Air purifiers are designed to improve indoor air quality by removing air contaminants and pollutants. But the best units can do more. Unfortunately, finding and picking the best air purifier can be challenging with the numerous options available.
This guide has listed some of the best-reviewed and tested air purifiers on the market. Find out which models should make your top list of options and what features they offer. With this guide, you will also learn how to choose the most suitable purifier for your specific needs.
7 Best Air Purifier Picks This 2024
1. Best Overall: Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max
The Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max has a signature super-quiet HEPA filter that can easily remove smoke and particles from the air. Compared to its predecessor, the 311 Auto, the 311i Max has a re-engineered motor with a larger and less dense filter. It also comes with a removable and washable fabric pre-filter, making its maintenance easy.
In terms of control, the 311i Max can be remotely controlled using the Blueair app. It’s an intuitive mobile application that you can use to adjust the device’s fan level and LED brightness. You can also schedule it so it cleans the air before you get home.
Specifications:
- Dimensions (DxWxH): 12.5” x 12.5” x 19”
- Area Coverage: up to 929 square feet
- Min and Max Noise Level: 23 to 50 dB
What’s Great About It:
- It’s ideal for a baby’s bedroom due to its quiet performance
- It has a geo-fencing feature for automation
- Excellent particle filtering
- It has five modes: auto, night, 1, 2, and 3
- Available in different colors
2. Best Value: Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier
The Winix 5500-2 is a budget-friendly, top-notch air purifier. Its users have reported how it works well for chemical and particle removal, especially smoke particles. This is mainly because it uses a combination of filters: washable pre-filters, a HEPA filter, and a carbon filter.
Additionally, this unit comes with automatic features like an air sensor. These allow it to adjust its performance to match the air quality. It even has a light sensor that dims the control for sleep mode after dark.
Specifications:
- Dimensions (DxWxH): 7.8” x 14” x 23.6”
- Area Coverage: 360 square feet
- Min and Max Noise Level: 27 to 57 dB
What’s Great About It:
- Sleek black design and look
- Easy to use and change filters
- Low filter replacement costs
3. Best for Smoke: Airpura T600 Tobacco Smoke Air Purifier
The Airpura T600 is made specifically to tackle tobacco smoke. It's got this special pre-filter called TarBarrier that grabs onto chemicals and gases found in tobacco smoke, such as toluene, benzene, formaldehyde, and more. You can use it not only in your house but also in spots where people smoke a bunch, like waiting rooms, restaurants, and designated smoking areas.
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 23” x 15”
- Area Coverage: up to 2000 square feet
- Min and Max Noise Level: 32.4 to 61.9 dB
What’s Great About It:
- It has a deep carbon bed that can absorb 26 lbs. of tobacco smoke particles
- It can be used for large areas
- Available in different colors
- It uses a combination of filters
4. Best for Odors/Pets: Sunheat Mountainaire MA-4000 Air Purifier
The Sunheat Mountainaire MA-4000 features a six-stage purifier system. This system works in a few ways. This includes HEPA filtration, ionization, ozone generation, and photo-catalytic oxidation. Because of these processes, it's good at getting rid of different smells, like ones from pets, cooking, and even tobacco.
One of the notable features of this purifier is its design—it looks like a speaker. This makes it easy to place it as decor in any room. Plus, it’s portable, so you can easily move or store it anywhere.
Specifications:
- Dimensions (DxWxH): 8.25” x 10.5” x 11.75”
- Area Coverage: up to 3000 square feet (depending on fan settings)
- Min and Max Noise Level: N/A
What’s Great About It:
- It can be remotely controlled
- Washable filters
- Useable in large rooms
- It works well with bacteria, mold, mildew, and more
5. Best for Allergies: Levoit Core 300
The Levoit Core 300 is a solid choice for tackling allergies in your home. It has a HEPA filter that can catch typical allergens such as mold spores, pet dander, and pollen. With a pre-filter and activated carbon filter, it delivers top-notch results.
While it may not have fancy smart features, you can still adjust its purification system for various situations. So, no matter what you're using it for, the Levoit Core 300 is a reliable solution.
Specifications:
- Dimensions (DxWxH): 9” x 9” x 14”
- Area Coverage: 219 square feet
- Max Noise Level: 50 dB
What’s Great About It:
- Affordable
- Available in different colors
- It has a quiet sleep mode
- Filters can be used alternatively
6. Best for Large Rooms: Coway Airmega ProX Air Purifier
The Coway Airmega ProX is a powerful air purifier with its binary motor and combined filtration system. It comes with an activated carbon filter and a true HEPA filter. These allow the device to capture up to 99.99% of particles, including pollen, fumes, and other pollutants.
This device boasts a real-time air quality monitor that will keep you informed of the air quality in the room. It also has four smart modes you can choose from auto, silent, turbo, and eco.
Specifications:
- Dimensions (DxWxH): 24.3” x 18.9” x 36.6”
- Area Coverage: up to 2126 square feet
- Max Noise Level: 55 dB
What’s Great About It:
- It comes with hidden, lockable wheels for portability
- It comes with a handle for easy moving
- It has a touch-lock feature
- Automatic sleep mode
7. Best for Bedrooms: Cuisinart PuRXium Free Standing Air Purifier
For a relaxing rest and sleep, the Cuisinart PuRXium Freestanding Air Purifier is a good option. It has a four-stage purification system that intakes air on all four sides. This makes the process efficient and can improve the air in a large room easily. It has active carbon filters, HEPA filters, pre-filters, and a UV-C light.
Because of its quiet performance, you can even put it in your newborn’s or kid’s room. It also has a child safety lock, so you don’t have to worry about them messing with it.
Specifications:
- Dimensions (DxWxH): 10.5” x 10.5” x 23.25”
- Area Coverage: up to 1000 square feet
- Max Noise Level: N/A
What’s Great About It:
- It has a 12-hour timer
- Features a sleep mode and night light
- Washable and removable metal prefilters
Factors to Consider When Choosing the Right One for You
To narrow your choices, it’s important to consider the following key factors:
Room Size
Most air purifiers have recommended room sizes—the area they can cover. That’s why you need to know the size of the room where you’ll place it. Air purifiers work best if they’re used in their designed-size rooms. You can’t place a purifier with a small area of coverage in a large room. The device will work slowly, and it will have to use more power to purify the air—twice the amount it would normally use.
Noise Level
If you don’t like hearing humming, checking the noise levels of an air purifier is important. There are a lot of quiet units that usually have less than 50 decibels of maximum noise levels. For your reference, the hum of a regular refrigeration unit is around 40 dB, while a vacuum cleaner can go from 60 to 70 dB. If you plan to use it in a baby’s bedroom, opt for a lower noise level.
Filtration Types and Stages
Air purifiers can use different filtration systems, such as HEPA filters, activated carbon filters, ionizers, and UV light. Many units combine these filters—these are the “stages.” They have layers of different filters to ensure high indoor air quality. The most common combinations include activated carbon filters and HEPA filters. Air purifiers also often have washable pre-filters before these filters.
Portability
Air purifiers can either weigh like most compact electronic devices or they can weigh like most appliances. Most of the best purifiers on the market are compact and lightweight devices. But there are big and heavy ones that are designed for large areas that you can also get.
Whichever kind you want, for portability, look for features like wheels and carrying handles. This makes moving the device easier and faster.
Cost
Cost is a critical factor to consider when choosing an air purifier. You can find units that cost from $150 up to $1,000, and more. Depending on its designed area of coverage, features, and brand, the cost of an air purifier can vary. This doesn’t include the maintenance costs involved in replacing the filters. That’s why, to make it easier for you to choose, it’s best to decide on a budget.
Extra and Smart Features
Some units don't have any advanced digital features, but some of the best ones come with smart features like WiFi access and remote control. They can be connected to the internet and controlled via an app on your phone. Some units may even feature smart integration with Alexa. Some extra features to look for are timers, air quality indicators, schedules, automatic mode adjustments, and filter change indicators.
Conclusion
Right now, you can find a lot of air purifiers everywhere. But here's the deal: the right air purifier is the one that fits your needs the most. Make sure to take note of the tips discussed above and consider the list of units for your best options.
For more options, you can visit our air purifier collection. We offer a wide selection of quality units that are designed for a variety of purposes to ensure great indoor air quality.
