You have a small room. You need a small room purifier. That seems obvious enough. We see a lot of people getting an oversized air purifier for small 10×10 or 12×12 rooms. To help everybody out, we checked (spec-by-spec and filter-by-filter) which air purifiers are actually best for small rooms. That’s why we made a list of the 4 best and smallest air purifiers with, and this is very important, good filters.
Here’s the thing:
The reality is that you don’t need a big air purifier for small rooms. We are talking any small room from 50 sq ft and up to 200 sq ft (8 ft ceiling height). 300+ sq ft coverage units with 100+ CADR rating are simply overkill for small rooms. Small rooms actually need – this might come as a shock – small room air purifiers.
Many times overlooked issue is that air purifier producers are pretty much incentivized to sell bigger air purifiers. Those cost more than small room air purifiers, filters are more expensive, and so on.
Example: Obviously, producers want to sell a big air purifier that costs $300 or more. Even the best small room air purifiers cost less than $150 (of course, the Swiss-made #2 IQAir Atem in the list below with HyperHEPA filters is an exception here) and come with cheaper filter replacements.
We have to be very selective about these small space air purifiers. The goal is to get a truly small air purifier with great-quality filters. That usually translates into H13 HEPA filters. Where you should not hold back when picking the best small air purifier is, of course, the filters.
Getting a tiny air purifier with standard HEPA filters will leave a lot of air particulates under 0.3 microns in diameter unfiltered. That’s why it makes sense to get H12 HEPA filters, or even better, H13 HEPA or H14 HEPA filters that remove even the smallest air pollutants.
How small are the smallest air purifiers with good HEPA filters? By dimensions and total volume, they are about the size of your average cereal box.
You can check 4 of these smallest air purifiers currently on the market in the list below. You will find a complete spec-by-spec and filter-by-filter comparison table and reviews of individual small room air purifiers. You can skip to the whole list here:
Skip To 4 Best Small Room Air Purifiers Here
However, it makes sense to learn a thing or two about the metrics (specs) you should check before you buy one of these tiny air purifiers. We are going to cover the all-important CADR rating and airflow (together with room sizes), check out which are the best filters for small air purifiers, and give you the benchmark dimensions and total volume (basically the size) of small room air purifiers.
Let’s what with room sizes, CADR rating, and airflow:
Room Sizes Small Room Air Purifiers Cover (CADR rating + Airflow)
It is recommended for an air purifier to change the air in your room at least two times per hour (we are talking about 2 air changes per hour or 2 ACH). Now, to determine what size air purifier do you need for a small room (in terms of airflow or CFMs), we have to first calculate the amount of air in that room.
Example: A small 10×10 bedroom has a total square footage of 100 sq ft. If we presume that this small bedroom has the standard 8 ft ceiling height, the total air volume is 800 cubic feet. If you need an air purifier to change the air in such a small room two times per hour, it will need to produce at least 1600 cubic feet of air.
Now, if you check the specs of small room air purifiers, you will notice that airflow is expressed in CFMs or Cubic Feet Per Minute. You will have to convert that to hours; basically, 1 cubic foot per minute is equal to 60 cubic feet per minute (since 1 hour = 60 minutes). If you need 1600 cubic feet of air per hour, how many CFMs is that? 27 CFM.
Here is a nice illustration of what happens with the coverage area if we increase or decrease the ACH (air changes per hour):
It is important for us to calculate that because you see 100 CFM, 200 CFM, 300 CFM, and even bigger air purifiers recommended for small rooms. Just… no. For small spaces, you really need the smallest air purifier with below 100 CFM airflow.
You should check the CADR rating of these smallest air purifiers. CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate and it is the #1 most important spec when it comes to air purifiers. If you have good filters (H13 HEPA filters) the capability of a small air purifier to capture airborne particulates in a small room is so substantial that the CADR rating is pretty much equal (or at least very close) to airflow.
In the table below, you will see small room air purifiers with 25 to 75 CADR ratings. Sure, it’s better to get a higher CADR rating tiny air purifier, but that’s not the only thing that matters. The most important part of any air purifier are the filters:
Best Filters For Small Room Air Purifiers
CADR rating depends on how well the air purifier’s filters can extract dust particles (sized between 0.5 and 3 microns), smoke particles (sized between 0.9 and 1.0 microns), and pollen (sized between 5 and 11 microns) from indoor air. This is measured by AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers).
What is left out here, unfortunately, are particles below 0.5 microns in diameter. To capture all those very small dust floating in a small room, you will need a good HEPA filter.
Now, it needs to be said that almost every – even the smallest air purifier – uses HEPA filters as its main filters. It is important, however, to know which HEPA filters are actually good and which ones are a bit less good.
Normally, you would see H10, H11, and H12 HEPA filters used. These are cheap HEPA filters that do a good enough job at increasing indoor air quality but they are not the best. If you want the cleanest air in a small room, you should get a small H13 HEPA filter air purifier, or even an H14 HEPA filter unit.
In standard-sized and bigger air purifiers, you will see that air purifier filters – usually consisting of a pre-filter, HEPA filter, and activated carbon filter – are positioned one next to another.
Small air purifiers are a bit specific about how these 3 main filters are positioned within the air purifier. Since these small air purifiers don’t have a large volume, the 3 filters are usually combined in a circular all-encompassing filter. You don’t see filter plates; the small air purifier filters are circular.
The circular filter shape allows for these very small filters to intake air from a 360-degree angle and filter it out through these filters.
As we have pointed out, small room air purifiers should have a below 100 CFM airflow and CADR rating. But this doesn’t tell us much about the size of small room air purifiers. Let’s check the dimensions, volume, and weight of these tiny air purifiers as well before we check the list of the best air purifiers for small rooms:
Size Of Smallest Air Purifiers (Dimensions, Volume, Weight)
Small room air purifiers are tiny. We are talking less than 15-inch dimensions; length, width, even height. That means you can put them on desks, bedroom nightstands, and so on. The total volume of these small air purifiers should not exceed 1000 cubic inches.
For comparison, if you check air purifiers for large rooms here, you will see they have:
- 30-inch height. Most small air purifiers are not as tall; with below 15-inch height.
- Large 20×20 inch width and length. The smallest air purifiers have below 10-inch width and length. These are the best air purifiers for small bedrooms because you can put them on a small nightstand.
- Above 10,000 cubic inch volume. The smallest air purifiers will have a below 1000 cubic inch total volume. They are 10 times or even more smaller than large air purifiers.
With all these specs in our mind, let’s have a look at which are the best small room air purifiers currently on the market:
Best Small Room Air Purifiers In 2023
| Smallest Air Purifiers: | #1 Medify MA-14 | #2 IQAir Atem | #3 BISSELL MYair 2780A | #4 MOOKA EPI810 |
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| Coverage Area: | Up To 200 Sq Ft | Up To 150 Sq Ft | Up To 213 Sq Ft | Up to 120 sq ft |
| CADR Rating: | 71 CFM | 39 CFM | 68 CFM | 29 CFM |
| Filters: | H13 HEPA | H14+ HyperHEPA | H12 HEPA | H12 HEPA |
| Noise Levels: | Between 21 dB And 48 dB | 20 dB, 27 dB, 44 dB | From 30 dB To 46 dB | From 35 dB To 50 dB |
| Wattage: | Up to 26 Watts | 1.5W, 1.9W, 3.4W | Up To 26 Watts | 8 Watts |
| Dimensions (H×W×D): | 12.2 × 8.3 × 8.3 Inches | 12.4 × 12.4 × 5.5 Inches | 8.3 × 8.3 × 12.2 Inches | 7.5 × 6.5 × 7.5 Inches |
| Volume (Size): | 840 Cubic Inches | 846 Cubic Inches | 840 Cubic Inches | 366 Cubic Inches |
| Weight: | 5.3 lbs | 6.2 lbs | 4.6 lbs | N/A |
| Price: | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ |
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| Availability: | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
1. Overall Best Small Room Air Purifier For Bedrooms: Medify MA-14
| Coverage Area: | Up To 200 Sq Ft |
| CADR Rating: | 71 CFM |
| Filters: | H13 HEPA Filters |
| Noise Levels: | Between 21 dB And 48 dB |
| Wattage: | Up To 26 Watts |
| Dimensions (HxWxD): | 12.2 × 8.3 × 8.3 Inches |
| Volume (Size): | 840 Cubic Inches |
| Weight: | 5.3 lbs |
| Price: | $$$$ |
| Rating: | |
Medify MA-14 is the best small air purifier on the market. With its remarkably fine H13 HEPA filters and considerably high CADR rating for a small air purifier, it will be able to increase the indoor air quality in any small room. Because it has a very low noise level, it is the perfect air purifier for small bedrooms (you can literally put it on a nightstand).
As with all air purifiers, you also want to have the best filters if you want to breathe unpolluted air in a small room. Medify is one of the first air purifier brands that started using the advanced 13 HEPA filters. Medify MA-14, their small room model, has a trio of circularly designed filters, including the pre-filter for larger particles, activated carbon filters for smell and odors, and the crown jewel; the H13 HEPA filter.
This HEPA filter is tested to remove more than 99.9% of air particles like dust, smoke, pollen, and other pollutants that have a 0.1-micron diameter. Due to this exceptional filtration system, the Medify MA-14 is capable of achieving a CADR rating of 71 CFM; this is very high for such a small air purifier.
It can be used in very small bedrooms with up to 200 sq ft area. The bedroom use is quite popular due to its very low noise levels. At Speed 1 it will generate only 21 dB and at the highest Speed 3 it will still generate less than 50 dB of noise output (48 dB, to be exact).
Medify MA-14 has a total volume of 840 cubic feet, with a 12.2-inch height and a small 8.3×8.3 inches cross-section. That means you can put it even on a small nightstand.
All in all, Medify MA-14 is overall the best air purifier for small bedrooms. It has superb H13 HEPA filters, a very high CARD rating, and low noise levels and it is quite affordable (costs about $100):
2. Best Small Room Air Purifier For Allergies: IQAir Atem
| Coverage Area: | Up To 150 Sq Ft |
| CADR Rating: | 39 CFM |
| Filters: | H14+ HyperHEPA Filters |
| Noise Levels: | 20 dB, 27 dB, 44 dB |
| Wattage: | 1.5W, 1.9W, 3.4W |
| Dimensions (HxWxD): | 12.4 × 12.4 × 5.5 Inches |
| Volume (Size): | 846 Cubic Inches |
| Weight: | 6.2 lbs |
| Price: | $$$$ |
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IQAir Atem is one of a kind small desktop air purifier. It has the most advanced H14+ HEPA filters (HyperHEPA), very low running costs, and is made by IQAir; a company that specialized in hospital-grade air purifiers. That’s why this is the best air purifier for allergies and allergy-prone people.
The reason why allergies can be elevated is the HyperHEPA filters. This is an ultrafine filter that can remove more than 99% of air particulates that are 0.003 microns in size. This means it is 100x better at removing these particles than 10-12 HEPA filters and even about 30x better than the advanced H13 HEPA filters that we see in Medify air purifiers.
Allergies can be caused by these ultrafine particles that only IQAir Atem can truly effectively remove. It does have, however, a lower 39 CFM CADR rating. This simply means that it is focused on ultrafine particles and not on regular-sized particulates.
Even when running at the highest fan speed setting, it will consume only 3.4W of power. That means it will run on less than $0.01 per day, making it the most energy-efficient air purifier for small rooms.
It doesn’t have a square cross-surface like most small air purifiers. Instead, the shape of IQAir Atem is circular and narrow which is very useful if you have to save space in your bedroom, office, and so on.
Of course, these HyperHEPA filters are not cheap. Because the IQAir Atem is so thorough at capturing allergy-inducing air pollutants, it can command a very high price of $400. This is quite a high price for a small room air purifier.
All in all, if you are prone to allergies and need an air purifier for a small room, the IQAir Atem is the best choice of air purifier. It does have a high price but you will not find a finer filter than the HyperHEPA filters that elevate the IQAir units to a hospital-grade levels:
3. Good Air Purifier For Small Room: BISSELL MYair 2780A
| Coverage Area: | Up To 213 Sq Ft |
| CADR Rating: | 68 CFM |
| Filters: | H12 HEPA Filters |
| Noise Levels: | Between 30 dB And 46 dB |
| Wattage: | Up To 26 Watts |
| Dimensions (HxWxD): | 12.2 × 8.3 × 8.3 Inches |
| Volume (Size): | 840 Cubic Inches |
| Weight: | 5.3 lbs |
| Price: | $$$$ |
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You have H13 and H14 small room air purifiers. Then you have all the rest. The best out of these a bit inferior H12 HEPA air purifiers for small rooms is the BISSELL MYair 2780A.
Bissel uses the triple filtration system, consisting of a pre-filter, H12 HEPA filter, and activated carbon filter. This is the usual filtration setup that enables this small BISSELL unit to achieve 68 CFM CADR rating and can be used in small spaces up to 213 sq ft.
It had relatively low noise levels (top level is 46 dB, the lowest speed setting noise levels is 30 dB which is not the quietest among small room air purifiers). The 26W running wattage is quite high for such a small air purifier.
Price-wise, all of these small H12 HEPA filter air purifiers cost less than $100.
All in all, if you don’t want to use best-in-the-industry filters, the BISSELL MYair 2780A is quite a good and budget-friendly choice
4. Smallest Air Purifier For Tiny Rooms: MOOKA EPI810
| Coverage Area: | Up To 120 Sq Ft |
| CADR Rating: | 29 CFM |
| Filters: | H12 HEPA Filters |
| Noise Levels: | Between 35 dB And 50 dB |
| Wattage: | 8 Watts |
| Dimensions (HxWxD): | 7.5 × 6.5 × 7.5 Inches |
| Volume (Size): | 366 Cubic Inches |
| Weight: | N/A |
| Price: | $$$$ |
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MOOKA EPI810 is the smallest air purifier on the market. All the dimensions (even height) are below 8 inches. This gives is a total volume of 366 cubic inches which is, let’s face it, absurdly small. With the exception of its size, it does have quite a few shortcoming, however.
Of course, the MOOKA EPI810 doesn’t use H13 HEPA filters. The use of cheaper H12 HEPA filters reduces its CADR rating to below 30 CFM (29 CFM, to be exact).
Being such a very small air purifier, it can also serve only very small rooms up to 120 sq ft.
The noise levels are a bit high; starting with 35 dB (Speed 1) and reaching all the way to 50 dB at the highest fan speed setting.
It is cheap, though. It costs about $50. If it would only have better filters and a higher CADR rating, it would be quite useful as a small room air purifier. However, due to such small dimensions, it is not capable to improve indoor air quality as effectively as other not the smallest bit a bit bigger air purifier:
All in all, we hope you now have a clearer idea on what air purifiers are most appropriate to use for small rooms (like a small bedroom, for example). If you want to increase the indoor air quality is these rooms, you don’t really need a big or even a standard-sized air purifier. You just need the best air purifier for small room with good HEPA filters.