Top 5 compared
The best air purifiers
Less dust, pet hair and pollen, and fresher air in the rooms you spend the most time in.
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The top 5 at a glance
An air purifier pulls the room’s air through a fine filter that traps dust, pollen and pet dander, and most add a carbon layer for cooking, pet and smoke smells. They earn their keep in pollen season, when wildfire smoke drifts in, and through the winter when the windows stay shut. Small cylinders suit a bedroom or a desk; taller towers move enough air for a living room.
The room sizes makers quote are usually the space cleaned once an hour, so for allergies choose one rated for about five times your room. Every purifier here has a filter that needs replacing, the main running cost, and the little Levoit Core Mini is sized for a nightstand or a dorm desk.
What matters
- CADR, in cubic feet per minute: higher clears a room faster.
- A washable pre-filter, if there are pets in the house.
- A sensor and auto mode, which turn it up when cooking starts.
- Display lights that switch off, if it’s going in a bedroom.
#1Levoit Vital 200S-P Smart Air Purifier
$150–$200
The strongest Levoit here, with a 250 CFM clean air rate for a big living room or an open-plan space, a dust sensor that turns the fan up by itself, and a Pet Mode for homes with shedding dogs and cats. A second, U-shaped inlet helps it pull in pet hair without clogging.
What owners say: Owners notice the difference in the air quickly and say it moves a lot of it, stays very quiet in Sleep Mode and takes care of odors, dust and allergens. They find the app simple to use and the replacement filters inexpensive.
A closer look: Leave it on Auto through the day and set a schedule in the app so Sleep Mode takes over at night. Rinse the washable pre-filter under the faucet whenever pet hair builds up on it. At 19.8 in tall it belongs on the floor of a living room rather than on a nightstand.
- U-shaped inlet catches pet hair
- Works with Alexa and Google
- Schedules in the app
- Stands 19.8 in tall
Best for: Big rooms and pet homes
- Room size
- Up to 1,862 sq ft
- CADR
- 250 CFM
- Filters
- 3-stage, washable pre-filter
- Quietest
- 23dB
- Air sensor
- Yes
- Extras
- App, Pet Mode
#2Levoit Core 300-P Air Purifier
$75–$100
No app and no sensor, just a quiet cylinder: pick a fan speed, or Sleep Mode at 24dB for the night, set the 2, 4, 6 or 8 hour timer and switch the display lights off. In a bedroom or a home office, that’s often all you need.
What owners say: Owners find it quiet and good at clearing the air, smoke included, and like that the replacement filters are reasonably priced.
Heads up: There’s no Auto Mode, so the fan speed is set by hand.
A closer look: Turn it up for a while after cooking or vacuuming, then drop back to Sleep Mode for a quiet night. Levoit suggests a new filter every 6 to 8 months, and the check-filter light on the display is the reminder.
- Display lights switch off
- Check-filter light
- New filter every 6–8 months
Best for: Simple, quiet bedrooms
- Room size
- Up to 1,066 sq ft
- CADR
- 143 CFM
- Filters
- 3-stage
- Quietest
- 24dB
- Air sensor
- No
- Extras
- 2-8 hr timer
#3Levoit Core Mini-P Air Purifier
$30–$50
A small, light purifier for a nightstand, dorm room or home office, with an aroma pad that takes a few drops of essential oil if you like a scent.
What owners say: Owners say it’s surprisingly quiet, one runs it as a white noise machine, and it moves plenty of air for its size and copes well with litter box smells in a small room.
A closer look: Keep it close to where you sit or sleep, since it’s sized for one small room. The aroma pad takes 2 to 3 drops of oil at most, as more can overflow and damage the plastic; leave it dry if anyone in the house is sensitive to scents.
- Display turns off for sleep
- Weighs 2.2 lb
- Uses 7W of power
Best for: Small bedrooms and desks
- Room size
- Up to 254 sq ft
- CADR
- 34 CFM
- Filters
- 3-stage
- Quietest
- 25dB
- Air sensor
- No
- Extras
- Aroma pad
#4Winix 5510 Air Purifier
$150–$200
A tall tower with a True HEPA filter, a carbon filter for cooking, pet and smoke odors and a washable pre-filter, plus Winix’s PlasmaWave. Its sensors set the fan speed, and it slips into a quiet sleep mode by itself when the room goes dark. Winix started out in South Korea in 1973.
What owners say: Owners find it very quiet and good at cutting down dust and odors, and like that it drops into sleep mode on its own at night. Reports on reliability differ: some have run one nonstop for years, others had one stop within days.
Heads up: It’s 22.7 in tall, so it needs floor space, and you’ll hear it on the top speeds.
A closer look: On Auto in a living room, the sensors turn it up as soon as the cooking starts, while the colored light on the front shows the air quality at a glance. The fine-mesh pre-filter washes clean, so rinse it whenever dust and hair build up.
- Goes quiet in the dark
- Air-quality color light
- Carbon filter for smoke odors
Best for: Clearing cooking smells and smoke
- Room size
- Up to 1,882 sq ft
- CADR
- 253 CFM
- Filters
- 4-stage, True HEPA
- Quietest
- 23.5dB
- Air sensor
- Yes
- Extras
- App, PlasmaWave
#5Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier
$200–$300
A compact, boxy purifier with a dust sensor, a colored light that shows the air quality at a glance and an Eco mode that switches the fan off once the air has stayed clean for half an hour, then back on when the sensor picks up dust again. A washable pre-filter catches pet hair before it reaches the HEPA layer.
What owners say: It strikes owners as solidly made and quiet, the filters are simple to change, and many notice less sneezing. Opinions split on the air quality light, which some find too bright at night, and on how well it deals with smells.
A closer look: Switch the indicator light off at bedtime if it brightens the room too much; the fan keeps running as normal. In Eco mode it sits silent until the sensor spots dust, which suits a home office or a guest room that’s empty for part of the day. A light on the panel says when to wash the pre-filter.
- Air-quality color light
- Indicator light switches off
- Pre-filter wash reminder
- 3-year limited warranty
Best for: Home offices and guest rooms
- Room size
- Up to 1,748 sq ft
- CADR
- 233 CFM
- Filters
- 4-stage, HEPA
- Quietest
- 24dB
- Air sensor
- Yes
- Extras
- Eco mode, timer
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Levoit Vital 200S | #2Levoit Core 300 | #3Levoit Core Mini | #4Winix 5510 | #5Coway Mighty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best budget | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.5 | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 9.0 |
| Price | $150–$200 | $75–$100 | $30–$50 | $150–$200 | $200–$300 |
| Room size | Up to 1,862 sq ft | Up to 1,066 sq ft | Up to 254 sq ft | Up to 1,882 sq ft | Up to 1,748 sq ft |
| CADR | 250 CFM | 143 CFM | 34 CFM | 253 CFM | 233 CFM |
| Filters | 3-stage, washable pre-filter | 3-stage | 3-stage | 4-stage, True HEPA | 4-stage, HEPA |
| Quietest | 23dB | 24dB | 25dB | 23.5dB | 24dB |
| Air sensor | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Extras | App, Pet Mode | 2-8 hr timer | Aroma pad | App, PlasmaWave | Eco mode, timer |
| Best for | Big rooms and pet homes | Simple, quiet bedrooms | Small bedrooms and desks | Clearing cooking smells and smoke | Home offices and guest rooms |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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