As we enter the summer and temperatures begin to soar, you might be tempted to dig your old desk fan out from the cupboard, but with rising temperatures, air pollutants intensify and become more persistent. Whether that’s increased pollen count, rampant wildfire smoke or unwanted odors from sweltering garbage, hotter days significantly affect our air quality.
Luckily, there are some good devices that offer both fan functions with air filtration.
In this article, I will share with you my picks for the best air purifier + fan combination units on the market today, based on hours of testing devices in our 728 cubic feet test room.
Read on to find out which air purifier + fan combos are worth your money — and which ones we tested but didn’t make the cut.
1. Best overall: Dyson TP07
The TP07 cleaned the air in our test room faster than any other air purifier + fan combo devices I have tested to date.
The Dyson TP07 comes with auto mode and full app support via the Dyson link app. It is a solid fan with good air cleaning performance, but it is nowhere near as effective at cleaning the air as devices that are 100% air purifiers.
The LCD display screen at the front shows information about air quality, temperature, humidity, function modes and filter levels:
To change fan speeds and modes, you need to use the remote control of the smartphone app.
It comes with onboard air quality sensors, which make it possible for the TP07 to react to pollutants in the air..
CONS
PROS
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | – Top speed PM1 CADR: 94 cfm – Sub-45 dBA PM1 CADR: 58 cfm – AHAM PM2.5 CADR: 89.8 cfm (dust) |
| Filter technology: | HEPA H13 and activated carbon filter |
| Recommended room size: | 141 sq. ft. (5 air changes per hour) |
| Dimensions: | 7.7 x 8 x 41 inches (19.56 x 20.32 x 104.14 cm) |
| Weight: | 11 lbs (4.99 kg) |
| Noise level from 3 ft. away: | Speed 1: 38.9 dB Speed 2: 44.9 dB Speed 3: 50.2 dB Speed 4: 56 dB |
| Electricity consumption in watts: | Standby mode: 0.9 watts Speed 1: 3.5 watts Speed 2: 4.9 watts Speed 3: 10 watts Speed 4: 22.3 watts Speed 5: 28.9 watts |
| Filter life: | 12 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2-year parts and labor warranty |
| Country of origin: | UK |
| Country of manufacture: | Malaysia |
2. Best budget option: Coway Airmega Aim
For $150, you get a solid fan feature in a compact body with slightly less air cleaning power than the Dyson TP07.
Our expectations for the Airmega Aim were high, considering it’s the first fan and air purifier combo unit from Coway, a Korean manufacturer known for making great air purifiers. We’re pleased to report that its air cleaning performance is fair, especially considering its small size and cheap price (under $150).
The Aim cleaned our 728 cubic feet test room in 72 minutes at full speed. This is only 10 minutes slower than the much pricier Dyson TP07 but faster than the Dyson HP04 (92 minutes).
We estimate a PM1 CADR at top speed of 80 cfm, so it will give you five air changes per hour in small rooms up to 120 sq. ft.
Plus, the base can rotate sideways and the cannon-like fan can be adjusted vertically.
It has an air quality sensor, enabling auto-mode if you want your Aim to react to the levels of air pollutants.
CONS
PROS
For those on a budget looking for one device that can provide both a fan and a decent level of air cleaning, the Coway Airmega Aim is worth considering. The price does go up during hotter months, so if you know you will need it in summer, then it’s worth buying it earlier or later on in the year.
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | – Top speed PM1 CADR: 80 cfm – Sub-45 dBA PM1 CADR: 66 cfm – AHAM PM2.5 CADR: 77 cfm (dust) |
| Filter technology: | HEPA H13 with a layer of carbon-impregnated fabric |
| Recommended room size: | 120 square feet (5 air changes per hour) |
| Dimensions: | 8.03 x 18.5 x 19.7 inches |
| Weight: | 7.2 pounds |
| Noise level in decibels from 3 ft. away: | Sleep: 34.9 dBA Speed 1: 37 dBA Speed 2: 47.8 dBA Top speed: 57.7 dBA |
| Electricity consumption in watts: | Standby: 0.6 watts Sleep: 2.8 watts Speed 1: 5.2 watts Speed 2: 13.4 watts Top speed: 29.2 watts |
| Filter lifespan: | 8 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 1 year |
| Country of origin: | South Korea |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
3. Best humidifier + fan + air purifier combo: Dyson PH03
Need a humidifier, a fan and an air purifier? Enter the Dyson PH03, which brings all three functions in just one device.
The Dyson PH03 is a three-in-one device that can be used as a fan, an air purifier and a humidifier. When it comes to its air purifier function, the PH03 will give you the same air cleaning power you will get with the TP07 at the top of this list.
Based on our particle removal test, we estimate a PM1 CADR of 94 cfm, which will be good enough to provide five air changes per hours in rooms no larger 141 cfm.
As expected from Dyson, it doesn’t come cheap but for those of you are looking for an air purifier with a fan and a humidifier function, then this is the best option available today.
CONS
PROS
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | – Top speed PM1 CADR: 141 cfm – Sub-45 dBA PM1 CADR: 99 cfm – AHAM PM2.5 CADR: 89.8 cfm (dust) |
| Filter technology: | H13 HEPA with carbon-impregnated fabric |
| Recommended room size: | 141 sq. ft. (5 air changes per hour) |
| Dimensions: | 36.33H x 11.02W x 12.22D inches (92H x 28W x 31D cm) |
| Weight: | 18 lbs (8.16 kg) |
| Noise level in decibels (measured from 3 ft. away with a sound level meter): | Speed 1: 35.1 dB Speed 3: 37.7 dB Speed 6: 43.8 dB Speed 8: 48.4 dB Speed 10: 54.3 dB |
| Electricity consumption in watts (recorded with an electricity usage monitor): | Standby mode: 0.6 watts Speed 1: 6.2 watts Speed 3: 7.1 watts Speed 6: 12.4 watts Speed 8: 17 watts Speed 10: 41.7 watts |
| Filter life: | 12 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 years |
| Country of origin: | UK |
| Country of manufacture: | Singapore/Malaysia |
Other air purifier + fan combos we have tested
Below is a list of combination units I have tested but that haven’t made my shortlist of top recommendations:
ULTTY CR021
The ULTTY CR021 offers some of the features of the Dyson devices without the big price tag.
However, its air cleaning performance is poor compared to its fan performance, needing over two hours (113 minutes) to clear our small test room of pollutants compared to the 62 minutes it took the Dyson TP07.
Dyson Pure Hot + Cool HP04
This is a three-in-one device from Dyson, which features not only both fan and air purifier functions but also a heater function.
Unfortunately, its air cleaning performance lagged behind the other Dyson combos on this list and this can be a deal-breaker, especially considering its high price.
Blueair Pure Fan Auto
The Blueair Pure Fan Auto is an air purifier and fan combination unit manufactured by Blueair with excellent air cleaning performance and an okayish fan function. It looks awesome and is compact, so it’s easy to move it around the house.
It is a pity that it has been discontinued, to be honest.
What to look for in an air purifier + fan combo unit
There are a few things to consider when finding the right air purifier/fan combo for your home.
1. Does it use HEPA filtration?
The main function of any air purifier is its ability to remove tiny particles measuring less than 10 microns that can enter our body through our lungs. The best technology for removing these tiny particles is HEPA, so you will want to look for a device that utilizes HEPA filters.
The best grade of HEPA for residential air cleaners is HEPA H13, which can block 99.97% of particles measuring 0.3 microns in a single pass. Be aware that HEPA is often used in marketing without evidence, so be sure to look for independent lab reports like those that Dyson publishes if you are concerned about knowing if HEPA H13 is used or not.
2. Is it powerful enough to clean the air in your room at list multiple times per hour?
A HEPA filter alone won’t be able to keep your room clean unless it can also move enough air through the filter. CADR is the industry standard for understanding how much air can be cleaned, and you need to ensure that the CADR matches the size of your room.
While looking at recommended room sizes is good, you should also use the tool we built to see how much CADR you need for any room size to achieve 4.8 air changes per hour – which the EPA recommends for portable air purifiers.
Just enter your room size and see what CADR you need
You will notice that many of the air purifier fan combos don’t have the required CADR level for larger rooms, so be aware of that if that is your primary reason for getting a device like this. In most cases, it’s much better to get an air purifier-only device that can provide a much higher CADR to keep the air clean in a large space.
3. Do you need activated carbon?
HEPA alone won’t help against gasses and odors. If you just need a device to remove pollen then you will be fine with HEPA only, but if think you might need help with odors and gasses be sure to choose a unit that also includes activated carbon.
4. Is the fan powerful enough?
One thing we saw during our testing and reviewing is that many of the combo fan air purifiers are either good at air purifying or good at being a fan. Be sure to look at air flow levels for each device as some units, like the Blueair Fan auto, are good at cleaning the air but are not as good when using its fan function.
Wrapping up
The main purpose of an air purifier fan combo is to cycle and filter out unhealthy air continuously while also distributing fresher air, so when choosing the right air purifier + fan combo device, you can get the best of both worlds.
I hope you’ve found my guide useful. If you decide to buy any of the devices I mentioned and want to support the work we do here at HouseFresh, please use the links in the buttons for each unit — we will get a small commission at no extra cost to you that will fund future air purifier tests.
If you have any questions about any of the air purifier + fan combos I discussed above, please drop them in the comments below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
