If you’re tight on space or just want a more aesthetically pleasing machine, the best air purifier for home depends on your needs.
If you live in a small apartment like me, you may need to have a multifunctional air purifier for a practical reason: space. These compact, dual-purpose machines are useful if you are tight on square footage or don’t want to shell out the money for two separate appliances. Or maybe you’re aesthetically driven and want something that looks cool in your space rather than a clunky, large air purifier that can be an eyesore.
Regardless of the reason, these multiuse air purifiers look good, save space, and combine appliances into a single, energy-efficient device.
Check out our other home air quality guides, including the Best Fans, Best Space Heaters, Best Humidifiers, Best Dehumidifiers, and Best Window ACs.
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Featured in This Guide
Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 Air Purifier
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EyeVac Air 2-in-1 Automatic Dustpan & HEPA Air Purifier
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Rabbit Air MinusA2 Ultra Quiet Air Purifier
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Best Air Purifier That’s Also a Fan
Dreo
Air Purifier Tower Fan MC710S
WIRED
- Fan and HEPA air purifier in one
- Works with smart home platforms, Dreo app, and remote
- Quiet
TIRED
- Bulky and takes up a lot of space
This Dreo offers 99.97 percent HEPA filtration and an air quality sensor. You can control it with a remote, the Dreo app, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. Best of all, the fan and purifier can operate independently, in case you need just one or the other or want to extend the filter lifespan (replacements run around $40). The 12-month warranty isn’t the greatest, but the device has been trouble-free for nearly two years in our long-term tests. If you’re in the market for a fan and purifier in one, this model is definitely worth a look. —Kat Merck
Best Air Purifier That’s Also a Heater
Blueair
ComfortPure 3-in-1 Air Purifier
WIRED
- Has a fan and a heater
- Easy-to-use app
- Indicator lights match the US air quality index
TIRED
- Panel doesn’t consistently illuminate when pressed
- Louder than expected
Blueair’s small-room model is a little under 2 feet tall and has built-in heating and cooling. Blueair’s app is easy to use, and I preferred it rather than the actual control panel. The panel did not always illuminate when pressed, making the buttons difficult to use. The app also has more options, like controlling the oscillation speed and angle. Blueair uses both mechanical HEPA filtration and electrostatic technology to capture pollutants in the air. Its CARB certification is listed as electronic, unlike HEPA-only air purifiers that are listed as mechanical.
The ComfortPure 3-in-1 also has an air quality index indicator light that responds to the purifier’s built-in sensor to measure particulate matter (PM) 2.5. The easy-to-miss sliver of light glows blue for excellent, green for good, yellow for moderate, orange for polluted, and red for very polluted. It has a control panel lock and filter change indicator light. I also appreciate the cloth handle that makes moving the Blueair easy. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Best Air Purifier That’s Also a Vacuum
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
EyeVac
Air 2-in-1 Automatic Dustpan & HEPA Air Purifier
WIRED
- It’s a vacuum!
- Filter placement allows for it to be placed flush against a wall
- Comes in multiple color options
TIRED
- No air quality indicator lights
- Vacuum sensor can be trigged accidentally
- Loud
The Eye-Vac Air combines an air purifier with a touchless vacuum. Sweep debris up to the stationary unit, and it’ll suck it up. It has two sets of HEPA and activated carbon filters pulling in air from both sides of the purifier. Its filter placement lets you position the Eye-Vac flush against the wall, which is especially useful in kitchen settings. The air filter can clean the air effectively, achieving five air exchanges per hour in a 120-square-foot space. While the large control panel is easy to read, the air purifier and vacuum offer only two options: manual or automatic. Indicator lights show when the bagless vacuum canister is full and when the air purifier filters need replacing. There are three fan speeds, but there are no color-coded indicator lights that correspond to air quality. Instead, three blue bars indicate the fan setting. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Best Air Purifier That Doubles as Art
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Photograph: Molly Higgins
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Photograph: Molly Higgins
Rabbit Air
MinusA2 Ultra Quiet Air Purifier
WIRED
- Cover attaches magnetically and is easy to disassemble for cleaning
- Can customize cover and filter type
- Can be easily mounted
TIRED
- No connected app
- No wheels and it’s a bit awkward to move
After testing a dozen or so air purifiers in my tiny apartment, I realized what an eyesore they can be. This air purifier doubles as art and, at the very least, a conversation piece. With such little space, I generally want my tech to be multifunctional, or at the very least look good. When my mom visited, she thought the MinusA2 was an art TV or a monitor with an art background, until it auto-engaged and ran on high after the Canadian wildfire smoke reached New York this summer. This air purifier comes in several artwork styles, including Monet’s Water Lilies and Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and can be easily hung flush against the wall by removing the bottom stand and using the included mounting bracket.
You can also customize the six-layer filter system inside, with options for a pet allergy-specific filter (which I opted for), germ defense for viruses and bacteria, a charcoal-enhanced odor remover, and a toxin absorber that reduces formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and harmful chemicals. Along with the custom filter, there is a reusable, washable prefilter; a medium filter for pollen and mold; a HEPA filter; an activated carbon filter for odor control; and a negative ion generator. The filters should last up to two years on average if the unit runs for 12 hours a day and is cleaned regularly. I didn’t love that it doesn’t have wheels or a handle, but it can be easily mounted if you’d rather display it off the floor. It was also super quiet, even on the highest fan speeds. With the remote or the buttons on the unit, you can change fan speeds or pick settings like auto, sleep, or pollen mode. On the front, there’s also an odor sensor and light indicating air quality.