Avoiding the smoke-filled air caused by rampant wildfires by staying indoors is all well and good, but unless your home is hermetically sealed, some of those airborne pollutants will still make their way inside your home.
If you want to ensure you’re breathing the cleanest air possible, you need to set up an air purifier. The best models can not only remove odors from the air, they can protect your health by cleansing the air of harmful vapors and particulate matter.
Why you should trust us
TechHive’s editors and contributors have been testing air purifiers for many years, and we continuously evaluate the latest hardware, along with their accompanying mobile apps. We’ve checked out the biggest air purifiers, smaller tabletop models, loud units, quiet ones, and everything in between. You can trust us to guide you to the right air purifier for your needs.
Updated February 27: 2024: We’ve added a link to our Rabbit Air MinusA2 air purifier review. There’s a lot to like about this powerful air purifier, including the choice of special-purpose filters you can buy for it and the option of replacing its monochrome front panel for one with an artistic print. But its high price tag–and equally pricey replacement filters–prevent it from being named a best pick in any of the categories below.
Our top picks for air purifiers
NuWave OxyPure Smart Air Purifier — Best for large rooms
Pros
- Four filter types remove particulate matter, including bacteria and viruses
- Simple and responsive smartphone app
- Can be controlled with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands
Cons
- This is a large and heavy appliance you won't want to move from one room to another
- Only connects to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks
- Smartphone app only duplicates the controls on the device itself
Why we like the NuWave OxyPure Smart Air Purifier
This powerful air purifier provides up to 1,200 square feet of coverage, and it will fit into your smart home ecosystem, too. It uses four types of filters to clean your air–three of which can be washed and reused–and its CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rates) of 332 to 369 cubic feet per minute are best in class. You can connect this smart appliance to your Wi-Fi network and control with voice commands, but NuWave’s smartphone app merely duplicates the touch controls on the device itself. We’d like it even better if we could program it to operate on a schedule.
Who should buy the NuWave OxyPure Smart Air Purifier
The NuWave OxyPure Smart Air Purifier is a good choice for home users looking to clean the air in their living rooms, dining rooms, or other large living areas. The OxuPure’s superior air-scrubbing power comes with a trade-off, however: a large and heavy design, which makes it a better fit for users who plan on keeping the unit in a permanent spot. It will also fit nicely in smart homes powered by either Alexa or Google Assistant.
Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max — Best for mid-sized rooms
Pros
- Lovely, versatile design, with various color options
- Long-term PM2.5 logging in the app
- Very quiet at lower fan speeds
Cons
- No countdown timer option
- Prefilter can be a struggle to remove come time to replace its filter
Why we like the Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max
Blueair’s Blue Pure Max series works well, but it looks even better. The model 311i reviewed here is ideal for medium-sized rooms up to 387 square feet, with a CADR of 250 cubic feet per minute. At lower fan speeds, this unit is exceptionally quiet, and the Blueair app can track PM2.5 pollution by the minute. Even better, the Blue Pure 311i Max comes with a fetching design, complete with earthtone prefilters in a variety of colors.
Who should buy the Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max
The tastefully designed Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max is a solid choice for home users who want an air purifier that blends in with its surroundings. This near-silent unit (when running at low speeds, anyway) would also work nicely in a bedroom, den, or any other living space that demands peace and quiet. Finally, Blueair’s straightforward app will be a boon for newcomers to the air purifier market.
Coway Airmega 150 — Best for smaller rooms
Pros
- Real-time air quality monitoring
- Simple setup
- Compact size
Cons
- No app control
- No smart home integration
Why we like the Coway Airmega 150
Coway’s Airmega 150 an ideal air purifier for modest-sized spaces. Its minimalist design blends with any decor, and it is intuitive to operate right out of the box. While it doesn’t offer app control or integrate with other smart appliances, it also doesn’t have any of the attendant connectivity and interoperability hassles. The fact that it accurately monitors and responds to changing air quality, so you’re always breathing your best, is another reason for us to give it a strong recommendation.
Who should buy the Coway Airmega 150
If you want to keep the air in your home clean without dealing with a thicket of settings or complicated controls, the Coway Airmega 150 is right up your alley. The Airmega 150 is also a great choice for apartment dwellers or those with more modest air-scrubbing needs. And if you haven’t started with Alexa or Google Assistant yet, no problem; the Airmega 150 works perfectly fine without those smart home assistants.
Wyze Air Purifier — Best for bargain hunters
Pros
- Quick installation
- Can cover a large room
- Alexa and Google Home compatibility
- Excellent app
Cons
- Loud
- Large design
- Setting adjustment aren’t implemented in real time
- Frustrating firmware upgrade
Why we like the Wyze Air Purifier
The Wyze Air Purifier may be big and loud, but it’s also powerful and affordable. Compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant, the Wyze Air Purifier works with the excellent Wyze app, and it has enough horsepower to exchange up to 12,000 cubic feet of air per hour. An “Insights” feature tracks dust and pollen in the room and outside, and you also get your choice of three HEPA filters: allergen, “wildfire,” and formaldehyde.
Who should buy the Wyze Air Purifier
If you’re a cash-strapped smart home shopper who wants cleaner air in a living room, kitchen, or another large home space, the budget-priced Wyze Air Purifier is an ideal choice. The Wyze unit will work best in a well-trafficked home area, as it’s not the quietest air purifier we’ve tested. Smart home aficionados will appreciate the Wyze Air Purifier’s Alexa and Google Home integrations, as well as the versatile and comprehensive Wyze app, which can track air quality both indoors and out.
Coway Airmega Icon — Most attractive air purifier
Pros
- Attractive industrial design
- Built-in Qi charger
- Automatic operation in Smart mode
Cons
- Relatively low clean-air delivery rates
- Gets loud when running at full tilt
- Wi-Fi-connected model costs $50 more
Why we like the Coway Airmega Icon
The Coway Airmega Icon can treat the air in a good-sized room–up to 649 square feet–and its pretty looks go a long way toward compensating for its relatively low clean air delivery rates and higher-than-average price tag. In a market filled with utilitarian boxes and cylinders, the Airmega Icon is quite attractive.
Who should buy the Coway Airmega Icon
If you want to keep the air in your living room or bedroom relatively clean without making your home look like a medical clinic, the attractive Coway Airmega Icon should be at the top of your list. Besides not being an eyesore, the Airmega Icon’s Smart mode allows it to run without micromanagement. But if the air in your living space needs thorough and frequent scrubbing, you might be better off with our top pick, the NuWave OxyPure Smart Air Purifier.
What to look for when shopping for an air purifier
Here’s a guide to some of the key operational features in the air purifier category. You might also want to check out our buyers’ guide to stand-alone air-quality monitors, which can keep you informed of the quality of air inside your home. Since most air purifiers are best deployed in a single room, you can easily move a less-expensive air quality monitor from room to room to track the quality of all the indoor air you breathe.
Room size supported
Every manufacturer reports the size of the room its purifier is designed for, although this can be a bit arbitrary. Still, the manufacturer’s number is a good starting point. Place the purifier in a room that’s too large and it simply won’t be able to effectively clean the air.
Filter type
HEPA filters are largely standard, as are activated carbon filters (which are primarily used to remove odors from the air). But not every purifier relies on HEPA, and HEPA filters come in a variety of performance levels that correspond to their effectiveness at capturing very small particles, ranging from HEPA H10 to HEPA H14. That said, many filters don’t report this information. We’ve asked and reported where we have heard back. Higher HEPA ratings are better.
Filter lifespan
How long until you need to replace the filter, and how much do replacements cost? Some purifiers track filter life inside their app, which is helpful.
Loudness
At high air-flow levels, purifiers can be extremely noisy (and impossible to sleep near). That said, most are nearly silent at their lowest operating levels and some have special “night modes” that keep things ultra-quiet.
Pollutant levels reported in app
What does the app tell you about your air quality? A detailed look at various pollutants is more useful than a broad “good/fair/poor” air quality rating.
Most air purifiers use multiple filters to trap increasingly small airborne particles and typically include a HEPA filter and a activated carbon filter to neutralize odors. This particular filter is used in some Blueair air purifiers.
Most air purifiers use multiple filters to trap increasingly small airborne particles and typically include a HEPA filter and a activated carbon filter to neutralize odors. This particular filter is used in some Blueair air purifiers.
Most air purifiers use multiple filters to trap increasingly small airborne particles and typically include a HEPA filter and a activated carbon filter to neutralize odors. This particular filter is used in some Blueair air purifiers.
Questions and answers about air purifiers
Do I really need an air purifier in my home?
In recent years, the EPA has reported that the typical air quality indoors (where we spend about 90 percent of our time) is much worse than it is outside, with some airborne pollutants two to five times more concentrated in the home than outdoors.
What kind of airborne pollutants are present in home?
Among the pollutants frequently found indoors include combustion byproducts, pet dander, mold, pesticides, ozone, natural gasses like radon, and the all-encompassing category of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which include everything from formaldehyde to trichloroethylene to chloroform. (These gasses can be 10 times higher indoors than outdoors.)
Needless to say, none of this stuff is healthy to breathe.
Do air purifiers protect you from pollutants and viruses?
The experts (including the EPA) say that HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are effective at reducing airborne contaminants of all types—including viruses—but are careful to note that on their own they are not enough to protect you from viruses and bacteria, and that you should still practice the standard battery of safeguards even if you have a great purifier on hand.
That said, high-quality air filters are effective at reducing (but not eliminating) indoor pollution.
What is CADR?
Clean Air Delivery Rate, a standard developed by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, is represented as a series of figures that express how much air a purifier can clean in a set amount of time. Separate ratings are included for smoke, pollen, and dust.
AHAM recommends that a purifier be used in a room with a size in square feet equal to 150 percent the CADR, assuming an eight-foot ceiling. In other words, to clean a 450-square-foot room, you need a CADR rating of at least 300. Many manufacturers claim their purifiers support much larger rooms than this, however.
Note also that CADR is intended to be measured in cubic feet/minute, but some vendors measure it in cubic meters/hour. Where necessary, we have converted these figures to U.S. customary units.
Other notable air purifiers we’ve reviewed
We’ve evaluated many other air purifiers. If none of our top picks check all the boxes for you, take a look at these other products. We’ve also listed some air purifiers that you should avoid.
- Bulex AF-3222 Tower True HEPA Air Purifier: This 14-inch-tall cylindrical purifier is designed for personal use in a small room, and it boasts a soothing and integrated blue nightlight. Unfortunately, the Bulex is incredibly loud (even at its lowest settings), offers few control options, and lacks smart features. Needless to say, we don’t recommend it.
- Carrier Smart Air Purifier XL: Built by one of the biggest names in air conditioning, the Carrier Smart Room Air Purifier XL boasts an appealing industrial design, powerful air throughput, and a relatively quiet 18-speed motor. That’s the good news; the bad news is that the unit’s poorly designed mobile app is a disaster.
- Clorox Large Room Air Purifier: If any company knows a thing or two about getting rid of germs, it’s Clorox, and the brand’s Large Room Air Purifier (which is manufactured by Hamilton Beach) delivers relatively good industrial design, solid performance, and a reasonable price tag. There are no smart features, however, and the replacement filters are pricey.
- Dreo Macro Max S Air Purifier: Big, but powerful, the Dreo Macro Max S can quietly clean the air in a room with its three-stage HEPA filter. The unit offers easy setup, quiet operation, Alexa and Google Home integrations, and a five-year warranty. Again, though, it’s bigger than other air purifiers we’ve tested, and positively humongous compared to tabletop purifiers.
- Govee Smart Air Purifier: Slim, quiet, and smart, Govee’s entry in the air purifier market serves up a compact design, plenty of smart home features, and an attractive design. Downsides include the fact that it’s a tad underpowered, and you’ll need to be invested in Govee’s ecosystems to get the most out of the unit’s features.
- TruSens Z-3500: This smart air purifier features a remote air-quality sensor and ultraviolet lighting to kill viruses. It’s also affordably priced, boasts an elegant app, and works well with Alexa. But the Z-3500 gets noisy when you crank up its fan speed, its CADR could be better, and its indicator lights are too bright for bedrooms.
- Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 Compact: This is a largely generic purifier designed for small spaces, but its smart features work well and it’s priced to move. We liked the easy setup and wide array of in-app options, but there are only a few onboard controls, no countdown timer or logging, and the proprietary air filter doesn’t follow the HEPA standard.
Author: Christopher Null, Freelance Contributor
Christopher Null is a veteran technology and business journalist. He contributes regularly to TechHive, PCWorld, and Wired, and operates the websites Drinkhacker and Film Racket.