Deciding to finally get an air purifier was a long journey for me. Despite many of my friends urging me to join the club and get one of my own, I was far from convinced that an air purifier was the right investment for me.
But after some time, I finally gave it some thought. And considering that I have regular seasonal allergies, deal with coughs from time to time, and live with both a dog and a cat, an air purifier seemed like a great idea.
With that said, I didn’t want just any air purifier. I wanted an air purifier that could do the job very well. I wanted to get the best benefits an air purifier can bring me. And if you’re someone like me that always wants the best of the best when it comes to your health – this article is for you.
After hours of endless research, I will show you a list of the best air purifiers you can currently buy in 2022. But before I show you any of my top picks – I want you first to gain a deeper understanding of why you can trust this review.
Why You Should Trust This Review
I’m not an expert at air purifiers, but I have owned a total of three different units over the last four years.
On top of that, I have done countless amounts of research.
I know what benefits air purifiers bring to the table, all the different filters available on the market, what makes a great air purifier, and what doesn’t – and a whole lot more, which would be precious first-hand information for people probably like yourself who are looking for their very first unit.
Besides owning quite a number of these machines – I have personally tested every single one of the recommendations that you’ll see in the section below. At the end of the day – only then could I truly recommend the products that I believe in.
Coway AP-1512HH – The Best Overall Air Purifier
When I did the research and compiled a list of all the best air purifiers for this guide, not many were able to catch my eyes like this model by Coway.
To start, Coway was one of the most recommended brands I found on Reddit, which was great sign as it showed that people were actually very pleased with their purchase.
So, like most people – I went off from social proof and had to test this unit myself.
I then quickly started to notice what all the hype was all about. One of my favorite features of this model was the fact that it came with a true HEPA filter.
There are many other air purifiers on the market that sport HEPA replicas or HEPA-like filters. While these filters still follow the general concept of a HEPA filter, their performance is subpar.
Additionally, this air purifier has an air quality monitoring system built right into it.
This is great because the air purifier can automatically decide when to turn on and off.
That way, the unit will never purify the air if it’s already as clean as it can be, which great news both for your air purifier’s filters and energy bill.
There’s even a neat LED light that can show you whether or not the air in the room is clean.
This feature is very handy as it can give you a good indication of just how bad the air in your room is before and after using the air purifier.
On top of that, the air purifier has a really cool design.
It easily fits into my living room’s interior design, which I’ve found to be quite difficult considering most air purifiers aren’t exactly the best looking.
One thing this air purifier lacks is smart features.
So, you won’t be able to connect it to your phone or smart speaker.
However, this is minor since the automatic mode of the air purifier is more than enough to make up for it.
Pros:
- Great for both small and medium rooms
- Comes with a true HEPA filter
- Has a carbon filter as well
- Great automatic mode with LED indicator for air quality
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Doesn’t have smart features like other modern air purifiers
Medify MA-112 – The Best Premium Air Purifier
The Medify MA-112 is truly one of the best air purifiers on the market today. From design to performance – it’s easy to see why it’s rated so highly across the board from thousands of previously users.
Despite its pretty steep price point – you definitely get your money’s worth with this air purifier.
To start, it has a very quiet motor and fan, which is very good for people who want to keep the unit on at night while sleeping.
Granted, you won’t have a zero-noise air purifier since the fan will always make noise, but many people stand by the fact that this air purifier is much quieter than others.
Another cool feature is the true HEPA filter that this air purifier features.
Aside from the true HEPA filter, this air purifier also features an active filter.
This way, the unit will take care of 99.97% of all solid particles as well as VOCs, smoke, and other unpleasant odors.
In terms of size, this air purifier is also on the larger side, meaning you’ll need quite a bit of space for it.
So, if you live in a small apartment, it might not be the best choice. However, if you live in a larger apartment or want to air purify an office space – then this unit is a great pick.
Another feature worth mentioning is the optional ionizer.
I wouldn’t use this feature myself as ionizers leave ozone gas as a leftover product, which can be harmful to the lungs. So, if you want to protect your lungs from irritants, I recommended avoiding this feature as well.
Pros:
- Great for large and medium-sized rooms
- Very quiet
- Comes with a real HEPA filter
- Also has an active carbon filter
- Has an optional ionizer
Cons:
- One of the most expensive models on the list
LEVOIT Core 300 – The Best Budget Air Purifier
This next option is the best one for those who don’t have that much money to spare on their air purifier. The LEVOIT Core 300, while very affordable, comes with a real HEPA filter, compact design, and tons of cool features that allow it to compare with other air purifiers in higher price ranges.
I guess the only real downside of this air purifier is its size. While it’s not exactly portable and easy to move around, it isn’t powerful enough for big rooms either. So, if you have a small apartment or a studio, this air purifier would be a good choice. But if you need something for an entire house or a larger room, the LEVOID Core 300 isn’t really going to cut it.
The LEVOIT Core 300 was the second air purifier that I had ever owned, and I must say – it did an absolutely brilliant job. It kept my allergies at bay even when I used it on the lowest setting. The fan is so quiet that at times, I didn’t even realize the air purifier was on. It operates at an average noise level of 24dB, which is significantly lower than most air purifiers on the market.
It also has a very intuitive LED display right on the top of the unit, which comes in very handy as it allowed me to easily adjust the air purifier settings as needed.
Pros:
- Operates silently at an average noise level of just 24dB
- Very affordable
- Easy to use
- Comes with a True HEPA filter
Cons:
- Not great for larger rooms
LG Puricare Mini – The Best Portable Air Purifier
The previous model we looked at was pretty small, but this one takes it to another level. And the difference is that with this model, its small size is a plus rather than a drawback.
This is because this pocket-sized air purifier might be just what you need when traveling around.
This is one of the only truly functional portable air purifiers on the market.
When checking out what other people in the community had to say about portable air purifiers, many of them pointed to this one as the gold standard for portable air purifiers.
One of the things that set this model apart is the design.
At first glance, you might not even think this is an air purifier as it more closely resembles a speaker rather than an air purifier.
It even has a strap that allows you to wear the purifier on your wrist or bag and bring it wherever you go.
Now, you may be wondering why you need to bring an air purifier around anyway considering most air purifiers are designed for indoor use.
This is because there are plenty of people out there that suffer from severe allergies, asthma, and COPD and simply want to breathe in clean air on the go.
While that might seem a little strange – this air purifier does a really good job at making sure its owner gets to breathe clean air even when outside.
You can bring it on the train, on the bus, or even while driving in your car.
Pros:
- Portable and convenient design
- Packs a lot of power for its size
- Easy to carry around
- Low noise levels
Cons:
- Not designed to be used in large rooms
- Doesn’t have a true HEPA filter
LEVOIT Vital 100 – The Best Air Purifier for Large Rooms
If you live in a larger apartment or you’re one of the few people that happen to have an extra large bedroom – the best air purifier for your situation would be the Vital 100 by LEVOIT.
This model has an air purification capacity of up to 300 square feet, which is in times more than most air purifiers that I’ve shown you so far on this list.
During my research process, I even came across a number of people who also used the Vital 100 for their offices considering its ability to purify air in large spaces.
To start, this model has a triple filtration system. So, whatever air goes into the machine passes through both a HEPA and carbon filter before being released into a room.
This is what allows the machine to filter out harmful particles while also clearing out any strong odors that may be present in the room.
Saying that, before the air even reaches the HEPA or the carbon filters – there is a pre-filter, which the air needs to pass through first.
This filter takes care of the larger solid particles and any particle that’s too small for it ends up getting trapped by the HEPA filter.
This takes some of the load off the other filters, allowing them to last much longer.
With that said, you still need to clean and replace the filters every one or two years – depending on how often you use the air purifier.
No air purifier is designed to work without you having to replace the filter, which is very important to remember.
And for such a large air purifier, this model works pretty quietly. This is especially important if you’re a sensitive sleeper or don’t want to disturb the employees at the office.
Pros:
- Great for large rooms of up to 300 square feet
- Comes with a three-stage filtration system
- Simple and intuitive design
- Quiet operation
- Purifies both solid particles and odors
Cons:
- The larger the room, the higher setting you need to use, which can make the air purifier quite noisy
Dyson Pure Cool TP04 – The Best Low-Noise Air Purifier
I’ll be honest and say that I was pretty nervous when I read that it’s best to keep the air purifier on as much as possible to get the most out of it. While I didn’t have an issue with that in regards to my energy bill, what I was mostly worried about was the noise from the fan waking me up at night.
If the air purifier fan made a decent amount of noise at night, I knew it would be impossible for me to have a good night’s sleep.
In such a case, I would either have to turn the unit off and breathe in poor-quality air or try to ignore the noise as much as possible and hope that it doesn’t wake me up.
If you’re like me – a light sleeper, getting the Dyson Pure Cool TP04 is probably the best thing you can do.
The air purifier is so quiet that you might not even notice that it’s on. And this is all while it works quietly in the background and is constantly providing you with clean air to breathe.
True to Dyson’s form, this model has a 360-degree filtration system that can filter out particles from any angle.
On top of that, it has a true HEPA filter so it does a great job at filtering out 99.97% of all solid particles found in the air.
Another advantage of this purifier is its unique design.
If you’re not a fan of the typical bulky air purifier designs that are available on the market – definitely take the Pure Cool TP04 by Dyson into consideration.
Pros:
- Unique design
- Very silent operations
- Has a 360-degree filtration system
- Built-in real HEPA filter
- Automatic mode
Cons:
- Relatively expensive
Philips GoPure GP5212 – The Best Car Air Purifier
If you spend a whole lot of time in your car as opposed to your apartment – getting an air purifier for your car isn’t that bad of an idea. At the end of the day – breathing in high-quality air is important regardless of whether you’re sleeping or are out working.
During my research, I came across quite a few car air purifiers but I believe this model by Philips is truly the best one out of all of them.
While it doesn’t have a true HEPA filter, it has a pretty advanced filtration system that can handle some of the larger particles such as dust, which can irritate your lungs and your skin.
Additionally, it has a pretty stylish and modern, and compact design, which is pretty important considering you will have it in your car and can’t quite hide it as well as you could if you bought it for your home.
Do note that the clean air delivery rate is much lower compared to normal air purifiers, but since the space in your car is pretty small anyway – it shouldn’t take the GoPure GP5212 more than 10 minutes to purify the air in the typical car.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Can fit in just about any car
- Battery-powered
- Sleek design
Cons:
- Doesn’t have a true HEPA filter
How to Find The Best Air Purifier for Your Needs
Finding the perfect air purifier for your needs can be a challenge – especially if you don’t really know what you’re looking for. I remember when I looked for my very first air purifier all those years ago.
I was literally looking at all of these features and had absolutely no idea what any of them meant.
So, like most people, I tried to do some research, but in the end, I just went for the air purifier that cost more because apparently, that’s a pretty good way to ensure that what you buy is of good quality and will do the job well.
I personally would advise against that as you need to know what you’re buying so you can make sure that it can meet your needs. So, if you want to find the best air purifier for you, there are various features that you need to consider.
Not only will this allow you to find an air purifier that actually suits your needs, but it also makes it easier to figure out which options are actually worth considering in the first place.
And to be honest, figuring out the most important features to consider when buying an air purifier is no easy task.
I had to figure out how air purifiers worked and what specific factors play a big role in performance.
But so you won’t have to go through the same struggle as I did when figuring out which features were important in an air purifier, I’ll quickly go over each of the important features below.
The Filtration System
Before I get into why the filtration system is arguably the most important factor in an air purifier, I want to quickly touch upon exactly how air purifiers work in the first place.
From the outside, modern air purifiers seem pretty complex, but they are actually not.
An air purifier consists of four main components: the case, the fan, the filter, and the motor which powers the fan.
The way air purifiers clean the air is by sucking in air from one end, running it through the filtration system, and releasing the pure air back into the room while all the particles end up getting stuck in the filter.
So, if you don’t have a good filter, your air purifier won’t exactly work the way it’s intended to.
As a result of that – you really want to make sure you get an air purifier with a good and high-quality filter.
The way you do that is by looking for a unit that features a true or a real HEPA filter. A real HEPA filter is a complex mechanical filter made with many different strands of fiberglass, which work together in catching over 99.97% of the harmful solid particles in the air before they end up in your lungs.
One thing to remember is that there are many air purifiers on the market with HEPA-like filters, which are not the same as real HEPA filters.
These filters are simply designed to mimic the real filter, and because of that – they are nowhere near as effective.
With that being said, HEPA filters may not be the only filters you need in your air purifier. This is because HEPA filters can only handle solid particles in the air.
If you want to get rid of odors, smoke, and VOCs, you need a filter that can capture gaseous particles.
That’s why I highly recommend getting an air purifier with both a HEPA and an activated carbon filter.
This is to ensure that you don’t just remove harmful dust and other particles from the air, but you get to the gaseous particles as well.
Consider the Size of Your Room
You need to make sure that you find an air purifier that has enough air purification capacity to be able to handle all of the air in your room.
This means that you shouldn’t buy a small air purifier if you want to use it in a relatively large room.
And on the flip side, getting an air purifier that’s too big compared to your room is wasteful.
This is because larger air purifiers use up way more power. So, it might end up wasting electricity because it’s working way too hard for the room you have.
To make sure you get the right air purifier, measure the square footage of your room and compare that with the air purification capacity of the different air purifiers you come across.
Replacement Cycle
One thing you need to remember about air purifiers is that they aren’t built to last forever. While the case, the fan, and the motor will last for many many years – what you really need to pay attention to is the filtration system within the unit you’re considering.
Picking an air purifier with a high-maintenance filtration system can end up taking a considerable amount of time and money from your pocket every couple of months.
That’s why I personally recommend air purifiers with long-lasting filters. A good indicator that a HEPA filter can last you a long time is whether or not it’s washable.
Washable filters have a much longer lifespan than their counterparts as you can wash them a couple of times before they need to be replaced. This means that one filter can last you up to a year or even two depending on how often you use the air purifier.
And while HEPA filters are easily cleanable and washable, activated carbon filters may be a bit harder to clean. This is why most people end up just replacing the carbon filter before even cleaning it once.
Additional Features
While most air purifiers are strictly made to purify the air within your room – many of the modern designs come with additional features, which are actually very important when it comes to making the most out of your unit.
One such example would be the automatic air quality control sensor. This sensor is great because it not only shows you how bad the air quality in your room is but also that it can trigger the air purifier to automatically turn on and purify the air when the air quality levels get too low.
The reason this particular feature is so great is because it allows your air purifier to run 24/7 without actually being on 24/7.
That way, you not only save on electricity by not having your air purifier running for no reason once the air quality is good, but the unit will automatically make sure that you’re breathing the best possible air at all times.
Conclusion
Truthfully, there are many great air purifier options on the market today. What might work for some people isn’t guaranteed to work for others.
I’m saying this because some air purifiers have a different filtration system to others, meaning that some units are designed to take care of gasses while other units are made to take care of dust, pollen, and other solid particles.
My personal favorite air purifier at the moment is the Coway AP-1512HH.
It not only has all the functionalities that I personally would want in an air purifier but is also very fairly priced, meaning I will be getting good value for money.