Teddy 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.
Our verdict:
- Levoit EverestAir is my top choice overall. It is the quickest air purifier we’ve ever seen.
- Levoit Core 300S is my budget pick. It’s fast and efficient at a budget cost but will perform best in small rooms.
- Levoit Core 600S is my recommendation for larger apartments. It’s powerful and affordable.
- Alen BreatheSmart Flex offers the best warranty: lifetime warranty with a filter subscription.
- Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto features the best ionizer function, if that is something you’d like to try.
- Mila has the best smart features, making it the perfect unit for tech-heavy apartments.
When you live in an apartment, it’s not only pollution from the streets outside you need to consider; it’s also contaminants from the residents inside your building. Some neighbors like to cook smelly food, some may enjoy smoking weed and some might have pets; whatever it is, it can affect the air quality in your home.
Fresh air is crucial for your health and those living with you to have clean – if you suffer from allergies, you’ll know what I mean. Introducing an air purifier to your apartment will help remove harmful pollutants, bacteria, allergens, VOCs and odors from the air in your home.
But not any old air purifiers will work in your space. You must find a suitable unit that will work effectively in the size of the room you’re operating it in. Finding a unit that will tackle the issues you’re dealing with is also essential.
In this guide, we’ve chosen six air purifiers for various-sized apartments, with different features and price points so you can find the one that best suits your needs.
| Why You Can Trust Our Recommendations Here at HouseFresh, we don’t rely on manufacturer figures or marketing materials. Unlike some review sites, we don’t just look at a unit online and write about it. We buy all the products we review with our money and test them in our homes. This way, we can give you accurate descriptions, honest views, and performance data that you can compare to the other units in our guide. 1️⃣ We test each unit in the same room, under the same conditions, to see how fast they can remove pollutants from the air. 2️⃣ We monitor how much energy every unit uses on each fan speed. 3️⃣ We measure each unit’s noise in decibels at different fan speeds. |
We take all the data we collect from our performance tests and put them in easy-to-read graphs and tables so that you can compare each unit side by side. This also allows us to pick the right air purifiers for different scenarios.
To put this guide together, we used the following criteria to ensure each unit suits those living in apartments.
✅ HEPA Filter – Through our research, we concluded that HEPA technology is the most effective way of removing harmful pollutants from the air, so every unit we recommended uses HEPA filters.
✅ Sound – We know that sound travels in apartments and sometimes the walls aren’t so thick. That’s why we only recommend air purifiers that are on the quieter side.
✅ CADR – Clean Air Delivery Rate shows us how efficient an air purifier will be in a space, so we picked units with a CADR to reflect use in an apartment.
The Top 3 Air Purifiers For Apartments
We know your time is precious, so if you don’t have time to read each review, check out our top three recommendations.
| 👑 BEST OVERALL | 💰 FOR TIGHT BUDGETS | 🛋️ FOR LARGE SPACES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levoit EverestAir | Levoit Core 300S | Levoit Core 600S | |
 |  |  | |
| AIR CLEANING SPEED ⚡ | 13 minutes | 39 minutes | 15 minutes |
| CADR 👩🔬 | 360 CFM (612 m3/h) | 141 CFM (240 m3/h) | 410 CFM (697 m³/h) |
| FILTER TECHNOLOGY 💨 | 3-Stage Filtration (Pre-filter, H13 HEPA and activated carbon) | 3-Stage H13 True HEPA Filtration with Activated Carbon | H13 True HEPA filter with Activated Carbon |
| MAX ROOM SIZE 📏 | 558 sq. ft. | 219 sq. ft. | 635 sq. ft. |
| WEIGHT ⚖️ | 20.7 lbs (9.38 kg) | 5.95 lbs (2.7 kg) | 13.7 lbs (6.2 kg) |
| OUR REVIEW 🔍 | Levoit EverestAir Review | Levoit Core 300 review | Levoit Core 600S review |
| PRICE 💵 | $599.98 | $149.99 | $299.99 |
Last update on 2023-09-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Now that you know the importance of choosing the right air purifier for your space and needs, scroll through our recommendations to find which one will be the new feature in your apartment.
1. Best Air Purifier for Apartments: Levoit EverestAir
As soon as we saw this latest offering from Levoit, we knew we had to review it. The first thing that caught our attention was the design of the EverestAir and how different it was from other units in Levoits’ range, like the Core 300S and 600S. Pivoting away from the usual “white box” motif, this looks more like an air purifier designed by Apple, which would add flair to any apartment.
When we received the EverestAir, we first looked at the filters included with the unit. We found their H13 HEPA filter with loose-fill activated carbon and a washable pre-filter inside.
This thick HEPA filter worked amazingly with the unit’s high-performance fan and cleared our performance testing room of contaminants in just 13 minutes, making it our top recommendation for apartments.
If you’re a tech fan and your apartment’s devices are controlled by app and voice activation, then the EverestAir will fit right in. Available on both iPhone and Android devices, Levoits’ VeSync app allows you to control this air purifier from anywhere in the world. You can adjust settings and fan speeds, schedule and set timers and monitor the air quality in your apartment all from one application.
What We Really Like:
👍 Filters last up to 12-15 months
👍 Great app support
👍 You can change the angle of the output vents
👍 Clear and easy-to-use controls
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 Filter costs are higher than Levoits’ Core range
👎 Wheels only roll in one direction
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 13 minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | 3-Stage Filtration (Pre-filter, H13 HEPA, and activated carbon) |
| Recommended room size: | 558 sq. ft. |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 360 CFM (612 m3/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 18.9L x 8.5W x 23.2H inches (48L x 21.6W x 58.9H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 20.7 lbs (9.38 kg) |
| Noise level (low – high): | 24 – 56dB |
| Filter life: | 12-15 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 years |
| Estimated energy consumption: | $87.25 per year |
2. Best Budget Option: Levoit Core 300S
Living in a small apartment sometimes makes finding room for new things difficult. If space is an issue, we recommend you look at the Levoit Core 300S. It’s small, lightweight, has all the smart features of larger units and is highly effective at removing pollutants from the air.
The 300S is an upgrade of the 300 from Levoits’ Core range. The main difference is the ‘Smart’ technology they’ve added, incorporating Levoits’ AirSight Plus™ technology that monitors the air quality in your apartment in real time.
It connects to the VeSync app for those who like to monitor and control their air purifier from their smartphones as they chill on the sofa.
It may be small, but it’s just as powerful, if not more than some larger units on the market. Utilizing Levoits’ 3-Stage H13 True HEPA Filtration with Activated Carbon and mesh pre-filter, the 300S cleared all pollutants from the air in our performance testing room in 39 minutes.
What We Really Like:
👍 Budget price for great CADR
👍 Has a color-coded AQI
👍 Comes with a timer and auto mode
👍 Quiet, even at highest fan speed
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 You can’t remove the pre-filter to clean
👎 Wish it came with loose-fill activated carbon
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 39 Minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | 3-Stage H13 True HEPA Filtration with Activated Carbon |
| Recommended room size: | Up to 219 sq. ft. |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 141 CFM (240 m³) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 8.7L x 8.7W x 14.2H inches (22L x 22W x 36H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 5.95 lbs (2.7 kg) |
| Noise level (low – high): | 24 – 48dB |
| Filter life: | 6 – 8 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 years |
| Estimated energy consumption: | $52.56 |
3. Best for Large Apartments: Levoit Core 600S
Living in a large apartment has advantages, but it does mean that you need a higher-performing air purifier that will work effectively in that sized space. We recommend the Levoit Core 600S for its pure cleaning power in larger rooms.
It may not be the prettiest air purifier out there, but what the 600S lacks in looks, it makes up in power. We were amazed when we analyzed the results of our performance tests as this unit cleared our room of contaminants in only 15 minutes (which was a record until EverestAir took the trophy).
The 600S comes with all the smart features you’d expect from a larger air purifier, plus VeSync app connectivity. It has four fan speeds, sleep mode, timer, display lock and light control and auto mode.
Under the hood is a large three-stage H13 True HEPA filter with HEPASmart technology™ and a high-efficiency Activated Carbon filter with ARC Formula™ to help neutralize apartment odors. This filter, combined with a powerful fan, makes the 600S ideal for large apartments.
What We Really Like:
👍 Connects to Levoits’ VeSync app
👍 Energy efficient
👍 Lightweight at 13.7 lbs
👍 High CADR for the cost of the unit
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 Wish it looked more like the EverestAir
👎 The air quality sensor is on the back not the side
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 15 minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | H13 True HEPA filter with Activated Carbon |
| Recommended room size: | 635 sq. ft. |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 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) |
| Noise level (low – high): | 26 – 55 dB |
| Filter life: | 6 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 years |
| Estimated energy consumption: | $51.51 per year |
4. Best Warranty: Alen BreatheSmart Flex
Alen has been manufacturing air purifiers for over two decades, so it’s no surprise that their units sell worldwide. With units like the 75i and 45i in their arsenal, Alen caters to various spaces, but for apartments, we recommend their BreatheSmart Flex.
It may look unassuming with its plain front panel, but the Flex is a secret weapon when it comes to removing pollution from the air in your apartment. When we put the Flex through our performance tests, it cleared all the contaminants from our room in 34 minutes.
A great feature from Alen is the range of H13 HEPA filters you can choose from to customize your Flex to your and your apartment’s needs.
- B4-Pure Filter – Captures allergens, dust, mold and germs
- B4-Fresh Filter – All of the above + carbon to absorb typical apartment odors
- B4-Odor Filter – All of the above + odor neutralizer to absorb pet odors and other unwanted smells
- FL40-H Heavy Smoke Filter – All of the above + 2.3 lbs of active carbon to absorb chemicals, VOCs, and smoke
The controls are simple. You get a timer, display lock and four fan speeds. Unfortunately, it has no auto mode but an air quality sensor that sends information to the AQI color ring.
What We Really Like:
👍 The variety of filter options
👍 Extremely energy efficient
👍 Comes with a lifetime warranty
👍 Available in six different colors
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 Wish it had an auto-mode
👎 Replacement filter costs are on the higher side
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 34 minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | H13 HEPA with an option for activated charcoal (Fresh, Odorcell and Heavy Smoke options available) |
| Recommended room size: | Up to 700 sq ft |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 225 CFM (Smoke: 191 / Pollen: 245 / Dust: 209) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 25H x 15W x 8.5D inches (63.5 x 38.1 x 21.59 cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 15 lbs (6.8 kg) |
| Noise level (low – high): | 25 – 50dB |
| Filter life: | Every 9-12 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | Lifetime (with product registration & active filter subscription) |
| Estimated energy consumption: | $25.23 per year |
5. Best Ionizer Function: Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto
Blueair is renowned for the designs of its air purifiers. They understand that fresh, clean air doesn’t have to come from an ugly white box. We’re big fans of Blueair units as we’ve tested the 411, 411+, 211+, and the Pure Fan, which are all great units, but we’ve gone for the 311 Auto as a “must have” for your apartment.
The 311 Auto is ideal for those who take pride in their apartment decor. Blueair knows that not everyone’s tastes are the same, so they’ve made the 311 customizable with interchangeable pre-filters that cover the body in various colors so you can get one to match the rest of your room.
When you twist off the top, you’ll find one of Blueairs’ signature HEPASilent filter with loose-fill activated carbon. HEPASilent filters use an electrical charge to pull particles in and trap them, meaning the fan doesn’t need to work as hard, making it quieter.
It proved to work well in our performance tests, clearing the contaminants from the air in only 21 minutes.
What We Really Like:
👍 You can customize the pre-filter
👍 Uses Blueairs’ signature HEPASilent technology
👍 Filters are easily removed to replace
👍 Simple one-button operation
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 No timer
👎 Would like to see app connectivity
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 21 minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | 3-stage True HEPASilent filter with activated charcoal |
| Recommended room size: | 388 sq. ft. |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 250 CFM (425 m3/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 20.5H x 10.2W x 10.2D inches (52.1H x 25.9W x 25.9D cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 6.8 lbs (3.08 kg) |
| Noise level (low – high): | 23dB – 53dB |
| Filter life: | 6 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 1 year (can be extended to 2 years by creating a Blueair account and registering the unit within 60 days of purchase) |
| Estimated energy consumption: | $36.79 per year |
6. Best Smart Option: Mila
Nowadays, the devices in our homes can be controlled through remotes, smartphone apps and voice commands. If you have these features in your apartment, you want to keep that trend going with your air purifier. That’s why we’ve chosen the Mila air purifier for this guide.
You can set this unit to suit your needs with eight modes focusing on energy efficiency, sound levels, scheduling and other settings. You can sit and go through each menu or turn on Automagik mode, which uses the unit’s big brain to control everything automatically.
You don’t need to touch your new device as you can handle everything from its smartphone app available for iPhone and Android.
When you buy the Mila, there are seven different filters, making it customizable. From the standard basic H12 HEPA to the “Overreactor” H14 HEPA with 1.25 lbs of activated carbon, the Mila can take care of any pollutants you throw at it. It cleared our performance testing room in 35 minutes.
What We Really Like:
👍 The app is well-designed and easy to navigate
👍 The sensor detects PM1, PM2.5, PM10, VOCs, CO2, CO1, and temperature
👍 You can choose which filter best suits your needs
👍 Auto mode handles everything if you’re not technically minded
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 Replacement filter costs are on the high side
👎 You’re paying a lot extra for its smart features
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 35 minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | HEPA (ranges from H12-H14) + Activated charcoal (granular carbon) |
| Recommended room size: | 1000 sq. ft. |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 263 CFM (447 m³/hr) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 12L x 12W x 15H inches (30.48L x 30.48W x 38.1H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 18 lbs (8 kg) |
| Noise level (low – high): | 24dB – 74dB |
| Filter life: | 6 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 1 year |
| Estimated energy consumption: | $52.56 per year |
Buying Guide: Air Purifiers for Apartments
If you live in an apartment, you’ll know that sharing a building with others can come with its own challenges. It’s not just fumes from the cars outside or noise from your neighbors I’m talking about; it’s the pollution that travels from other apartments into your home. Contaminants can range from cooking odors to smoke to bacteria and viruses.
Introducing an air purifier into your home will eliminate these airborne pollutants by filtering them through a tightly woven maze of fibers and activated carbon, trapping them inside your unit.
| 🤔 Why should you deal with pollutants sooner rather than later? The EPA has found that 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. come from transportation and the American Lung Association states that if you live close to a road, this pollution can cause adverse health effects such as asthma, impaired lung function, cardiovascular diseases, and even death. These pollutants are not exclusive to the outside; they can find their way into your apartment through open doors and windows, air vents, and even attach to your clothes. If left unchecked, you could compromise your health and the health of those in your household. |
What to Look for When Buying an Air Purifier for Apartments
When you’re looking to buy an air purifier for your apartment, you’ll need to make certain considerations so that the unit you purchase works as efficiently and effectively as possible. Here are some main points to consider.
1. The size of your space
Not all air purifiers are created equal. Some are suited for larger rooms and some are for smaller ones. It’s essential to ensure the air purifier you choose is compatible with the space you’re using it in. We put each product’s recommended square footage in our Specs & Features table.
2. The sound it produces
Keeping noise levels down for harmonious living is a common courtesy when sharing a wall with other residents. We list each air purifier’s noise in decibels and make videos of them running at different fan speeds on our YouTube channel to give you an idea of the sound they emit.
3. The filters
Different brands use different filters in their air purifiers, but HEPA technology is the most effective filter for removing microscopic airborne particles. We recommend that you choose an air purifier that contains HEPA filters.
| 💡 Want to know about HEPA filters? Check out our guide on What Is a HEPA Filter and How Does It Work? |
Common Questions About Air Purifiers for Apartments
🤔 What’s the best way to eliminate cooking smells?
When the dinner bell rings, the aromas from several households in the same building can be overwhelming. You can do certain things not to add your meal to this cacophony of odor.
Use as much ventilation as possible by turning on extractor fans and opening your windows.
If ventilation isn’t possible, introduce an air purifier with a packed activated carbon filter. Not only will your unit remove odors from the air by trapping the particles in its filter, but it will also eliminate any smoke from your kitchen (if you’re as good at cooking as me, you’ll need to).
| 🍔 Check out other methods of keeping cooking smells at bay with our guide of 21 Ways To Get Rid Of Cooking Smells |
🤔 Can air purifiers remove pollutants from the city?
Living in an apartment in the heart of the city can be difficult with all the pollution creeping into your home from the streets outside. Air purifiers that use HEPA technology and activated carbon filters are designed to remove at least 99% of these harmful airborne pollutants from the air by trapping them in their filters.
| 🚕 If you live in a high-traffic area, check out our guide to the 8 Best Air Purifiers For Traffic Pollution guide. |
🤔 Do air purifiers remove the smell of weed?
Whether you enjoy smoking weed or not, you can’t deny that the odor it produces is, shall we say, potent and can travel far, even invading the noses in the apartment down the hall.
The simple answer is YES; an air purifier can remove the smell of weed from your home, but only a unit with a filter packed with activated carbon. It’s this that eliminates odors from the air through a process called adsorption.
| 💨 If the smell of weed is an issue in your apartment, check out our guide on How To Get Rid of Weed Smell From Neighbors and 8 Best Air Purifiers for Weed Smoke. |
Wrapping Up
When it comes to pollution, living in an apartment comes with its own challenges. There are pollutants from the streets outside, contaminants created inside your home and those that travel from the surrounding residents in your building.
Finding the right air purifier for your space can make a big difference to the quality of the air you breathe every day and can save you from some nasty adverse health problems.
If you follow this guide, measure your space accurately, and consider which features suit your needs, you’ll find the ideal air purifier for your apartment.
Last update on 2023-09-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API