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Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Airthings Renew for $279: I wasn’t expecting to like the unassuming minimalist Renew from Airthings as much as I did. Its gray box design is so understated, quiet, and powerful that it was easy to plug it in and forget about it. The Renew is also the first purifier I’ve tested that gives the user multiple placement options: It can stand up with the air output facing up and sideways, and the entire box can lie on the floor. The Airthings app not only shows data graph style, but it also functions as a remote that can adjust the purifier settings, including setting the panel lock, which is handy for cat owners. The control panel and the indicator light are barely there, and it’s not easy to see the tiny light letting me know my indoor air quality. At first, I thought the main drawback was size. The Renew is made for a bedroom, home office, or nursery. If you place it in a larger room, it’s going to have to run at its highest setting. The main drawback that I noticed after several months of use was the exterior prefilter. It did its job capturing pollutants, but I wasn’t able to clean it, even with my vacuum. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Coway Airmega ProX for $860: The Coway Airmega ProX is a monolith any high-ceilinged home needs. Specifically, if you’re living in an A-frame, double-height ceiling loft, or any home with a ceiling higher than 8 feet, the Coway Aimega ProX is for you. It gives off the vibe of a TARS robot from Interstellar crossed with a giant stereo speaker. It has a nice blend-into-the-room-mocha beige aesthetic and can clean the air four times per hour in a 1,000-square-foot space when running at its highest setting. And even at its highest and therefore loudest setting, it hovers around 50 decibels, slightly louder than the sound of falling rain, making it one of the quieter large tower air purifiers I’ve tested. It also has a control panel lock that is a plus for parents and cat owners alike. However, even though the 50-pound ProX has hidden handles and built-in lockable wheels, it really is just too heavy for the home consumer. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Coway Airmega 400S for $650: Coway has yet to make a bad air purifier, and the Airmega 400S is another banger from the air purifier innovators. The 400S checks all the boxes when it comes to features. It has a reliable auto mode that adjusts the fan speed according to the air quality using its built-in air quality sensor. It also has a timer to schedule one, four, or eight hours of running time. And while it has a serviceable app, its built-in air sensor and auto-adjust fan keep me from having to micromanage settings. The question is, can this air purifier do the job without me pushing buttons or checking the indoor air quality, and do it quietly? With the Airmega 400S, the answer is yes. I just wish its 15 x 23 x 15-inch dimensions didn’t make it so hard to place in a room. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Air Doctor AD4000 Air Purifier for $799: Air Doctor makes sturdy and reliable purifiers, but as I went to pair the AD4000, I realized it had no WiFi button on the control panel. At 15 pounds and nearly $800, the AD4000 should be Wi-Fi compatible, especially since it has an internal air quality sensor. Users should have the option to view indoor air quality on the Air Doctor app dashboard. And while the AD4000 is made for larger spaces, if one wanted to achieve the four air exchanges per hour the AD4000 supposedly can do, then it would have its fan at the highest setting. My consumer sound level meter registered 100 decibels at full blast. It sounded to me like a hair dryer on a low setting. For context, the CDC’s recommendation for noise levels for workers is that they are not exposed to 100 decibels for more than 15 minutes. It’s for that reason that all air purifiers need to be in a space where they can run the fan at the lowest (or reasonably quiet) setting. The AD4000 would do well in a 200- to 300-square-foot room, where it could run on a lower setting. Also, be careful when unboxing: When I was setting up the AD4000, the sticker with instructions to take the filters out of their plastic bags pulled off the control panel when I went to remove it. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Airdog X5 for $549: The Airdog X5 is the first washable filter air purifier I’ve tested. And while it doesn’t use a HEPA, it is California Air Resources Board–certified. CARB lists it as electronic filtration instead of a HEPA filter; that would be listed as mechanical. As I’ve written before, if an air purifier isn’t CARB-certified, it’s likely not worth buying. I tested the Airdog in a large room, and it even came with a limited-edition pet plate. That is exactly what it sounds like—a plate that fits over the Airdog meant for a cat to perch on. Neither of my cats took to it. The Airdog has a responsive built-in sensor that was in sync with my other air quality monitors. And its electronic air filters, by way of their patented TPA technology, charge particles and then capture them. The best way I can describe it is to imagine that the PM2.5 are mosquitoes and the Airdog is like an old-time mosquito zapper. It works a little like that, and if the filter gets dirty enough, it will make zap sounds. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Mila Air 3 Critter Cuddler for $399: Mila makes a line of filters designed specifically for pregnant people, allergy sufferers, pet owners, etc. With its built-in sensor and easy-to-use app dashboard, along with its wooden-legged modern box design, Mila is easy to love. The more I cover air purifiers, the more go big to go quiet comes to mind. Smaller models tend to run loud on their highest settings. The Mila was not as quiet as I hoped. At full blast, the Mila hit 70 decibels on my consumer decibel reader. At a CADR rating of 447 m3/hr, the Mila would do nicely in the average American 200-square-foot bedroom. You could run the Mila at its highest setting for CDC’s recommended five air exchanges an hour in a 400-square-foot room, but doing so is quite noisy. I ran the Mila in my sons’ 200-square-foot bedroom, and its auto setting adjusted correctly to the room’s air quality. And while Mila gets its outdoor AQI from PurpleAir, it couldn’t seem to find my PurpleAir outdoor monitor. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Windmill Air Purifier for $319: I like the Scandinavian look of this bamboo purifier, and it’s more furniture-esque than other models. Still, with the blue model, the nicks in the veneer show up as white. It’s possible the bamboo finish might wear better. I really like this brand and reviewed its desk fan and air conditioner, the latter of which pairs with the Windmill Air app, and I’m equally happy using the app with its air purifier. The Windmill has an internal sensor and indicator light: green for good, yellow for moderate, pink for bad, and red for unhealthy. And while the “boost” setting is the loudest, it is still relatively quiet at its lower setting. I prefer to run it on the auto-adjusting eco mode. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Coway Airmega 50 for $80: A mini version of the brand’s Airmega 100, the Airmega 50 (see the full review) has many of the features of Coway’s larger and more expensive models and is notably affordable. The Airmega 50 was surprisingly effective for an air purifier the size of a roll of paper towels. The built-in sensor triggers both auto mode and the air quality indicator light, which gives the user instant information with nightlight vibes. One issue I have with all Coway air purifiers is the fact the custom color air quality indicator lights are different from the US AQI’s six color-coded categories. Instead of green signaling good air, Coway’s green means air quality is moderate. See how it’s confusing? Blue, which is not on the US AQI color scale, means good.
Puroair 240 HEPA Air Purifier for $160: At less than 9 inches tall, the Puroair 240 is tiny. And like so many of the smaller tabletop models, it’s also loud. It might be effective in a small space, say a room about 100 to 150 square feet. It’s also CARB-certified. I found its filter size too small to effectively clean an average-sized room. And while I still review smaller air purifiers, there are larger and quieter models on the market for relatively the same cost that have greater air exchanges in a larger-sized room. The Puroair’s indicator light is adjusted by the 240’s internal sensor and is green for acceptable, yellow for moderate, and red for poor air quality. At times, I found the thin sliver of the indicator’s light difficult to see. The 240 has auto or manual mode, a timer, child lock, and filter replacement light. It also has a three-stage filter, including the tightly woven HEPA 14, activated carbon, and prefilter. Lastly, the 240’s black plastic attracted a noticeable amount of fingerprints. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Dyson Purifier Cool Gen 1 for $379: This is one of four Dyson purifiers I’ve tested over the years, and I continue to have a love/hate relationship with them. I admire the design and built-in air quality sensor, but there always seems to be something I don’t like with each model. Sometimes I’m not able to get a replacement remote, as Dyson moves on to new models at breakneck speed, and I’ve never really used the magnetic spot atop the filter to rest the remote. This time I was surprised that the Cool Gen1 wasn’t compatible withe the Dyson app. I had to use the remote to adjust the fan speed. On the plus side, I do like the way the fan works, but this isn’t an oscillating fan in the traditional sense. Instead, the Cool Gen 1 TP10 has air blowing out of the sides of the long upright oval, and it shifts direction, aiming the cool air back and forth in a room. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Coway Airmega 250 for $399: The Airmega 250 has a decently large footprint, but it’s rated to clean a 930-square-foot room twice an hour. That’s why I put it smack-dab in the middle of the first floor of my home to clean the air in my kitchen and living room. Every time I cook, the smart air purifier mode automatically detects unhealthy particles in the air and ratchets up the fan’s power. It also recently did this when I had someone patch some drywall in my mudroom. (This mode works with the help of a PM10 and PM2.5 particle sensor.) The fan at its highest setting isn’t that loud—I measured it at 60 decibels standing right in front of it. There’s a sleep mode if you want it silent. You get the usual controls, like timer functionality and replacement indicators for the filter. Speaking of, the Airmega 250 uses a true HEPA filter that needs to be replaced once every six to 12 months. This, combined with the washable prefilter that you should be keeping clean every two weeks and the activated carbon filter, allows the air purifier to remove 99.999 percent of ultrafine particles down to 0.01 microns, or so Coway says. It’s super easy to remove these filters to clean and swap them out. The whole system is roughly 21 pounds, so you can move it around fairly easily. Coway offers a three-year warranty. The Coway Airmega 250S is the same model but with Wi-Fi functionality, so you can control it via an app and see more details. The last thing I need is another app, but maybe you don’t mind. —Julian Chokkattu
Oransi AirMend True Carbon for $350: While other AirMend models are made for HEPA filters, the True Carbon doesn’t have a HEPA. Instead, it has a 3-pound activated carbon filter. There’s a remote but no internal sensor, so raising the fan speed is a manual operation. It took a few tries using the remote, as there is a small lag time as the fan adjusts to different speeds. I appreciated the magnetic remote holder on the top of the purifier. It’s quiet on most settings and has an easy-to-miss minimalist design, blending into most spaces. The True Carbon is for those who need serious odor removal. I placed the True Carbon next to my two cats’ heavily used litter box, and within half hour the purifier eliminated the smell. I knew it was working when my son couldn’t detect an odor. I could see the True Carbon being an essential appliance for smoker households, kitchens that retain smells, or cat owners. It’s surprisingly effective, but this is for VOCs and odors. The True Carbon is HEPA-less—it cannot capture fine particulates from the air. What you gain with a supersized activated carbon filter, you lose in standard air purifying ability such as removing PM2.5. That might be fine for your needs. Oransi also makes a wall mount and handy travel bag sold separately. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
PurOxygen P500i for $170: This machine cleans the air of a smaller-than-average-sized room, and its easy-to-read display, app compatibility, side handles, and unique all-in-one filter make it easy to like. I usually stay away from small-room air purifiers due to their loud noise and less-than-ideal air-cleaning power. And while at its highest setting, the P500i reaches up to 50 decibels, it operates quietly at lower speeds and can effectively clean the air in a home office or a room smaller than 200 square feet. The PurOxygen uses a combined filter that has a prefilter that can be un-Velcroed and hand-washed, an activated carbon, a HEPA 13, and a cold catalyst filter. A cold catalyst, also known as low temperature catalyst filtration, can cause a chemical reaction that can break down gases, like VOCs, and convert them to less harmful substances. And while the P5001 is CARB-certified as a mechanical air purifier, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not recommend catalysts due to their limited effectiveness. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Not Recommended
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Dreame Air Pursue PM20 for $640: This purifier promised to redefine air quality management, “with innovative human tracking capabilities and precision detection systems, delivering personalized air purification that adapts to every need.” The Pursue reminded me of the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde BP04 in shape, but the Pursue is designed to follow human movement, directing clean air in the user’s direction. The Pursue that I tested worked well at first, but stopped pursuing early on. While this could have been user error, no amount of clicking the remote put it back into Pursue mode. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Ikea Starkvind for $200: Ikea’s Starkvind hit the American market in 2021. It’s stylish and relatively inexpensive and has the option to add on a carbon filter for gases such as benzene. It can be purchased either on its own or built into a wooden side table, but it’s worth noting that the Starkind took me an hour to assemble. While it is CARB-certified, meaning it passed the rigorous standards of the California Air Resources Board, it does not have a HEPA filter. Thinking I had an early version made for media, I went to my local Ikea. I bought a Förnuftig, and its manual listed the filter as HEPA. It’s not. I reached out to the company; at the time of publication, Ikea said it was still routing the question to the appropriate team. The question remains: If you’re buying an air purifier, why not buy a HEPA? —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Morento Air Purifier for $87: This CARB-certified model caught my attention earlier this year for its value. With a CADR of 200 cubic feet per minute, the Morento is not only more powerful than most others at its price point, but it’s got all the features of higher-end models, including a PM2.5 sensor and ring-light indicator, plus smart capability through the Havaworks app. During the testing period, however, the fan never increased speed to compensate for higher PM2.5 levels, even when I burned incense in the room to raise the level into the 500s. This persisted despite the machine being set to auto mode both in the app and on the machine itself, plus my cleaning the sensor and resetting the unit by unplugging it. Regardless, even if this feature had been working properly, the Morento gives a strangely wide margin for acceptable PM2.5 levels—the ring light indicator continued to glow green (“good”) up to 75 PM2.5, which is 15 times more than the World Health Organization (WHO)–recommended level of 5 micrograms per cubic meter. —Kat Merck
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