Best air purifiers for allergies 2024
Shield your home from pollen, pet dander, dust and other airborne allergens with the best air purifiers for allergies ― tried and tested by our expert team.
Not every one of the best air purifiers is capable of trapping tiny airborne allergens. If hay fever and pet allergies are your main concerns, you want to look for an appliance that can handle such a feat. Most importantly, your air purifier should be equipped with a High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing (HEPA) filter. "These filters can remove up to 99.97% of small airborne particles, including dust, pollen, and mold spores," Dr. John McKeon, the CEO of Allergy Standards and a principal at the Indoor Air Innovation & Research Institute, told Live Science.
You may also want an appliance with extra filters, such as the Levoit Vital 200S or the Rabbit Air A3, or an air purifier that can monitor air quality — like the Molekule Air Pro, for example.
The best air purifiers for allergies can bring relief to your symptoms if you suffer with allergies to airborne particulates. These appliances trap and remove a wide range of pollutants — from dust and pollen to volatile organic compounds and smoke — leaving you with cleaner, fresher air in your home or workplace. However, they do not affect humidity levels. If you are concerned about condensation, consider investing in one of the best dehumidifiers instead. For more information on air purifiers, scroll down to our Air purifiers for allergies FAQs section.
Each air purifier in this guide was tested according to the same testing protocol. We looked into the design, features, ease of use and functionality of the models, and used an industry-grade air particle monitor to assess their performance. Here are the best air purifiers for allergies you can buy right now.
The quick list
Here are our top picks of the best air purifiers in a ‘quick view’ layout. For more detailed reviews of each air purifier, scroll down and click through to our reviews.
Best overall
Best overall
The Levoit Core 600S comes out on top with its inconspicuous design, impressive performance and handy smart features — and it is reasonably priced, too.
Best budget option
Best budget option
This air purifier packs a lot of value into its $99 price tag — it is compact, sleek and does not compromise on performance. Great option for tight spaces.
Best aesthetics
Best aesthetics
This air purifier will be a talking point in your home — ultra-quiet and impressively powerful, it comes in an impressive range of truly unique designs.
Best for monitoring air quality
Best for monitoring air quality
The medically-graded Molekule Air Pro offers some of the most detailed air quality readings you can find in an air purifier, and its air-cleaning capabilities are hard to match.
Best air purifier with humidifier
Best air purifier with humidifier
The Turonic PH950 air purifier will keep the indoor air clean and moisturized making it easier for you to breathe. It is quite a big and bulky appliance, but it delivers in the looks department.
Best for homes with pets
Best for pet owners
Designed specifically for pet dander and unpleasant smells, this smart air purifier delivers good performance without generating loads of noise or breaking the bank.
The best air purifiers for allergies we recommend in 2024: Fully tested by the Live Science team with real-world experience
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The best air purifier for allergies, overall
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want excellent air-cleaning performance and smart features: This air purifier features a three-stage filtration system and an app that allows you to control it from your phone.
✅ You are looking for a bedroom air purifier: While it's not silent, we appreciated how quiet this air purifier was, even when not in sleep mode.
❌ You are short on space: It's a relatively big and bulky unit.
❌ You're on a budget: It is not too expensive, but there are certainly more affordable models in this guide.
🔎 Levoit Core 600S: It may not be the most compact or good-looking air purifier on the market, but it offers exceptional air-cleaning performance, plenty of smart features and user-friendly design — and it does not cost the earth. ★★★★½
The Levoit 600S is our top choice for an air purifier that effectively captures allergens in your home, and with good reason. Not only did it perform well in all of our tests during our full Levoit Core 600S review, but it's also easy to use and packed with handy smart features.
Thanks to its True HEPA H13 and advanced activated carbon filters, this air purifier aced our tests under a number of conditions, removing as much as 99.9% of particles smaller than 0.3 microns at certain times. It is quiet, too. When we measured its noise levels with a decibel-counting app, we did not note more than 55dB, which is quieter than an average refrigerator.
Not only is the Levoit 600S a powerful air purifier, but it also gains points for its discreet design — the toned-up colors and traditional rectangular shape make it easily blend with most home decors.
We found that setting up the air purifier is easy thanks to the intuitive controls, and there's plenty of information accessible on the app connected to your purifier, which gives you statistics on historical and current air quality within your home, which we thought was a great feature.
On the other hand, the Levoit 600S is quite a bulky machine, so it may not be suitable for tight spaces. It is also relatively expensive so might not be ideal if you're on a budget — but that said, it's still more affordable than some of the Dyson and RabbitAir models, for example.
- Read our full Levoit Core 600S review
Attributes | Notes |
---|---|
Design | Sleek and discreet, but not necessarily small. |
Performance | Quiet even without sleep mode. |
Functionality | Controlled from a handy app. |
The best budget air purifier for allergies
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You don't want anything complicated: It's easy to use and ready to go right out of the box.
✅ You don't have a lot of room: It stands 22 inches tall and around 10 inches wide, so it's good for slotting into a narrow space.
❌ You want something that blends in: While we wouldn't consider it to be ugly, it may not blend in with your interiors.
❌ You want smart features: For that, you may need to invest in a more premium air purifier.
🔎 GermGuardian AC4825E: It is compact, easy to use and sleek-looking, but more importantly, this budget-friendly air purifier does a great job of trapping airborne allergens. It does not have any smart features, though. ★★★★
If you’re on a budget and need an air purifier to tackle your allergy symptoms, then the GermGuardian AC4825E will be an inexpensive purchase that can go a long way to help you breathe more easily.
Complete with a HEPA filter and a charcoal filter to filter odors, this appliance can make your living space a nicer place to be. It’s also ultra-quiet, meaning it can work away in the background without distracting you from whatever you're doing.
As you might expect with a smaller unit, the coverage of this air purifier is not quite as extensive as bulkier models. It would be suitable for single rooms, rather than expansive spaces, and stands at just 22 inches tall, meaning it won’t be too disruptive to your room’s decor, although it's not quite sleek enough to blend in.
There are some other handy features too, including a light to indicate a filter change is due and three speeds including an ultra-quiet sleep mode so that you can keep your machine running into the night.
We were impressed by its ability to remove harmful particles in our match and incense tests during our full GermGuardian AC4825E review, especially for its price point. If you want a no-frills, but a very effective air purifier, we’d recommend the GermGuardian.
- Read our full GermGuardian AC4825E review
Attributes | Notes |
---|---|
Design | Small and compact. |
Performance | Impressive performance for its price. |
Functionality | Simple controls, no smart features. |
Best looking air purifier for allergies
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want a real looker: This air purifier comes in multiple eye-pleasing designs.
✅ You need an air purifier for a large bedroom: It boasts powerful performance and it is whisper-quiet.
❌ You are on a budget: It costs between $749.95 and $769.95, and its filter replacements are expensive, too.
❌ You need to move it around a lot: It does not feature any handles or ridges that would increase its portability.
🔎 RabbitAir A3: This air purifier will be a talking point in your home. It is beautifully designed, whisper-quiet and exceptionally effective at removing airborne allergens. The caveat? The A3 is relatively expensive. It could be more portable, too. ★★★★
If you are looking for a powerful air purifier with a truly unique design, and you need it to cover larger rooms in your home, then the RabbitAir A3 is the ideal choice for you.
This thoughtfully designed air purifier comes in over 10 colorful designs, and it features a neat mood light that can be automatically switched off at night. More importantly, it boasts excellent air-cleaning performance. Certified Asthma & Allergy Friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the RabbitAir A3 will easily get rid of pollen, pet dander and many other airborne allergens. And because it is Energy Star Certified, it will not put a strain on your energy bill while doing so.
During our RabbitAir A3 air purifier review, we were thoroughly impressed at its functionality. It is relatively large, but light and compact, and it does not make much noise even when kicked into high gear. Unlike many other air purifiers on the market, the RabbitAir A3 can also be mounted on the wall, making it a great option for households with pets or small children. We also liked its user-friendly display, and that it was easily controlled via a handy app.
Moreover, the RabbitAir A3 features a whopping five filters, one of which can be customized to suit your specific needs. For example, you can choose a Germ Defense filter to trap harmful microbes, or opt for a Pet Allergy filter to clear your air of pet dander.
There are, however, several downsides to the RabbitAir A3. This air purifier is relatively expensive, and its filter replacements come at a steep price tag. It is also tricky to move around, as it does not feature any handles or ridges.
- Read our full RabbitAir A3 air purifier review
Attributes | Notes |
---|---|
Design | It comes in over 10 color options, and can be mounted on the wall. |
Performance | Excellent air-cleaning performance, quiet at use. |
Functionality | Easy to use and control remotely. |
Best tower fan for allergies
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want something multifunctional: The Dyson Purifier Cool performs well and doubles as a cooling fan.
✅ You want smart features: You can control it with your voice or through the accompanying app.
❌ You're on a budget: It's one of the most expensive options on this list.
❌ You want something quiet: We noticed that it can get a bit noisy, so it may not be the best option for bedrooms.
🔎 Dyson Purifier Cool: Sleek, stylish and packed with useful features, this air purifier delivers a great air-cleaning performance. Plus, it keeps you cool during the summer months. However, it is relatively noisy and it requires a steep upfront investment. ★★★★
As with any Dyson product, a sleek and well-engineered design was to be expected of the Dyson Purifier Cool — we think it's one of the most stylish air purifiers on the market. This appliance definitely doesn’t disappoint on those grounds, and has a practical edge too, doubling as a cooling fan, giving you more bang for your buck.
Beyond aesthetics, this purifier also performed exceptionally well in our testing protocol during our full Dyson Purifier Cool review, with our tests concluding that it often captured more than 95% of monitored particles when used at its highest setting for at least 30 minutes.
When it comes to assisting with cleansing the air of allergens, the Dyson Purifier Cool aims to pick up microscopic particles smaller than 2.5 microns, including smoke, bacteria, and allergens — shown as PM 2.5.
If you want your home to be a relief from allergy symptoms - especially in peak pollen season for example — then another neat trick with the Dyson Purifier Cool is that you can set your machine to start working remotely, all from the comfort of your machine’s app.
Though this air purifier might not be within everyone’s price range, it has a lot to deliver, and an eye-catching design to sweeten the deal.
- Read our full Dyson Purifier Cool review
Attributes | Notes |
---|---|
Design | Incredibly sleek and stylish design. |
Performance | Doubles as a cooling fan. |
Functionality | Clever smart features. |
Best air purifier for large rooms
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want to mount it on your wall: If you want to save on floor space, you can mount it to your wall.
✅ You want something you can customize: You can customize the six filters, and for an extra $20 you can even choose an artistic front panel to help disguise it in your home.
❌ You don't want to spend a lot: This is one of the most expensive purifiers on this list.
❌ You want simplicity: It comes with an accompanying app, which we found to be tricky to use.
🔎 Rabbit Air MinusA2 Spa-780N: It may be one of the pricier air purifiers in this guide, but this stylish machine is well worth the money. The MinusA2 offers excellent performance, customizable filters, a robust filtration system and a handy smart app. ★★★★½
If you struggle with allergies and are looking for an inconspicuous air purifier to add to your home, then the Rabbit Air MinusA2 Spa-780N has a design that’s made for sleek, stylish homes.
Able to be wall-mounted or used as a portable purifier, this appliance is impressive on many counts. It has a standard coverage of 815 square feet, which is perfect for larger spaces, and a CADR capable of trapping pollen, dust and smoke in your designated space within that size. It’s crucial when shopping for an air purifier for allergies that you look out for a solid clean air delivery rate (CADR), and this air purifier claims to have high delivery rates with all of those allergens.
When it comes to selecting an air purifier for your home, there are a number of practical features to think about too. This Rabbit Air MinusA2 Spa-780N has been engineered to be ultra quiet, which is bound to be a top consideration for light sleepers. Having said this, we measured 48 decibels on turbo speed during our Rabbit Air MinusA2 Spa-780N review, so it's not quite as quiet as advertised.
The design of this air purifier means you probably won’t even notice that it’s there (especially with the wall mount option) but you’re bound to feel its benefit when it comes to air quality. In our tests, it removed between 84-90% of particles between 0.3 and 10 microns in size in just 30 minutes.
- Read our full Rabbit Air MinusA2 Spa-780N review
Attributes | Notes |
---|---|
Design | Sleek and wall-mountable. |
Performance | Not as quiet as they state. |
Functionality | Can personalize filter type. |
Best air purifier for monitoring air quality
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You have a large space: It's best suited for large spaces, both in size and effective range.
✅ You want to keep a close eye on air quality: This unit will tell you exactly how much of each type of airborne pollutants lingers in the air.
❌ You're on a budget: It is an impressively powerful air purifier, but it does come at a steep cost.
❌ You want something quiet for your bedroom: We found it was quite loud on its highest fan setting.
🔎 Molekule Air Pro: This elegant air purifier boasts impressive air-cleaning performance and some of the best air quality readings out there. It is relatively big and expensive, though. ★★★★
The Molekule Air Pro provides some of the most comprehensive air quality readings we have seen in a commercial air purifier. Unlike most appliances on the market, it tells you exactly how much particulate matter is lingering in the air at any given time, breaking it down into 1-micron, 2.5-micron, and 10-micron particles, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide and relative humidity. All of the data collected by the Molekule Air Pro can then be viewed in the Molekule app, so you can have a detailed overview of air pollution changes over time. If you like your numbers or are concerned about a specific type of airborne allergens, this air purifier will thoroughly impress you.
It is not just the air quality readings that make the Molekule Air Pro stand out among its competitors. This air purifier is one of the handful of models cleared by the FDA as a Class II medical device under the 510(k) program. That is because it is equipped with a patented pollutant-destroying PECO technology that can turn pollen, dust mites and other organic airborne allergens into water vapor and harmless gases — and it showed in our tests.
During our Molekule Air Pro review, we were impressed by its powerful air-cleaning performance. This appliance did a particularly good job at removing smoke, trapping 99.6% of particles measuring 0.3 microns and 99.9% of 2.5-micron particles after just 15 minutes on Auto mode. The Molekule Air Pro delivered even better results when we repeated this test at its highest fan setting. The problem is, this air purifier was relatively loud when put through its paces, reaching up to a whopping 66dB — as loud as a regular conversation. It can, however, be put in a Quiet Mode.
High cost is another downside. Priced at roughly $1000, the Molekule Air Pro is one of the most expensive models in this guide, and its filter replacements are pricey, too.
- Read our full Molekule Air Pro review
Attributes | Notes |
---|---|
Design | Sleek and intuitive to use. |
Performance | Powerful, but loud. |
Functionality | App control, voice assistant, detailed air quality readings. |
Best air purifier with humidifier
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want versatility: This air purifier also doubles as a humidifier.
✅ You want smart features: It comes with a remote control and can be controlled via the Smart Life app.
❌ You don't want to spend loads: It's on the pricier side, so those with a smaller budget will want to look at other options.
❌ You don't have a lot of space: It's a fairly bulky unit, so it wouldn't be suitable for smaller spaces.
🔎 Turonic PH950 2-in-1: This stylish purifier-humidifier combo impresses with its user-friendly design, powerful air filtration system and efficient performance — but it is also quite bulky and pricey. ★★★★½
When it comes to air purifiers, Turonic may be a new kid on the block — but don’t let that put you off. The Turonic PH950 2-in-1 model may be a strong contender for the title of best mid-range air purifier.
Weighing in at almost 24 lbs, it's definitely not the lightest piece of equipment on the market. It is also bigger and wider than most competitors, so you may need to sacrifice some floor space. But taking into account what the Turonic PH950 can offer, this is not necessarily a deal breaker.
Indeed, the Turonic PH950 is a powerful 2-in-1 machine combining an air purifier and a humidifier. This complex piece of equipment is equipped with an ionizer, UV-C technology and several different filters designed to neutralize up to 99.98% of unwanted particles as small as 0.1 microns. It also comes with 10 different operating modes, a handy remote control, a designated app, a timer, PM2.5 laser air quality sensor, and a child lock — all for approximately $400 per unit. It may sound like a hefty price tag, but we found the Turonic PH950’s performance to be superb in our tests. And since this piece of equipment is highly energy efficient, it will not rack up your energy bills.
During our Turonic PH950 air purifier review, we found it easy to assemble and use. It is equipped with a stylish circular display and easy-to-understand color-coded indicators. The display is also suitable to use in a bedroom at night, as the icons are bright, but not flashy.
The downsides? For a relative beginner, the Turonic PH950 may seem like an overly complicated piece of machinery. Changing a filter in this piece of equipment can also prove quite costly — the price for a single filter pad tends to fall between $45 and $60.
- Read our full Turonic PH950 air purifier review
Attributes | Notes |
---|---|
Design | Bulky design. |
Performance | Works very efficiently and quickly. |
Functionality | Doubles as a humidifier. |