Quizience is supported by you the audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Air purifiers are fundamentally simple machines—little more than a fan and a filter. Yet a well-designed purifier can capture virtually all airborne allergens, such as pollen and mold spores, as well as bacteria, viruses, and smoke.
We’ve tested more than 60 air purifiers in the past nine years, and the exceptional Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty is our top pick among them. It’s powerful enough to clean a large room, quiet enough to sleep near, engineered to run for years, and inexpensive enough to set up several throughout a home. But it’s not the only excellent air purifier we’ve found, and if you prefer the looks, price, or features of our other recommendations, be assured that they, too, are top-notch performers.
Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty
Within 30 minutes, the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty reduced heavy smoke pollution in a New York City office by as much as 99.6%; this is comparable to the performance of other top machines and has been consistent in multiple test spaces. We’ve pushed this machine beyond its on-paper limits in various ways—including running its filters 24/7 for two years, twice as long as recommended—and it has never wavered or weakened. It offers great value on initial and long-term costs, and its compact form, quiet operation, and display-light shutoff make it especially well suited to using it in a bedroom or living room.
Coway Airmega 200M
The Coway Airmega 200M is virtually identical to Coway’s Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty in every important respect. They’re equivalent in noise and performance measurements, their filters are interchangeable, and their similar controls allow you to shut off the display lights. The 200M has a square grille rather than a round one, but that’s the only major physical difference. If you prefer the 200M’s looks or you find it at a better price, we recommend it.
Winix 5500-2
The Winix 5500-2 is an exceptional performer on particulates air pollution: It captured as much as 99.9% of the smoke in our test room in just 30 minutes on high. We prefer the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty for its lower energy consumption, smaller visual footprint, and manual display-shutoff feature. The related 5300-2 and C535 (which is exclusive to the Winix store and Walmart) lack a few of the 5500-2’s features, but they perform just as well and may be available at lower prices. We’ve had similarly strong results with every other Winix we’ve tested, including the AM80 and Wi-Fi–enabled AM90—not surprising given that the only meaningful differences between them are their looks.
Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max
The Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max is similarly excellent in purifying performance to our other standard-space picks and offers notably quiet performance, terrific energy efficiency, and a display shutoff. A re-engineered motor (versus its predecessor, the 311 Auto), a larger and less dense filter, and a more-open outlet grille account for its lower electricity consumption and noise output. The Blueair app lets you monitor your air quality and adjust the machine’s settings remotely. And it’s a particularly attractive machine, with a tweed-like, washable cover available in several muted colors. One minor knock: The company recommends replacing the filters every six to nine months, pushing yearly replacement costs above those of some similar purifiers.
Levoit Vital 200S
Levoit’s Vital 200S matched the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty in performance tests, and the two are very similar in terms of energy efficiency, noise output, and an ability to shut off the display while maintaining the fan setting of your choosing. It’s been working flawlessly in our first year of long-term testing in a New York City apartment.