Cheapest Air Purifiers to Run (Filters plus Power)

Proven large-room CADR at a fair price; loud and power-hungry at full speed, no auto mode.

HPA300 internals with a particle sensor, auto mode and app.

The long-running benchmark: strong CADR for the price, a real auto mode and cheap annual filters.

Same internals as the Mighty in a square housing with a square filter.

Large-room Winix with app control and a heavy carbon filter at a mid-range price.

Large-room Winix with heavy carbon and app; slightly costlier than the T810.

Steel-cabinet workhorse with published test data; no sensor, no app.

Mid-size HPA; reliable but dated, with no sensor.

Twin-filter unit with very high claimed CADR; not AHAM listed.

5500-class performance with app control.

Quiet at full speed and well built; price per CADR is high.

45i without the sensor or app.

Quiet for its CADR; the 930 sq ft claim is at 1 air change per hour, so treat it as a 370 sq ft unit for allergies.

Large-room CADR from a light, efficient unit; short filter life raises running cost.

A pellet-carbon filter you can wash, strong CADR, and a low street price; PlasmaWave can be switched off.

The 5500-2 without the remote and with a lighter carbon filter.

Winix's 360 sq ft platform in a taller cabinet with Wi-Fi.

Smallest Levoit with app control; no particle sensor.

The best-selling compact purifier; no auto mode, thin carbon, but cheap and quiet on low.

Core 300 plus a PM2.5 sensor, auto mode and app.

Medium Alen with the same quiet motor; lifetime warranty with filter subscription.

Quieter and more efficient than the 211+, with app control.

Small HPA for a bedroom; basic and loud for its CADR.

Compact unit with auto mode and a washable prefilter; filters are pricey for the CADR.

Two-sided filtration with a real carbon layer; filters cost more than most.