An air purifier can beneficial for allergy sufferers. But what makes the best air purifier for allergies? And how do you find the best allergy air purifier for hayfever, pollen, or dust so you can get relief?

There are many good air cleaners for allergies available so it can be hard to know which brand to choose. To make things easy for people who suffer from seasonal or year round allergies, we’ve done the research and then made a detailed list of our top picks.

ImageAir Purifier DetailsPrice
Rabbit Air MinusA2 Air PurifierVeva 9000 Premium
  • Best Overall Air Purifier for Allergies
  • Filters: Washable micro-mesh pre-filter, Extended Life Activated Carbon Filter, Medical Grade H13 HEPA
  • Coverage: 600 sq. ft.
Check Price
Rabbit Air MinusA2 Air PurifierRabbit Air MinusA2 Air Purifier
  • Best large air purifier for asthma
  • Filters: Pre-filter, Medium, BioGS, Customized, Activated Carbon, Ionizer
  • Coverage: 700-815 sq. ft.
Check Price
Honeywell HPA100 Air PurifierHoneywell HPA100 Air Purifier
  • Best small HEPA air purifier for allergies
  • Filters: True HEPA, Activated Carbon
  • Coverage: 155 sq. ft.
Check Price
Alen BreatheSmart Air PurifierAlen BreatheSmart Air Purifier
  • Best HEPA filter choices for allergies
  • Filters: 4 types of True HEPA
  • Coverage: 1,100 sq. ft.
Check Price
IQAir HealthPro Plus Air PurifierIQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier
  • Best large air purifier for allergies
  • Filters: Pre-filter, HyperHEPA, V5-Cell Gas and Odor
  • Coverage: 1,125 sq. ft.
Check Price
AeraMax 100 Air PurifierAeraMax 100 Air Purifier
  • Best budget allergy air purifier
  • Filters: True HEPA, Antimicrobial, PlasmaTrue
  • Coverage: 200 sq. ft.
Check Price
Molekule Air PurifierMolekule Air Purifier
  • Best home air filter for allergies
  • Filters: Pre-filter, PECO
  • Coverage: 600 sq. ft.
Check Price

Benefits of Using The Best Air Purifier for Allergies

There are many health benefits of air purifiers. Primarily, owning an air cleaner when you have allergy sensitivities is an easy way to improve your daily health. It’s also the most efficient and hands-free way to protect your home from allergen particle invaders.

Most people who don’t have an air cleaner rely on over-the-counter or prescription medications to help treat their allergies. While these solutions may help to treat the symptoms, the biggest problem is that you have to continue with these treatments in order to get relief. Additionally, the cost of medications continues to rise every year and this extra expense is a real burden on a lot of people.

By adding an air purifier to your home, you’ll have a device that’s dedicated to stripping the air of the harmful airborne particles that irritate your allergies so you can enjoy improved air quality. Once these contaminants are gone and kept at bay, you’ll find that you may not even need to take allergy medications anymore (or at a much lower dosage) saving you a costly monthly expense.

The short term daily exposure to allergens are irritating and can greatly affect your day to day life. Aside from these most common symptoms, long term exposure can also lead to excessive fatigue or regular headaches.

  • sneezing and a runny or stuffy nose
  • coughing and sore, scratchy throat
  • itchy or watery eyes
  • frequent headaches
  • excessive fatigue
  • dry, itchy skin and hives

If you’re a person who experiences allergy symptoms all year round, then a dedicated allergy air purifier is a great device to have inside your home. Air purifiers remove these pollutants before they have a chance to trigger your allergic rhinitis.

  • tree, grass and flower pollen
  • dust and dust mites
  • animal dander
  • mold spores
  • volatile organic compounds
  • cigarette smoke

What to Look for in The Best Air Purifier for Allergies

The first thing you’ll notice when shopping for an air purifier for allergies is that not all products are created the same. When it comes to figuring out what to look for in an air purifier and finding the best allergy air purifier that works for you, you really need to look for a few key features. Not doing so may cause you to buy an air cleaner that doesn’t work for your particular situation and won’t even give you much (if any) allergy relief.

Pre-Filter

A dedicated pre-filter air filter is a must-have because it offers two major benefits:

  • This air filter traps larger allergens like pollen and dust as well as pet hair, dirt, and debris.
  • This air filter prolongs the life of the True HEPA filter (mentioned next) so it can do its job more effectively at capturing microscopic allergens.

When looking at home air purifiers that target allergies specifically, you’ll want a device that has a separate, dedicated pre-filter that can be washed and reused.

The pre-filter is the first line of defense on air cleaners and prevents the other filters from getting clogged up too fast and lets them work to their highest ability. 

HEPA Filter

HEPA stands for “High Efficiency Particulate Air” and True HEPA filters are the best type you can get for cleaning the air.

  • It captures the tiniest allergy particles that cause your symptoms to flare, like dust, pollen, pet dander, bacteria, etc.
  • It traps and locks allergens inside and doesn’t allow them to be released back into the air.

First and foremost, no other type of air filter can capture particles as small as a True HEPA filter, making this feature crucial for anyone who suffers from allergies.

In fact, True HEPA air purifiers are designed to remove allergens as small as 0.3 microns. To help you visualize that size, a human hair is 2-3 microns which is more than 600 times larger than the smallest allergy particle.

Another powerful aspect of True HEPA filters is that once the particles are trapped, they then never get released back into the air. This means that after the air cleaner has had enough time to exchange all of the air within a room, it becomes allergen-free and then stays that way.

CADR Rating (Clean Air Delivery Rate)

An CADR air purifier rating is an independent standard for measuring a filter’s efficacy that’s assigned by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM).

The CADR rating indicates air purifier effectiveness at removing smoke, pollen, and dust particles.

The higher the CADR number is for each type of pollutant, the faster the air cleaner can filter it.

CADR is broken down into three scores:

  • Smoke (10-450 CADR)
  • Dust (10-400 CADR)
  • Pollen (25-450 CADR)

If you’re comparing two or more air cleaners and wondering do air purifiers help with dust mites, then this CADR score will help to give you that answer.

ACH Rating (Air Changes Per Hour)

The ACH rating tells you how many times an air purifier can fully exchange the air within a certain size room. In other words, an air purifier that’s rated to handle 500 square feet and has an ACH rating of 5x means that the full volume of air in that size room can be exchanged five times every hour.

When you’re comparing the best air purifier units with the same room size coverage (square footage), the ACH number is important because it can quickly inform you as to which product does a more thorough job at cleaning the air.

Just remember that the ACH rating is related to the specified square footage (sq. ft.) coverage for the air cleaner. Therefore, if you place the air purifier in a room that’s smaller than the maximum size it can handle, the ACH rating goes up. If you place the unit in a larger room than it’s intended, then the ACH rating goes down.

Best Air Purifier for Allergies: Our Top Picks

Overall Best Air Purifier for Allergies: VEVA 9000 Premium

Best Air Purifier for Allergies

Recommended for spaces up to 600 square feet, the VEVA ProHEPA 9000 Air Purifier is incredibly affordable for larger rooms, especially considering the level of quality air purification you get for the price.

It’s equipped with 3 filters to capture unseen air invaders and larger ones alike. The washable pre-filter uses micro mesh technology to grab larger particles, like hair, pet dander, and lint. Next, the air meets a micro-particle and activated carbon filter which helps to extend the HEPA filter’s life and remove odors, smoke, and other vaporized pollutants. Lastly, the medical-grade H13 premium HEPA filter effectively traps pollen, dust, mold, and other nasties to bring you the best air possible in your home.

Unlike some other air purifiers on the market, this VEVA air purifier doesn’t use UV lights or ions, which are known to create trace amounts of ozone that can pollute the very air you’re trying to clean. For families with babies, cats, or dogs, you can breathe easy knowing this little machine is a lot safer than some of the other products out there. In addition, the installation is so simple! You just slide the filters into their designated slots and it’s ready to go.

Customize how you purify your home with the three airspeeds ranging from extra quiet to ultra turbo. For instance, the extra quiet speed ensures your air is clean while you sleep without the noisy whir of the motor.

Meanwhile, its small, sleek, and modern design is also a huge perk — the VEVA air purifier seamlessly integrates into any home décor for a sensible solution to air quality that doesn’t disrupt your personal style.

View on Amazon

 

Best Air Purifier for Allergies and Asthma: Rabbit Air MinusA2

Best Air Purifier for Allergies

This is going to be a great choice for allergies, asthma and improved air quality in large rooms between 700 and 815 square feet.

It’s one of the only products that’s certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, which independently tests products to ensure that they meet the demands for people with allergies and asthma symptoms.

What makes this unit so powerful is certainly the fact that it uses a 6-stage air filtration system.

With this air cleaner you’ll get:

  1. Pre-filter
  2. Medium Filter
  3. BioGS HEPA Filter, which is a longer-lasting True HEPA filter
  4. Customized Filter
  5. Activated Carbon Filter
  6. Ionizer

The customized filter option allows you to further target specific contaminants that you have trouble with, including:

  • Germ Defense Filter: Reduces airborne bacteria, mold spores, and particles that carry viruses
  • Pet Allergy Filter: Reduces pet dander, pet allergens, and pet hair
  • Toxin Absorber Filter: Reduces volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other chemicals
  • Odor Remover Filter: Reduces odors from pets, cigarettes and cigars, cooking, and mildew

Additionally, the front panel comes in two color choices and multiple designs, and a Wi-Fi enabled version lets you control everything from your iOS or Android device in real time. Another feature you’ll enjoy is that this air purifier can be wall-mounted or stand alone as a floor unit – a unique type of luxury.

View on Amazon

 

Portable Best Air Purifier for Allergies: Honeywell HPA100

 

Best Air Purifier for Allergies

Honeywell is one of the top brands in  the industry. This is a reliable, affordable, machine that will exceed expectations without some of the bells and whisltes that aren’t necessary for every home. However, this is made with the same type of air filters included as the most high end models. It’s perfect is for someone who doesn’t need to purify a large space (i.e. bedroom, home office, or spare room).

It boasts a 100 CADR rating and can handle small sized rooms up to 155 square feet (roughly a 10′ x 15′ space).

So while it lacks the Bluetooth smart controls, it’s still a great buy for anyone who wants the best HEPA air purifier without spending a lot of money.

View on Amazon

 

Best Air Purifier for Allergies with Custom HEPA Filters: Alen BreatheSmart

 

Best Air Purifier for Allergies

If you want an allergy air purifier that can handle an even larger space (i.e. a full basement or large open area upstairs), then you might want to consider this unit. It’s ultra quiet and has some of the largest coverage available and can handle large rooms up to 1,100 square feet (around a 30′ x 36′ size room).

Not only does this offer a pre-filter for capturing large particles and a True HEPA filter for trapping 99.97% the finest particles down to 0.3 microns, but can further specify your needs. You also get the pleasure of customizing this filter to further meet your needs.

You have the choice between these air filters:

  • HEPA-Pure which is made specifically for allergies.
  • HEPA-Silver which has additional layers of protection for asthma.
  • HEPA-FreshPlus which helps to cut down on smoke and airborne chemicals.
  • HEPA-OdorCell which has molecular conversion powder to reduce pet and baby odors.

Additionally, you can customize the front panel to suit your individual taste and styles—choose between 14 colors and designs including white, blue, brushed bronze, brushed stainless, black, rosewood, natural maple, and more.

This has a 300 CADR rating, which is exactly what an allergy sufferer needs to improve their air quality. As for ACH rating, this model exchanges the air 2X each hour in a room up to 1,100 square feet. 

View on Amazon

 

Best Air Purifier for Allergies with Medical Grade Filtration: IQAir HealthPro Plus

 

Best Air Purifier for Allergies

If you want an extremely powerful air cleaner that strips the most microscopic allergens out of the air, then this model will far surpass your needs.

Above all, what makes it so outstanding is that it 4-stage air filtration system that includes a Medical-Grade HyperHEPA air filter that captures 95% of particles that are 100X smaller than a standard True HEPA filter—0.003 microns to be exact—making it the best air filter for allergies.

It has a special V5-Cell Odor and Gas filter that extracts harmful chemicals and gases from the air that also trigger allergies and do harm to your health. This exchanges the full volume of air 2X every hour up to 1,125 square feet (roughly a 38′ x 30′ size room). That makes this air purifier good for even the largest areas of your home or apartment.

As for the CADR rating, IQAir doesn’t measure their air cleaners with that number, but rather uses CCM (Cumulate Clean Mass), and it’s one of the only products whose particulate CCM rating is tested above 1 million mg.

Without going into complicated details, this makes the HealthPro Plus the best-of-the-best for long-term performance. It packs a lot of power with extremely high-quality filters and is known to provide amazing relief for allergy sufferers.

View on Amazon

 

Budget Friendly Best Air Purifier for Allergies: AeraMax 100

 

Best Air Purifier for Allergies

This air cleaner is also certified by the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, but it comes at a much lower price point and is a good allergy air purifier for personal use and small rooms. With this air purifier, you’ll get 100 to 200 square feet of coverage, making it ideal for small bedrooms, studio apartments, or travel purposes, too.

The CADR rating is 70 and the ACH (Air Changes Per Hour) is 3X, so it’s very efficient at cleaning the air.

This unit also includes a 4-stage air filtration system with the essential True HEPA filter. This first removes 99.97% pollen, ragweed, dust, and other common allergens as well as an Antimicrobial Treatment to prevent the growth of bacteria. It also has a carbon filter for reducing odors from cigarette smoke, pets, cooking, etc. This filter also acts as a pre-filter to trap pet hair, larger dust particles, lint, and other debris.

A unique feature of this air purifier is the “PlasmaTrue” technology. This technology also boosts air quality performance by emitting electrically charged ions into the air that causes allergens to cluster together so they can be trapped more easily by the internal filters.

If you’re looking for one of the best air purifiers for allergies that’s inexpensive and has a certification to back it up, then this is a great choice.

View on Amazon

 

Best Air Purifier for Allergies with Unique Technology: Molekule Air

Best Air Purifier for Allergies

 

Molekule is breaking barriers in air purification technology by using a proprietary air filtration technology that actually destroys—not traps—airborne pollutants at a molecular level. If you want a unit that can eliminate all traces of airborne allergens and other harmful contaminants from your indoor air while being ultra quiet, then this air cleaner will far exceed your expectations.

It’s unlike any other air purifier reviewed on this list because it uses advanced PECO filtration technology. Therefore making it the best home air filter for allergies:

  • PECO technology destroys allergens, mold, bacteria, and viruses at their core so you have the cleanest, healthiest air to breathe.
  • PECO filtering can eliminate pollutants that are 1,000 times smaller than standard filters must meet to qualify as HEPA filters.

Additionally, this air purifier is designed for large rooms up to 600 square feet, so it can handle most anyone’s needs for a bedroom or living room.

  • A smaller Molekule Air Mini handles up to 250 sq. ft. if you don’t have a large room to cover.

You can control this air purifier in two ways:

  • With the touch screen display on the top of the unit.
  • With Wi-Fi control in real time by syncing it up with your iPhone or Android device.

There’s nothing else like this air cleaner on the market today.

View on Amazon

 

Frequently Asked Questions About The Best Air Purifier for Allergies

Do air purifiers really work for allergies?

While many air cleaners claim to have the best air filter for allergies, studies indicate that the only types of filters that are efficient for this purpose are HEPA filters and PECO filters.

Acoordingly, a study found that using a HEPA filter reduces allergen concentration levels of dust and particulate matter in the air. Another study reported that allergy symptoms decreased significantly over a 4-week course of using a device with PECO technology.

Do air purifiers help with animal allergies?

By removing airborne pet dander and hair, purifiers can indeed keep pet allergen triggers out of the air. With an air purifier running, you can experience less pet dander allergies.

Is an air purifier or humidifier better for allergies?

Essentially, air purifiers remove airborne contaminants that trigger allergy symptoms. They do this by filtering the air and trapping the contaminants inside a set of air filters like a HEPA filter. A humidifier does not filter particles out of the air. Instead, this unit adds moisture to the air to increase the humidity.

Do you need more than one room air purifier?

The simple answer is at least one unit for the room you frequent most. Ideally though, you’ll want two air purifiers: one for the main living room and another for your bedroom. That way, you can have clean air in each of these rooms of the home at all times.

Another solution is to get a whole home air purifier. These units attach to the HVAC system and filter the incoming airflow that’s drawing into the system. In theory, this will purify all of the air inside the house but they can be expensive. 

Are air purifiers good for sinus problems?

Air purifiers are good for sinus problems because they remove allergens and other pollutants from the air in your home. For example, common triggers like dust, pollen, mold spores, pet dander, and tobacco smoke will clear. As the air purifier filters out these particles, your sinuses can feel better.

Are air purifiers recommended by allergists?

Air purifiers are recommended by allergists. Expert allergists recommend two types of filtration. The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology points out that every “air filter has three key components, known as the ‘filter triangle’: its capacity, the amount of airflow it allows and its efficiency (how well it can trap particles). These three parts need to be balanced: A filter that blocks airflow will cause problems, as will a filter that doesn’t hold enough of the particulates you’re filtering.”