Daniel is our resident house gadget geek. He is our man in the frontline, following consumer trends to help him identify the best up and coming tech to review for HouseFresh. When he’s not tinkering with new gadgets, he composes and records his own music at home.
With the pollution around us, it’s no wonder our health can be negatively impacted when we’re out and about. But pollution is also present in the places we think we’re the safest…in our homes.
Air purifiers are the perfect solution to tackling indoor pollutants by removing them from the air and making your home healthier. Using a tightly woven maze of fibers, HEPA filters trap even microscopic particles unseen to the human eye, like allergens, mold, bacteria, and viruses.
In the world of air purifiers, size does matter. A small unit will not work if you live in an ample space. If you want to reduce the need for more than one air purifier in your home, you’ll want to look at investing in a larger unit.
These large air purifiers have a higher CADR (more on that below) — perfect for removing harmful contaminants from bigger spaces.
| Why You Can Trust Our Recommendations When hand-picking the best large air purifiers on the market, we choose units with ✅ Large efficient HEPA filters ✅ High Clean Air Delivery Rates ✅ A powerful fan In this buying guide, we look into the best large air purifiers to suit your home. How do we know they’re the best? Because we’ve bought and tested each of these units in our homes, putting them through our HouseFresh performance testing process. 1️⃣ We test each unit’s air cleaning performance using an air quality monitor by tracking the time to remove incense smoke pollutants from our home testing room (705 ft. sq.) 2️⃣ By running each air purifier through an electrical usage monitor, we can test how much energy they use at the lowest and highest fan speeds. 3️⃣ We then use a sound level monitor to test each air purifier’s noise level output (dB) running at the lowest and highest fan speeds. |
If you’re only here for a quick scan, check out our top 3 recommendations that we think will fit perfectly into your home and suit all of your air quality needs.
The Top 3 Large Air Purifiers
Now you’ve seen our top three, check out our other recommendations to find the right large air purifier for your home.
1. Best Overall: Smart Air Blast Mini
Smart Air is not your standard air purifier manufacturer. Set up by someone who wasn’t happy with the cost of air purifiers or their air quality, they set out to make high-performing, low-cost, no-thrills units for the typical household. Smart Air’s answer to clean air in an ample space is the Blast Mini.
Although the name ‘Mini’ confused us slightly (it weighs 59 lbs), there’s no doubt that this air purifier is built to last. Inside is a powerful fan and a huge, long-life H13 HEPA filter. This high-efficiency air purifier showed us how well it performs by clearing our performance testing room in 17 minutes.
Unfortunately, the Blast Mini doesn’t have an Activated Carbon filter as standard. We highly recommend you spend a little extra to have this included in your initial purchase, or you can purchase one separately here.
There are no special bells and whistles on the Blast Mini like auto mode, air quality monitor or touch screen control. To control the 3-speed fan is a singular dial on the back. This is a heavy unit, but there are wheels on the bottom to make it easier to move between rooms.
All-in-all, Smart Air’s Blast Mini looks great, will last a long time and is impressive at clearing contaminants from large rooms.
What We Really Like:
👍 Not made from plastic, so better for the planet
👍 Has a high CADR for larger rooms
👍 Easy to use with its one-dial operation
👍 Its HEPA filter lasts much longer than some other filters
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 It’s a heavy unit weighting 59 lbs
👎 Doesn’t look as cool as their smaller Health S air purifier
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 17 minutes |
| Purifier technology: | H13 HEPA Filter |
| Recommended room size: | 915 sq. ft. |
| CADR (CFM / m³/h): | 435 CFM (740 m³/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 22.6L x 13W x 24.8H inches (57.5L × 33W × 63H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 59 lbs (26.8 kg) |
| Filter life: | 33 months |
| Noise level (low – high): | 36 – 49 dB |
| Estimated Energy consumption: | $277.70 per year |
| Warranty: | 1 year |
2. Best Budget Option: Honeywell HPA300
If the cost of an air purifier is on your mind, you can’t go wrong with Honeywells’ HPA300. This powerhouse of a unit cleared our performance testing room in just 26 minutes using its big 4-speed fan (including Turbo Mode) and True HEPA filters. Not bad for under $200.
Weighing in at only 17 lbs, with handles on each side, you can quickly move the HPA300 between rooms. It does feel quite plasticky overall, but what else would you expect from a budget unit.
Instead of the usual one large HEPA filter, the HPA300 uses three smaller ones. As Honeywell is such a well-known brand, replacement filters are easy to come by but can be expensive. You don’t have to buy Honeywell branded filters, though, as generic versions are available.
The HPA300 does have its faults. It isn’t the best-looking unit, and it’s kinda loud on turbo mode. Still, this unit is a workhouse of an air purifier and at that price, you’ll see why this unit is a feature in many homes across America.
What We Really Like:
👍 Replacement filters are easy to install
👍 Doesn’t take up much floor space
👍 Easy to use straight out of the box
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 It’s loud on higher fan speeds
👎 It uses a lot of energy to run
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★☆☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 26 minutes |
| Purifier technology: | True HEPA filter |
| Recommended room size: | 465 sq. ft. |
| CADR (CFM / m³/h): | 300 CFM (510 m³/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 20.8L x 10.83W x 22.38H inches (52.8L x 27.5W x 56.8H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 17 lbs (7.7 kg) |
| Filter life: | HEPA every 12 months, Pre-filters every 3 months |
| Noise level (low – high): | 48.3dB – 71.2dB |
| Estimated Energy consumption: | $189.01 per year |
| Warranty: | 5 years |
3. Best for Larger Spaces: Levoit Core 600S
Levoit is one of the biggest names in the business regarding air purifiers and the Core 600S is one of the best units we’ve tested from them. It may not be the prettiest large air purifier to look at, but when it comes down to cleaning the air in our home, the 600S won us over.
This air purifier has everything you’ll need to achieve excellent air quality with smart features like auto mode, numerical and color air quality monitor, app connectivity and a timer. The controls are easy to use and intuitive, making the 600S extremely user-friendly.
We’ve put several Levoit units through our performance testing (200S, 300, 400S, mini, LV-H133, LV-PUR131) and the Core 600S came out on top, clearing our room in just 15 minutes — the fastest-acting unit we’ve tested at HouseFresh.
Inside the 600S is Levoits 3-in-1 pre-filter, H13 True HEPA filter and Activated Carbon filter. As they come as an all-in-one spherical piece, it is easy to replace, as you can see from our instructional video. Replacements will set you back around $60 for a genuine Levoit filter, but you can get an unofficial replacement for around $45.
What We Really Like:
👍 Clears large rooms rapidly
👍 Doesn’t use much power
👍 Can be connected to the Levoit app
👍 High CADR for the cost of the unit
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 Not the best exterior design
👎 The pre-filter can’t be removed to clean
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 15 minutes |
| Purifier technology: | H13 True HEPA filter with Activated Carbon |
| Recommended room size: | 635 sq. ft. |
| CADR (CFM / m³/h): | 410 CFM (697 m³/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 12.3 x 12.3 x 23.6 inches (31.3 x 31.3 x 60 cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 13.7 lbs (6.2 kg) |
| Filter life: | 6 months |
| Noise level (low – high): | 26 – 55 dB |
| Estimated Energy consumption: | $51.51 per year |
| Warranty: | 2 years |
4. Blueair Blue Pure 211+
If you’re looking for a large air purifier to add more color to your room instead of the boring old white box design, check out the Blue Pure 211+ from Blue Air. This cool, colorful unit breathes life into rooms…quite literally, with its sizeable cubic filter and 3-speed fan.
Not only does the Blue Pure 211+ look great, but it also takes care of those harmful contaminants that can invade your home with its huge HEPASilent™ filtration system. This unit pulls in air from 360 degrees through its changeable fabric pre-filter, HEPASilent™ and Activated Charcoal filter, ensuring that pollutants are trapped from every corner of your home.
If blue isn’t your color, you can change the fabric pre-filter for a different one. You can choose Buff Yellow, Crystal Pink, Dark Shadow or Lunar Rock.
The Blue Pure range from Blueair isn’t focused on innovative features and gadgetry; it’s all about cleaning the air as fast as possible. In our performance testing room, it managed to clear all of our simulated pollutants in only 18 minutes. With its one-button operation, it also couldn’t be easier to use.
What We Really Like:
👍 It may be big, but it’s lightweight
👍 Ready to use straight out of the box
👍 The fabric pre-filters come in different colors
👍 the pre-filters can be washed
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 No smart features
👎 Can be loud on higher fan settings
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 18 minutes |
| Purifier technology: | HEPASilent™ and Activated Charcoal Filter |
| Recommended room size: | 540 sq. ft. |
| CADR (CFM / m³/h): | 350 CFM (595 m³/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 20L x 13W x 20H inches (50.8L × 33W × 50.8H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 5.67 kg / 12.5 lbs |
| Filter life: | 6 – 8 months |
| Noise level (low – high): | 31 – 56 dB |
| Estimated Energy consumption: | $58.87 per year |
| Warranty: | 2 years |
5. Coway AP-1512HH
Coway is a well-known brand name for health-conscious electrical appliances in the home, and when it comes to air purifiers, they know their stuff.
The AP-1512HH might be an older model, but it still stands tall in today’s market. Wirecutter has named it their top air purifier for eight years running.
I always compare this large air purifier to something you would find in Darth Vaders’ bedroom, with its shiny black and white spaceship-like design making it different from the usual grill you see on the front of many units. The control panel sits on top that includes a color-coded air quality monitor.
Under the hood, you’ll find a pre-filter, Activated Carbon sheet and a big True HEPA filter that covers the powerful three-speed fan. Replacement filters are easy to come by and will only cost you around $40. The AP-1512HH performed well in our testing room, clearing the air in 23 minutes. It also boasts an eco mode, auto mode and an ionizer.
What We Really Like:
👍 It’s a budget unit with a great CADR
👍 Comes with Eco and Auto modes
👍 Has a carry handle to move between rooms
👍 Takes up little floor space
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 Can cost over $80 to run per year
👎 It has an Ionizer
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★☆☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 23 minutes |
| Purifier technology: | True HEPA Filter |
| Recommended room size: | 361 sq. ft. |
| CADR (CFM / m³/h): | 240 CFM (408 m³/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 9.6L x 16.8W x 18.3H inches (24.4L × 42.7W × 46.5H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 12.3 lbs (5.58 kg) |
| Filter life: | 6 months |
| Noise level (low – high): | 24 – 53 dB |
| Estimated Energy consumption: | $81.99 per year |
| Warranty: | 3 years |
6. Alen BreatheSmart 75i
We’re fans of Alen air purifiers, as you can see from our reviews of the BreatheSmart 45i and its larger, more powerful counterpart, the BreatheSmart 75i.
This powerful air purifier can clean rooms up to 1,300 sq. ft., making it one of your best options for a whole house purifier. I would also be a solid unit for your basement or if you are affected by wildfire smoke.
The 75i isn’t the most excellent unit to look at (in my opinion), but I do like its curved edges and that it has wheels to move it from room to room with ease. The control panel looks blank until you turn the unit on, then it lights up into action with well-labeled buttons making the 75i super simple to use.
As well as its color-coded air quality ring, auto mode, timer and ionizer, the 75i holds a big True H13 HEPA filter and an Activated Carbon filter that contains pellets of carbon instead of the less effective bonded sheet you find in many units.
You can choose between three filters to suit your air quality needs best:
- The Pure Filter is a standard H13 HEPA filter
- The Fresh Filter combines H13 HEPA with Activated Carbon to protect against VOCs
- The Pet Filter uses nontoxic technology to eliminate allergens and odors caused by pets.
What We Really Like:
👍 Cleared our performance testing room in 24 minutes
👍 The pre-filter can be removed and cleaned
👍 Replacing the HEPA filter is quick and easy
👍 It’s quite quiet on max fan speed
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 Weighing 27 lbs, it’s heavy
👎 Wish it was more stylish
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 24 minutes |
| Purifier technology: | True HEPA H13 filters with activated carbon pellets |
| Recommended room size: | Up to 1,300 sq. ft. |
| CADR (CFM / m³/h): | 347 CFM (589 m³/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 27H x 18.5W x 11.5D inches (68.58H x 46.99W x 29.21D cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 27 lbs (12.2 kg) |
| Filter life: | 12 – 15 months |
| Noise level (low – high): | 24dB – 49dB |
| Estimated Energy consumption: | $47.30 per year |
| Warranty: | Lifetime (with product registration & active filter subscription) |
7. IQAir Healthpro Plus
The IQAir Healthpro Plus is easily the largest air purifier we have tested. This Swiss-made mammoth of a unit is ideal for those serious about air quality. Danny (HouseFresh founder) has the pleasure of running this air purifier in his home every day and has this to say:
“The IQAir Healthpro plus is one of the best pure HEPA/activated charcoal air purifiers on the market as of 2023, BUT its outstanding performance doesn’t come cheap.”
The Heathpro Plus may be large, but it doesn’t waste any of that space. Inside you’ll find a large, high-performance fan that pushes the air in your room through various filters. First is IQAirs’ PreMax pre-filter to trap larger particles. The V5-Cell filter will absorb gas and odors, and last up is the HyperHEPA filter to capture harmful microscopic particles from the air.
IQAir has made changing these large filters easy; the only downside is that it can cost a pretty penny if you buy the recommended genuine replacements (even if it is every four years). Luckily there are alternative generic filters, but we haven’t tested these, so we can’t comment on their effectiveness.
We also found the AirVisual smartphone app from IQAir to be one of the best, with real-time data across 80+ countries, 7-day forecasts and historical data graphs.
What We Really Like:
👍 Each unit is performance tested in a lab before it’s shipped
👍 There’s no ionizer
👍 Comes with a 10-year warranty
👍 Has wheels to move between rooms
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 It’s an expensive unit
👎 There is no auto mode
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 25 minutes |
| Purifier technology: | HyperHEPA and V50-CELL gas and odor filter |
| Recommended room size: | 450 to 1125 sq. ft. |
| CADR (CFM / m³/h): | 300 CFM (510 m³/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 28H x 18W x 16D inches (71H x 38W x 41D cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 35 lbs (16 kg) |
| Filter life: | 4 years |
| Noise level (low – high): | 25dB – 69dB |
| Estimated Energy consumption: | $165.04 per year |
| Warranty: | 10 years |
8. Levoit LV-H133
Our second recommendation from Levoit is the LV-H133. This powerful air purifier gives you more design than the Core 600S with its curved body and triangular imprinted grill. It may not be as powerful, but it’s packed with Levoits’ famous cleaning technology, so this large unit can tackle pollutants in rooms up to 635 sq. ft.
The setup is pretty much the same as you’ll find on the Core series. You get all the usual smart features like auto mode, sleep mode, timer and a color air quality ring. The touch control panel is easy to navigate and very responsive.
Unclip the back grill to reveal the spherical all-in-one 3-stage H13 (medical grade) True HEPA filter with nylon pre-filter and activated carbon. It’s super easy to replace when the time comes, as it simply slots into the back of the unit. You can get Levoits’ official replacement filter or try out one of the generic filters available.
The CADR of this large Levoit is lower than the 600S, but it still cleared our performance testing room in 25 minutes.
What We Really Like:
👍 It has a numerical display to show the timer countdown
👍 It takes in air from the front and back
👍 Looks better than most of the “boxy” units
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 It’s harder to move with no handles
👎 Doesn’t have app connectivity
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 25 minutes |
| Purifier technology: | H13 True HEPA Filter |
| Recommended room size: | 442 sq. ft. |
| CADR (CFM / m³/h): | 274 CFM (466 m³/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 12.5L x 12.5W x 23.6H inches (31.8L × 31.8W × 60H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 21 lbs (9.5 kg) |
| Filter life: | 6 – 8 months |
| Noise level (low – high): | 25 – 54 dB |
| Estimated Energy consumption: | $29.43 per year |
| Warranty: | 2 years |
9. Coway Airmega 300
Last but not least is one of my favorite air purifiers I’ve reviewed, and it’s still running in my living room as I type. The Airmega 300 from Coway is a large air purifier that doesn’t waste any space. Packed with all the award-winning technology, Coway is a cute, easy-to-move unit.
The controls are located on the top of the unit and are easy to operate. You can select between three fan speeds, sleep mode and smart (auto) mode, set the timer for 1hr, 4hr and 8hr, turn the display lights on/off and reset the filter indicators when you replace the filters.
Speaking of filters, in the Airmega 300, there is a 3-stage Green True HEPA filter on each side that is accessed by removing the magnetic side panels. Replacing the filters is simple and the pre-filter can be detached and cleaned separately. A great feature of the 300 is that the activated carbon filter is packed with carbon pellets, which I prefer over bonded carbon sheets.
What We Really Like:
👍 The air quality color wheel is visible on the front
👍 Easilyy maneuverable with handles on either side
👍 Has two filters to maximize efficiency
👍 It’s easy to get inside to clean
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 The legs can mark flooring
👎 Plays a jingle when turned on/off
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 26 minutes |
| Purifier technology: | Activated Carbon, Green True HEPA, Washable Pre-Filter |
| Recommended room size: | 628 – 1,256 sq ft |
| CADR (CFM / m³/h): | 285 (Smoke), 306 (Dust), 339 (Pollen) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 13.6W x 21.2H x 13.6D inches (34.5W x 53.8H x 34.5D cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 21.4 lbs (9.7 kg) |
| Filter life: | 9 months |
| Noise level (low – high): | 25dB – 69dB |
| Estimated Energy consumption: | $165.04 per year |
| Warranty: | 5 years from date of the original retail purchase |
Buying Guide: Large Air Purifiers
Living in a large home comes with its own challenges and having more space means that more contaminated air can fill it. Air purifiers are designed to work in certain-sized rooms and are ineffective if the space is bigger than what they were made for, so you must get the right-sized unit for your home.
| 🤔 Why should you improve air quality in a large space sooner rather than later? Breathing in pollutants can harm your health, especially if you suffer from allergies or have respiratory issues like asthma. Air quality in home offices is often worse than in office buildings. In one recent study published in the medical journal Atmosphere, particulate matter exceeded the recommended maximum of 12 µg/m3 in 100% of home offices used for remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. So if you work from home regularly, you should consider the air quality you’re breathing. And it gets worse — Indoor air pollution is responsible for the deaths of 3.8 million people annually, according to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. All good reasons to get the right air purifier for your space. |
What to Look for When Buying a Large Air Purifier
These are the main things to consider when buying an air purifier for a large space:
1. Look for a high CADR score
CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate. It’s a standard measurement to show how much air an air purifier will clean over a certain period. CADR is displayed in cubic feet per minute (CFM).
The higher the number, the more air it will clean.
Once you know the size of the space you want to clean, it’s essential to check that the CADR of a unit is high enough to remove the pollutants from that room effectively.
You’ll need a high CADR to guarantee that your unit can clean large spaces quickly, like the Smart Air Blast Mini, with a strong rating of 435 CFM.
To learn more about CADR, check out our article What Is CADR Rating? Danny delves into what it is, how it’s calculated and why it’s so important.
2. Always opt for HEPA Filter
Although different filters are available, we believe HEPA technology best removes harmful particles from the air. All of our choices above contain highly efficient HEPA filters. Check out the IQAir Healthpro Plus to see what I mean.
3. Check out the energy consumption
Air purifiers are an expense, so we don’t want you spending hundreds of dollars each year on energy bills for clean air. That’s why we check the energy consumption of each unit, so you have an idea of what it will cost to run. All of the units we have recommended above won’t break the bank.
4. Get the right size unit for your space
Air purifiers are made to clean certain-sized rooms. This figure is usually displayed in the specifications of each unit and can differ significantly. If you run an air purifier that’s too small for your room, it won’t clean the space effectively, and you’ll be wasting energy by running the unit at a constant full speed.
Conversely, running an air purifier that’s too big for your space is overkill. It will take up floor space, use more energy, and waste your hard-earned money.
| A good rule of thumb is: -A home from 300 to 500 sq. ft. – One unit with a CADR of at least 150 CFM -A home from 500 to 900 sq. ft. – One or two units with a combined CADR of 300 to 500 CFM -A home More than 1000 sq. ft. – Two or three units with a combined CADR of 600 CFM or higher |
In a buying guide for large air purifiers, you want to know how big the units are. We know the size of each unit because we have the
Wrapping Up
With so many large air purifiers on the market, it can be hard to choose which one will suit your air quality needs, looks good in your home and won’t cost too much to run each year. When selecting the suitable unit, think about the size of the unit itself, what filters it uses, the CADR and how much it will cost you to run and the price of replacement filters.
Take our word for it; size does matter when it comes to air purifiers.
Last update on 2023-06-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API