Best overall
The best air purifier overall in our tests, we recommend this model above all others because it gets the job done quickly and efficiently, saves energy and works well in large spaces.
Value: ★★★☆☆
Design: ★★★★☆
Performance: ★★★★★
Ease of use: ★★★★★
Best value
This compact air purifier is ideal for rooms up to 320 sq ft. It’s simple to set up and great value for money considering how efficiently it cleans the air.
Value: ★★★★☆
Design: ★★★★☆
Performance: ★★★★☆
Ease of use: ★★★★☆
Most energy-efficient
Small and compact in stature, this air purifier comes with a useful eco setting which will keep energy costs low. It provides a decent clean air delivery rate (CADR) as well.
Value: ★★★★☆
Design: ★★★☆☆
Performance: ★★★★☆
Ease of use: ★★★★★
Best for large rooms
The perfect option if you're shopping on a budget, but need an air purifier which can handle a large space. While it’s not exactly pretty, it will get the job done.
Value: ★★★★☆
Design: ★★★☆☆
Performance: ★★★★☆
Ease of use: ★★★★☆
Best for small rooms
This air purifier stands out for featuring “Plasmawave” technology. It creates Hydroxyls to tackle any unwelcome airborne particles. Plus, it comes with a useful remote control to change settings from afar.
Value: ★★★☆☆
Design: ★★★☆☆
Performance: ★★★★☆
Ease of use: ★★★★★
Best smart air purifier
The best air purifier for anyone who wants smart connectivity and remote control via an app. There's a useful LCD screen built into the device itself.
Value: ★★★☆☆
Design: ★★★★★
Performance: ★★★★☆
Ease of use: ★★★★☆
If you want clean air at home, free from pollution and pollen, then one of the best air purifiers is what you need. When running, these devices will filter airborne contaminants from your air, venting clean air back into the room. That means as well as cleaning your air, an air purifier can help deodorize the space too, but how can you tell if you’re buying the right model? That’s where we can help you out. We’ve tested a range of air purifiers to find the best.
To assess the performance, we used a certified testing method (AHAM AC-1) to calculate the CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) for each model. This shows us the rate these machines can filter the air in a measured space, with separate readings across dust, smoke and pollen, revealing the efficiency and the ideal room size for each. We checked the relevant certification to confirm these readings, and if it wasn’t provided, we sent the models off to the lab ourselves, to ensure a fair test.
Following this, we then used the air purifiers in real-world conditions to see how well they stood up to everyday use. As part of our evaluations, we also looked at its design, including noise, energy, ease of use (including initial set up and any corresponding app) and filter accessibility.
We compiled our results to create the following list, with recommendations for different circumstances. Whether you want a compact design to suit a kid’s room, or one which will handle a large space, these are the best air purifiers.
The best air purifiers you can buy today
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Best overall
✅ You want a strong air purifier: This air purifier achieved an average CADR of 360 across dust, smoke and pollen — the highest rating of those I tested. This means the Blueair Blue Pure 211+ can handle rooms up to 550 sq ft.
✅ You want ease of use: The Blueair Blue Pure 211+ Auto comes with enough features to suit everyday operation, including three fan speeds, an auto mode and a night mode. It’s very straightforward to operate and not overly-complicated in its design.
✅ You want to customize your air purifier: The skirt on the lower half of this air purifier comes in several colors, including pink, blue, green and gray, so you can customize it to suit your décor or personality.
❌ You’re tight for space: This air purifier measures 20 x 13 x 13 inches and weighs 12.5 pounds, so it's a hefty design which will take up some room. It will be more obvious to the eye at this size as well.
❌ You want a strong night mode: Night mode effectively dims the lights on the unit and slows the fan down to reduce noise, but I found it to be on the weak side, so you might end up running the standard settings to get a satisfactory performance.
❌ You’re conscious of noise: While the Blueair Blue Pure 211+ Auto runs quietly at its lowest setting, it's among the noisiest at its fastest setting. It’s not particularly noisy on the whole, but this is something to be aware of.
The Blueair Blue Pure 211+ Auto will suit most households. It’s a substantial air purifier, and offers first-rate air purification capabilities alongside a premium and simple-to-operate design. There’s enough settings to cover the basics, it's attractive, and can be customized to your liking.
What you need to know: Throughout these tests, one cube-shaped air purifier stood out above the rest. The Blueair Blue Pure 211+ Auto dominated the competition. This medium-sized air purifier will suit rooms up to 550 sq ft. It features an upright cuboid design, with a plastic upper section and a skirt fitted around the base, which acts as a pre-filter and comes in several colors. A HEPASilent filter is included, which uses both a carbon and particle layer. For me, it looked like a futuristic robot, which has a quality appearance compared to the competition. There are three fan speeds on offer as well as an auto function, plus a night mode is included for dimming the lights.
Design: This model provides enough settings to cover basic necessities. The three fan speeds offer a decent range, and the auto function means it’s able to self-adjust the speed to suit the quality of the air. As a consequence, this air purifier will only use as much energy as required. The night mode is a useful function, but I did find the power more lackluster than I would have expected on this setting.
Performance
| Smoke CADR | Dust CADR | Pollen CADR |
| 353 | 347 | 380 |
This air purifier scored best for its CADR; achieving 353, 347, and 380 respectively for smoke, dust and pollen. That means it will make quick work of all sizes of airborne particles. It also means it can handle a decent room size of 550 sq ft — making it more than adequate for a large bedroom or living room.
| Noise (low) | Noise (high) | Power use |
| 35.6dB | 60.8dB | 0.159 kWh |
It scored average marks for noise produced, as it was fairly quiet on its lowest setting (35.6db), but on the noisier end of the spectrum at its loudest (60.8db). It was reasonable in terms of electricity consumption as well, using only 0.159 kWh over the course of 24 hours on auto mode. By comparison, the Levoit Core 300 required 0.7 kWh over the same period.
Ease of use: This air purifier is very easy to use with one button to cycle through every setting — although the air quality indicator light is less than obvious with a blue light meaning good, and red meaning bad, and orange somewhere in between. Changing the filters couldn’t be more simple either, just remove the top of the device via the buttons on each side. Changing the filter is one of the 7 ways to get more out of your air purifier.
Value for money: At around $300, this air purifier isn’t the cheapest, but it’s also not the most expensive. The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH by comparison is $200, while the Blueair HealthProtect 7470i will set you back over $450. Replacement filters are $70 though, which is pricey.
Read the full Blueair Blue Pure 211+ Auto review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | At $300, this air purifier is average | ★★★☆☆ |
| Design | Offers the basics, but lacks extra features | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Top of the class | ★★★★★ |
| Ease of use | Straightforward and user friendly | ★★★★★ |
Best value
✅ You want a compact design: This air purifier features a compact design which is ideal for smaller spaces. Measuring 19 x 10 x 10 inches and weighing 11.6 pounds, it’s portable and easy to store as well.
✅ You want value for money: Priced at $149, this air purifier offers excellent value for money. And, it's very energy-efficient. However, replacement filters are a somewhat pricey $49.
❌ You need something to suit a large room: Despite its name, this air purifier works best in rooms up to 320 sq. ft., so it’s likely unsuitable for larger bedrooms or living rooms.
❌ You want to control it remotely: To cut some corners, this model does not come with a remote control or smart home connectivity, but Clorox offers higher-priced models with these features.
The Clorox Large Room True HEPA Air Purifier is the answer if you need an air purifier at an affordable price. While its CADR readings aren’t as high as others on the list, it’s still more than capable of adequately cleaning up to 320 sq. ft. Plus it offers all of the settings you need, including an auto function.
What you need to know
The Clorox Large Room True HEPA Air Purifier offers a small and effective design, measuring 19 x 10 x 10 inches while suiting rooms up to 320 sq ft. It has a neat and pleasing appearance — looking somewhat like a large battery with a fitted pre-filter skirt and a single button on top.
Design: We liked the Clorox's simple, plain design. On the top is a touchscreen that lets you control all of its functions, and clear indicators for fan settings, automatic operation as well as the current particulate level. A vertical LED bar shows the level of 2.5-micron particulates per cubic meter with six different color-coded levels; green is safe, while maroon means you should probably leave the room. It also has a timer for automatically turning it off, and if the unit is tipped over by a pet or small child, it automatically turns off.
Performance
| Smoke CADR | Dust CADR | Pollen CADR |
| 206 | 219 | 232 |
The Clorox's CADRs of 206, 219 and 232 across smoke, dust and pollen make it well-suited for medium- to largish-sized rooms up to 320 square feet. At its lowest setting, I also found this air purifier to be quiet (41 dB), but it rose to an annoying 58.7 dB at its highest setting. It is very energy-efficient, though, using just 3.6 watts of energy at its lowest setting.
| Noise (low) | Noise (high) | Power use (kWh) |
| 41 dB | 58.7 dB | 0.036 kWh |
Ease of use: With a touchscreen to control everything, ease of use couldn’t be more obvious. The only thing really missing is a remote control, which would have been handy. The filters are easy to switch out when needed though.
Value for money: This air purifier costs just $149, which makes it pretty great value — although keep in mind filters cost $49, so replacing them could add up over time.
Read the full Clorox Large Room True HEPA Air Purifier review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Good value up front and in energy costs | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Plenty of settings | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Capable in a smaller space | ★★★★☆ |
| Ease of use | Straightforward with easy-to-read controls | ★★★★☆ |
Most energy efficient
✅ You care about energy consumption: The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH had the best energy score of all those tested, at just 0.082 kWh over 24 hours. This equates to a cost of just over $3 a year depending on your provider.
✅ You’re stricken for space: With a footprint of just 16.8 x 18.3 x 9.6 inches, this is a compact design which won't take up too much floor space. It has a thin and square build.
✅ You want adequate settings: While it’s a compact design, it’s not lacking in settings. An auto mode is included, so it will self-adjust the fan speed depending on the conditions of the room, and it comes with an eco mode which lets it power off when not required.
❌ You want to move it around: While the design is indeed compact, it’s still plenty heavy enough at 12.3 pounds. The Blueaur Blue Pure 411 Auto weighs just 8.3 pounds by comparison.
❌ You want peace and quiet: This was a noisy air purifier compared to others I tested, measuring 36.8dB on its quietest fan speed and 58.3dB at its loudest. So this isn’t one to get if you intend to work in the background.
❌ You care about costs: While the air purifier itself doesn’t cost a huge amount, the replacement filters will set you back $40 at a time. That’s about 20% of the initial cost.
There’s no denying how much the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH looks like an iPod Shuffle, but if you don’t mind that outdated Apple aesthetic, it’s a great air purifier. It offers an adequate CADR, comes with plenty of settings and uses minimal energy. Just keep in mind that it’s a little noisy and that replacement filters aren't cheap.
What you need to know
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH offers a smaller footprint than those listed so far, measuring 16.8 x 18.3 x 9.6 inches. Don’t mistake this for meaning it’s more portable though, as it still weighs 12.3 pounds — this isn’t easy to lug around despite the included handle. While compact, it will suit rooms of up to 384 sq ft. For me, it's appearance is more in keeping with a hotel or office versus a modern home, but it's performance is worth considering.
Design: There are five different fan speed options to choose from, including useful auto and eco modes. While auto mode allows it to automatically adjust its fan speed depending on the current quality of air, eco mode will switch it to standby if it senses no change in the conditions of the air for a period of time. There’s also a specialized Ionizer option on top, which will disperse negative ions to improve the quality of the air it filters. In addition, there’s a timer for one, four and eight hours, and an indicator to change the carbon and HEPA filters. Lastly, an indicator light shows the current quality of the air. There’s no night mode, but you can dim the lights by holding down the Ionizer button.
Performance:
| Smoke CADR | Dust CADR | Pollen CADR |
| 247.5 | 232.3 | 241.3 |
It achieved a CADR of 247.5, 232.3, 241.3, with a similar performance across smoke, dust and pollen. While this is a little lower than those mentioned above, it’s worth accounting for the size difference, which is why this air purifier features so high on the list.
| Noise (low) | Noise (high) | Power use (kWh) |
| 36.8 dB | 58.3 dB | 0.082 kWh |
It was also top of the class for energy consumption, requiring just 0.082 kWh over 24 hours. Taking account of the eco setting as well, air purifiers won’t get much greener. Where it falls down however is noise — it produced 36.8dB on the lowest setting and 58.3dB on its highest, which is pretty surprising considering the size. Having said that, a colleague bought this air purifier for her allergies — and it’s changed her life.
Ease of use: It’s very straightforward to set up and operate, with the buttons on the control panel clearly labeled and responsive. This air purifier makes cheery beeps and chimes as you operate it too, which I found comforting. It’s compact enough to hide it out of sight when required.
Value for money: The air purifier itself will set you back $170 up front, which isn’t bad. Running it will be equally cheap with a very low energy consumption. However, the replacement filters do cost $40 a pop, and will need changing every six months to a year. So this is worth bearing in mind.
Read the full review: Coway Airmega AP-1512HH
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Good price up front, but expensive filters | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Plenty of settings, but heavy | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | Good considering the compact design | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | Very straightforward | ★★★★★ |