Compare Our Picks
Others We Tested
Mila Air 3 Critter Cuddler for $399: Mila makes 7 bespoke filters that are designed specifically for moms-to-be, allergies, pet owners, etc. Add Mila’s built-in sensor and easy-to-use app dashboard, on pinch its wooden-legged modern container design, and nan Mila is an contiguous favorite. The much I screen aerial purifiers, nan much go large to spell quiet comes to mind. Smaller models thin to tally large connected their highest settings. The Mila was not arsenic quiet arsenic I hoped. At afloat blast, nan Mila deed 70 decibels connected my user decibel reader. And astatine 447 CADR m3/hr, nan Mila would do nicely successful nan mean American 200-square-foot bedroom. You could tally nan Mila astatine its highest setting for CDC’s recommended 5 aerial exchanges an hr successful a 400-square-foot room, but that is rather noisy. I ran nan Mila successful my sons’ 200-square-foot bedroom, and its car mounting adjusted correctly to nan room’s aerial quality. And while Mila gets its outdoor AQI (air value index) from PurpleAir, it couldn’t look to find my PurpleAir outdoor monitor.
Dreo Air Purifier Tower Fan for $330: Like its competitor nan Dyson, above, this Dreo offers 99.97 percent HEPA filtration and an aerial value sensor. It besides has power capacity done a remote, nan Dreo app, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. It’s nan instrumentality I usage successful my son's bedroom, arsenic I for illustration that nan instrumentality and purifier tin run independently of each other. The 12-month warranty isn’t arsenic awesome arsenic Dyson's, but astatine $130 less, nan Dreo is decidedly worthy a look. —Kat Merck
Briiv 2 Pro Air Filter for £399: There are large claims successful Briiv’s 2 Pro Air Filter’s mini package. At 2.5 pounds, nan Briiv 2 Pro Air Filter is nan smallest aerial purifier I’ve tested, though it’s acold from nan cheapest. The institution claims that 1 Briiv equals nan oddly circumstantial 3,043 houseplants, and that it uses AI-powered aerial value sensors. I don’t usually reappraisal units that are not CARB-certified (California Air Resources Board), but I was intrigued by nan Briiv. That said, nan existent abstraction nan Briiv 2 Pro tin cleanable is highly small. I entered nan dimensions of my eating room into nan Briiv’s website room calculator, and astatine 20 feet agelong by 11 feet wide pinch 9-foot ceilings, nan room calculator summed up that I would request 2 Briivs to efficaciously cleanable my eating room. The calculator seems to contradict Briiv’s declare that nan Briiv 2 will efficaciously amended nan aerial value successful a 794-square-foot surviving abstraction successful conscionable 11 minutes. I presently person nan Briiv 2 successful my kitchen, and nan first clip its parameter ray went reddish owed to my cooking, I couldn’t get nan instrumentality to activate. I ended up turning it to afloat blast done Briiv’s somewhat clunky app. I played astir pinch nan app, and since then, my Briiv’s instrumentality auto-adjusts to bad aerial without needing my help. It besides looks very cool.

Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Puroair 240 HEPA Air Purifier for $159: At nether 9 inches tall, nan Puroair 240 is tiny. And for illustration truthful galore of nan smaller tabletop models, it’s besides loud. It mightiness beryllium effective successful a mini space, opportunity a room astir 100 to 150 quadrate feet. And for illustration astir of nan units we reappraisal astatine WIRED, it’s California Air Resources Board Certified aliases CARB-certified. I recovered its select size excessively mini to efficaciously cleanable an average-sized room. And while I still reappraisal smaller aerial purifiers, location are larger and quieter models connected nan marketplace for comparatively nan aforesaid costs that person greater aerial exchanges successful a larger-sized room. The Puroair’s parameter ray is adjusted by nan 240’s soul sensor and is greenish for acceptable, yellowish for moderate, and reddish for mediocre aerial quality. At times I recovered nan bladed sliver of nan indicator’s ray difficult to see. The 240 has car aliases manual mode, a timer, kid lock, and select replacement light. It besides has a three-stage filter, including nan tightly woven HEPA 14, activated carbon, and prefilter. Lastly, nan 240’s achromatic integrative attracted a noticeable magnitude of fingerprints.
Dyson Purifier Cool Gen 1 for $480: This is 1 of 4 Dyson purifiers I've tested complete nan years, and I proceed to person a love/hate narration pinch them. I respect nan creation and built-in aerial value sensor, but location ever seems to beryllium thing I don’t for illustration pinch each model. Sometimes I’m not capable to get a replacement remote, arsenic Dyson moves connected to caller models astatine breakneck speed, and I’ve ne'er really utilized nan magnetic spot atop nan select to remainder nan remote. This clip I was amazed that nan Cool Gen1 wasn’t Dyson app compatible. I had to usage nan distant to set nan instrumentality speed. On nan positive side, I do for illustration nan measurement nan instrumentality works, but this isn’t an oscillating instrumentality successful nan accepted sense. Instead, nan Cool Gen 1 TP10 has aerial rustle retired of nan sides of nan agelong upright oval, and it shifts direction, aiming nan cool aerial backmost and distant successful a room.
Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde for $1,000: Dyson’s Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde reminds maine of those 3-in-1 appliances that are an amalgam of a toaster, java maker, and ovum cooker each successful one. But if you’re going for an aerial purifier that removes gases, past I would opt for 1 that removes formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. My reappraisal portion was ne'er capable to oscillate, but it’s expected to. (I tried troubleshooting done nan manual, but nan much features an point has, nan much that tin spell wrong.) It has a two-year warranty, which seems short. This exemplary besides came pinch 3 packets of humidifier descaler, which is simply a plus, because buying citric acerb powder isn’t ever easy to find successful nan store.
Levoit Core 300s for $150: The Levoit 300S cycles nan aerial 5 times per hr successful spaces up to 219 quadrate feet, truthful it's awesome for bedrooms, surviving rooms, and kitchens. It's marketed arsenic a tabletop aerial purifier, but astatine almost 9 inches across, it's connected nan larger side, truthful I kept it connected my surviving room floor. It's easy to transportation astir from room to room, though. It besides packs a prefilter, an activated c filter, and a select that captures 99.99 percent of germs and mold. On apical are intelligibly branded touch controls and an parameter ray that changes colour depending connected nan aerial quality. We do statement present that owed to a situation by competitor Dyson, VeSync removed nan HEPA claims from its advertising. However, nan purifier still useful successful our testing.

Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Vewior HQSC-50 for $59: This exemplary uses some HEPA and an activated c select to seizure PM 2.5 and VOCs (volatile integrated compounds). And depending connected your needs, you tin acquisition 1 of Vewior’s civilization filters: pet, other VOCs, aliases smoke. At nether 2.5 pounds, nan Vewior has a astonishing number of features on pinch its easy-to-use power panel: select replacement light, timer (a characteristic that is mislaid connected me), and 3 instrumentality speeds, including an almost ineffective slumber mode. And while nan Vewior has a built-in sensor for PM2.5 on pinch an easy-to-read LED display, it does not person an car mode. So depending connected nan PM 2.5 number, instrumentality speeds request to beryllium adjusted manually. While nan desktop Vewior claims it tin speech nan aerial 5 times per hr successful a 600 quadrate ft room, I americium highly skeptical of that claim. Vewior has a cylindrical soul filter, akin to Coway’s Airmega 50, but it's respective inches shorter than nan Airmega. I fishy it tin only do 5 aerial exchanges an hr successful a abstraction smaller than 100 quadrate feet. That said, nan Vewior has an basal lipid tray aromatherapy diffuser for those who want fragrance without nan antagonistic impacts of aerial fresheners that whitethorn incorporate cancer-causing chemicals for illustration phthalates.
Coway Airmega 250 for $369: The Airmega 250 has a decently ample footprint, but it’s rated to cleanable a 930-square-foot room doubly an hour. That’s why I put it smack dab successful nan mediate of nan first level of my location to cleanable nan aerial successful my room and surviving room. Every clip we cook, nan smart aerial purifier mode automatically detects unhealthy particles successful nan aerial and ratchets up nan fan’s power. It besides precocious did this erstwhile I had personification spot immoderate drywall successful my mudroom. (This mode useful pinch nan thief of a PM10 and PM2.5 particle sensor.) The instrumentality astatine its highest mounting isn’t that loud—I measured it astatine 60 decibels opinionated correct successful beforehand of it. There’s a Sleep mode if you want it silent. You get nan accustomed controls, for illustration timer functionality and replacement indicators for nan filter. Speaking of, nan Airmega 250 uses a existent HEPA select that needs to beryllium replaced erstwhile each six to 12 months. This, mixed pinch nan washable prefilter that you should beryllium keeping cleanable each 2 weeks and nan activated c filter, allows nan aerial purifier to region 99.999 percent of ultrafine particles down to 0.01 microns, aliases truthful Coway says. It’s ace easy to region these filters to cleanable and switch them out. The full strategy is astir 21 pounds, truthful you tin move it astir reasonably easily. Coway offers a three-year warranty. The Coway AirMega 250S is nan aforesaid exemplary but pinch Wi-Fi functionality, truthful you tin power it via an app and spot much details. The past point I request is different app, but possibly you don’t mind. —Julian Chokkattu
Shark NeverChange Air Purifier Max for $380: Standing astatine conscionable nether 2 feet tall, nan NeverChange Max tin beryllium placed arsenic adjacent arsenic 3 inches from a wall, making it a bully fresh for crowded spaces. It besides has an aerial speech of astir 5 times per hr successful a 216-foot space. The Max has a HEPA select to seizure good particles successful nan aerial on pinch an activated c select to trap odors and gasses, arsenic good arsenic Shark's ain “Odor Neutralizer Technology”—a mini cartridge that's filled pinch an Ocean Breeze “fragrance pod.” It looked for illustration coagulated perfume, but nan scent reminded maine much of an interstate work area than nan beach. When I moved nan Max adjacent to my cats’ litter container and turned it connected to nan highest setting, it free nan room of immoderate feline odor successful little than a minute. It works. The Max touts that its proprietor tin prevention $300 successful select costs successful nan first 5 years, arsenic Shark's select lasts 10 times longer than immoderate different filters. Reading nan good print, this is only existent erstwhile nan Max is utilized successful 300-square-foot room. I’ve written astir bespoke aerial scores successful air monitors, and I person nan aforesaid rumor present pinch Shark’s aerial value grades. The Max isn’t smart-home compatible, nor does it person an app aliases distant control. And astatine astir $300, nan Max only has a two-year warranty. Still, because of its easy setup, debased maintenance, expertise to run truthful adjacent to nan wall, and perchance useful odor neutralizer technology, it's cleanable for a dorm room.
Shark NeverChange Air Purifier for $250: A batch of what was existent for nan Shark NeverChange Air Purifier Max is existent for nan line’s smaller NeverChange. It has an aerial speech of astir 5 times per hr successful a 130-square-foot space. And while I couldn’t find a seal from nan Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, aliases AHAM, connected nan NeverChange, it meets nan standards for measuring nan cleanable aerial transportation rate, aliases CADR, for a room that size, for illustration a bath aliases laundry room. And it’s successful those rooms that feline owners often tuck distant their odor-causing litter boxes. And for illustration nan Max, nan NeverChange uses a HEPA select to seizure good particles on pinch an activated c select to trap odors and gases. I tested nan matte achromatic decorativeness that didn’t cod pet hairsbreadth and was impervious to fingerprints. The NeverChange besides has “Odor Neutralizer Technology,” a mini cartridge that is filled pinch a “fragrance pod.” Like nan Max, NeverChange touts nan aforesaid costs savings successful only replacing nan select each 5 years. In nan good print, those savings are only existent erstwhile nan NeverChange is utilized successful 135-square-foot room, again nan size of a ample bath aliases laundry room. Still, because of its mini size, its expertise to run truthful adjacent to nan wall, and nan anticipation of useful odor-neutralizer technology, I would urge it to each my chap feline ladies and feline gentlemen.

Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Oransi AirMend True Carbon for $350: While different AirMend models are made for HEPA filters, nan True Carbon doesn’t person a HEPA. Instead, it has a 3-pound activated c filter. There's a distant but nary soul sensor, truthful raising nan instrumentality velocity is simply a manual operation. It took a fewer tries utilizing nan remote, arsenic location is simply a mini lag clip arsenic nan instrumentality adjusts to different speeds. I appreciated nan magnetic distant holder connected nan apical of nan purifier. It’s quiet connected astir settings and has an easy-to-miss minimalist design, blending into astir spaces. The True Carbon is for those that request superior odor removal. I placed nan True Carbon adjacent to my 2 cats’ heavy trafficked litter container and wrong half hr it eliminated nan smell. I knew it was moving erstwhile my boy couldn’t observe an odor. I could spot nan True Carbon being an basal appliance for smoker households, kitchens that clasp smells, aliases feline owners. It’s amazingly effective, but this is for VOCs and odors. The True Carbon is HEPA-less—it cannot seizure good particulates from nan air. What you summation pinch a supersized activated c filter, you suffer successful modular aerial purifying expertise specified arsenic removing PM2.5. That mightiness beryllium good for your needs. Oransi besides makes a wall mount and useful travel bag sold separately.
PurOxygen P500i for $170: This instrumentality cleans nan aerial of a smaller-than-average-sized room, and its easy-to-read display, app compatibility, broadside handles, and unsocial all-in-one select make it easy to like. I usually enactment distant from small-room aerial purifiers owed to their large sound and less-than-ideal air-cleaning power. And while astatine its highest setting, nan P500i reaches up to 50 decibels, it operates softly astatine little speeds and tin efficaciously cleanable nan aerial successful a location agency aliases a room smaller than 200 quadrate feet. The purOxygen utilizes a mixed select that has a prefilter that tin beryllium un-velcroed and manus washed, an activated carbon, a HEPA 13, on pinch a acold catalyst filter. A acold catalyst, besides known arsenic nan debased somesthesia catalyst filtration, tin origin a chemic guidance that tin break down gases, for illustration VOCs, and person them to little harmful substances. And while nan P5001 is California Air Resources Board aliases CARB-vertified arsenic a mechanical aerial purifier, nan EPA does not urge catalysts owed to their constricted effectiveness.
Coway Airmega IconS for $520: Coway continues to make immoderate of nan prettier aerial purifiers, arsenic you mightiness person noticed successful this guide, and that continues pinch nan Airmega IconS. It looks for illustration an extremity table, and truthful I support it correct adjacent to my couch. The prima of nan show is nan Qi wireless charging pad, truthful erstwhile I beryllium down, I conscionable plop my telephone correct connected nan instrumentality to fto it recharge. Any telephone pinch wireless charging support should work, though you whitethorn request to return your telephone lawsuit off. Like each Coways, it’s powerful—it cleans nan aerial successful spaces up to 649 quadrate feet—easy to control, and elemental to clean. This type is Wi-Fi enabled and voice-controlled. —Medea Giordano

Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Dreame Air Pursue PM20 for $720: This purifier promised to redefine aerial value management, “with innovative quality search capabilities and precision discovery systems, delivering personalized aerial purification that adapts to each need.” The Pursue reminded maine of nan Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde BP04 successful shape, but nan Pursue is designed to travel quality movement, directing cleanable aerial successful nan user's direction. The Pursue that WIRED tested worked good astatine first, but stopped pursuing early on. While this could person been personification error, nary magnitude of clicking nan distant put it backmost into prosecute mode.
Mila Air Mini for $229: This was unluckily excessively petite to efficaciously cleanable nan rooms utilized for testing without moving it connected its loudest setting.
Shark NeverChange Air Purifier Compact Pro for $180: The latest summation to Shark's NeverChange family had nan aforesaid rumor arsenic nan Mila Air Mini, above.
Lunino K1 Air Purifier for $140: Unlike nan cylindrical air-pulling creation of Coway's Airmega 50, nan Lunino K1 brings successful aerial done its beforehand and backmost HEPA and activated c filters. It’s somewhat taller than a foot, making it nan correct size for a nightstand aliases broadside array successful a room wherever personification mightiness smoke. Unlike truthful galore of nan aerial purifiers WIRED has tested, nan Lunino has nan unsocial characteristic of 3 upwind angles adjustable via 3 louvers connected nan apical aerial outlet. This was peculiarly useful erstwhile I placed nan Lunino adjacent to my bed, arsenic I could constituent nan aerial travel supra my head. It besides has galore features not usually recovered connected inexpensive tabletop-sized aerial purifiers, specified arsenic a built-in aerial value sensor and parameter ray that glows greenish for good, orangish for moderate, and reddish for bad air. The ray dims erstwhile nan portion is successful slumber mode. Though slumber mode makes nan aerial purifier a quieter but little effective aerial cleaner. Lunino besides has a timer option, kid lock, select replacement indicator, and easy-to-use and brace app, on pinch nan must-have car mode.
Not Recommended
Ikea Starkvind for $200: Ikea’s Starkvind deed nan American marketplace successful 2021. It's stylish and comparatively inexpensive and has nan action to add connected a c filter for gases specified arsenic benzene. It tin beryllium purchased either connected its ain aliases built into a woody broadside table, but it’s worthy noting that nan Starkind took maine an hr to assemble. While it is CARB-certified, meaning it passed nan rigorous standards of nan California Air Resources Board, it does not person a HEPA filter. Thinking I had an early type made for media, I went to my section Ikea. I bought a Förnuftig, and its manual listed nan select arsenic HEPA. It’s not. We reached retired to nan company; astatine nan clip of publication, Ikea said it was still routing nan mobility to nan due team. The mobility remains: If you’re buying an aerial purifier, why not bargain a HEPA?
Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formeldahyde for $800: Dyson’s Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde reminds maine of those 3-in-1 appliances that are an amalgam of a toaster, java maker, and ovum cooker each successful one. But if you’re going for an aerial purifier that removes gases, past I would opt for 1 that removes formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. My reappraisal portion was ne'er capable to oscillate, but it’s expected to. (I tried troubleshooting done nan manual, but nan much features that an point has, nan much that tin spell wrong.) It besides has a two-year warranty, which seems short.
Morento Air Purifier for $80: This CARB-certified exemplary caught our attraction earlier this twelvemonth for its value. With a CADR of 200 cubic feet per minute, nan Morento is not only much powerful than astir others astatine its value point, it's sewage each nan features of higher-end models, including a PM2.5 sensor and ring-light indicator, positive smart capacity done nan Havaworks app. During nan testing period, however, nan instrumentality ne'er accrued velocity to compensate for higher PM2.5 levels, moreover erstwhile I burned incense successful nan room to raise nan level into nan 500s. This persisted contempt nan instrumentality being group to car mode some successful nan app and connected nan instrumentality itself, positive my cleaning nan sensor and resetting nan portion by unplugging it. Regardless, moreover if this characteristic had been moving properly, nan Morento gives a strangely wide separator for acceptable PM2.5 levels—the ringing ray parameter continued to glow greenish (“good”) up to 75 PM 2.5, which is 15 times much than the World Health Organization–recommended level of 5 micrograms per cubic meter. —Kat Merck
FAQs
How to Shop for an Air Purifier
How does a engaged shopper find nan correct size purifier for a room they want to clean? The US Centers for Disease Control recommends that 1 should purpose for five aerial exchanges per hour, successful a metric known arsenic nan ACH. When looking astatine an aerial purifier, look astatine nan cubic feet per infinitesimal successful airflow astatine nan lowest setting. When measuring nan cubic footage of your room, you request nan area of nan room times nan height. Imagine a one-foot cube of styrofoam. How galore cubes could you fresh into a room?
Anyone shopping for an aerial purifier besides needs to look for 2 acronyms and terms. First, look for CARB certification, which intends that that portion passed nan rigorous standards of nan California Air Resources Board. Next, cheque nan select type. Below, we break down nan differences. Also, don’t hide to unwrap your filter! There’s a typical benignant of scary that comes pinch realizing you’ve been moving your aerial purifier pinch a plastic-wrapped HEPA filter.
HEPA Filters: This is simply a high-efficiency particulate aerial filter that tin region astatine slightest 99.97 percent of dust, mold, pollen, bacteria, and airborne particles arsenic mini arsenic 0.3 microns. It's a awesome option for those who suffer from allergies aliases respiratory issues, since it tin thief to clear retired airborne particles that tin trigger symptoms—like sneezing, sore throat, trouble breathing, coughing, and more. It's worthy noting, however, that HEPA filters don't region volatile integrated compounds from nan aerial nan measurement activated c filters do. But these are typically paired pinch c filters.
Activated Carbon: Activated c filters (also known arsenic activated charcoal) are highly effective because they are very porous and person a ample aboveground area—allowing nan filters to sorb state pollutants, odors, and VOCs. They’re best for removing fumes, smoke, and chemicals from nan air. But these filters have to beryllium replaced much often depending connected nan environment. For example, if there’s a wildfire successful your area and nan aerial purifier is moving much intensely than usual, it’s important to switch a saturated select to debar toxic gases from being released backmost into nan air.
Washable Air Filters: A fewer of nan options we've listed successful this guideline travel pinch washable prefilters successful summation to a HEPA and/or activated c filter—which is what you'll typically find. These are nan astir cost-effective since you don't person to bargain caller ones each clip you request to switch a filter. Simply region it, scrub it pinch soap and water, and fto it dry.
UV-C Sanitizer Filters: Ultraviolet filters usage UV ray to termination viruses, parasites, mold spores, and bacteria. They can't remove airborne particles, VOCs, aliases state pollutants, truthful they're only afloat effective erstwhile mixed pinch a HEPA filter. According to nan United States Environmental Protection Agency, UV lights without due lamp coatings person nan imaginable to emit ozone. We urge checking this list from nan Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers for models that person been shown to emit small to nary ozone.
How to Check Your Air Quality
Many ample states and cities are required to study nan section outdoor Air Quality Index, which was established by nan EPA and measures nan concentrations of awesome aerial pollutants, for illustration crushed ozone and c monoxide, that are regulated by nan Clean Air Act. We for illustration AirCare (iOS, Android), but your authorities aliases region whitethorn person moreover much localized apps.
To cheque if your indoor aerial value stacks up, user monitors for illustration nan Temtop M10 ($90) and Airthings View Plus ($300) besides measurement c dioxide, temperature, and humidity, successful summation to pollutants and particulate matter. The M10 measures formaldehyde too, a noxious chemic that off-gases from communal family items, specified arsenic particleboard furnishings and immoderate foam mattresses. Need much information? Check retired our complete guide to checking your aerial quality.
How Do We Test Air Purifiers?
I haven’t lived without aerial purifiers since I started covering aerial quality backmost successful 2019. I trial them for a minimum of 4 weeks each successful either my 130-plus-year-old Brooklyn flat aliases a compartment successful Maine. I usage a state stove for cooking and person 2 cats and a dog. I do not person cardinal aerial nor an HVAC pinch MERV filters. There is nary over-stove exhaust instrumentality to region fumes to nan outside, and I usage a decibel metre to trial sound level connected high, and an aerial value show to bespeak really good and really accelerated each portion is moving to cleanable nan air.
How Does WIRED Select Air Purifiers to Review?
We look astatine celebrated models from each brands—both caller and agelong established—and astatine each value points, taking into information features, size, effectiveness, and user popularity. Samples are often provided by nan companies themselves pinch nan knowing that editorial sum is not guaranteed. WIRED does gain connection gross from purchases, but this does not facet into our editorial decisions.
What Does WIRED Do With Air Purifiers After Testing?
A fistful of apical picks are kept astir for longer-term testing, information against caller picks, and for usage successful testing auxiliary products for illustration food dehydrators and nan Plantaform indoor smart garden, but each others are donated to section organizations, including NYC nationalist schools.
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