the amount of energy an air conditioner uses to remove heat and replace it with cool air. In other words, more Btus equals more power. Tip: Portable air conditioners typically offer more Btus than window units.
SACC: An acronym that stands for Seasonally Adjusted Cooling Capacity, SACC is a rating standard used by the Department of Energy (DOE) to measure Btus properly; the measurement was formerly based on ASHRAE (pardon the jargon—another acronym for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, a nonprofit that assists with technical standards and guidelines), which can inflate the Btus, so be mindful of the square footage limits listed or stick to the Btus listed by the DOE.
CEER: Generally, the higher the Combined Energy Efficiency Ratio for portable air conditioners, the lower your energy bill should be at the end of the month.
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DIANA WEESNER

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DIANA WEESNER

Best Budget

Frigidaire Portable Air Conditioner

This AC unit is straightforward and easy to use, with just a few operating modes and fan speeds.

This AC unit is straightforward and easy to use, with just a few operating modes and fan speeds.

The vent hose looks just as big as the unit and feels a bit flimsy.

The vent hose looks just as big as the unit and feels a bit flimsy.

If you’re in the market for a simplified air conditioner and could care less about all the bells and whistles of techier models, this streamlined Frigidaire option is for you. There are just four modes (Auto, Cool, Dry, and Fan) and two fan speeds to choose between, plus a programmable timer. At the press of the button, either on the touchscreen interface or battery-powered remote, you can bask in the chilly air it immediately starts pumping out.

Our tester placed this in an upstairs hallway to supplement the single central air vent that’s supposed to keep an entire 420-square-foot space cool. They also were tired of hauling an old, heavy window unit up and down stairs every summer in their Midwest location where temperatures can swing to humid and hot in the 90s. While 50 pounds, it's plenty compact, roughly only a foot wide and long. Detailed installation instructions were easy to follow, too. And, once up and running, our tester noted it felt less visually obtrusive compared to the former window AC.

While they didn’t have to move around much during the testing period, our tester did stress that the unit struggled to roll smoothly on carpet, causing concern that it would tip over. But we’re of the mindset that those details are minor, trumped by the product’s overall performance, particularly since it also happens to be pretty quiet, starting at a low 50 decibels. To put that in perspective, a library's audible levels are at about 40 decibels, whereas a vacuum cleaner can be as loud as anywhere between 70 and 80 decibels. (Tip: Sleep mode keeps it operating at its quietest level.)

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / BRIE GOLDMAN

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / BRIE GOLDMAN

Best Splurge

Midea Duo Smart HE Inverter Ultra Quiet Portable AC w/Heat

It’s quiet enough to stick in a kid's bedroom; the settings can be adjusted through the app so you never have to worry about interrupting nap time.

It’s quiet enough to stick in a kid's bedroom; the settings can be adjusted through the app so you never have to worry about interrupting nap time.

The shiny finish easily reveals fingerprints from transporting the unit or using the touchscreen.

The shiny finish easily reveals fingerprints from transporting the unit or using the touchscreen.

Midea is pretty much the gold standard when it comes to efficiency, and this dual-hose option is no exception. The duo inverter design enables the unit to use less electricity when cooling a space at an ultra-low 42 decibels of sound (and even at its strongest setting, shouldn’t exceed 56 decibels). At that level, it’s an ideal fit for bedrooms—even in a fussy kid’s space, which is where our tester placed their unit. After installation, they say it silently brought temperatures down in mere minutes and was relied on daily for four to eight hours without ever overheating (an issue they had with a previous portable air conditioner by Global Air).

In fact, roughly half of the best portable air conditioners we tested rely on a dual-hose system instead of a single-hose system. The design simultaneously enables the machine to push hot air out and bring cool air in. However, Midea takes things up a notch with its hose-in-hose design, which prevents outdoor heat from seeping in through any nooks and crannies. Its built-in fan also more evenly distributes amplified airflow.

This level of top performance, coupled with a bevy of smart features, is why Midea is worth the splurge. Give a shout to Alexa or Google Assistant to shift between settings, or pull up the app to enjoy several customizable choices. You can mute the button sounds, schedule run times, turn the LED display on or off, and change the direction the air is blowing (horizontal or vertical). The machine even remembers the settings you use the most and saves them as a favorite. If that all sounds overwhelming to you—like it did for our tester—everything is also easily controllable from the remote.

The only qualm our tester had was the fact that every time they touched the shiny surface, whether to use the buttons or simply relocate the unit, fingerprints became easily visible.

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / ANDREA TENBORG

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / ANDREA TENBORG

Best Design

LG Electronics Portable Air Conditioner

You want an AC unit that will blend into the background, not stick out like a sore thumb.

You want an AC unit that will blend into the background, not stick out like a sore thumb.

The hose length could benefit from being longer.

The hose length could benefit from being longer.

If you’re worried as much about installing as you are about where to store your portable AC by summer’s end, LG’s dual inverter has thought of everything. The built-in 5-foot-long exhaust hose can be folded down neatly into the unit’s hidden storage compartment with room to spare for the window panels, functioning much like a back pocket. In most instances, once a portable unit has been installed, shuffling it from room to room becomes a bit of an annoyance having to deal with setting up the vent and panels again. Being able to tuck everything in would definitely ease the pain of doing so.

This design detail, along with a sleek, simplified front with a minimal logo keeps it from standing out in a room. For those who would prefer not to stare at open grates and an LED display, LG’s modern exterior and interface is the solution. It’s also incredibly smart, easy to use, and efficient. For instance, on the day our tester installed it in a small office (a 7x10-foot space with tall ceilings), it was 96 degrees outside—inside, it always felt 15 to 20 degrees hotter, making the space unbearable to be in. But this portable air conditioner made a noticeable difference within 10 minutes. Since this was placed in a windowless space, however, our tester had to get creative and vent through the ceiling. In this unusual use case, the original hose wasn’t long enough to accommodate but was easily switched out.

While our tester preferred to control it via the complimentary remote control, the LG ThinQ app also enables users to toggle between modes (mainly cooling and dehumidifying). Connecting to WiFi is as easy as scanning the QR code that comes with the unit.

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / ARMANDO ESPINOSA

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / ARMANDO ESPINOSA

Best Dual Hose

Whynter Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner

You’ve been looking for a machine that will cool a room as quickly as possible.

You’ve been looking for a machine that will cool a room as quickly as possible.

It weighs a whopping 73 pounds, which made installation for our tester a two-person job.

It weighs a whopping 73 pounds, which made installation for our tester a two-person job.

It isn’t the prettiest on our list, but our tester was blown away by how quickly this Whynter portable air conditioner was able to cool down their 340-square-foot bedroom on the top floor of their home. After an intuitive install—the toughest part was simply getting all of the loose parts out of the box—the space was noticeably more comfortable in less than 15 minutes, despite having west-facing windows that let in a lot of sun on the top floor. Part of that, our tester adds, could be because they took the time to fit the plastic panel for a snug window fit.

Although it offers a range of smart features, the air conditioner is great at maintaining its set temperature, so adjustments rarely need to be made. But, at night, the remote control came in handy—our tester never had to leave the bed; switching between modes, adjusting the temperature, or setting the fan speed was effortlessly done across the room—though they do note that the remote isn’t backlit. Even then, our tester emphasizes the buttons are clearly labeled and logically laid out, so it was never an issue.

As a dual-hose system, this unit has plenty of power, but it’s also great at keeping the noise levels down (about 51 decibels)—imperative if, like our tester, you’re using it in a bedroom. It also has a dehumidifier function and includes an activated carbon filter (great for neutralizing odors), a washable pre-filter, and an intake and exhaust hose that are 5.9 inches in diameter to move more air.

Really, the only downside of this unit is its appearance. It has a tech-forward look compared to the modern, sleek exteriors of the other portable air conditioners we tested. It’s also bulky, weighing in at 73 pounds, which makes moving the unit between floors or rooms more difficult, although the caster wheels came in handy when pushing it between rooms. But, given how good it is at distributing cold air, it’s impossible to write it off completely. And once you're ready to stow it away by season’s end, a complimentary storage bag will help it stay in tip-top shape instead of constantly exposed to dirt and dust.

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / JEANNE GEER

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / JEANNE GEER