The best (cheap but great) air purifiers you can buy for under $100

Air purifiers used to be nice gadgets for those who could afford them. But COVID-19 changed everything.

Since 2020, there has been an explosion of interest in devices that can clean airborne particles from the air. Reputable organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have stated that portable air purifiers can improve indoor ventilation and remove harmful airborne particles.

All this to say that everyone is much more aware now of how the air we breathe can impact our health, which is great news. The problem is that this has led to online marketplaces like Amazon and retailers like Best Buy becoming flooded with cheap units that promise to do it all for a quarter of the price.

There is A LOT of misinformation out there, powered by paid influencers, sponsored ads and fake reviews. On top of that, every big magazine under the sun has decided to monetize its traffic through affiliate commissions, publishing page upon page with air purifier reviews without actual testing.

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

I used the data we collected from our tests to build a shortlist of solid air purifiers that will not cost you an arm and a leg to buy AND to run in the long term.

That’s right, I didn’t just focus on upfront costs. When choosing the best budget air purifiers, I did the math to determine how much it could cost to run each unit across 12 months, including energy consumption and filter replacement costs.

Something you need to know: We are an independent publisher, and we only focus on indoor air quality. We buy every product we review with our own money, so we can thoroughly test and review with no strings attached. If you buy an air purifier by clicking one of the links in this article, you will be supporting our work as we will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Want to watch the video version of this article instead?

In the video below, I take you through the best budget air purifiers available right now in under 10 minutes.

We have been working hard to grow our YouTube channel. It’s been challenging (as we have no idea what we’re doing), but it’s also been a lot of fun. This is one of our first videos, so any feedback you may have will be highly appreciated. Just drop me an email!

Staff picks: Top 3 budget air purifiers

If you don’t have time to read our full article, you’ll find our top recommendations in the table below.

	👑 BEST OVERALL	💰 FOR TIGHT BUDGETS	🛋️ FOR LARGE SPACES
	Winix A231 (A230)	Corsi-Rosenthal Box	TaoTronics AP003 or Lago Air Purifier
Air cleaning speed	35 minutes	25 minutes	26 minutes
CADR rating	Smoke: 149 CFM Dust: 154 CFM Pollen: 147 CFM	Estimated: 274 CFM This is a DIY device.	Smoke: 198 CFM Dust: 202 CFM Pollen: 215
Filter technology	Pre-filter, True HEPA, activated carbon + PlasmaWave	MERV 13	H13 HEPA, activated carbon
Max room size	up to 230 sq. ft.	up to 680 sq. ft.	up to 307 sq. ft.
Weight	7.1 lbs (3.2 kg)	10 lbs (4.5 kg)	18 lbs (8.16 kg)
Our review	Winix A231 (A230) review	Corsi-Rosenthal Box review	TaoTronics AP003 review
Price	$75.99	$80.00	$99.99

Let’s do this then. These air purifiers will give you the best bang for your buck when looking at the ratio of air cleaning power to money spent:

1. Top pick: Winix A231/A230 ($79.99 upfront + $119.54 per year)

At less than $80, it’s the best budget air purifier we have tested and does an excellent job of cleaning the air.

The Winix A230 is white and grey and the A231 is black, but other than that, they are exactly the same. This little air purifier comes with an onboard air quality sensor, which makes it possible for its auto-mode to kick in autonomously as soon as it detects air pollutants. It also comes with PlasmaWave ionizer technology, which is a signature feature in Winix devices that gives them a performance boost when needed.

It’s still a small unit, so bear in mind that it will not be suitable for rooms bigger than 230 sq. ft., but it’s still quite powerful and completed our air cleaning performance test in 35 minutes — that is five full minutes faster than the Levoit Core 300 and three minutes faster than the Shark HP102.

➜ Read our full review

2. Best for small spaces: Levoit Core 300 ($99 upfront + $114,11 per year)

One of the best units in terms of air cleaning performance per $ spent, the Core 300 is a great choice for those who don’t care about smart functions.

The Levoit Core 300 changed the budget air purifier game forever when it arrived on the scene. Back then, budget air purifiers were useless or had ionizers that could actually make things worse by adding dangerous ozone to your air.

Levoit brought an air purifier capable of 145 CFM for $99.99 to market. Previously, you could get 100 CFM with the Honeywell HP100, but now you can get 1 CFM for 68 cents. Our performance test cleaned our test room in 40 minutes of particles measuring 1 micron or less.

Keeping the air clean no longer needs large, costly devices beyond most American households’ budgets. Levoit, we salute you!

➜ Read our full review

3. Best for medium-sized rooms: TaoTronics TT-AP003 ($99.99 + $90.66 per year)

The performance of the TaoTronic AP003 is better than the 35 minutes we saw with the Mila, which is $470.

The TaoTronics TT-AP003 is a game changer in budget air purifiers. Sold directly, it goes for $79.99 and has a CADR of 384 m³/h/226 CFM, similar to the Coway AP-1512 and Winix 5300, which cost nearly $200. 

With a CADR cost of 35 cents per 1 CFM, this is the ultimate budget air purifier as of Spring 2023. When we tested this unit in our home lab, we found that it could remove all pollutants in 26 minutes, matching the manufacturer’s CADR results. 

The cherry on top for the budget unit is that it also comes with an onboard sensor that gives the same pollutant levels for PM2.5 and PM10 — we usually see such extras on units that cost upwards of $300. 

Unfortunately, this incredibly powerful cheap air purifier is not easy to find: it is usually out of stock in the TaoTronics store, unavailable on Amazon, and becoming less common on eBay. The good news is that this device is built on a very popular ODM design and is sold under multiple brands around the globe.

We tested two of these brands (Lago and Midea) with the exact same results, so we are happy to have found alternatives for those of you who want to get a TaoTronics AP-003 but can’t find it where you live. The Lago air purifier is available in the U.S. in three colors, and the Midea SmartAir Pure Control can be found all over Europe.

➜ Read our full review

4. Best DIY option: Corsi-Rosenthal Box ($80 upfront + $125.13 per year)

For around $80, you can buy everything you need to build your own air purifier — the Corsi-Rosenthal Box performs as well as many of the highest-rated units we’ve tested.

If you have a box fan and some extra HVAC filters, you might be able to get an air purifier running in your home without spending a thing. The Corsi-Rosenthal box requires you to build your device with the help of duct tape and cardboard.

When we got to test this air purifier in the same test we use for all purchasable air purifiers, it cleaned our test room in 25 minutes of particles sized 1 micron or less. This was the same level of particle removal speed as the $900 IQAir Healthpro Plus, so it’s not too shabby for something you can build yourself from easy-to-find parts.

For those needing an air purifier as quickly as possible, the Corsi-Rosenthal Box is the best solution out there, and that’s why it is our top recommendation for the best air purifier for wildfire smoke.

➜ Read our full review

5. IKEA FÖRNUFTIG ($74.99 upfront + $80.38 per year)

I am glad to report air purifier from IKEA is the real deal — solid air cleaning performance in a good-looking package for an affordable price.

Many manufacturers in the air purifier space like to say how complex air cleaning is. However, this model from IKEA shows that it’s as simple as a good fan combined with a HEPA and activated carbon filter. 

The HEPA filters can be found for $11.99, and the activated charcoal filters are $21.99. They are all available online, and in-store so that you can pick up some spare air filters the next time you visit for Swedish meatballs. 

As you would expect with a gadget from IKEA, this air purifier has no bells or whistles. The device has one wheel to change speed and no air quality sensor. It doesn’t look like an air purifier, which might be a plus point for many — you could easily hide it in a living room without attracting too much attention. 

It’s a great budget device, but the lack of features and overall costs means it doesn’t make our top spot.

➜ Read our full review

Bonus option: AirFanta 3Pro ($149.99 upfront + $125.23 per year)

A high CADR PC fan-powered air purifier you can assemble and disassemble to travel with it, and that will set you back $150.

The AirFanta 3Pro belongs to a new generation of air purifiers inspired by the Corsi-Rosenthal Box (above) but powered by a set of mighty PC fans. In our tests, it managed to clean our test room in 14 minutes, which is impressive considering it costs fifty bucks over $100. 

The AirFanta 3Pro is the only high CADR air purifier you can fit in a backpack, and that is impressive. I decided to include it as an option in this list because its air cleaning performance is astonishing for a unit you can buy for just $150. So if you’re willing to stretch your budget a little bit from the $100 mark, then I seriously recommend you check out this device.

➜ Watch our video review

➜ Read our full review

Other cheap air purifiers that we tested but 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 just 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. HEPA + Activated carbon is a must

The filtration technology used in an air purifier is the most important thing to consider when buying an air purifier on a budget. I recommend you focus on finding a unit with a good particle filter, ideally HEPA-certified, and an activated carbon filter.

• HEPA filters are the “gold standard” in filtration technology. HEPA or high-efficiency particulate air filters are great at trapping microscopic allergens like dust, pollen, dander and mold spores. These filters capture large and small particles down to 0.3 microns that move through them.

• Activated carbon filters do a stellar job of removing these odors. Where HEPA captures large and small particles from the indoor air, the best budget-friendly air purifiers also include Activated Carbon filtration. The porous nature of activated carbon helps absorb odor and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air. We recommend choosing a unit with pellets rather than impregnated fabric often found in cheap air purifiers. 
  

2. Measure the room size and consider its CADR score

Room size is another critical factor when buying an air purifier. Air purifiers aren’t created equal. Larger units can effectively clean air in larger rooms, like classrooms, while smaller units might not. 

Manufacturers usually provide the recommended room size for each unit, so this information shouldn’t be hard to find. 

See the table below for the recommended room size and CADR rating.

Room Size (sq. feet)	CADR (CFM)
300 — 500 sq. ft.	One air purifier with a CADR of at least 150
500 — 900 sq. ft.	One or two air purifiers with a combined CADR of 300 — 500
1,000 sq. ft. and over	One very large or 2-3 air purifiers with a combined CADR of 600 or higher

CADR, or clean air delivery rate, measures the air volume an air purifier can clean in a given time. A higher CADR means the air purifier can effectively remove more pollutants from your room, so pick the unit with the highest CADR score. 

Feel free to use our free tool that provides you with 4.8 air changes per hour, which is what the EPA recommends for portable air purifiers:

4. Smart features are not a must, so don’t overpay for them

Air purifiers with smart technology, like auto mode and app support, are easier and more convenient to operate. 

However, units with such technology tend to be more expensive and might be above your price range if you’re working on a tight budget. 

Focus more on performance rather than features. You can find units with similar performance as the smart models but at a lower price. 

For example, the Levoit 300 performs as well as the smart Levoit Core 300S but is $50 cheaper.

5. Be wary of very cheap air purifiers

The device’s low price can often be a trap. 

In our many years of experience testing air purifiers, we have yet to find an excellent unit for less than $50, yet Amazon has many units. In our experience, you need to spend at least $80 for something like the TaoTronics AP003 or $99 for the Levoit Core 300 to get a unit capable of cleaning most standard room sizes.

Common questions about cheap air purifiers

Wrapping up

Being on a small budget doesn’t mean you have to compromise on quality. Ensure your new unit has HEPA and Activated Carbon filters, and go for as high a CADR as your budget allows. 

Smart features are nice but not essential for the budget buyer. Any units on this list give you quality at a great price, so you won’t go far wrong. Remember, we have tested every unit ourselves, so we know what we’re talking about. 

Last update on 2024-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API