Air purifiers are a great way to maintain good air quality, whether at home or in the office. By purifying the air in your home, you can keep your family healthy, from newborns to adults, and improve your overall indoor comfort.
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Our comparison for the year 2023
Comparison updated on 23/03/2023
Vous envisagez d’acheter un purificateur d’air en ligne et vous ne savez pas lequel choisir ? Ne vous inquiétez pas : nous avons pensé à tout.
In this article, we help you make an informed decision with the help of a clear and concise comparison. It will help you identify the product that best suits your needs, based on the opinions of many consumers.
Le petit + Have you noticed an air purifier in our selection? Would you like to know more about it? Find our complete tests on our page : our opinions on air purifiers.
1. Rowenta Intense Pure Aire XL Connect air purifier
The best performer according to consumers
The Rowenta Intense Pure Air Connect XL is a quality air purifier that tends towards the high end with its NanoCaptur technology, silence, size and power. Suitable for medium to large rooms, it is undeniably one of the best performing air purifiers to date, with a 100 % ozone-free mechanical air purification system and many interesting additional features.
2. Pure A9 air purifier
Our favourite ❤
The Pure A9 air purifier is without doubt one of the best models we have tested. Whether you have allergies or asthma, this product will ensure that you have healthy air in your home. The Pure A9 is ideal for improving air purity in medium to large rooms (up to 129 m² depending on the model) and offers a much better price/performance ratio than its competitors.
3. Xiaomi Mi 3H Air Purifier
An interesting price/quality ratio
The Xiaomi Mi 3H air purifier is a device with many features not found in the competition. This connected air purifier is affordable and offers excellent value for money.
Designed for areas up to 45 m², you can place it in any room. The multitude of options, the variety of speeds and the minimal design make it a complete tool. In addition, the Xiaomi Mi 3H air purifier is outstanding in terms of performance as evidenced by its CADR certification.
4. Philips AC2887/10 air purifier
The Rowenta Intense Pure Air Connect XL is an excellent air purifier that tends towards the high end with its NanoCaptur technology, silence, size and power. Suitable for medium to large rooms, it is undeniably one of the best performing air purifiers to date, with an ozone-free 100 % mechanical air purification system and many interesting additional features.
5. Levoit Core 300 air purifier
The Levoit Core 300 is an air purifier suitable for babies and baby's rooms, but also for people with allergies or asthma (the device has no ozone emission risk and a low noise level). It is ideal for cleaning the air in your home, whether in the living room or bedroom, and offers unbeatable value for money. We can only recommend it if you want to buy an efficient device at a reasonable price.
6. Medify MA-25 Air Purifier
Medify Air is a trusted brand of quality and reliability. This is reflected in the Medify MA-25, which features a three-stage dual filtration system with H13 HEPA filters capable of trapping molecules as small as 0.1 microns.
Puissant, léger et compact, ce produit est particulièrement adapté pour votre chambre ou celle de bébé. Il vous suffit de le placer sur la table de nuit et de régler la vitesse du ventilateur selon le niveau de polluants détectés par le Medify MA-25.
7. Teqoya 200 air purifier
Whether it's its design, its compactness or its efficiency, the Teqoya 200 is without a doubt the ideal companion to clean the air in your home. Admittedly, its price seems a bit high at the outset, but if you take into account that you will never have to change air filters, then the Teqoya becomes an affordable and environmentally friendly air ionizer.
Small and efficient, light and easy to handle, the Teqoya 200 is an aesthetically pleasing product that does not require any consumables and has low power consumption. You don't need to set up this device: just plug it in and it will purify the air autonomously and silently. Its only drawback is that it cannot be controlled remotely, but is this really useful?
What are our selection criteria?
Perhaps you have already done some research and come to the same conclusion as we did: either the choice offered in the shops is too small and the equipment is often unsuitable for the air surface you wish to treat. Or, on the contrary, the websites offer us a plethora of products, but we get lost in their technical details...
We compiled this list after spending many hours researching the web. In order to narrow down the contenders to a top 7, we took into account the performance, power, features, a little bit of design, and most importantly, the price/performance ratio of each air purification system. Finally, to be eligible for our list, the device must have :
- A HEPA filter to remove polluting particles,
- An activated carbon filter to capture smoke and odours,
- Low or no noise,
- An internal fan powerful enough to handle a large volume of air quickly,
The others criteria for selecting an air purifier are variable and depend on the capacity of the device to neutralise household contamination. For example, equipment with a UV-C light filter may be more effective at inactivating viruses than equipment with plasma engineering.
And for those who are looking for a quiet appliance, we indicate the noise level of the equipment to facilitate your choice.
A classification that meets your needs
Today, air purifiers are the most effective way to improve the air quality of a room. Whether it's to prevent allergies and asthma, eliminate cigarette smoke or protect your baby and his room, we've done our research to help you find the right device for your needs.
To neutralise smoke and fumes, you will need an air purifier with a active charcoal filter. With this filter, your device will be able to capture both the toxins in the smoke and the molecules that make up its smell.
Its principle : ce filtre est constitué de millions de pores. Au contact de la fumée et des effluves, ses pores interceptent les toxines et les molécules présentes dans l’air.
To neutralise dust and fine particles, you will need an air purifier with a HEPA filter and/or the function ionizer. These two filtration techniques combined will allow your unit to neutralise all sizes of airborne particles, be it pollen, house dust, pet hair, etc.
Its principle The air filter traps molecules down to a size of 0.3 microns and the ioniser function precipitates the smaller molecules remaining on the surfaces. The fallen pollutants will need to be vacuumed regularly to prevent them from re-polluting the ambient atmosphere by flying away.
To protect your baby and your baby's room, you will need an air purifier with only a HEPA filter and a active charcoal filter.
Its principle The air filter captures airborne molecules while the activated carbon filter adsorbs odours and toxins in the air.
Our golden rule The equipment must not generate ozone for the toddler. There is no such thing as zero risk, so we avoid all technologies that may emit ozone.
To prevent allergies and asthma, you will need an air purifier with a HEPA filter and the ionizer function if it can be deactivated at any time. L’association de ces deux techniques permet la neutralisation de tous les allergènes présents dans l’air.
Its principle The filter captures atmospheric pollutants (pollen, animal hair, dust, etc.), while the ioniser causes the remaining ultra-fine molecules to fall to the ground.
Our golden rule The device must not generate ozone to avoid aggravating asthma, so we prefer recent devices.
To remove cooking odours, you will need an air purifier with a active charcoal filter. With this filter, your device will be able to capture both the toxins in the smoke and the molecules that make up its smell.
Its principle : ce filtre est constitué de millions de pores. Au contact de la fumée et des effluves, ses pores interceptent les toxines et les molécules présentes dans l’air.
To neutralise viruses and mould, you will need an air purifier with a UV-C light filter and a HEPA filter. The ultraviolet filter kills/inactivates germs, mold spores, bacteria, and even viruses, while the filter prevents them from being released into your home air once captured.
Its principle: the polluted air is subjected to ultraviolet rays emitted by the UV-C light filter. This light changes the DNA structure of the molecules passing by (the range is limited to the inside of the device), killing viruses and microbes, or inactivating them (they can no longer multiply and die).
Which air handling technology to choose?
Not all air treatment techniques have the same effect. Here are the main ones used to clean the air in your home:
Ionisation
Ionisation consists of producing a large quantity of negative ions. Once diffused in the air, these anions will be attracted by the molecules of opposite charge and will weigh them down. Gravity will precipitate air pollution on surfaces.
The main advantage of this technique is its efficiency in removing airborne molecules smaller than 1 micron. The use of an ioniser must be coupled with vacuuming in order to collect the pollutants that fall to the ground.
Depending on the appliance (especially the older ones), there is a risk that the device will generate ozone. This gas is very harmful to the lungs, which is why we recommend that you only buy products that emit a very small amount of ozone, no more than 0.05 ppm ozone. Ideally, your equipment should allow you to deactivate this feature at any time.
The HEPA filter
Le filtre à Haute Efficacité pour les Particules Aériennes) est a mechanical air filtration technique. The usefulness of this filter is based on a simple, but highly effective process: within the filter, twisted and intertwined glass fibres are twisted in a myriad of directions to create a labyrinth of fibres and capture the pollutants.
The unhealthy air drawn in by the device is thus subjected to four air filtration processes: direct impaction, sieving, interception and diffusion.
This process filters pollen, smoke, dirt particles and bacteria. Its high efficiency makes it the most widely used air filtration technique today.
The activated carbon filter
This filter has the particularity of adsorbing odours. Thanks to its highly porous surface, it is capable of retaining a significant quantity of odorous molecules.
Its millions of pores are also very useful for capturing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and toxic gases in the air (cigarette smoke, aerosols, cooking fumes, perfume, etc.).
This filter is the only one capable of capturing VOCs and removing odours. However, it cannot be used on its own and needs to be replaced regularly to ensure that your air purifier performs at its best.
UV-C light
The UV-C light filter is a filter that generates ultraviolet light to destroy germs, mould spores, bacteria and viruses. Among UV spectroscopy, UV-C radiation is the most dangerous, as it can alter the DNA structure of all life forms.
The intensity of the UV-C light emitted by the air purifiers is not harmful, as the rays produced by the device are contained within the device. In addition, the power of the UV-C light decreases very quickly with distance. You will therefore not be exposed to it.
This technique is very effective in cleaning the atmosphere, but the emission of UV-C radiation can generate ozone. To date, the most stringent agency for air treatment controls is the California Air Resources Board (CARB). If in doubt about a model, please check the California Certified Air Cleaning Devices if it is listed as safe for your health.
Plasma waves
Plasma engineering is a relatively new technology. Some devices generate cold plasma (also called non-thermal plasma) to clean the air.
The idea of plasma is to modify the atomic structure of volatile organic compounds, leading to the destruction of viruses and toxins. However, there is a risk with this technique: incomplete oxidation of VOCs can lead to very harmful gases and ozone. As a precautionary measure, we do not offer air cleaners with this technology.
In summary
| Air purification technologies | Targeted pollutants | How does it work? |
|---|---|---|
| Ionisation | Particles | Attracts molecules by releasing negative ions |
| HEPA or True HEPA filter | Particles | Capture of organic compounds of different sizes |
| Activated carbon | Gases and odours | Absorbs tiny gas molecules |
| UV-C light | Ultraviolet rays | UV lamps destroy airborne germs, bacteria and viruses |
| Plasma waves | Gas | Neutralises gases by breaking chemical bonds |
Why should I get an air purifier?
Whether it is to improve your comfort or for a real concern of protect your health and that of your loved onesToday, an air purifier is the only device that can protect you from air contamination.
Whether in the short term (peak pollution) or long term (chronic), exposure to air contamination has significant impacts on air health, in particular for :
- Vulnerable people These include children, pregnant women and infants, people over 65 years of age and people with cardiovascular disease or heart failure.
- Sensitive people to air degradation (whose symptoms appear or are amplified during pollution peaks): diabetics, immunocompromised people, people suffering from neurological diseases or at risk of heart disease, respiratory disease or infection.
À ce jour, la contamination de l’air en France représente :
- 48,000 premature deaths per yearThis represents 9 % of French mortality,
- An annual cost of air pollution in the order of €100 billion (a significant part of which is health-related),
- The occurrence of respiratory allergies related to pollen inhalation in 30 % of the adult population and 20 % of children.
- In 2019, respiratory hypersensitivity affected one in four French people. Among the main causes of these allergies are pollens and moulds, which vary according to the region and the weather.
Le graphique ci-dessous montre à quel point la #qualité de l’#air varie dans le monde : dans des villes comme Lahore au Pakistan (97,4 μg de particules PM2,5 par m3) et Delhi en Inde (92,6), les recommandations maximales de l’OMS sont dépassées de plus de dix fois.
— Statista FR (@statista_fr) March 22, 2023
In addition, air pollution has a negative impact on the environment in the more or less long term. Its effects concern :
- The buildings The weathering of air deteriorates the facades (cement, stone, glass, etc.) through dirt and corrosive actions.
- Crops Ozone: Ozone (found in smog, for example) can reduce crop yields by 5 to 20 %.
- Ecosystems Pollution: as a result of air acidification and eutrophication, some pollutants (leached by rain) can contaminate soil and water and disturb the chemical balance of plant species. Others, in excess, can harm certain species and lead to an erosion of biodiversity.
To summarise, air degradation is now ubiquitous. Whether it is visible (smog, pollen, etc.) or invisible (VOCs, viruses, odours), we breathe it every day. For all these reasons, we can only advise you to equip yourself with an air purifier: don't suffer anymore, but become an actor of the purity of your indoor air!
Do you need help?
What are the air purification technologies?
A widely used technology is the use of a HEPA-grade fibrous filter to absorb contaminants. Other methods are electrostatic precipitation (ESP), use of absorbent substances, ultraviolet irradiation (UV-C), ion generation, ozone generation, plasma wave, etc. An air cleaner may have one or more air purification technologies. An air purifier may have one or more air purification technologies.
What does HEPA mean?
HEPA signifie High-Efficiency Particulate Air. Ce filtre est composé de différents types de fibres. Il est conçu pour capturer les molécules avec une plus grande efficacité. Il peut neutraliser plus de 99 % des particules fines d’un diamètre inférieur à 0,3 micron.
What does PM 2.5 mean?
PM 2.5 is the abbreviation for "particulate matter" with a size of 2.5 microns in diameter. They can be solid elements or liquid droplets in the air.
What is a pre-filter?
Pre-filters are used to capture large particles from the air before they pass through the main filters. They increase the efficiency of the primary HEPA filter and the activated carbon filter. In most cases, they are washable, and their replacement cost is minimal.
What is CADR?
CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate. It is expressed in cubic feet per minute (CFM). For a specific room size, the higher the CADR, the more effective the air cleaning. The current CADR standard is for particulate pollutants only.
What is the CADR classification of AHAM?
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) certifies 3 CADR values for air cleaners, which are CADR for tobacco smoke, pollen and dust. You can see this on the label on the package if the appliance is verified by AHAM.
What is the ACH?
ACH ou ACPH signifie Air Change Per Hour (renouvellement de l’air par heure). ACH est la fréquence à laquelle un appareil peut purifier l’air d’un local de taille spécifique en une heure. Par exemple, 4 ACH pour une surface de 20 m² signifie qu’il filtre l’air de cette espace 4 fois par heure, ou qu’il faut 15 minutes pour purifier l’air du local entier. Si vous augmentez la taille de la pièce, vous obtiendrez un ACH plus faible et vice versa.
Is it safe to use air cleaners?
Air purifiers are safe to use. Those using plasma or ionisers generate harmful by-products such as ozone and carbon monoxide. In most cases, these methods are optional, and they produce ozone at a safe level.
Which air cleaners are harmful?
Les générateurs d’ozone intentionnels ne sont pas sûrs à utiliser dans un espace résidentiel. Si un générateur d’ozone génère une grande quantité d’ozone, il peut être dangereux car l’ozone est un poison pour les poumons.
What are the benefits of air cleaners?
These devices are useful for people with allergies, asthma or breathing difficulties. They are also useful when the air is contaminated with large amounts of pollutants such as smoke or chemicals and when source controls are virtually impossible.
How often should I change my air purifier filter?
You should generally replace the air filter every 6 to 12 months depending on usage. Charcoal filters are quickly saturated and need to be replaced sooner than the HEPA filter. This also varies between air purifier manufacturers and models.
Do air cleaners help reduce humidity?
Non, ils ne contrôlent pas l’humidité de l’air.
Do air cleaners help reduce mould growth?
However, they remove mould spores from the air. You must control the level of humidity inside to minimise mould growth.
How much electricity does an air purifier use?
An air purifier does not require much energy to operate. Most of the energy is needed to run the fan that circulates the air. The power consumption of a mid-range air purification unit is about 50 W on average.
Can I run the air purifier all night?
Oui, vous le pouvez. La plupart ont un mode automatique. Ils fonctionnent en fonction de la pureté de l’air, ce qui est économe en énergie.
How much does it cost to replace the filter?
It varies according to the make and model. Normally, the annual replacement cost is about 50 euros.
How loud is an air purifier?
An air purifier has several fan speed levels. On the highest speed mode, you will get a lot of noise, and they run quieter on the lower fan setting. However, this varies between manufacturers and models.
What should I check before buying an air purifier?
First, check that the filter is HEPA. Then check the CADR and ACH for your room size. You can also check portability, noise level, automatic mode, fan speed, filter life and replacement cost, ease of use, AHAM rating, Energy Star rating, etc.
What should I look for when buying an air purifier to relieve allergies?
For someone who is sensitive to allergens (dust, pollen, dust mites, etc.), you need a device that performs at least 3 air changes per hour (ACH) for your room. Also check the noise level, as you may need to run the air purifier overnight.
What should I look for when buying an air purifier that removes cigarette smoke and odours?
Pour éliminer efficacement la fumée de cigarette, vous avez besoin d’un produit effectuant au moins 5 changements d’air par heure (ACH). Le purificateur d’air doit être équipé d’un filtre à charbon actif pour neutraliser l’odeur de la fumée.
What should I look for when buying an air purifier to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs)?
A thicker layer of activated carbon filter will help to absorb VOC gases. Plasma waves or UV lamps are also useful for removing gases.
Where should I place an air purifier?
Placez l’unité de purification là où elle peut facilement aspirer et faire circuler l’air. Veillez toujours à ce que rien ne puisse bloquer son flux d’air.
How do I know if my air purifier is working?
Most air purifiers have a built-in molecule sensor that continuously monitors the indoor air quality. Sometimes it can give you wrong data. You should clean the sensors frequently. If you have doubts about your air purifier, you can get a monitor to check the indoor air quality independently.