As an allergy sufferer living in California (pollen! pm2.5 from our crazy wildfires!), I’ve purchased a lot of air purifiers via Amazon in the last couple of years. Also as a former public health student who has studied the effects of air pollution on health, I really believe in the health risks from breathing poor air quality (inflammation from breathing in pm2.5 is associated with higher risks of not only respiratory issues but also heart disease). So I’m willing to invest in a good air purifier, and I’ve tried a lot! So learn from my purchasing mistakes and wins if you’re in the market for a good air purifier.

In order from cheapest to most expensive:

GermGuardian

This is Amazon’s Choice and also rated the best in value in terms of air purifiers. And I can see why: It has a HEPA filter system and it’s cheap. But really that’s where the good news ends. This air purifier comes with 3 settings, with the third one being quite loud. And it kills germs with a UV-C light, but that also produces ozone when it hits oxygen (and it’s not ideal to be breathing in ozone). Also this small air purifier can only filter a room of 167 square feet (with no mention of how many times it can refresh the air in such a room in a hour). There’s only one pre-filter that doubles as a “charcoal filter” which is not an activated charcoal filter (that’s what you really want), so it won’t filter out smells that well. So what you pay for is what you get with this air purifier and if you’re only going to buy one, I would spend a little bit more to get a better device.

Levoit Air Purifier for Home

The Levoit Air Purifier for Home is a really small air purifier that works best in really small spaces. I originally purchased this for the Airstream trailer since I wanted something compact. And sure it’ll suck up some dust and dog fur, but there’s not much power to the thing (it’ll only filter a room 86 square feet). I don’t really recommend this one since you can get a good for just a bit more money (and I mean the next one).

Okaysou AirMax 8L

{September 2020 Addition} I was gifted this Okaysou AirMax 8L for a review but I have to say, it’s a great air filter, especially for larger spaces. It has less frills than the Renpho below but it has a largest capacity (800 sq. ft.) and the most filters out of all these air purifiers on this list. It also has a cold catalyst filter that can kill viruses (hello, perfect pandemic air filter). If you’re interested in a larger air purifier at a great value, this one is for you.

Renpho Air Filter For Home, Large Room

This is the one folks. This is the air purifier that I would recommend for everyone as your basic, starter air purifier. For $127, it has 4 filters including an activated charcoal filter along with a true HEPA filter. The motor is quiet but powerful. It has a night mode that’s extra quiet. It also comes with its own air quality monitor and indicator (there’s an optional large swath of blue light when it’s clean air, yellow when not-so-great, and red for bad air quality). It filters to up to 300 square feet but it’s still light enough if you want to move it to another room once in awhile. There’s a timer for 2, 4, or 8 hours and an indicator light to tell you which filters need cleaning. I like this one so much, that this is the one I bought for my mom when she wanted an air filter for her apartment. {September 2020 Update: This is still one of my favorite air purifiers but I need to add that it’s best not to move it from room to room. I’ve found that with wear and tear (brought on by moving it constantly) the fan can eventually have a clicking sound, which I think it might be from a piece that might have misaligned.}

Levoit Air Purifier for Home Large Room

I’ll cut right to the chase on this one: don’t get it. For $160, you can get the one above for cheaper and it’s much better. This only has 3 filters, a noisier fan inside and it broke within a year of use. It’s a piece of junk.

RabbitAir BioGS 2.0 Air Purifier

This was my first expensive air purifier that I purchased and also my oldest. This is a quiet tank of a machine. Much heavier than the Renpho and also 3 times the price. It can cover a room about 550 square feet and has 3 filters. TBH if the Renpho was around when I bought this I probably would have been happy with that one, but this one is great if you want to filter a bigger space. It’s also the quietest of the bunch.

Dyson Pure Hot + Cool Link HP02

So if you don’t mind spending the big bucks, then this Dyson Hot and Cold Air Purifier is the one for you. It costs a pretty penny, but it has a lot of great features that can make it worth it. My favorite is the oscillating fan function and heat mode. So this bad boy is not only an air purifier but also fan and space heater in one. It also comes with an app that allows you to control it without having to use the remote. The app also monitors air quality of both inside the room as well as air quality and weather outside. This air purifier is super quiet but also super powerful. The only drawbacks are the price and the fact that it comes with only a HEPA filter (no charcoal or other filters, and the dyson filter is expensive to replace). The newer HP04 version does come with a charcoal filter though and an upgraded HEPA filter though it’s about $150 more. {May 2021 update: So after having this run for almost a year non-stop I had to finally change out the filter. I did some research on Amazon, but found that the third party makers of the replacement filters are not as good as the original. So I purchased it directly from Dyson (for a reasonable price compared to the Amazon ones).

EnviroKlenz Air System Plus

{This is a sponsored addition to this post} If you are looking for an air purifier that can clean a large room of about a 1000sq ft, unfortunately none of the air purifiers above can do the job. Then a great option for you guys is the EnviroKlenz Air System Plus. Now this air filter is a professional grade machine and is not messing around. It has two filters: the first is an Air Cartridge with earth mineral technology (ie non-toxic and without the use of chemicals) and the second is a medical-grade HEPA filter. This air purifier also has two UV-C lamps inside and facing the filter to kill the germs trapped by the filter. All the air purifiers above just trap the the particles and none actually kill them. The UV-C lamps are beamed within the filter, thus the EnviroKlenz can kill 99.9% of viruses as well as get rid of mold and mildew. It also removes all odors from the air as well. EnviroKlenz products have been independently tested by the U.S. Army CHPPM, Nelson Labs, and MPI Research Inc., for oral, dermal, skin, eye, and inhalation safety. And it’s a minor detail but I like that this air purifier has wheels (I think all purifiers should have wheels to make it easier to move around). This is a no frills air purifying machine with 4 speeds, with the lowest one called “Whisper mode” lol. And finally this is the only air purifier here made in the US, so you’d be supporting American business.

So there you have it guys. My favorite is obviously the Renpho for both the quality and price, though I’ve really tried the gamut when it comes to air purifiers. I currently have one in every room (living space and two bedrooms), and I can tell it makes a huge difference. I should also note that no matter how many air purifiers you have, keeping the air clean in your home starts with you (and not the air purifier). You’d be surprised how much cooking can pollute indoor air (so turn your vents on or open windows when cooking). Also vacuum frequently so that dust doesn’t clog your filters, preventing it from doing a good job. And lastly try to vacuum and maintain your filters before the filter light goes on to keep your air purifier running well!