Air · Best-of
Cheapest Air Purifier to Run
Bottom line
The cheapest air purifier to run in our ranking is the GermGuardian AC4825E, at about $25 a year in filters; the Levoit Core 300S is the strongest overall scorer of the cheap-to-run group at about $45 a year.
If you're watching the long-term cost, the price tag on an air purifier is the wrong number to look at - the replacement filters are what add up over the years. We work out the yearly filter cost for every unit and rank by it here, limited to ones with a genuine HEPA filter (not a 'HEPA-type' lookalike) and no ozone.
How we score: We drop any HEPA-type or ozone unit first, then rank what's left by computed annual filter cost (filter price times how many times a year you replace it), cheapest to run first.
- 16.9GermGuardian AC4825E$25/yr filters
The GermGuardian AC4825E is a large-room air purifier built around a True HEPA filter. Its Clean Air Delivery Rate is AHAM-verified at 125 cfm, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $25 per year, among the cheapest to run in our set.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~194 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$25/yr
- 27.1Levoit Core 300S$45/yr filters
The Levoit Core 300S is a medium-room air purifier built around a H13 filter. Its Clean Air Delivery Rate is AHAM-verified at 175 cfm, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $45 per year, a typical running cost.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~271 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$45/yr
- 37.1Levoit Vital 200S$50/yr filters
The Levoit Vital 200S is a medium-room air purifier built around a True HEPA filter. Its Clean Air Delivery Rate is AHAM-verified at 289 cfm, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $50 per year, a typical running cost.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~448 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$50/yr
- 43.9Alen BreatheSmart Flex$69/yr filters
The Alen BreatheSmart Flex is a large-room air purifier built around a H13 filter. Its 230 cfm CADR is a manufacturer figure, not AHAM-verified, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $69 per year, a typical running cost.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~357 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$69/yr
- 57.1Levoit Core 400S$75/yr filters
The Levoit Core 400S is a large-room air purifier built around a H13 filter. Its Clean Air Delivery Rate is AHAM-verified at 259 cfm, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $75 per year, a typical running cost.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~401 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$75/yr
- 64.3Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde (BP03)$79/yr filters
The Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde (BP03) is a whole-house air purifier built around a H13 sealed-system filter. Its 200 cfm CADR is a manufacturer figure, not AHAM-verified, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $79 per year, a typical running cost.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~310 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$79/yr
- 73.9Austin Air HealthMate HM400$79/yr filters
The Austin Air HealthMate HM400 is a large-room air purifier built around a True HEPA filter. Its performance is not published as an AHAM-verified CADR, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $79 per year, a typical running cost.
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$79/yr
- 84.2Dyson Purifier Cool TP07$80/yr filters
The Dyson Purifier Cool TP07 is a small-room air purifier built around a H13 sealed-system filter. Its 94 cfm CADR is a manufacturer figure, not AHAM-verified, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $80 per year, a typical running cost.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~146 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$80/yr
- 91.5MOOKA Air Purifier B-D02L$90/yr filters
The MOOKA Air Purifier B-D02L is a medium-room air purifier built around a H13 filter. Its 135 cfm CADR is a manufacturer figure, not AHAM-verified, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $90 per year, a typical running cost.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~209 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$90/yr
- 103.3Shark Air Purifier 6 (HE601)$90/yr filters
The Shark Air Purifier 6 (HE601) is a whole-house air purifier built around a True HEPA filter. Its 175 cfm CADR is a manufacturer figure, not AHAM-verified, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $90 per year, a typical running cost.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~271 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$90/yr
- 114.0Coway Airmega 400$129/yr filters
The Coway Airmega 400 is a whole-house air purifier built around a True HEPA filter. Its Clean Air Delivery Rate is AHAM-verified at 400 cfm, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $129 per year, on the expensive end to run.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~620 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$129/yr
- 124.9Medify MA-25$150/yr filters
The Medify MA-25 is a medium-room air purifier built around a H13 filter. Its Clean Air Delivery Rate is AHAM-verified at 123 cfm, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $150 per year, on the expensive end to run.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~191 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$150/yr
- 135.0Honeywell HPA300$154/yr filters
The Honeywell HPA300 is a large-room air purifier built around a True HEPA filter. Its Clean Air Delivery Rate is AHAM-verified at 320 cfm, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $154 per year, on the expensive end to run.
- Real coverage at 4.8 ACH~496 sq ft
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$154/yr
- 143.6IQAir HealthPro Plus$195/yr filters
The IQAir HealthPro Plus is a large-room air purifier built around a H13 sealed-system filter. Its performance is not published as an AHAM-verified CADR, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $195 per year, on the expensive end to run.
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$195/yr
- 152.4Molekule Air Pro$350/yr filters
The Molekule Air Pro is a whole-house air purifier built around a True HEPA filter. Its performance is not published as an AHAM-verified CADR, and it uses no ionizer and no ozone-generating stage. Filters run about $350 per year, on the expensive end to run.
- Ozone / ionizerno ionizer and no ozone-generating stage
- Annual filter cost$350/yr
FAQ
- Why not just buy the cheapest air purifier?
- Because the cheap one can cost you more later. A budget unit locked to pricey proprietary filters can run higher over five years than a costlier unit that takes cheap, cross-compatible filters. We compute the five-year total so the real difference is visible before you commit.