The Best Air Purifiers
Your home is now your work place, playground, meditation studio, dine-in restaurant, neighborhood bar, refuge, and movie theater. Point being, you're spending a lot of time in it. You may as well prevent the air inside from making you sick. Indoor air is dirty. Particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and vaporous chemicals seep in through our ventilation systems and the weatherstripping around windows. Indoor plastics, furniture, paint, and also flooring off-gas noxious fumes. An air purifier won't do much good if you're not vacuuming regularly and changing the filters in your home's HVAC system, but if you live where there's a lot of pollution or wildfires, it could help a lot.
These are our top air purifiers. We ran them, variously, in a New York City apartment, a Long Island apartment, and a Portland, Oregon, suburban home during wildfire season, in living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms. All of them provided significant anecdotal benefits, from stopping persistent coughs to helping us wake up with clearer sinuses and less raspy throats.
If you're looking for more home tips, take a peek at all of our buying guides for more.
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Updated December 2020: We added the Coway Airmega 150, Honeywell Insight HPA5300B, Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Cryptomic, and Blueair 411 Auto.
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Photograph: CowayBest for Small Rooms
Coway Airmega 200MFor sheer simplicity and affordability, the Airmega 200M will probably fit most peoples' lives, houses, and budgets. The compact, attractive device easily fits in a corner of my bedroom and is effective for spaces of up to 361 square feet. It saves energy with an included air-quality monitor that turns the machine off when no pollution is detected and automatically increases the fan speed if it detects particles.
When my dog plopped down in her dog bed, or when I cooked bacon with the bedroom door open, the Airmega 200M roared to life. You'll probably want to turn off the AQ monitor's bright light at night, though. —Adrienne So
Photograph: CowayBest for Large Rooms
Coway Airmega 400The Airmega 400 is rated to clean up to 1,560 square feet and cycles all the air in that space twice per hour, but in a room half as big, its high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters cycle the air four times per hour. From its touch controls to its color-coded air quality monitor light ring, it's intuitive to use. Changing filters is simple. Two sturdy covers are held on magnetically and come free easily, and the two filters snap in and out without a fuss. I tested the 400S, which includes Wi-Fi that lets you control it from a smartphone app. But if you don't need to control your purifier remotely, the cheaper 400 version is the way to go. —Matt Jancer
Photograph: HoneywellAn Affordable Big-Room Air Purifier
Honeywell Insight HPA5300BThis Honeywell is rated for rooms up to 500 square feet, which is on par with the other large-room air purifiers we tested. It's also very lightweight. Compared to the Blueair HealthProtect 7410i and Dyson Pure Hot+Cool, it was much easier to pick up with the built-in handle and move around. It's not lacking any parts, either. Inside it packs two HEPA-grade filters and an activated carbon prefilter, for trapping volatile organic compounds such as cooking odors. When air quality dipped inside my apartment, the Insight quickly ramped up its fan and sucked up the odors or invisible particulates. For under $300, you get a strong-performing purifier with an automatic set-it-and-forget-it mode, and unlike many bigger models, you can easily carry it from room to room when needed. —Matt Jancer
Photograph: AmazonQuietest Air Purifier
Blueair Pure 411There's an Ikea-like simplicity to the Pure 411, aesthetically and mechanically. To change the filter, you unscrew the fan component from the air filter and then pull the washable, fabric prefilter sock off the filter. There's one-touch control on the top; tap once for low power, again for medium, again for high, and again for off. That's it. No smartphone app, no display, no smart mode. It can cycle the air in a 161-square-foot room five times per hour. I slept with the Pure 411 just 2 feet away from my head, and I couldn't hear a thing when it was on low. Its quietness and narrow footprint make it ideal for small bedrooms. —Matt Jancer
Photograph: AmazonSame Silence, but Automatic
Blueair Pure 411 AutoI tested the slightly different Pure 411 Auto in my kid’s bedroom. It's a little more effective in slightly larger rooms (190 square feet). At its lowest setting, it’s remarkably quiet, but it also has an onboard sensor that automatically turns up the fan speed when it detects particles. Even if I left it at the lowest fan setting at night, it usually ratcheted up to the top fan speed by morning. I also like that it’s soft and light—I wasn’t worried about my kids running into it and knocking it over on themselves in their room. In between the Blueair and the Dyson, our babysitter noticed that ours was the only house that didn’t smell like smoke. —Adrienne So
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Photograph: DysonBest Luxury Purifier
Dyson Pure Humidify + CoolFiltering out volatile organic compounds and particulates is one way of making the air in your home safer. Adjusting it to the correct humidity is another important component, and it's often ignored. Indoor air is usually very dry, and viruses love dry air. Having the right indoor humidity inactivates viruses much faster than normal, making airborne viruses less likely to infect you.
That's why I really like Dyson's purifier (9/10, WIRED Recommends), which I tested last spring. Its almost entirely automated self-cleaning mode takes care of the worst aspect of humidifiers—keeping them mold-free. Along with its excellent air purifier performance and smart features, it's tough to beat for larger rooms. As long as you can swallow the price. –Matt Jancer
Photograph: DysonBest for All Seasons
Dyson Pure Hot+Cool CryptomicI was initially skeptical about why anyone would need to destroy formaldehyde, specifically. But formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound (VOC) and a known carcinogen in wood smoke. That became a very relevant fact when Oregon was engulfed in wildfire smoke in September 2020 with the worst air quality in the world. It is a remarkable feat to keep the indoor AQI (Air Quality Index) under 50 when it’s over 500 outside, but the Dyson somehow did it. Because it’s a heater and a cooler, I was also able to work out in my living room, and it didn't take up too much room. If I had to buy one thing this year to keep my family safe, it probably would’ve been this. —Adrienne So
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Photograph: HoneywellBest Smart Air Purifier
Honeywell Bluetooth Smart Air PurifierI have been running Honeywell's Smart Air Purifier in my children's bedroom for the past five months. It debuted several years ago, so it's easier to find on sale and can clean a room of up to 310 square feet. This is a great price for a very quiet, HEPA-certified purifier with this capacity, even if it's not as slick-looking as some of our other picks.
It's extremely easy to use—even my 4-year-old can pop off the cover and replace the air filter inside. The app is a little ancient-looking, and the Bluetooth connection sometimes dropped in and out, but it is useful. Not only can you set schedules, different cleaning levels, and check when you need to replace your filters, but you can also set allergen and proximity alerts. If allergen levels are too high in your area, or if your phone comes into Bluetooth range, your purifier will kick on automatically. —Adrienne So
Photograph: CowayAn Attractive Option (for Small Rooms)
Coway Airmega 150When I moved into a carpeted apartment, my allergies to my two cats skyrocketed. It went from being controllable via daily allergy medication to a nonstop stuffy nose. Frequent cleaning didn't help. But then I set up the Coway 150 and things started to look up. The 150 is ultra-quiet, and the color-coded air monitor light and touch controls are intuitive. There's also a light that indicates when it's time to change the deodorization or HEPA filter. The third prefilter is washable.
It's made for small spaces up to 214 square feet. My apartment is bigger than that, yet leaving it in the living room has still managed to improve the air quality throughout all the rooms. It's pricey for its size (our top Coway pick is a better bang for your buck), but if you want something that looks pretty too, go with this. It looks smart, and I love the sage green color. —Medea Giordano
Photograph: WyndBest Purifier + Sensor Combo
Wynd Halo & Max BundleThe best spot to park an air purifier is near the center of the room, but because homes come in all kinds of funny shapes and layouts, that's not always possible. Wynd's bundle splits up the air purifier and the air quality monitor. You position the orange-sized Halo air quality monitor anywhere in the same room, and the Max air purifier—equipped with HEPA filters and rated by Wynd to cover 1,200 square feet—varies its filtering power based on the data received from the Halo. It's a smart, set-it-and-forget-it combination. Like most of the air purifiers on our list, it includes Wi-Fi connectivity and an app that lets you set schedules, monitor air quality, and turn it on and off remotely. —Matt Jancer
Photograph: WyndBest for Travel
Wynd PlusYou're probably not traveling much right now, but let's be optimistic! About the size of a water bottle, the Wynd Plus is one of the smallest air purifiers on the market. It's not a HEPA filter, but it can clean all particles greater than 0.3 microns, which includes auto emissions and most wood smoke, in about a 3-foot span. It also comes with its own air quality sensor, a microfiber traveling bag, and a small kickstand to prop it upright.
I brought it on vacation with my family when statewide wildfires threatened to halt our summer trip in 2019. It was easy to set up on the nightstand next to my two young kids to keep their lungs from getting irritated. It also fits perfectly in a cup holder if you're driving through the aftereffects of a fire. —Adrienne So
Photograph: BlueairPricey but Good
Blueair Classic 480iBlueair's Classic 480i can purify rooms of up to 484 square feet. It's Wi-Fi-enabled, and you can check its built-in air quality sensor on the clean, simple Blueair Friend app. It's so quiet I had to check the app to see if it was turned on, and it uses about as much power as a lightbulb. However, it's expensive, awkward to position, and bulky. —Adrienne So
Photograph: AmazonHow to Check Your Air Quality
A Note on Air Quality MonitorsMany large states and cities are required to report the local outdoor Air Quality Index (AQI), which was established by the Environmental Protection Agency and measures the concentrations of major air pollutants, like ground ozone and carbon monoxide, that are regulated by the Clean Air Act. You can keep track of the local AQI by downloading Wynd's app, Air Bubbles (iOS, Android).
To check if your indoor air quality stacks up, consumer monitors like the Temtop M10 and Awair Glow also measure carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity in addition to pollutants and particulate matter. The M10 also measures formaldehyde, a noxious chemical that off-gasses from common household items, such as particleboard furniture and some foam mattresses.
Photograph: CowayDo You Need a Smart Purifier?
A Few PointersIf you run your air purifier constantly, you probably don't need Wi-Fi connectivity, which could save you a hundred bucks or so. A few of our favorite purifiers, like the Coway Airmega 200M, have a smart mode that monitors your air quality periodically, switching on more power when pollutant levels rise and switching back to a low-power eco mode when air quality is good. However, if you are frequently turning your purifier on and off depending on external stimuli (sunny day or your city is on fire), remote connectivity might make sense to you.
Check the room-capacity ratings on our picks. Manufacturers rate their purifiers by square footage, but they use different yardsticks to come up with their ratings. One may rate their air purifiers' coverage based on two air changes per hour (ACH), or how many times the purifier can cycle through all the air in a room, while another may rate theirs based on five ACH. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recommends a minimum of about three ACH for residential buildings. You'll likely end up needing more than one purifier. Even if doors are open, thresholds act as soft barriers. One larger air purifier for your main living space and one smaller one for your bedroom is a good setup.