Top 5 compared
The best essential oil diffusers
A cool, scented mist that fills the room with no open flame: lavender in the bedroom, citrus in the kitchen.
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The top 5 at a glance
An essential oil diffuser turns water and a few drops of oil into a fine, cool mist: a small disc vibrates under the water and breaks it into vapour that carries the scent around the room, with nothing burned. Most have a light as well, often in changing colours. These are ultrasonic diffusers with a water tank; waterless nebulizers, which spray neat oil, are another kind.
A bigger tank runs longer between fills, while how strong the scent is depends on how many drops go in. Run times on the box are usually for a mist that pulses on and off; a steady mist empties the tank sooner. Oil left on the disc weakens the mist, so it needs a wipe every so often.
What matters
- Tank size: about 150 mL for a bedside, 300 mL or more for a living room.
- Hours from one fill, enough to last the night.
- A timer, so it switches itself off after you fall asleep.
#1ASAKUKI 300 mL Essential Oil Diffuser
$20–$30
Up to 10 hours of mist from one fill on low, from a 300 mL (10 fl oz) tank, the middle size of the five: enough to scent a bedroom or living room for a whole evening. It’s white on a light-wood-grain base, with seven light colours, and ASAKUKI calls it whisper-quiet.
What owners say: Owners find it simple from the first fill, say it fills the room with scent and runs with barely a sound, and like the colour-changing light; reliability is where reports differ.
A closer look: It switches itself off when the water runs out, so it can be left running through an evening. If the diffuser will sit unused for a few days, pour the water out and let the tank dry, so it doesn’t go stale, and give it a rinse before the next fill.
- Whisper-quiet, says ASAKUKI
- Shuts off when empty
Best for: Evenings in a medium-sized room
- Tank
- 300 mL (10 fl oz)
- Runs for (up to)
- 10 hours (low mist), 6 (high)
- Timer
- 1, 3 or 6 hours
- Lights
- 7 colours
- Look
- White, light-wood-grain base
#2URPOWER 500 mL Essential Oil Diffuser
$30–$50
A 500 mL (17 fl oz) diffuser that URPOWER sells for large rooms: up to 10 hours of steady mist from a fill, a high or low mist and a timer of 1, 2 or 3 hours, in a plastic shell with a faux-wood base. It holds enough for an open-plan living space with less water to lift than the 700 mL one below.
What owners say: Owners like how it looks and how much water it holds; reliability, the mist, the noise, how long it lasts, the power light and the price all draw mixed reports.
A closer look: Look inside the water tank for the power adapter, which comes packed there. A big tank puts out a lot of mist over a long evening, so stand it on a tray or a coaster rather than straight on a wooden table.
- High and low mist
Best for: Large and open-plan rooms
- Tank
- 500 mL (17 fl oz)
- Runs for (up to)
- 10 hours (steady mist)
- Timer
- 1, 2 or 3 hours
- Lights
- 7 colours, or off
- Look
- Faux-wood base
#3InnoGear 150 mL Ceramic Essential Oil Diffuser
$30–$50
A handmade white ceramic cover on a wood-grain base, over a 150 mL (5 fl oz) tank: it looks more like a piece of pottery than a gadget, for a shelf, a dresser or a desk. A pulsing mist runs 8 to 10 hours, enough for a night in a bedroom or a study.
What owners say: Owners say it looks great and is easy to get going, and that it keeps misting through the night as a small diffuser should; they like the scent and the size, though some question the price.
A closer look: Ceramic can chip if it’s knocked off a shelf, so give it a steady spot back from the edge. There’s no timer: the pulsing mode, which mists and pauses every 30 seconds, is the one to leave on overnight, with the light switched off if it would keep anyone awake.
- Handcrafted, looks like pottery
- Mist pauses every 30 seconds
Best for: A diffuser that stays on show
- Tank
- 150 mL (5 fl oz)
- Runs for (up to)
- 10 hours pulsing, 6 steady
- Timer
- No
- Lights
- 7 colours, or off
- Look
- White ceramic, wood-grain base
#4ASAKUKI 700 mL Essential Oil Diffuser (White)
$20–$30
The biggest tank here at 700 mL (24 fl oz), for the longest stretch between fills in a big room or through a whole night, with a high or low mist and a light that runs separately from it. The listing’s spec table gives a 20-hour run time, though ASAKUKI’s own product description doesn’t.
What owners say: Owners report a strong, steady mist, like the look, the colour options and the lights, and find the tank holds plenty; the noise level gets mixed reviews.
A closer look: A tank this size is heavy when full, so set the diffuser where it will stay and use the measuring cup in the box to fill it there, rather than walking it over full from the sink. The light can be left off at bedtime while the mist carries on.
- High and low mist
- Light works without the mist
- Measuring cup included
Best for: Overnight mist on one fill
- Tank
- 700 mL (24 fl oz)
- Runs for (up to)
- 20 hours (Amazon’s figure)
- Timer
- Yes (settings not listed)
- Lights
- 7 colours, or off
- Look
- White
#5EQUSUPRO 150 mL Metal Essential Oil Diffuser (Black)
$30–$50
A compact 150 mL (5 fl oz) diffuser in a black metal shell, for a bedside table, a desk or a bathroom, where a small tank is all one room needs. Its seven lights can cycle or stay on one colour as a night light, and EQUSUPRO says it runs quietly enough for a bedroom.
What owners say: Easy to set up, with a pleasant scent, changing colours and quiet running, by owners’ accounts; the auto shut-off and the size split opinion.
A closer look: The metal cover lifts straight off for filling. At about four hours a fill, it suits an evening at a desk or a wind-down before bed more than a whole night. In a tank this small, a few drops of oil go a long way.
- Cover lifts off to fill
Best for: Bedrooms, desks and bathrooms
- Tank
- 150 mL (5 fl oz)
- Runs for (up to)
- 4 hours
- Timer
- –
- Lights
- 7 colours, cycling or fixed
- Look
- Black metal
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1ASAKUKI 300 mL | #2URPOWER 500 mL | #3InnoGear ceramic | #4ASAKUKI 700 mL | #5EQUSUPRO metal 150 mL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best ceramic | Biggest tank | |||
| Picked Rating | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.6 |
| Price | $20–$30 | $30–$50 | $30–$50 | $20–$30 | $30–$50 |
| Tank | 300 mL (10 fl oz) | 500 mL (17 fl oz) | 150 mL (5 fl oz) | 700 mL (24 fl oz) | 150 mL (5 fl oz) |
| Runs for (up to) | 10 hours (low mist), 6 (high) | 10 hours (steady mist) | 10 hours pulsing, 6 steady | 20 hours (Amazon’s figure) | 4 hours |
| Timer | 1, 3 or 6 hours | 1, 2 or 3 hours | No | Yes (settings not listed) | – |
| Lights | 7 colours | 7 colours, or off | 7 colours, or off | 7 colours, or off | 7 colours, cycling or fixed |
| Look | White, light-wood-grain base | Faux-wood base | White ceramic, wood-grain base | White | Black metal |
| Best for | Evenings in a medium-sized room | Large and open-plan rooms | A diffuser that stays on show | Overnight mist on one fill | Bedrooms, desks and bathrooms |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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