Best air purifiers 2024: Top 10 picks from Levoit, Dyson and more - Livescience.com
Investing in one of the best air purifiers can help you to breathe easier in the knowledge that the air you and your family are inhaling is as squeaky clean as it can get. Clean indoor air is of concern to many people, particularly those who have respiratory conditions or young children.
The sheer number of air purifier options available can feel overwhelming, so we've narrowed it down to the options that performed best under our rigorous testing protocols. We test the best air purifiers in our designated testing facility, as well as real-world settings, to ensure this round-up of the products really are at the top of their game.
If you're not sure whether or not you need an air purifier, you can skip ahead to our FAQ section at the bottom of this guide, to read through advice from doctors and the Environmental Protection Agency on the benefits of air purifiers and how they can help keep your indoor air clean.
If you're looking specifically for an air purifier for allergies, we've put together a separate guide with your needs in mind. Read on for the best all rounders
Best air purifier overall
The Levoit 400S performed best to remove airborne particles in our at-home testing, capturing at least 99.5% and up to 99.9% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size during testing.
Its sleek and stylish cylinder shape with a neutral colorway makes it an easy addition to any room, whatever the décor, while a color-coded display gives users a great visual on air quality at any given moment.
The air purifier is light and features indented handles at either side, which we found made it easy to move it from room to room.
A companion app that users can download gives useful data on air quality and allows users to schedule and time the air purifier to fit round a busy family schedule. Unfortunately, for all its great functionality, the VeSync app wasn't always reliable for us. During the course of our testing, we had to uninstall and reinstall the app twice when it crashed.
The quietest setting on the Levoit 400S is barely discernible, while the most powerful setting still clocks in at just 52 decibels.
Stylish, quietly powerful, and with an intuitive, easy-to-use Smart interface, the Levoit 400S is our top pick of air purifiers. It could be the ideal appliance for you if you're looking for an effective air purifier that's big on performance but doesn't blow the budget.
- Read our full Levoit 400S review
Best budget air purifier
Small enough for any desktop or shelf, the Levoit H132's compact size and low price makes it the ideal air purifier for someone looking to try their first air purifier at home. If you have a small apartment, or you simply want to use an air purifier in one room only, then this might be the product for you.
The Levoit H132 might lack the wow–factor of more stylish purifiers. However, what it lacks in style, it certainly delivers in sheer affordability. Available for under $100, this is definitely one of the best air purifiers for those on a budget.
While this particular air purifier might lack the HEPA filter that gives premium air purifiers their mark of quality, it does come with an in-built dimmable nightlight, making it an ideal air purifier for a nursery or child's bedroom. While it's not possible to pre-program the unit, a memory function means that previous fan settings are logged before it powers down.
Unfortunately, the Levoit H132 didn't quite live up to expectations when it came to testing how well it absorbed particles, consistently falling some way below the 99.97% expected from a device with an H13 HEPA filter. However, running the purifier for longer periods may yield better results.
The Levoit H132 may not have all the bells and whistles of a smart air purifier, but its affordability and compact size makes it the ideal entry-level indoor air purifier that performs well in small to medium-sized rooms.
- Read our full Levoit H132 review
Best air purifier for cooling
The Dyson Purifier Cool is one of the most stylish air purifiers on the market. Its unusual design marks it out as a talking point in any room, while simple but genius extras, such as a magnetic remote control, take it a step up from your average air purifier.
The purifier also doubles up as a fan in hotter weather, although this isn't as powerful as some users would like. Users can activate, schedule and monitor their purifier via the Dyson app, allowing them to set fan speed, timers and check air quality whether they're home or away.
A clever LCD display flicks between icons that show air quality data in real time, while an auto-mode senses air particles and adjusts fan settings to suit.
We burned a series of matches to test how well the purifier captures particles. At a level 6 setting, we found that the purifier removed 98% of particles smaller than 0.3 microns, 72% of particles smaller than 2.5 microns and 73% of particles measuring smaller than 10 microns. At a level 10 setting, we found that the purifier captured 95% of particles smaller than 0.3 microns, 96% of particles smaller than 2.5 microns, and almost 100% of particles measuring smaller than 10 microns.
Based on these limited tests, our results weren't consistent enough to support Dyson's claim that it can remove 99.95% of particles. However, it still performed well, often capturing more than 95% of monitored particles when used at its highest setting for at least 30 minutes.
The Dyson Purifier Cool's high price tag may be too expensive to suit everyone's budget, but its stylish, sleek design and smart, connected functionality is impressive.
- Read our full Dyson Purifier Cool review
Best air purifier for large spaces
The Blue Pure 221 is designed to cover areas of up to 600 square feet, making it an excellent choice for homes with larger rooms or office spaces. With three power settings operated with a one-touch button, simplicity is the key for this purifier.
Our at-home tests found the Blue Pure 221 to be consistently better than all the other air purifiers we tested. Despite its lack of Smart technology, it out-performed purifiers at almost double the price.
We burned a series of matches to test how well the purifier absorbed particles. At a level 2 setting, we found that the purifier absorbed 99.7% of particles smaller than 0.3 microns, 99.5% of particles smaller than 2.5 microns, and 100% of particles measuring smaller than 10 microns. At a level 3 setting, we found that the purifier absorbed 99.9% of particles smaller than 0.3 microns, 99.6% of particles smaller than 2.5 microns, and 100% of particles measuring smaller than 10 microns
Some users may be put off by the unit's weight and bulk. But it's still a stylish machine that's thoughtfully designed. Plus, its customizable fabric pre–filters make it easy to pair the unit with any home's color scheme.
Our verdict? A dependable workhorse of an air purifier that puts performance above presentation. Plus, we like the fact that it's energy star certified and cheap to run.
- Read our full Blue Pure 221 review
Best air purifier with eco mode
The Coway AP 1512 is known as a standout air purifier due to its excellent value and high-quality performance. It may not be as stylish as other air purifiers in our round-up, but our testing found it to do a remarkable job of removing particles in just 30 minutes.
For an initial cost of under $300, this air purifier can offer you a four-stage filtration system, a HEPA filter and coverage of up to 361 square feet. The air purifier itself is packaged in a neat, sleek design and available in two different colors: Black and white.
This air purifier excels when it comes to dust and eradicating odors, with a pre-filter and odorization filter for reducing contaminants in the air. It's also inconspicuous when it comes to noise, making it a suitable addition to any bedroom when paired when its smaller size.
The Coway-AP-1512HH air Purifier also benefits from a built-in particle sensor. That means that you can get an idea of the air quality in your home from the color coding system on the top of the device. It'll show a blue light when the air is clean, purple to flag pollution and red for high pollution. Another clever feature of the Coway AP- 1512HH is the sensors that can adjust the fan speed to keep the air clean, so that you don't have to mess with the settings.
We particularly liked the Eco mode on the Coway AP-512HH which worked well to power down the air purifier when air pollution was low, saving energy and money. Our tester also found the auto mode worked well to toggle between fan settings depending on indoor air quality.
The Coway AP-1512HH is an air purifier suited to rooms up to 361 square feet, making it suitable for smaller spaces and bedrooms. If you need something for a larger room, then you might want to look elsewhere.
- Read our full Coway AP-1512HH review
Best air purifier for small spaces
Light and compact, the KOIOS EPI810 is the smallest air purifier we've reviewed. It will sit comfortably on any office desk or shelf and its 2.5lb weight makes it light enough to take travelling.
The purifier can operate from a mains socket or via USB, while a simple one-click button control makes it one of the easiest air purifiers to operate straight out of the box. A built-in night light makes it a good choice for a nursery or kids' room.
Our at-home incense smoke test evaluated how well the purifier performed after burning five incense cones simultaneously and found mixed results. While the KOIOS EPI810 absorbed an impressive 99% of particles measuring 10 microns, it only absorbed 52% of particles smaller than 2.5 microns
While it doesn't have the wow factor when it comes to design, or the sophistication of a smart, connected air purifier, the KOIOS EPI810 may work well if you want something easy to operate. However, a noisy higher setting and a lacklustre performance in our at-home tests may put some users off.
- Read our full KOIOS EP1810 review
Best tower air purifier
Despite its basic settings, the HoMedics TotalClean Deluxe 5-in-1 is a good value air purifier that's efficient, easy to set up and intuitive to use — all while taking up little space within your home or office.
HoMedics TotalClean Deluxe 5-in-1 is a tower air purifier equipped with UV-C technology and a 360-degree true HEPA filter. According to the manufacturer's claims, this piece of equipment can remove up to 99.9% of harmful microbes, mold, fungi and airborne allergens. And thanks to its pre-filter and additional carbon filter, it can also be effective at getting rid of lingering odors, pet hair and volatile organic compounds — all for less than $250 per unit.
The HoMedics TotalClean Deluxe 5-in-1 air purifier was clearly designed to perform, no matter the circumstances. This piece of equipment comes with UV-C technology and an ionizer, which, according to the manufacturer claims, can effectively kill most bacteria, viruses, molds and fungi. It also contains several different filters to ensure no unwanted pollutants are left hanging in the air.
In our tests, the HoMedics TotalClean Deluxe 5-in-1 demonstrated really good performance in several different circumstances, particularly in relation to small and medium-sized particles. In fact, in our match smoke test it removed 88.5% of 0.3 nano particles on the highest setting after just 30 minutes.
- Read our full HoMedics TotalClean Deluxe 5-in-1 Review
Best for homes with pets
The Levoit Vital 200s offers four fan speeds, three separate modes including pet, auto and sleep mode, and a connected app that allows you to control your air purifier remotely, wherever you are. It also works with Google Assistant and Alexa voice control devices.
Putting the Vital 200s through its paces in our at-home testing, we found it impressive and efficient at removing particles measuring as small as 0.3 microns. Pet dander, mold, dust and smoke were absorbed while chemicals and odors from everyday household cleaning and cooking were neutralized by the three-stage filtration system. This includes a washable pre-filter, an H13 True HEPA filter and a high-efficiency activated carbon filter.
The Vesync app is easy to use and allows users to track their real-time air quality data and historical data, revealing peaks in poor air quality over the day and taking the guesswork out of what's causing bad air quality in your home.
While the large boxy design may not be suited to users who want a sleek and stylish air purifier, or those with small rooms, the no-frills aesthetic makes the Levoir Vital 200s the perfect choice for most users. While it's not cheap, it is relatively affordable, and if you value clean indoor air quality, you won't be disappointed with its performance.
- Read our full Levoit Vital 200s review
Best aesthetic design
The Sensibo Pure air purifier boasts a sleek and modern design with a compact size that fits well on tabletops or shelves.
The user-friendly interface includes touch-sensitive controls on the top panel, seamlessly integrated into the design. An LED strip provides real-time feedback on air quality, with different colors indicating the air quality level, allowing for easy monitoring at a glance.
In terms of features, the Sensibo Pure offers a True HEPA filter for capturing airborne particles, suitable for spaces up to 1,000 square feet. It provides real-time air quality monitoring with insights and notifications through the Sensibo app, enabling remote control and scheduling. The purifier is energy-efficient, has a filter replacement indicator, and has a 2-year warranty.
While the device receives positive reviews, some users mention the noise level at high fan speeds and occasional difficulties with app connectivity as drawbacks.
The Sensibo Pure air purifier combines an appealing design with effective air purification features. However, potential buyers should consider the noise factor and ensure compatibility with their preferred device for app control.
- Read our full Sensibo Pure review
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