The best budget air purifiers I tested – cheap but good

I spent HOURS browsing lists of ‘the best air purifiers’ from big media sites and found that the average cost of the models they recommend is $400!

But you most definitely don’t need to spend $400 to get a good air purifier. To prove it, I have compiled a list of the best air purifiers I’ve tested that will clean the air without breaking the bank.

Since 2020, I have reviewed 133 different air purifiers (and counting!), and I used the data we collected from our tests to select the best-performing options you can buy for less than 190 bucks:

	UNDER $50	UNDER $90	UNDER $100	UNDER $152	UNDER $180	UNDER $190
	DIY Fan + Filter	Corsi-Rosenthal Box	SwitchBot Air Purifier	AirFanta 3Pro	Winix 5510	Levoit Vital 200S
TOP SPEED CADR	70 cfm	462 cfm	198 cfm	353 cfm	249 cfm	249 cfm
TOP SPEED SOUND	62.4 dBA	62.4 dBA	59.2 dBA	56.3 dBA	67.2 dBA	57.7 dBA
FILTER TECH	MERV 13	MERV 13	Bonded HEPA with carbon + removable pre-filter	E11 particle filter + optional carbon filter	Separate HEPA + carbon + removable pre-filter	Bonded particle with carbon + removable pre-filter
ROOM SIZE (5 ACH)	105 sq. ft.	693 sq. ft.	297 sq. ft.	529 sq. ft.	373 sq. ft.	373 sq. ft.

If you prefer to watch a video version of this article, I’ve got you covered:

1. Under $50: DIY Fan + Filter

For around $50, you will be able to buy a good Lasko fan (on eBay) and a 20×20 MERV 13 filter to build your own air purifier.

You can build it at home with a 20’’ box fan, a 20×20 HVAC filter, some duct tape, and a pair of scissors. It won’t be able to help with odors and VOCs, but in terms of particle filtration, it will give you a CADR of around 70 cfm, which will provide 3-5 air changes per hour in spaces between 105-175 sq. ft.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW ➜

2. Under $90: 30×20 Corsi-Rosenthal Box

You can supercharge the DIY fan + filter air purifier above by turning it into a Corsi-Rosenthal box for an additional $40.

If you combine your 20″x20″ box fan with four 20″x30″ Filtrete MPR 1900 filters ($90), you’ll get a much bigger DIY air purifier called a Corsi-Rosenthal box (or CR box). It will be MUCH bigger than the fan + filter air cleaner from before, but with the size comes incredible power.

We built a Corsi-Rosenthal box with four 30×20 Filtrete filters, and its air cleaning performance is OUTSTANDING
byu/ThisHouseFresh inHouseFresh

3. Under $100: SwitchBot Air Purifier

An air purifier for small spaces that costs less than $100, comes with smart features and doubles up as a small side table.

There are MANY options for air purifiers under $100 on Amazon, but after testing 21 different models at that price point, I only recommend the SwitchBot Air Purifier. It has a list price of $99.99, but can be found on Amazon for as low as $75 on deal days.

4. Under $152: AirFanta 3Pro

If you could stretch your budget to $152, you could buy one of the best air purifiers I’ve ever tested – powerful enough for large rooms up to 529 sq. ft.

Out of the 133 air purifiers I’ve tested since 2020, the AirFanta 3Pro stands out thanks to its incredible value for money. The HEPA-only version sells for $160, but you can get it for $152 if you use the HOUSEFRESH discount code.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW ➜

WATCH OUR VIDEO REVIEW ➜

5. Under $180: Winix 5510

A modern air purifier for medium-sized rooms with smart features and app support that will set you back $179.99.

The 5510 is a new air purifier from Winix that has come to replace the now discontinued Winix 5500-2. It has excellent air cleaning performance, especially for its price, and comes with an onboard sensor, smart features and app support.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW ➜

WATCH OUR VIDEO REVIEW ➜

6. Under $190: Levoit Vital 200S

An alternative to the Winix 5510 that will cost $10 more but doesn’t use bipolar ionization and offers quieter operation.

The Vital 200S completed our particle removal test as fast as the Winix 5510 (above). That said, it was one minute faster to clean the air in our test room when both models were running at speed 2 (sub 45-dBA).

READ OUR FULL REVIEW ➜

WATCH OUR VIDEO REVIEW ➜

Two good air purifiers under $100 that didn’t make the final cut

The models above are my top picks for those on a tight budget, but there are other air purifiers that narrowly made the list:

GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier 2 H7124

With a PM1 CADR of 148 cfm, the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier 2 was able to complete our particle removal test in 40 minutes while generating 57.6 dBA of noise, which is quieter than other models with equal power like the Winix A231.

This is good performance for an air purifier you can buy for less than $100, but it was outshined by what we saw with the SwitchBot Air Purifier.

MORENTO HY4866

The HY4866 has a PM1 CADR of 174 cfm at top speed, which will be powerful enough to clean the air five times per hour in rooms no larger than 261 sq. ft. It has a list price of $120 but you will regularly find it on deal for less than $90.

It didn’t make the list because it was no match for the SwitchBot Air Purifier and its CADR of 198 cfm.

The cheap air purifiers that we don’t recommend

We test many air purifiers here at HouseFresh and while we are continually looking for units like the Taotronics AP-003 that move the performance needle forward, we also come across a lot of duds. This is especially true at the sub $100 level, and so we felt it our duty to also point out those air purifiers you should avoid in this budget range. 

• AROEVE MK01 – I could not find a published CADR for this unit, which would make sense as when we tested it, we found it took 163 minutes to clean our room to the levels recommended by the WHO guidelines. Remember that our test room (728 cubic feet) is the smallest in our house, so we can assume that this unit will be underpowered for most home use cases and should be avoided. The budget doesn’t have to be the thing that holds you back from having clean air in your home. Pay $20 extra and get the TaoTronics.

• Levoit Core Mini – The Core Mini is the smallest air purifier in the Levoit Core line. It comes with the same three-stage filtration (pre-filter, main filter and activated carbon filter) and it doubles down as a diffuser for essential oils. It only pulls 6.4 watts and generates just 44 dB of sound at its highest fan speed, but it took one hour and 53 minutes to remove all the pollutants in our relatively small test room. This budget unit is too underpowered for most rooms, but if you are looking for a way to clean the air in your RV or campervan, then this could be the one.

• GermGuardian AC482e – This air purifier seems awesome on the surface, especially as you will find glowing reviews from well-respected media organizations if you decide to Google it. There is only one problem — it’s not good at all. It might have been an OK choice a few years back, but the AC4825e failed to perform well in our home lab tests with a poor performance of 104 minutes. When the Levoit Core 300 can achieve this in 40 minutes, you must wonder what you are paying for with the GermGuardian AC4825e.

• Levoit Core 200S – The Core 200S is not bad, it is just not good enough for you to spend $89.99 on it. it comes with app support, emits a maximum of 49dB of sound when running at its top speed and doesn’t pull too much power (28.4 watts max) but it took a full hour to clean the air in our test room. You could get a TaoTronics AP003 or a Winix A231 for that money and they would offer you much better air cleaning performance.
  

How to avoid wasting money when buying a budget air purifier

Air purifiers offer an excellent way to remove harmful particles and improve indoor air quality, but many high-end models come with a hefty price tag. You need to know what to look for in a quality air purifier, and you’ll discover many high-performance units that are affordably priced. And we’re here to help! 

Our guide for the best budget air purifiers outlines the critical things to consider when buying an air purifier.

1. Take the time to calculate how much it will cost you to replace the filters

Manufacturers usually specify the estimated lifespan of the filters on the product page. They will usually give you a range (like 6-12 months or 3-6 months), so I recommend taking the lowest estimate for your calculation.

Once you know the lifespan, check out the cost of a filter replacement. You will then be able to calculate how much you can expect to spend to replace the filter each year:

Doing this will help you avoid models with disproportionate filter costs where, within a year, you might end up spending the same (or more) than the price of the air purifier.

2. Find an air purifier with enough CADR to clean your specific room

Room size is another critical factor when buying an air purifier, as not all air purifiers aren’t created equal. Based on the size of your room, you can estimate how much CADR the air purifier will need to provide a minimum of 4.8 air changes per hour, which is what the EPA recommends.

CADR, or clean air delivery rate, measures the air volume an air purifier can clean in a given time. You can use our calculator to find out what CADR you should be looking for:

3. Don’t be duped into buying one of those small, cheap air purifiers at the top of Amazon

Seeing a $50 price tag might help you make a quick decision, but in the end, it will only lead you to a false economy.

Small air purifiers usually need their filters replaced every 3 to 6 months, compared to the 9-12 months of lifespan you get with mid-sized filters. So in the end, you might end up spending double!

4. Before you hit the ‘Buy’ button, double-check that you’re not also being tricked into signing up for a filter subscription

I’ve seen multiple examples of online stores that use dark patterns to trick users into signing up for filter subscriptions.

These could be options already selected for you with a checkbox to opt out greyed out or simply not as prominent. And in some extreme cases, just a tiny legend that tells you that you’re also signing up for automatic replacements with your purchase.

If you’re only going to take one thing from this article, let it be this: when buying anything online, be vigilant of the dark patterns that end up signing you up for newsletters you don’t want to receive, add-ons you don’t care about buying, or subscriptions you most definitely don’t need.

Wrapping up

Clean air shouldn’t be something only the 1% can afford. You can make your budget go further by going down the DIY route with a Corsi-Rosenthal box or trying out some of the newer designs that utilize PC fans, like the AirFanta 3 Pro.

To keep running costs low, look into generic filters, as they can be much lower in price. Just be aware that carbon quality might not be the same as with OEM filters, but in our testing, particle removal performance is on par.

But whatever unit you decide to go for, if you are on a tight budget but need an air purifier for your home, make sure to do your research BEFORE you buy. You don’t want to end up like this Redditor, who bought two different air purifiers before realizing they didn’t work and had to buy a third one to help with her cat allergies.