Best Overall
Winix 4-Stage True HEPA Air Purifier
WINIX
- Setup5/5
- Design4/5
- Noise Level4/5
- Features5/5
- Effectiveness4.5/5
- This air purifier removes both VOCs and PM2.5s from the air quickly and efficiently, plus has nice bonus features like app connectivity.
This air purifier removes both VOCs and PM2.5s from the air quickly and efficiently, plus has nice bonus features like app connectivity.
- This one isn’t meant to filter pet hair.
This one isn’t meant to filter pet hair.
One of the certifications of the Winix 9800 is AHAM Verifide, which means that an independent laboratory has tested and verified the manufacturer’s claims about energy use, the volume of space it’s capable of cleaning, and any performance criteria—so it’s fair to say the Winix 9800 lives up to its claims. However, this certification is only for 500 square feet, and the brand reports that it can clean the air in rooms up to 2,420 square feet in one hour. Of course, we did our own testing, and the results are why it’s our top choice for best large room air purifier.
When smoke was added to the tester’s room, the PM2.5 level of the air was at a dangerously high level of 800. PM 2.5 is a measurement of particles in the air from pollutants that are produced from smoke or exhaust. According to the New York State Department of Health, “Breathing in unhealthy levels of PM2.5 can increase the risk of health problems like heart disease.” On low, the Winix decreased that number to 6.5 in five minutes and to 6.2 in 10 minutes. That’s lower than the original PM2.5 of the room, which was measured at 8.2 at the start of testing. It was even more effective on high mode—the numbers were down to 5.6 and 6.0 after five and 10 minutes respectively.
The Winix also has VOC filtration. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds, which are gasses that emit into the air from either a product or a process—think paint or paint strippers, glue, gas stoves, pesticides, and air fresheners. At the start of the test, the initial VOC level was at .11. After five and 10 minutes on low, the numbers were .06 and .07, and after five and 10 minutes on high, the numbers were .07 and .05. A VOC filtration system also helps to remove odors from the air as well.
Looking at these numbers, it’s obvious that the Winix is incredibly effective at removing VOCs and PM2.5s from the air, but there are other features that helped bump this model to the top of the list. We were particularly impressed with the app capability (it can be connected by WiFi to a phone or tablet); when turning on location services, users can get updates about their area’s air quality in real-time and can connect and schedule the air purifier to Alexa as well. It will also show how much life is left in the current air filter and can set up auto-ship as a preference, too. Another positive is its ability for the model to light up red when the air quality is poor, which helps users understand when it might be time to turn it on.
For the price and the amount of space the Winix can clean, it’s a great option for a larger room. We also appreciated that it had four modes, was fairly quiet on the lower modes, and was easy to set up. It comes equipped with a carbon filter that lasts three months and a HEPA filter that lasts for one year, and has other nice features like an indicator light for filter replacement and a sleep mode. However, it won’t remove pet hair from the air, so consider purchasing one of our favorite air purifiers for pets, or invest in a vacuum with a HEPA filter.
Product Details: Room Size: 500 to 2,420 square feet | CADR Rating: 336 CFM | Noise Level: 43-68 dB | Dimensions: 11.8 x 16.5 x 23 inches | VOC Filtration: Yes
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best Budget
Kenmore 850e Air Purifier
AMAZON
- Setup5/5
- Design4/5
- Noise Level5/5
- Features5/5
- Effectiveness4.4/5
- A quiet option that works to remove VOCs and PM2.5s, this Kenmore air purifier is a basic but solid pick.
A quiet option that works to remove VOCs and PM2.5s, this Kenmore air purifier is a basic but solid pick.
- Removing and cleaning the air filter gets a little messy—we thought it visibly released allergens and pollutants back into the air.
Removing and cleaning the air filter gets a little messy—we thought it visibly released allergens and pollutants back into the air.
The Kenmore 850e Air Purifier is a simple, no-frills air purifier that works in spaces up to 850 square feet. It has simple touch buttons with a few controls such as fan speed, light settings, sleep mode, and a timer. Its three fan speeds are low, medium, and high; the low setting barely makes noise, while the high setting sounds similar to a moderately loud fan. It even has a small light at the bottom that can be turned on and off and functions similarly to a night light, which is a nice bonus feature.
It’s our pick for the best large-room air purifier in the budget category because it works quite well for the price. When tested in a 788-square-foot room on the low setting, the Kenmore decreased the PM2.5 numbers in the air at a percentage rate of 57.14-62.50% (numbers were recorded at various marked points in the room). It also improved VOCs at a range of 72.65-82.76% on the low setting. When it was tested on the high setting, the Kenmore decreased the PM2.5s at a rate of 60-66.67%, and VOCs at a rate of 74.59-77.03%.
It also got high marks for being fairly inconspicuous in a room and easy to use—the control panel is simple and intuitive to understand. One thing to note about the Kenmore Air Purifier is that it has a washable filter that needs to be cleaned periodically, and while it is easy to pull out the cylinder-shaped filter, doing so releases some of the allergens it caught back in the air. It also doesn’t get rid of pet hair, but its basic ability to eliminate pollutants, smoke, and odors from the air combined with its simple interface makes it a great and affordable option for a home.
Product Details: Room Size: 850 square feet | CADR Rating: 4.8 ACH | Noise Level: 40.5-50 dB | Dimensions: 8 x 14 x 8 inches | VOC Filtration: Yes
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / EMILY WOODRUFF
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / EMILY WOODRUFF
Best Splurge
Dyson Purifier Cool Purifying Fan
DYSON
- Setup5/5
- Design5/5
- Noise Level5/5
- Features4.5/5
- Effectiveness5/5
- All 10 settings of this impressive multi-use machine are incredibly quiet and unobtrusive—plus it has a slew of techy features.
All 10 settings of this impressive multi-use machine are incredibly quiet and unobtrusive—plus it has a slew of techy features.
- Dyson doesn’t release CADR ratings for its air purifiers.
Dyson doesn’t release CADR ratings for its air purifiers.
Dyson air purifiers are known for being sleek, design-forward appliances, and the TP07 air purifier is no exception. At almost 3.5 feet tall, its bladeless oblong fan and thick silver base look like many other of the brand’s offerings. However, this isn’t just an air purifier; it’s also meant to cool the room down, although users can turn the fan option on and off while still purifying the room.
It also has some other nice-to-have fancier features, including magnetized remotes for easy storage on the device itself, the ability to oscillate up to 350 degrees, and the option to operate hands-free when connected to Alexa, Siri, or Google Home. We noted that it operated incredibly quietly—with a whopping 10 settings, the loudest one registered no more intrusive than a typical white noise machine.
During the low-setting test, after smoke and pet hair were added to the room, PM2.5 levels were measured at 999.9. After five minutes, the number was reduced to 115.2 and went down to 8.0 after 10 minutes. During the high-setting test, after smoke and pet hair were added to the room, PM2.5 levels were measured at 678. After five minutes, this number was reduced to 13.9 and went down to 7.3 after 10 minutes. And while this model doesn’t remove VOCs from the air, it does remove pet hair, which is a nice feature for those who own cats or dogs. Its filtration system includes both a HEPA filter and a carbon filter, so it will eliminate odors quite nicely as well.
Of course, this is our top pick in the splurge category because it comes at a steep price. Some of the features mentioned above likely add to the price, as well as an app that shows interesting statistics like room temperature and moisture in the air, and charts air quality readings over time. The filter is easy to remove from the base and only needs to be replaced once a year—you’ll get a notice via the app or on the LCD screen when it’s time. The LCD screen also shows detailed reports about the air, pulling data from the integrated sensors in the device; and it’ll even display live results.
After six months of continuous use at home, we noted that some of our daily ailments like stuffy nose or allergies had significantly lessened in time. However, a note for those who are stuck on CADR ratings: Dyson doesn’t release those. If you’re looking to spend a bit more on a high-tech option, the Dyson is our top choice. The fact that the appliance does double duty and works as a fan as well as a purifier further makes the price worth it.
Product Details: Room Size: 500 to 800 square feet | CADR Rating: N/A | Noise Level: 43.9-64.5 dB | Dimensions: 4.72 x 8.7 x 41 inches | VOC Filtration: No
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best for Smoke
Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier
AMAZON
- Setup4/5
- Design5/5
- Noise Level5/5
- Features5/5
- Effectiveness5/5
- This model significantly lowers VOCs quickly thanks to a sophisticated three-layer filtration system that works on particles of all sizes.
This model significantly lowers VOCs quickly thanks to a sophisticated three-layer filtration system that works on particles of all sizes.
- The air quality numbers reported on the app were inconsistent with the ones we measured with a device in the testing environment.
The air quality numbers reported on the app were inconsistent with the ones we measured with a device in the testing environment.
More expensive than our budget option but lower in cost than the other models on this list, this LEVOIT air purifier is surprisingly tech-forward for the price. That’s thanks to the interactive LCD screen and a dust sensor that scans the surrounding air for particles, sending its live data straight to the app. There’s also the ability to turn it on and off via the app, plus use hands- and voice-free control when connected to Alexa or Google Assistant.
But ultimately, this is the best choice when it comes to removing smoke and other irritants because of its three-layer filtration: inside there’s a pre-filter, an H13 True HEPA filter that traps larger particles like pet dander, and an activated carbon filter that traps VOCs (like smoke) while also removing their odor. In testing, it performed excellently on both PM2.5s and VOCs, making the air even cleaner than it was before the pollutants were put in the air.
There were some interesting data points to consider after testing: when the pollutants were added and the LEVOIT was on low mode, PM2.5 numbers went down from 999 to 5 after 10 minutes. When they were added on high, numbers went down from 999 to 8, but the app was reporting a lower number than the air quality monitor we used in the room. This didn’t bump the LEVOIT off the list because the end results were still fantastic, but you may want to take those app numbers with a slight grain of salt.
Users should also feel free to keep this running on the lower setting; when testing its effectiveness on VOCs, the number went from .1 to .04 after ten minutes on both the low and the high settings. Ultimately, that’s a good thing, as it would keep things quieter and would use less energy.
Product Details: Room Size: 403 to 1,980 square feet | CADR Rating: 260 CFM | Noise Level: 40-72 dB | Dimensions: 10.79 x 10.79 x 20.47 inches | VOC Filtration: Yes
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best for Pets
Rabbit Air A3 Air Purifier
AMAZON
- Setup5/5
- Design4.8/5
- Noise Level5/5
- Features4/5
- Effectiveness5/5
- It has five layers of filtration, all of which work to remove pet allergens and pet odor from the air, and a customizable filter for your specific concerns.
It has five layers of filtration, all of which work to remove pet allergens and pet odor from the air, and a customizable filter for your specific concerns.
- Fun additions like mood lighting likely drive up the cost without impacting the efficacy.
Fun additions like mood lighting likely drive up the cost without impacting the efficacy.
The Rabbit A3 Air Purifier is the best large room purifier for people with pets because of its five-layer filtration system that works to remove common pet allergens like dander and hair. The first is a pre-filter that captures the largest particles of pet hair, the medium filter captures hair and dander that pass through the first layer and are around 1 micron in size, the activated carbon filter captures pet odors, and the HEPA filter catches any dander or allergens that are less than .3 microns in size. Finally, the fifth layer is actually customizable, allowing consumers to choose from options like germ defense for mold or odor remover to tackle smoke or cooking smells. One of the options is specifically for pet allergies.
We liked how the Rabbit Air Purifiers have an easy-to-use app that reports air quality, allows users to set timers, controls fan speed, and notifies users when it’s time to replace the filter. Another feature that we liked is the incredibly customizable light setting. There are plenty of lighting options in different bright or subtle colors that can be turned on and off. For instance, add blue or purple mood lights or turn it into a nightlight setting for a kid’s room.
This combined with the Rabbit’s sleek appearance makes it an aesthetic appliance that would fit in well with most homes. Of course, it does come at a price—the additional features like the lights probably contribute to driving up the cost without necessarily impacting the air purifying abilities. But if you have pets (and guests with pet allergies) and appreciate some nice customizable features, the Rabbit Air could be an excellent choice.
Product Details: Room Size: 535 to 1,070 square feet | CADR Rating: 315 CFM (Pollen) 262 CFM (Dust) 257 CFM (Smoke) | Noise Level: 44.1-61.1 dB | Dimensions: 8.4 x 18.9 x 19.7 inches | VOC Filtration: Yes
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
Best for Dust
Coway Airmega 400S Smart Air Purifier
AMAZON
- Setup5/5
- Design4/5
- Noise Level4/5
- Features4/5
- Effectiveness4.4/5
- We noticed a real, detectable decrease in odor and dust after using it consistently at home for a month.
We noticed a real, detectable decrease in odor and dust after using it consistently at home for a month.
- Even though it has VOC filtration, it wasn’t as effective at eliminating VOCs compared to others.
Even though it has VOC filtration, it wasn’t as effective at eliminating VOCs compared to others.
The Coway Airmega 400S is the best large air purifier for dust; its pre-filter captures large particles and is also washable, meaning you can choose to wipe it down after a particularly dusty clean and create a blank slate for the future. The Coway also has an activated carbon filter meant to trap VOCs, pet dander, and odors, and its Green True HEPA filter that captures mold, pollen, and other irritants.
During testing, however, the HEPA and pre-filters performed the strongest. The pre-filter did a great job of eliminating dust from our home (which was musty and fairly dusty due to an excess of antiques)—after a month of near-constant use, we found that the house smelled better and noticed a significant decrease of dust. The machine will even notify you if the pre-filter needs washing, too. As for the PM2.5 test on the low setting, numbers went from 800 to 3.6 after 10 minutes. On the high setting, it went from 800 to 2.4 after 10 minutes.
However, the VOC test yielded some different results: the initial VOC level was .15 during testing and only went down to .11 after 10 minutes on both the low and high settings. And, quite unusually, the number actually went up to .2 after five minutes on low, proving it might not be as effective at filtering VOCs on the lower setting. It’s likely a better model for someone looking to decrease dust and odor in their home, but it may not work as well if eliminating smoke is more important.
There are some nice features on the Coway that are worth mentioning. There’s an app, and the LCD screen on the device is also easy to use and manage. There’s also an indicator light that will let you know if the air in your home is unhealthy, and some good programmable modes, too: eco mode will turn the device off after 30 minutes of fresh air, auto will turn the fan up or down depending on air quality, and sleep mode will turn it to a nearly whisper-quiet setting when darkness is detected.
Product Details: Room Size: 1,560 to 3,120 square feet | CADR Rating: 416 CFM | Noise Level: 44-72 dB | Dimensions: 14.8"D x 14.8"W x 22.8"H | VOC Filtration: Yes
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK