When it comes to decontaminating the indoor air, nothing can do it better than air purifiers. The only problem though, some air purifiers adds one more air pollutant that we hate -- NOISE.
Good thing that we now have quiet air purifiers that tackle this problem precisely. However, with so many distributed out there, how would you know which one to buy?
In this article, we compared each purifier based on their performance, their noise levels in different fan speeds, and the technology they use.
From that data, we have gathered the 8 best quietest air purifiers that would offer you a fresh and breathable home without you needing to suffer from the irritating noise.
At A Glance: Quietest Air Purifiers Comparison And Recommendations
Before we go in depth review, here Are The Sneak peek of the 8 Best Quiet Air Purifiers For Home.
- 1. Best Customizable: RabbitAir MinusA2 SPA-700A Air Purifier
- 2. Best Value: Winix 5300-2 Air Purifier
- 3. Best For Small Spaces: Holmes HAP706-U Mini Tower Air Purifier
- 4. Best For Large Spaces: Alen BreatheSmart Classic Air Purifier
- 5. Best For Personal Use: Dyson Pure Cool Me Personal Purifying Fan
- 6. Best For Pet Owners: Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier
- 7. Best Space-Saving: Blueair Pure 411 Air Purifier
- 8. Best Budget-Friendly: Honeywell 50250-S True HEPA Air Purifier
Quietest Air Purifier | Image | Price |
---|---|---|
1: RabbitAir MinusA2 Ultra Quiet HEPA Air Purifier An ultra-Quiet air purifier with a noise level of 20.8 - 45.6 dB(A) brought about by a Brushless Direct Current Motor. | ||
2: Winix 5300-2 Air Purifier A whisper-quiet air purifier with a noise level between the range of 27.8 - 55 dB(A). | ||
3: Holmes True HEPA Allergen Remover Mini Tower Air Purifier An air purifier that comes with a low vibration motor and advanced fan blade creating a noise level of 40 dB(A) at minimum. | ||
4: Alen BreatheSmart Air Purifier An air purifier that comes with WhisperMax Technology creating a noise level of 41.5 - 56 dB(A). | ||
5: Dyson Pure Cool Me Personal Purifying Fan It is labeled as one of the quietest air purifiers with a 10-fan speed setting and a noise level that starts from 30 - 60 dB(A). | ||
6: Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier An air purifier that comes with an ultra-quiet motor and fan. Quiet at the lowest setting but noise level can reach up to 60 dB at the highest setting. | ||
7: Blueair Pure 411 Air Purifier A space-saving air purifier that remains quiet at any speed. Noise level can range between 17 - 46 dB(A). | ||
8: Honeywell 50250-S True HEPA Air Purifier A budget-friendly qualifier with noise level that ranges between 49 - 62 dB(A). It’s not ultra-quiet but will make a good white noise. |
Detail Guide of The Best 8 Quietest Air Purifier in 2021
Below are the best quietest model available for purify air in your indoor house. Choose your ideal model as per your needs and silent environment.
1. Best Customizable: RabbitAir MinusA2 SPA-700A Air Purifier
The Rabbit MinusA2 Air Purifier is designed with a Brushless Direct Current Motor making it Ultra-Quiet.
It has a noise level of 20.8 - 45.6 dB(A) making it go unnoticed. It comes with an advanced BioGS HEPA filtration system.
This filtration system has the ability to filter, trap, and reduce common allergens and bacteria trapped on the filter itself.
This process enables the filter to perform at its optimum and prolong its life.
Other than the HEPA filtration system, this air purifier comes with a 6-stage purification and deodorization process: Pre-Filter, Medium Filter, BioGS Hepa Filter, Customized Filter, Activated Carbon Charcoal Filter, and Negative Ions.
With this purification system, even the largest particles in your home will be filtered, thus, maintaining a clean quality of air.
The customized filter is there to target any specific concern that you have.
There are four of these filters which are distinguished by colors: Germ Defense (yellow), Pet Allergy (Orange), Toxin Absorber (Violet), and Odor Remover (Black).
It also comes with a light sensor that automatically dims when the room darkens. Perfect for those who couldn’t sleep well when there’s extra lighting inside the room.
The SPA-700A model can cover up to 700 sq ft of space. Perfect for those that have larger spaces that need air filtering.
You’ll also love the auto feature as the machine automatically adjusts its speed based on the number of pollutants it detects from the air.
It also has an air quality indicator that changes from blue to violet to red based on how dangerous the air quality is.
If you’re looking for an aesthetically pleasing air purifier, then the RabbitAir MinusA2 will surely accommodate that with their customizable panels.
You can choose a design that will go well with your home. You also have the option to mount this on your walls to conserve more space. It is lightweight, very easy to assemble, and very easy to mount.
If you’re looking for a quiet air purifier customizable for your taste, the RabbitAir MinusA2 can be your next best friend.
2. Best Value: Winix 5300-2 Air Purifier
The Winix 5300-2 Air Purifier is a newly improved version of the Winix 5300. It is designed for any type of home environment and can filter out any type of pollutants in the air.
The best part is, it is absolutely whisper-quiet with a noise level of only 27.8 - 55 dB(A).
It has a 3-stage air purifying process that features a carbon filter, a true HEPA filter, and PlasmaWave Technology.
The carbon filter has an Advanced Odor Control feature that reduces or eliminates bad odors inside your home such as smoke or cooking.
It also helps in catching airborne particles indoors which helps in prolonging the HEPA filter’s life.
The True HEPA Filter is said to capture 99.97% of airborne allergens such as pollen, mold spores, microbes and more particles even those larger than 0.3 microns in size.
The PlasmaWave Filter serves as the last and permanent filter for this air purifier. Its purpose is to break down allergens, odors, and other pollutants safely without releasing ozone.
It has 4 fan speeds and with the auto mode, you can simply push the button and let the machine do its job.
It will adjust from low - medium - high - turbo depending on the air quality around you.
The air quality can also be easily identified with the help of an air quality LED indicator that changes from Blue - Amber - Red.
It also comes with a sleep mode. As soon as it detects that the room is dimmer, the fan speed adjusts and so does the indicator lights to give you a quiet clean sleep.
The filter replacement indicator tells you when it’s time to replace your HEPA filter.
This Winix 5300-2 can cover up to a 360 sq ft space which is also good for large rooms or offices.
For the design, this air purifier comes with a clean space-saving structure. It is also lightweight which makes it easy to transfer from one place to another.
If you’re looking for a good enough air purifier that will give the best value for your money, this is it. It has the features you need and more.
3. Best for Small Spaces: Holmes HAP706-U Mini Tower Air Purifier
The Holmes Mini Tower Air Purifier is designed to save space and can cover up to 88 sq ft. It is very quiet at low speed with a noise level of 40 dB(A).
This is due to the low vibration motor and advanced fan blade.
It comes with a True HEPA filter which promises to remove 99.97% of pollutants in the air around you.
You can also use any Holmes Aer1 Filter Series when it's time to change the filter. There are five choices: Odor-Eliminating, Total Air, Allergen Remover, Performance Plus, and Carbon Filter.
The performance of each can last from 2 to 12 months depending on the type of filter you choose.
It comes with 3-speed settings that will ensure your air quality remains fresh and pleasant.
Another great feature you’ll love is the optional ionizer which improves the performance of the air purifier as a whole.
If you’re looking for an air purifier that would cover a small space, then the Holmes HAP706-U is the best choice.
4. Best for Large Spaces: Alen BreatheSmart Classic Air Purifier
If the Holmes HAP706-U Mini Tower is designed to cover small rooms, The Alen BreatheSmart Air Purifier is the opposite as it can cover up to 1100 sq ft of space.
This air purifier comes with WhisperMax Technology creating a noise level of 41.5 - 56 dB(A).
This means that it runs so quiet you won’t even notice it's there. And this is exactly what we need when we want to relax or sleep at night.
It comes with a True HEPA filter that removes 99.97% of pollutants. It can even filter particles greater than 0.3 microns.
You can also customize this filter base on your needs as it offers up to four options:
- The HEPA Pure filter is Alen’s standard filter that will eliminate any type of allergens. So if you’re allergic to dust, pollens, pet dander, or other airborne allergens, this is for you.
- The HEPA Silver filter is best if you’re highly sensitive to mold spores, bacteria, dust, and light odors. With the HEPA Silver, you’ll have 4 layers or stages of purification: Pre-filter, Silver Filter, HEPA Pure layer, and the carbon layer.
- The HEPA Fresh Plus is for those who are highly sensitive with VOCs such as bleach, paint, aerosol sprays. This is also best if you have a smoker in your house. It comes with 3 layers of purification: Pre-Filter, HEPA Pure, and Activated Carbon Layer.
- Lastly, we the HEPA Odor Cell that is best to eliminate strong odors inside your homes. This is perfect for those who have babies or pets or anyone who is having problems with stinky odor. It has 3 layers of purification: Pre-filter, HEPA Pure Filter, and the Filter that will eliminate the odor.
With the auto mode function, the filter speeds change depending on your air quality.
This also means that you won’t have to worry about frequently changing the speed on your own.
There’s also an air quality indicator that changes from Blue - Orange - Red depending on how clean your air is.
The Ozone Free Ionizer that produces negative ions clump molecules together making it easier for the True HEPA to filter.
Another lovable feature is the timer function that you can set from 2, 4, or 12 hours.
So if you have a larger space that needs some air purifying, purchasing the Alen BreatheSmart Classic will be a great decision.
5. Best for Personal Use: Dyson Pure Cool Me Personal Purifying Fan
The Dyson Pure Cool Me Personal Purifying Fan is a great purifier that you can place on your bedside or your working table. It aims to deliver cool and clean air that is focused only at you.
It has 10-fan speed settings with a noise level that starts from 30- 60 dB(A). Considering how strong the airflow is at the highest speed setting, this fan is extremely quiet at 60 dB. No wonder it is labeled as one of the quietest air purifiers.
It comes with a HEPA filter and a carbon filter that can capture 99.97% of allergens and pollutants.
This makes sure that even particles bigger than 0.3 microns is trapped and eliminated, giving you only clean air to breathe.
It uses a Dyson Core Flow technology that aims to project a precise stream of air.
It’s even designed with a sliding mechanism to adjust the dome and for you to easily control the airflow you want.
Another great benefit it will give you during bed time is the night time mode function wherein it dims the LCD display so no light would interrupt your sleep. It also oscillates to allow the air to circulate better around your room.
When it comes to the design, you’ll notice how this air purifier looks different from several others particularly with the structure.
It also doesn’t come with buttons or controls in its body. What it has is a remote which magnets on the body so you don’t lose it.
So, if you’re looking for an air purifier that you can use for yourself alone, this air purifier is for you.
It’s also more than just an air purifier because it really can be your personal fan too. A double purpose product.
6. Best for Pet Owners: Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier
The Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier is perfectly designed for homes with pets. It comes with an ultra-quiet motor and fan which makes this air purifier really quiet at the lowest setting.
However, when turned to the highest setting, the noise level can reach up to 60 dB(A).
It comes with a Permanent True HEPA Filter. This means that other than its ability to trap 99.97% of allergens or pollutants, you don’t have to change.
It’s very low when it comes to maintenance and perfect for those who want to save for the long run.
The HEPA filter is very easy to clean. All you need is a vacuum cleaner and you’re all set. You can also further install additional filters such as a carbon filter if you feel the need to do so.
With its compact and stylish design, this filter can be placed anywhere and any way you want.
It can be placed horizontally or vertically. And it’s small which means it occupies less space.
The Hamilton Beach trueAir Air Purifier is also really quiet with its ultra-quiet motor and fan. Once it’s turned on, you won’t even know it’s there, that’s how quiet it is.
This air purifier also has three speeds. You can put it at the highest if you want to clean the air faster and lowest if you go to bed.
The best thing is, even if it’s small in size, it can still cover up to 160 sq ft.
There’s also a Pet Specialized Cleaner version if you want an air purifier that targets pet odors specifically. This model will come with 2 zeolite replacement filters to do this job.
If you love pets and want to maintain a clean environment for you and the other people in your house, this would be a great fit.
7. Best Space-Saving: Blueair Pure 411 Air Purifier
If you’re looking for an air purifier but want to save more space in your home, the Blueair Pure 411 Air Purifier is the way to go.
This air purifier features a three-speed function that you can control easily by just pressing one button once, twice, or thrice.
The best part is, it remains quiet at any speed with a noise level of only 17 - 46 dB(A).
It’s small, compact, and slim design makes it perfect for those with small spaces. You can easily place it in a corner, turn it on, and let it do its job.
It comes with a 3-Part Filtration System that captures 99% of airborne pollutants or allergens, making sure that your air remains fresh and clean.
The carbon filter makes this air purifier remove odors too to ensure that your home stays odorless.
The outside filter is washable and can be customized based on your decor. There are several available colors to choose from.
You can place this air purifier in your bedroom and nursery without having to complain about the noise.
It also consumes very less energy which allows you to save on electricity bills in the long run.
The filters need frequent changing though every after 6 months, but it doesn’t cost as much as other air purifier filters which also allows you to save money.
8. Best Budget-Friendly: Honeywell 50250-S True HEPA Air Purifier
If you’re looking for an air purifier that doesn’t blow up your wallet, the Honeywell 50250-S is the one for you. It has everything you need for an air purifier but at a more affordable price.
When it comes to the sound, this unit is not what you would consider ultra-quiet but more on the quiet side only. It’s sound level ranges from 49 - 62 dB(A) depending on the fan speed.
This means that at the lowest level, it actually creates more of a white noise rather than just pure silence.
This air purifier comes with a permanent True HEPA filter that is able to trap and eliminate up to 99.97% of allergens and pollutants in the air. Even particles larger than 0.3 microns can’t escape this filter.
You can easily vacuum this filter to prolong its life and replace it in 3-5 years. It will save you a lot of money in the long run.
With the carbon-activated pre-filter, you can minimize or remove any stinky and irritating odor inside your home.
It features three-speed settings, turbo, medium, and low, that you can control by turning the dial.
It also comes with a filter replacement indicator that lights up when it’s time to replace the filter.
The best thing about this is that the Honeywell 50250-S can also cover up to 360 sq ft of space which is quite large.
So, if you have quite a large space to cover in your home and you're on quite a budget, this air purifier would be perfect for you because it’s very budget-friendly.
Factors to consider when purchasing an Air Purifier
Now that we have enumerated the best quietest air purifier we have in the market, it’s time that we analyze which one of those would be the perfect fit for you.
In order to help you with that, we have enumerated some factors that you should consider when purchasing your air purifier.
Noise Level
If you’re looking for a quiet air purifier, then this should be the first factor you should consider.
A clean environment will be even better if we don’t hear any sound coming from it. This noise usually comes from the motor running and the fan blades rotating.
The truth is, there’s no silent way to move air. But we can measure the noise level to see what noise level is fine for us.
Noise level is measured through dB(A) or decibels. A comparison below will show you what kind of noise an air purifier produces at a certain decibel.
- Rustling Leaves - 10 dB(A)
- Very quiet air purifier - 15 dB(A)
- Whispering - 20 dB(A)
- Good air purifier on low - 32 dB(A)
- Typical air purifier on low - 36 dB(A)
- Fridge - 50 dB(A)
- Dishwasher - 55 - 70 dB(A)
- Vacuum Cleaner - 80 dB(A)
- Lawnmower - 90 dB(A)
Based on the comparison, you can now assess at what level of noise would you be able to tolerate. By knowing this information, you’ll be sure to narrow down your choices easily.
Room Size
Ask yourself, how much space do you want to cover? As you see, the air purifier coverage can range from 90ft to 1100 ft depending on the model you choose.
Most of the time, the larger the air purifier, the larger the coverage is. But it’s still better to make sure by checking the information on how big it can actually cover.
Buying a wrong model of air purifier based on your room size will be useless as it won’t be able to filter out all the pollutants.
In addition, figuring out how big your space is will narrow down your options.
Type of Filters
Not all air purifiers are designed with the same types of filters. Some come with 6 layers while others come with 3 layers. There are even those that can be customized on your needs.
The most common and nice-to-have filters are the True HEPA filter that aims to trap and eliminate the air pollutants, and the Carbon Filter that is designed to eliminate unpleasant odors.
There are also filters designed mainly to remove pet allergens, PlasmaWave, and so on depending on the brand and model of the air purifier.
So it’s also best if you know what types of air pollutants you really want to target and look for an air purifier that comes with a filter that targets that.
Fan Speeds
The more the fan speeds, the more control you actually have in your air purifier. This feature is actually nice to have because it’s pretty convenient.
If you want to clean the air surrounding you faster, you can just adjust the fan to its highest speed to quickly remove air pollutants.
Budget
The Budget is another important factor. How much are you willing to spend for an air purifier?
The prices can range from $100 to $1000 depending on the brand, model, quality, and features.
So if budget is something that is your concern, then you should check the pricing of the air purifier as well.
There are a lot of good quality air purifiers even in the middle range budget that also come with a lot of nice features.
Features
Features are also really nice to have. These are usually brought by technological advancements or improvements made by the manufacturers.
Some nice-to-have features are the auto-function feature, the timer function, the air quality indicator, the filter replacement indicator, a remote control, and a lot more.
These are not only nice features but can also give a lot of convenience to you.
FAQs
What is a True HEPA Filter?
A True HEPA Filter is a common filter used in air purifiers. It aims to trap and eliminate 99.97% of air pollutants and allergens inside your home.
It’s one of the best filters currently which can bring a lot of difference in your air quality.
How often do filters need to be replaced?
It depends. There are filters that are permanent and would only need to be vacuumed or replaced for 3-5 years.
There are also filters that require to be changed every 6, 9, or 12 months.
It’s best that you check the manual regarding how much you’ll change the filters or get an air purifier that comes with a filter replacement indicator.
What are the advantages of having an air quality indicator?
With an air quality indicator, you would be able to monitor and see the difference your air purifier can bring in your air.
You would also be able to see whether the quality of air you breathe is still good or not.
What are the advantages of the timer feature?
The timer feature will actually allow you to save energy. It can also allow you to schedule when you would like to run the unit and when you would like it to stop.
You can schedule the unit to turn on at the highest speed when you’re out so you can come back at a cleaner and breathable house.
Is it advisable to get an air purifier if you have kids or pets?
It is highly advisable. Your kid also deserves a clean and breathable surroundings.
And if you have pets, air purifiers would make the environment better because you don’t have to worry about the pet danders.
Conclusion
We all deserve a better quality air to breathe inside our homes after a long day of inhaling harmful pollutants in the air outside.
Now, a solution is made available for us. All we need now is to find the best that fits our needs.
If you still can’t decide what air purifier is for you, feel free to read the article again.
If you can’t find among the products, read our buying guide so you can easily narrow down your options.
Stay healthy. You deserve it.
Jessica is a Acoustical Engineer, currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. After graduating from her degree in Master of Engineering degree in Acoustics from Solent University in 2014, Jessica worked for a few companies before She will be blogging about her past and current experiences in the studio and sharing her journey as she pursues her career goals. She enjoy the balance of work inside and out of the office, solving practical problems on a daily basis as every project is different and requires a different solution, the variety of work (sound insulation testing, background noise survey, mechanical plant commissioning, external plant assessment, plant room breakout assessments) and the mix of independent and team work.