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11 Best Air Purifiers to Fight Off Dust and Allergens Year-Round

Essential tools for conquering allergy season and more.

blueair air purifier in living room
Blueair

If you live in a large city, have pets, or struggle with allergies, there's a good chance that you could use an air purifier. Such appliances use filters and a fan to capture pollutants and push clean air back into your home, allowing you to breathe easier — and better.

With the market brimming with options, we spent the past few weeks researching and evaluating air purifiers to determine the best models worth buying.

The Best Air Purifiers

  1. Our Top Pick: Blueair Blue Pure 211+ HEPA Air Purifier
  2. Runner Up: Coway AP-1216L Mighty HEPA Air Purifier
  3. Best Budget: GermGuardian AC4300 Air Purifier
  4. High-Tech and Versatile: Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Cryptomic Air Purifier
  5. Best for Small Rooms: Coway Airmega 150 HEPA Air Purifier
  6. Best Against Bacteria and Viruses: Blueair HealthProtect 7470i Smart Air Purifier
  7. Best for Personal Use: IQAir Atem Air Purifier
  8. Largest Capacity: Coway Airmega 400S Smart Air Purifier
  9. Low Maintenance: Sharp KC-860U Air Purifier
  10. Most Discreet: Alen BreatheSmart FLEX Air Purifier
  11. Super Quiet: LG PuriCare Air Purifier

What to Consider

It’s important to think about the size of your space when shopping for an air purifier. A device that’s too small won’t be able to perform what it’s been designed to do in a bigger room. A products’ design and footprint matters, too. An air purifier will instantly become an essential fixture in the room, so it’s important to have an understated design and seamlessly blend in with your decor.

Additional features like app-enabled controls can also help you make a buying decision. Some of the product category’s finest offerings will even allow you to monitor the real-time air quality in your home while away.

Because air purifiers use filters to work properly, how often you need to replace the filters should be considered, too. Affordable air purifiers might actually be more expensive in the long run if their filters need to be replaced more frequently. Filters in high-quality products can typically last for months before needed a change.

How We Chose

We only considered products with an onboard HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. According to Rachel Rothman, chief technologist and director of engineering of the Good Housekeeping Institute, it is a must-have feature in an air purifier. “HEPA filters can capture variously sized particles within their multilayered netting,” Rothman says, which means that they can remove “ultra fine airborne particles like dust, dander, pollen, and mold.”

In addition to a True HEPA filter, Rothman also recommends paying attention to the CADR (clean-air delivery rate) and looking for an AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers) Verified mark, both of which will help you choose an effective and safe air purifier for your home.

About COVID-19

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, air purifiers became even more popular. While such products will vastly improve the air quality in your home or office, it is important to note that they do not completely protect against the spread of COVID-19. EPA has observed that “by itself, a portable air cleaner is not enough to protect people from COVID-19.”

However, adding an air purifier to you daily routine can help lower the risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure. A report by the Mayo Clinic Health system noted that “when used properly, air purifiers can reduce contaminants in your air.”

With the above in mind, please be aware that, even though some air purifiers can reduce some airborne bacteria and viruses, they haven’t been tested and proven to work against COVID-19. There are products that can capture ultra-fine particles that are about the size of a coronavirus (0.12 microns), but this doesn’t guarantee that you are fully protected.

We did the research so that you can breathe a little easier. Check out the best air purifiers for every budget below.

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1
Our Top PIck
Blueair Blue Pure 211+ HEPA Air Purifier
Blueair amazon.com
$290.00

The Blueair Blue Pure 211+ HEPA air purifier is the best option for most people. It has a cool, minimalist design, a robust three-stage filtration setup with excellent performance, and an impressively quiet operation at a reasonable price.

A top pick recommended by experts at Good Housekeeping, the Blue Pure 211+ can filter the air in up to 540 square feet of living space, so it’s perfectly suitable for a large room or office.

We like that the washable pre-filter of the Blue Pure 211+ is reasonably priced and easy to replace. You can also order the pre-filter in several colors: black, blue, gray, yellow, and pink.

More: A Guide to Improving the Air Quality in Your Home

2
Runner Up
Coway AP1216L Air Purifier
Coway amazon.com
$229.99
$186.00 (19% off)

With a powerful four-stage filtration system, an elegant tower design, intuitive controls, and reasonable price, the AP-1216L HEPA air purifier by Coway is another standout. The product can capture up to 99.97% of air particles as tiny as 0.3 microns. 

The Coway AP1-216L can cover up to 330 square feet of living space, and it has built-in indicators for air quality, as well as for changing its HEPA filter. A convenient timer for scheduling the device's operation is also on board. 

3
Best Budget
GermGuardian AC4300 Air Purifier
GermGuardian amazon.com
$149.99
$99.99 (33% off)

The GermGuardian AC4300 is the best option for budget-conscious buyers. The device's HEPA filter can capture 99.97% of all dust and allergens in the room. Thanks to a built-in charcoal filter, the device can also combat unpleasant odors. It's also equipped with a UV-C light to combat airborne germs.

This air purifier is suitable for small- and medium-sized rooms up to 153 square feet in size. Its filter can last for up to 8 months between replacements.

4
High-Tech and Versatile
Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Cryptomic Air Purifier
Dyson dyson.com
$749.99

The all-new Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Cryptomic air-purifying fan is a tech masterpiece that's well worth its considerable price tag.

In addition to effortlessly removing airborne particles and allergens, the device will also destroy formaldehyde — a harmful gas that's common in many households. Dyson has accomplished this feat via a proprietary Cryptomic panel, which works continuously and doesn't need a replacement.

The air purifier can monitor the air quality in your home in real time and show you its levels on an LCD display. Of course, as its name suggests, the product will also heat and cool the air.

You can control the fan, as well as monitor the air quality of your home via a smartphone app. The device is also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Siri voice commands.

More: Smart Products for Your Connected Home

5
Best for Small Rooms
Coway Airmega 150 HEPA Air Purifier
Coway amazon.com
$141.75

Coway’s Airmega 150 is our favorite option for small rooms with up to 214 square feet of space. It has a compact and understated design, and an excellent four-stage filtration system. The latter includes a HEPA filter, a deodorization filter for eliminating odors, as well as a washable pre-filter for larger airborne particles.

The product’s intuitive controls include a light indicator, which changes color depending on the room’s air quality. Coway offers the Airmega 150 in a trio of cool colors — dove white, sage green, and peony pink.

6
Best Protection Against Bacteria and Viruses
Blueair HealthProtect 7470i Smart Air Purifier
Blueair amazon.com
$639.99

The Blueair HealthProtect 7470i smart air purifier sets itself apart from its rivals with a next-level filtration setup. It is capable of not only fighting off dust, pollen, allergens, mold and odors, but also protecting against bacteria and viruses. The splurgeworthy product can cover up to 418 square feet of space, though larger-capacity variants are also available.  

Dubbed GermShield, the air purifier’s antimicrobial tech kills 99% of the germs caught by the product’s filter. It’s important to note that it hasn’t been tested against the virus that cause COVID-19.

The product has a sleek tower design, a touch-sensitive control panel with a color display and an air-quality indicator, and an impressively quiet operation. It’s surprisingly energy-efficient, too.

A mobile app allows users to control the HealthProtect 7470i, view the status of its filter and seamlessly order replacements, as well view the air quality in their area. The purifier is also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.

7
Best for Personal Use
IQAir Atem HEPA Desktop Air Purifier
IQAir amazon.com
$399.00

The IQAir Atem air purifier is ideal for personal use. It is designed to deliver clean air directly towards the user on a desk, table, or in small spaces (up to 150 square feet) or a car (via an additional accessory kit). Available in black or white, the product has a conversation-worthy design, headlined by a slim build (it’s only 5.5 inches wide) and a beautiful stand, as well as a quiet operation.

Developed in Switzerland, the Atem’s HyperHEPA filtration setup is one of the industry’s best. It allows the device to capture airborne particles as tiny as 0.003 microns — much smaller than those that other high-quality rivals can. The filter can last up to a year between changes.

The device’s controls are insanely intuitive — you can turn it on and off, and change fan speeds by simply tapping on its logo. A mobile app with sleek and intuitive interface gives users full control of its settings and filter status. It’s also convenient for tracking air quality in your area and around the world.

8
Largest Capacity
Coway Airmega 400S Smart Air Purifier
Coway amazon.com
$749.00

In terms of sheer capacity, the Coway Airmega 400S is in a league of its own. Available with a white or a graphite finish, the air purifier can cover a whopping 1,560 square feet of space, so it’s the best option for large homes and offices. An AirMega 300S that’s suitable for up to 1,256 square feet of space is also available.

Coway has equipped the Airmega 400S with an excellent three-stage filtration system, capable of removing up to 99.99% of ultra fine airborne particles, as well as odors. It has a powerful suction, which pulls air from both sides.

We like the product’s color LED ring light that showcases the room’s air quality. The device’s control panel (located on top), in addition to buttons for operating it, includes filter indicators. The Wi-Fi-equipped Airmega 400S also has app-enabled controls and compatibility with Amazon Alexa voice commands.

9
Low Maintenance
Sharp KC-860U Air Purifier
Sharp amazon.com
$448.60

The high-end Sharp KC-860U air purifier works quietly and efficiently in spaces up to 347 square feet. The device has an air-humidifying option, as well as a HEPA filter that can last up to a whopping 5 years between changes.

The device's active carbon filter is washable, and it can also last up to 5 years. Though pricey, this HEPA air purifier requires very little maintenance over time.

10
Most Discreet
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX Air Purifier
Alen amazon.com
$380.21

The Alen BreatheSmart FLEX HEPA air purifier has a pleasantly understated design. Its front panel is available in a multitude of finishes, allowing the product to seamlessly fit in any home or an office space.

The device is capable of keeping the air clean in up to 700 square feet of living space. In addition to fighting off dust and allergens from the air you breathe, it will also remove odors. Its built-in HEPA filter can last up to 9 months between replacements.

11
Super Quiet
LG PuriCare Air Purifier
LG amazon.com
$432.00

The PuriCare HEPA air purifier by LG has an understated, space-saving design, as well as the ability to give you a real-time reading of the room's air quality via a light indicator. The product is capable of covering up to 248 square feet of space. Its performance has earned it a certification by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Other key features of the air purifier include a sophisticated filtration setup, intuitive controls, and a surprisingly quiet operation. LG backs the device's built-in motor with a 10-year warranty.

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