Here are the best air purifiers of 2022 — because fresh air is a good idea all year round

The air inside your home can get stale — or worse, it can become permeated with dust, pollen, pet dander and various pollutants. That's why you should consider adding an air purifier to your healthy-house arsenal.

You don't need to suffer from allergies or asthma to benefit. Besides removing indoor pollutants, air purifiers capture many airborne viral pathogens, meaning you're less likely to get sick. Air purifiers are also useful for those who live near smoky environments or wildfires. That's a concern any time of the year, but especially during the summer.

Experts often recommend that you have one in your bedroom. You should also consider another in a common area like the living room or kitchen (an air purifier is great for eliminating cooking smells). Below are shoppers' favorite models to help you make the best choice for your home.

Coway

Coway Airmega AP-1512HH True HEPA Air Purifier

$168 $230 at Amazon

The AP-1512HH's 4-stage filtration system captures and reduces up to 99.97% of particles, including volatile organic compounds as well as pollen and pollutants. The pre-filter is washable, its True HEPA filter is replaceable.

Lest you have any doubt as to the 1512HH's popularity: 15,000 Amazon reviewers have bestowed five-star raves.

“This is incredible,” one of them said. “How did I ever live without it before? The auto mode really works! We have an open-floor-plan 1,600-square-foot home. This sucker had apparently cleaned all the air in my house from the far corner of my room. My husband will go to the other end of the house to vape, and the purifier will detect him and speed up right away. We no longer come home to a house smelling like what we've been cooking.”

Coway

Coway Airmega 200M True HEPA Air Purifier

$197 $249 at Walmart

The 200M can accommodate spaces up to 361 square feet and has a four-stage filtration system as well as brightly colored LEDs to let you know the quality of your air with a glance.

If your aesthetic runs more retro than contemporary, you'll want to consider the Coway Airmega 200M. It has all of the same performance features as the AP-1512HH (above), but the design isn't as slick and modern.

One happy customer reports, "The ability to turn off the bright LED light is a great feature for use in the bedroom." Now you can sleep tight and breathe easy.

Coway

Coway Airmega 400(G) Smart Air Purifier

$650 $749 at Amazon

For those with larger homes and open floor plans, we recommend the Coway Airmega 400. It works with spaces up to 1,560 square feet, and it cleans the air at least twice an hour.

The 400(G)'s Max2 filter system, which combines both an activated carbon filter plus a True HEPA filter, is able to capture and reduce 99.97% of the minuscule particles in the air (think dust, pollen and harmful volatile compounds). This model features five fan modes and an LED ring that changes color depending on the air quality.

“I purchased this for the sole purpose of allergies. Starting the day after I turned it on, I have not sneezed one time, and the allergies have basically gone away. I cannot believe how much better I feel,” wrote one shopper. “If it weren’t for the indicator lights, you wouldn’t even know it was running.... On medium fan speed you can barely hear it, and on high speed you can hear it but it’s much quieter than a standard fan running in the house.”

Winix

Winix 5500-2 Air Cleaner with Plasma Wave Technology

$161 $250 at Walmart

With a three-stage filtration system and plasma wave tech, the Winix 5500-2 air purifier is sure to get rid of all sorts of airborne pollutants in your home.

This Winix winner captures not just dust and pollen, but also pet dander, smoke, mold spores, household odors and more. Perfect for medium to large living spaces, it works especially well in kitchens and living rooms. It has a washable carbon filter and a 99.97% True HEPA filter, plus it utilizes Winix's Plasma Wave technology.

"This purifier definitely packs some power!" raved a five-star review. "On full blast it is pretty loud, can be heard from across the house, but not so bad that you can't sleep in the same room with it. Night mode and lower modes are great, really limit sound. There are two big gaps at the sides of the cover which allows it to pull in dust balls, carpet fibers, stray scraps of toilet paper from a shoe, or any other random larger thing that might get dragged into the room."

Blueair

Blueair Blue 311 Auto Air Purifier

$250 at Amazon

Those who value form and function equally are sure to love the Blueair Blue Pure 311. Its Scandinavian-modern good looks match its impressive performance.

The Pure 311 is recommended for medium-sized spaces, which makes it a great choice for bedrooms, kitchens and studio apartments. It eliminates odors and 99.97% of airborne pollutants, including viruses and fine particles from wildfires. In addition, the fabric pre-filter cover is washable and is available in five colors (colors other than dark gray are sold separately).

“I bought this air purifier before taking on a home remodel/addition project in anticipation of increased dust,” said one reviewer. “In addition, I have cats and dogs in the house, so figured it would be useful in general. After some thorough research on purifiers, I went with Blueair and am happy I did!”

Blueair

Blueair Blue Pure 211+ Auto Air Purifier

$295 $340 at Amazon

The Blue Pure 211+ features the same great technology as the 311 (above) but is designed for larger spaces like living rooms and large studios.

Just like with its smaller sibling above, the 211+'s washable fabric pre-filter is available in five colors (only dark gray is included).

“This thing is easy on the eyes. Very straightforward setup: You plug it in, click a button and go on with your day,” raved an Amazon reviewer. “We have this in our bedroom, and within four hours there was a very noticeable difference in air quality.... As you walk from the living room into the bedroom, the odors disappear, it smells clean, almost sterile, and it feels like you’re breathing pure O2 out of an oxygen tank. We no longer wake up with stuffy noses.”

LEVOIT

LEVOIT Core 400S

$220 at Amazon

If you want an air purifier with some smarts, then you've clicked to the right place. You can connect the Core 400S to Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant and control it via voice command.

We like to think that the S in 400S stands for "smart." The Levoit app allows you to control this model remotely, whether you’re home or away. You can also create schedules for it to run at certain times. Most importantly, its three-stage True HEPA filtration system can capture large and small particles alike.

“This is a healing machine!” raved one Amazon shopper. “This thing has eliminated our allergies and asthma symptoms. We keep the unit in the center of the house in the kitchen/dinette area. And this is able to clean our entire home of pet and cigarette smells within an hour on Speed 4.... It’s rated for a space of 403 square feet, but it has no problem covering much larger spaces.”

Mila

Mila Air Purifier with Basic Breather filter

$408 at Amazon

If you’re looking for an air purifier that's customized just for you, then the Mila is your best bet, as you can get a version that’s specific to you and your family's needs (allergies, new baby, etc).

Mila's Basic Breather filter is for those with straightforward air-purification needs. If you're a pet owner, you can opt for a model with the Critter Cuddler filter, which zeroes in on pet odor and fuzz. Suffer from allergies? Go for the Big Sneeze, which is outfitted with medical-grade filters designed to fight common allergens like pollen and dander. It's smart, too, with an app that lets you control the machine remotely. There are settings to make it whisper quiet as well!

“Connecting to the app is very simple,” said a reviewer who gave it five-stars. “The app and the filter itself give you updates on how your air is looking, and it definitely responds quickly to any changes in the environment. Last night, I fried some chicken for dinner, and the air quality index rating shot up on the filter. It immediately started working overtime to get the air cleared of any of the pollutants put off by frying.”

For a more in-depth review of the Mila, you can check out Engadget’s take on it here.

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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