【AI前沿】Best Air Purifiers (2026): Coway, AirDoctor, IQAir, and More

Molly HigginsGearMay 13, 2026 7:02 AMThe Best Air Purifiers for Your HomeProtect your home against dust, pets, allergies, and more with the best air purifiers, tested firsthand.CommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyFeatured in this articleBest Air Purifier OverallIQAir Atem XRead more$1,400AmazonBest Air Purifier for OdorsCoway Airmega 450Read more$499$370(26% off)AmazonAn Upgraded Version of a Popular ModelCoway Airmega Mighty2Read more$270AmazonBest for Homes With PetsLevoit Vital 200S-P Air PurifierRead more$190$160(16% off)AmazonI lived inLos Angeles and San Francisco for almost a decade, including during some of the most severewildfiresthe region has seen in recent years. Beneath an eerily yellow sky with smoky, stagnant air, I donned anN95 maskas a bartender—long before the pandemic made masking the norm. Needless to say, I’m no stranger to bad air and can appreciate the value of a good air purifier.Now, I live in New York City, where the threat of wildfires ravaging large swaths of land is less imminent, but contaminants from cars and buses, cigarette smoke, and building and industrial emissions is ever-present. Not to mention the volatile East Coast weather that’s known to host newsworthypollen spikes. Plus, I live in a tiny apartment with a gas stove and no hood vent (yikes!), and I also have two very furry cats and a roommate who is allergic to them. So, while my focus may be less on outside air quality, I live a daily battlefighting pet danderand microscopic allergens in my home.To help fight allergens and contaminants both indoors and out, I tested the best air purifiers. Top picks include the premiumIQ Air Atem X ($1,400)and the lower-pricedCoway Airmega Mighty2 ($270). I’m continuously testing new models to stay up-to-date with the best air purifier for every budget, room size, and pollutant.Check out our other guides to keeping your home’s air quality in tip-top shape, including theBest Fans,Best Space Heaters,Best Cordless Vacuums,Best Humidifiers,Best Dehumidifiers, andBest Window ACs.Table of ContentsAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronCompare Our PicksOthers TestedNot RecommendedHow to Shop for an Air PurifierHow to Check Your Air QualityHow Do We Test Air Purifiers?How Does WIRED Select Air Purifiers to Review?What Does WIRED Do With Air Purifiers After Testing?Updated May 2026: I’ve added the Coway Airmega Mighty2 and Levoit Vital 200S as new picks, moved some previously tested purifiers to “Others Tested,” and removed some models from the guide. I’ve also ensured up-to-date links and prices.Best Air Purifier OverallPhotograph: Lisa Wood ShapiroCourtesy of AmazonChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlistIQAirAtem X$1,400Amazon$1,400IQAirThe more air purifiers I test, the more I think they should be viewed as a lifetime investment. I use the term “air purifier math” to consider how many air purifiers you might burn through in the next decade. One, two, maybe three? The solution to this equation showsthe Atem Xto be a wise investment, even at its big-ticket price. It’s truly is the best HEPA filter, and if you have the means, it’s a worthy buy.The sleek purifier may not last a literal lifetime, but it does come with the option for a 10-year warranty (with registration and filter subscription), which grants you access to parts and repairs for a decade. It’s quiet and has custom settings, a built-in sensor, and a dashboard phone app, and it can be set flush against a wall. The one drawback is that the Atem X doesn’t have a carbon filter to remove gases. —Lisa Wood ShapiroSmart AppYesRemoteYesIdeal Room Size1,650 square feetWeight28.7 poundsNoise on highNot specifiedFilterHyperHEPA filterWarranty10 yearsWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWIRED10-year warrantyQuietHas app controlTIREDNo carbon filter to remove gasesBest Air Purifier for OdorsPhotograph: Lisa Wood ShapiroSave to wishlistSave to wishlistCowayAirmega 450$499$370(26% off)Amazon$499$370(26% off)CowayAfter quickly unboxing the Coway Airmega 450—a 30-inch cylinder tower weighing in at just under 25 pounds—I was pleased to find its easy-to-maneuver wheels and hidden handle allowed it to glide across my wooden floors. With its quiet air-cleaning abilities, capturing particulate matter, odors, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the Airmega 450 might be my favorite air purifier from Coway to date. The 450 is able to quietly (not at the highest and thus noisiest setting) clean the air in a 300- to 400-square-foot room at the five times an hour that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)recommends.Coway claims the purifier can clean the air of a 3,285-square-foot room, but the fine print notes that it can do so once an hour at its loudest setting, which is nearly 60 decibels. I’ve learned while reviewing air purifiers that thelargest room sizea given machine claims it can clean in an hour still needs to be divided by five to get the recommended number of exch