Buying guide · Air purifiers
The best air purifiers for bedrooms: quiet picks sized for your room
Our top picks: the Levoit Core 300S (best overall), the Levoit Core 300 (best budget pick) and the Coway Airmega 150 (quietest). A bedroom purifier has two jobs: clean enough air for the room, and stay quiet enough that you leave it on all night. The picks here cover a typical 12–34 m² bedroom, and the quietest run at 20–22 dB on their lowest setting, about the sound of rustling leaves.
Each one shows the room its verified CADR covers, the maker's figure for its quietest setting, and what the replacement filter costs.
Updated · 5 picks · figures from AHAM, Energy Star, NIOSH and the makers · no brand pays to be listed
Quick picks
Best overall
Levoit Core 300SThe best mix for most bedrooms: a laser particle sensor, so auto mode turns it up when the air gets worse, and a sleep mode from 22 dB.
Best budget pick
Levoit Core 300Almost the same clean air as the Core 300S for much less: buttons only, no sensor or app.
Quietest
Coway Airmega 150The quietest pick, 20 dB on its lowest setting by Coway's figures, and it draws only 25 W.
Best for a large bedroom
Coway Airmega AP-1512HH MightyFor a big bedroom, or one that's also a study: about 34 m² of everyday cleaning, from 24.4 dB on low.
Best with a pet
Levoit Vital 100SFor a bedroom shared with a cat or dog: a washable pre-filter catches hair before it reaches the HEPA filter, and a light sensor dims the display when you turn the lights off.
| Purifier | Smoke CADR | Everyday room | Smoky days | Quietest | Filter | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levoit Core 300SBest overall | 141 cfm | 20 m² (219 ft²) | 13 m² | 22 dB | $29.99every 6–8 months | $149.99at levoit.com |
| Levoit Core 300Best budget pick | 143 cfm | 21 m² (222 ft²) | 13 m² | — | $29.99every 6–8 months | $89.99at levoit.com |
| Coway Airmega 150Quietest | 153 cfm | 22 m² (237 ft²) | 14 m² | 20 dB | — | $189.99at cowaymega.com |
| Coway Airmega AP-1512HH MightyBest for a large bedroom | 233 cfm | 34 m² (361 ft²) | 22 m² | 24.4 dB | $59.79up to 1 year | $239.99at cowaymega.com |
| Levoit Vital 100SBest with a pet | 143 cfm | 21 m² (222 ft²) | 13 m² | 25 dB | — | $119.99at levoit.com |
Everyday room: AHAM's room size for the smoke CADR (about five clean-outs an hour). Smoky days: AHAM's stricter advice for smoke, a CADR at least equal to the floor area in square feet. Quietest: the maker's figure for its lowest setting. Filter: the replacement's list price at its maker.
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Best overall
Levoit Core 300S
The best mix for most bedrooms: a laser particle sensor, so auto mode turns it up when the air gets worse, and a sleep mode from 22 dB. It covers about 20 m² and takes the same inexpensive filter as the Core 300.
- Cleans
- 20 m² day to day, 13 m² on smoky days
- Quietest
- 22 dB
- Filter
- $29.99, every 6–8 months
- Auto mode follows a laser particle sensor
- Sleep mode from 22 dB
- Low-cost filter, easy to find
- About 20 m²: too small for a big bedroom
- Costs more than the Core 300 for the same clean air
$149.99at levoit.com
Best budget pick
Levoit Core 300
Almost the same clean air as the Core 300S for much less: buttons only, no sensor or app. For a bedroom of about 21 m² where you'll set it and leave it, it's all you need.
- Cleans
- 21 m² day to day, 13 m² on smoky days
- Filter
- $29.99, every 6–8 months
- The lowest price here
- Same filter as the Core 300S, changed every 6–8 months
- 143 cfm, verified by AHAM
- No sensor, so no auto mode
- No app or schedules
$89.99at levoit.com · sale price, was $99.99
Quietest
Coway Airmega 150
The quietest pick, 20 dB on its lowest setting by Coway's figures, and it draws only 25 W. A particle sensor drives auto mode, and it covers about 22 m².
- Cleans
- 22 m² day to day, 14 m² on smoky days
- Quietest
- 20 dB
- 20 dB on low, the quietest here
- Particle sensor with auto mode
- 3-year warranty
- No app or Wi-Fi
- Not enough for a large bedroom
$189.99at cowaymega.com
Best for a large bedroom
Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty
For a big bedroom, or one that's also a study: about 34 m² of everyday cleaning, from 24.4 dB on low. Run it higher while you're out of the room and drop it to low at bedtime.
- Cleans
- 34 m² day to day, 22 m² on smoky days
- Quietest
- 24.4 dB
- Filter
- $59.79, up to 1 year
- About 34 m², the most here
- From 24.4 dB on low
- HEPA filter lasts up to a year
- 53.8 dB on high, too loud to sleep through
- Has an ionizer: switch it off
$239.99at cowaymega.com
Best with a pet
Levoit Vital 100S
For a bedroom shared with a cat or dog: a washable pre-filter catches hair before it reaches the HEPA filter, and a light sensor dims the display when you turn the lights off. Sleep mode from 25 dB; about 21 m².
- Cleans
- 21 m² day to day, 13 m² on smoky days
- Quietest
- 25 dB
- Washable pre-filter for pet hair
- Dims itself when the room goes dark
- App control and auto mode
- From 25 dB, a little louder than the quietest
- About 21 m²
$119.99at levoit.com · sale price, was $139.99
What size do you need?
The single biggest mistake is a purifier too small for the room. Type yours in to see the clean air it needs, and which picks get there.
You need a smoke CADR of at least 108 cfm (your room is about 161 ft²).
On this list: Levoit Core 300S, Levoit Core 300, Coway Airmega 150, Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty, Levoit Vital 100S.
The rule is AHAM's, the US body that certifies CADR ratings: two-thirds of the floor area in square feet day to day, the full floor area for smoke. It assumes an 8 ft (2.4 m) ceiling; for a higher one, aim a little above it.
How quiet is quiet enough?
The World Health Organization's guide for a good night's sleep is a steady background sound below 30 dB in the bedroom. Every pick here has a lowest setting under that, by its maker's figures: from 20 dB (Coway Airmega 150) to 25 dB (Levoit Vital 100S).
Higher settings are much louder: the Coway Mighty goes from 24.4 dB on low to 53.8 dB on high, about the level of a quiet conversation. Run it high while you're out, then switch to sleep mode at bedtime.
If you're a light sleeper, choose a purifier one size up and run it on a lower setting. It cleans the same air, more quietly.
Where to put it
A meter or two from the bed, with space around its air intake, not in a corner or behind a nightstand. Keep the door and window shut while it runs, or it cleans a little of the whole house's air instead of a lot of your room's.
Turn the outlet away from your face if the breeze bothers you, and switch off the display lights if they keep you awake.
How we chose
Sized by verified CADR
Rated by AHAM or Energy Star's smoke CADR for a 15–35 m² room, not 'up to 1,000 ft²' box claims, which usually mean one clean-out an hour.
Quiet at night
A sleep or low setting the maker rates at about 25 dB or less, under the WHO's 30 dB guide for a good night's sleep.
Filters you can find
A replacement that's easy to buy and changed about once or twice a year, so the purifier keeps working after the first year.
We haven't lab-tested these ourselves. The rankings rest on independent ratings (AHAM's verified CADR, Energy Star's listings, NIOSH approvals) and the makers' own figures, each shown on the product's page with where it's from. No brand pays to be listed, and the order doesn't change with commission. We earn a small commission when you buy through our links.
Questions
- Is it OK to sleep with an air purifier on?
- Yes. A HEPA purifier with no ionizer makes no ozone, and on its sleep setting each pick here is quieter than 30 dB, the WHO's guide for a good night's sleep. Close the door so it cleans the room you're in.
- Do air purifiers help you sleep?
- They help when allergies, dust, smoke or smog disturb your sleep, by removing the particles behind a blocked nose and coughing. The steady fan sound helps some people too.
- What size air purifier does a bedroom need?
- For a typical 12–15 m² (130–160 ft²) bedroom, a smoke CADR of about 90–110 cfm day to day, and 130–160 cfm for smoke or smog. Each pick here shows the room size its verified CADR covers.
- How loud is 20 dB?
- About the sound of rustling leaves; 30 dB is roughly a whisper. A purifier at 20–25 dB on its lowest setting is easy to sleep beside.
- Should I run an air purifier all night?
- Yes, on its sleep or low setting with the door closed. It only cleans while it runs, so leaving it on keeps the bedroom air clean while you sleep. Small ones use little power: Coway rates the Airmega 150 at 25 W.
- Where should an air purifier go in a bedroom?
- Within a meter or two of the bed, with clear space around its intake, and not in a corner behind furniture. Keep the door and windows shut while it runs.
- Do air purifiers dry out the air?
- No. A HEPA purifier filters the air without changing its humidity. If the room feels dry, that's the heating or air conditioning; a humidifier fixes it.
Before you buy
Check how bad the air gets where you live
A purifier matters most where the air is often unhealthy. See today's reading and the past week for your city, from the nearest ground stations.