10 Best Budget Air Purifiers Under $100 in 2022 — Reviews & Top Picks

Last Updated on December 11, 2021

Best Air Purifier Under $100

Air purifiers that are quite capable can be found for $100 and under these days, making them wonderful for dorm rooms, offices, or any room that is small to medium-sized.

You can find ones that are quiet and allow you to focus on whatever activities you partake in, including sleeping!

With the following reviews, we will help you find exactly what you need to keep the air fresh in the rooms that need it most! We did the hard work for you and tested and selected the best available on the market so that you don’t have to waste your time (or money!).

Read on to find your perfect budget air purifier.


A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites

Image Product Details
Best Overall
Winner
GermGuardian Air Purifier GermGuardian Air Purifier
  • Keeps your home healthy
  • Keeps your home odor free
  • Three-year warranty
  • Best Value
    Second place
    Hamilton Beach Air Purifier Hamilton Beach Air Purifier
  • Permanent HEPA filter
  • Works vertically or horizontally
  • Gets rid of 99.97% of nasty stuff in the air
  • Third place
    Pure Enrichment Air Purifier Pure Enrichment Air Purifier
  • True HEPA filter
  • 30 dB noise level
  • Five-year warranty
  • LEVOIT Purifier LEVOIT Purifier
  • Nightlight
  • 25 dB noise output
  • 3-in-1 filtration system
  • Enther Air Purifier Enther Air Purifier
  • Timer
  • AUTO mode
  • Good smells!
  • The 10 Best Budget Air Purifiers Under $100 – Reviews 2022

    1. GermGuardian Filter Air Purifier — Best Overall

    GermGuardian AC4825

    If you turn your nose up at the idea of a budget air humidifier, then we would like to introduce you to the Germ Guardian. Not only is it a three-in-one air purifier for your home, its True HEPA air filter will allow it to reduce up to 99.97% of harmful germs, dust, pollen, pet dander, mold spores, and other allergens. No matter how small the impurity, the Germ Guardian is here to make easy work of it. The UV C light helps kill airborne viruses such as influenza, staph, and rhinovirus.

    This machine also works with titanium dioxide to reduce volatile organic compounds from forming. This purifier impressively traps allergens, and the pre-filter traps dust, pet hair, and other large particles, which extends the life of the HEPA filter. While health is important, so is smelling good, and this Germ Guardian has you covered there as well. This purifier reduces odor with an activated charcoal filter.

    You’ll be able to easily concentrate on your work, as this machine is rather quiet, at most emitting a gentle white noise. You can choose three speed settings, and it comes with an optional nightlight. You’re going to want to change the filter every six months or so, depending on how hard the machine has to work, but that’s about the only upkeep you will have to worry about. The Germ Guardian is AHAM verified and Energy Star certified. Meant to be put through its paces, it’s not hard to see why the Germ Guardian is our top pick.

    There have been rare instances where these units have burned out. There are no instances of them catching fire, but you will smell a distinct burning smell if that does happen, and then you would be covered by their three-year warranty, anyway.

    Pros
    • Keeps your home healthy
    • Keeps your home odor free
    • Three-year warranty
    Cons
    • Sometimes burns out

    2. Hamilton Beach 04386A Air Purifier — Best Value

    Hamilton Beach 04386A

    When you think budget, you may not think high powered, but Hamilton Beach begs to differ. This air purifier is meant to do work. With a high-performance HEPA filter, germs will be running for their lives. This product captures an impressive 99.97% of pet dander, dust, dust mites, pollen, and mold/mildew spores. While the functionality itself is heavy duty, the cleaning isn’t. In fact, this product is downright easy to clean due to its permanent HEPA filter. You will need to vacuum it once every couple of weeks or so, but that’s about it. Another upside is that there is no need to buy replacement filters.

    Though not meant to be a centerpiece in any way, this is still a good-looking little device. It should fit perfectly in small or medium-sized rooms, such as offices or dorm rooms. As opposed to other devices, this purifier can be used either vertically or horizontally, and whether upright or on its side, it makes hardly any noise at all. It’s pretty clear to see why we think that this is the best budget air purifier under $100 for the money.

    It should be mentioned that while the filters are supposed to be permanent, they do feel a bit flimsy. If you buy one of these purifiers, that would be something to keep an eye on.

    Pros
    • Gets rid of 99.97% of nasty stuff in the air
    • Permanent HEPA filter
    • Works vertically or horizontally
    Cons
    • Flimsy filter

    3. Pure Enrichment PureZone Air Purifier

    Pure Enrichment PureZone

    This purifier from Pure Enrichment looks like it is a distant relative of Amazon’s Alexa, but it does purify the air and does that quite well. The true HEPA filter, commonly used in purifiers, captures 99.97% of dust, pollen, pet dander, smoke, mold spores, and household odors. Not only that, but the UV-C light safely destroys microorganisms such as germs, viruses, bacteria, and fungi. If you are sensitive to noise, then you won’t be bothered by this machine. With a noise level at just 30 dB, the PureZone three-in-one silently sanitizes the air for easier breathing and more restful sleep.

    This product is incredibly easy to use. The Pure Enrichment sets up in seconds for immediate use out of the box. It also features an optional automatic timer that shuts off the unit after two, four, or eight hours of continuous use. This option was placed there specifically to promote energy efficiency.

    Sadly, while the Pure Enrichment Pure Zone is great for small spaces, it just can’t quite hack it in bigger rooms. There are also reports of this machine burning out, though only after a good amount of prolonged use. If that does happen to you, this product is backed by a five-year warranty.

    Pros
    • True HEPA filter
    • 30 dB noise level
    • Five-year warranty
    Cons
    • Burns out quickly
    • Weak

    4. LEVOIT LV-H132 Purifier

    LEVOIT LV-H132

    If our last purifier looked like a long-lost relative of Alexa, than this purifier looks like its twin sibling. It has its own ideas, though, and first and foremost, it cares about health. While most purifiers use UV-C light and Anion, Levoit shies away from it because those things can be  harmful to asthma sufferers. The Levoit LV has three stages of filtration: the pre-filter, True HEPA Filter, and high-efficiency activated carbon filter. These are used to capture allergens, pet hair, dander, smoke, mold, odor, and large dust particles. This purifier also removes 99.97% of airborne contaminants. The three-in-one filtration system is meant to greatly improve indoor air.

    Though it is working hard, you won’t be able to tell because of its ultra-silent operation, only emitting 25 dB of noise. The high-efficiency air purifier circulates room air roughly four times every hour. While not suited for big rooms, you’ll find that the Levoit is wonderful for small to middle-sized rooms. It also has a night light with different brightness settings to choose between. You will need to change the filter once every six to eight months, but the purifier itself will remind you, and Levoit gets this right too: They understand that many companies use permanent filters, so their filters are extra cheap. This product comes with a two-year warranty.

    While this product mostly operates as expected, it has its issues. Sometimes it makes noise, sometimes it just breaks down. While it has a two-year warranty, we’ve heard that the customer service team at Levoit isn’t easy to deal with.

    Pros
    • 25 dB noise output
    • Three-in-one filtration system
    • Nightlight
    Cons
    • Random things on it break
    • Poor customer service

    5. Enther AP1C Air Purifier

    Enther AP1C

    While other purifiers have a three-in-one filtration system, this product has a three-in-one filtration system that operates at 360 degrees! This product is also rated to be 100% ozone free. Meant for smaller modes, this has a quick turnaround on air purification. Rooms of 350 square feet and less can expect to have fresh purified air every 10 minutes or so. You’ll also have visual cues for how your air purifier is stacking up, as a color-coded system will let you know not only the purity of the surrounding air but also how hard the machine is fighting against allergens and smells. You can do this in one of three different settings, with our favorite being AUTO mode. When we want pure air, we want the purifier doing the work, not us!

    The Enters air purifier also comes with a timer, so you won’t have to get up in the middle of the night to adjust it or turn it off. Sleep mode means that it knows when to quiet down, but it also has a nightlight for those who still need that extra comfort. While many purifiers mitigate bad smells, this one goes on the offensive by adding good smells to the air. This product comes with a two-year warranty.

    This machine starts off really nice, but it seems to have a bit of a short life. Also, the more you use this purifier, the louder and louder it gets.

    Pros
    • Good smells!
    • AUTO mode
    • Timer
    Cons
    • Breaks down quickly

    6. VEVA Elite Pro Series Air Purifier

    VEVA 8000

    This air purifier from VEVA looks like a speaker, so aesthetically, it can already fit in just about anywhere. On top of that, this product is safe for the whole family. Made to be 100% ozone free, this also has a safety auto shut-off if the front panel is removed, just in case your little ones get curious. This product works very well as an odor eliminator by using charcoal nano-technology. The filters themselves are HEPA filters, though they aren’t the permanent ones. These will need to be changed every six to eight months, depending on the usage and environment. Fortunately, VIVA offers four filters for free when you buy this product! This purifier is wonderful for the home or office and doubles as a three-speed fan.

    There are two main concerns with this product. The first is that as time goes on, it gets louder and louder. It also starts filtering less. This may not be the purifier you want if durability is your main concern. The other issue, and this one is purely aesthetic, is that this product eventually starts to lean.

    Pros
    • Cool aesthetic
    • Doubles as a three-speed fan
    Cons
    • Breaks down over time

    7. KOIOS EPI810-A Air Purifier

    KOIOS EPI810-A

    This purifier operates with a three-in-one filtration system. Step one is the pre filter, step two is the HEPA filter, and three is the activated carbon filter. The latter is said to be so effective, it can remove the smell of smoke from your home. This is a 360-degree purifier, meaning it is cleaning the air from all angles. If the design looks simple, that is because it is — this is a no-frills purifier. Just push the button on top, and you’re ready to go. This is also family friendly, as it is 100% ozone free. This product comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

    While there are certainly complaints about this product (leaves a plastic smell and has expensive filters), there is one that stands out: For some reason, while this is operating, you cannot turn off the light.

    Pros
    • Three-step filtration
    • 360 degrees of clean air
    Cons
    • Smells like burning plastic
    • Light stays on

    8. PARTU HEPA Air Purifier

    PARTU HEPA

    This air purifier comes with the standard three-in-one filtration system and is 100% ozone free. While this soaks up bad smells, it puts out a good ones as well. Place your own essential oils on the provided sponge, and your house’s whole character will change. This product also doubles as a three-speed fan.

    The filter should be replaced once every three to six months, though sadly, it costs about half as much as the fan. Aesthetically, this is pretty decent looking, and it’s mostly quiet as well, only making 38-38 dB of noise.

    This product is not particularly strong or durable. As mentioned, the replacement filters for the purifier are half the price of the product itself. That means double operating costs for this product, which already isn’t great.

    Pros
    • Three-speed fan
    • Place essential oils on sponge for good-smelling rooms
    Cons
    • Price of filters
    • Burning plastic smell

    9. Bissell MyAir Personal Air Purifier

    Bissell 2780A

    Made by a well-known brand in personal comfort, this three-in-one air purifier is meant for personal use and is not recommended for anything over 100 square feet. You’ll be thankful, then, that this is stated to operate at a whisper-quiet. The active carbon filter captures common household odors, from pets to smoke.

    However, we don’t know what Bissell’s definition of “whisper quiet,” is, but it certainly isn’t the same as ours — this device is so loud, it is hard to sleep at night!

    Pros
    • Three-in-one system
    Cons
    • So loud

    10. JINPUS Air Purifier

    JINPUS

    Since this air purifier from JINPUS looks like a trash can, you can imagine that it is a trash can for impurities in the air. The 360 design gives you quicker circulation, while Low Noise mode should allow you to sleep well. This is a small device, making less than 30 dB of noise and is 100% ozone free. Operation is totally simple: It has one button and you just have to push it. Filters need replacing once every six months. There is one-year of full-service support with this item.

    While many people hail this product for its ability to be a fan, it doesn’t do much purifying. Because of that, it has to be our number 10.

    Pros
    • 360 design
    Cons
    • Doesn’t purify

    Buyers Guide

    With air purifiers being all the rage these days, the market sure has a great many of them. The ones you’ll find for under $100 are mostly similar, with varying degrees of success. That’s why there are resources like these reviews to guide you! So, what’s the one thing to look for when shopping for an air purifier?

    A cash-back guarantee.

    Don’t tie yourself down. Make sure that if you buy something and don’t like it, you can return it for 100% of the cost. Then you can try out different air purifiers until you get the exact right one for you.

    Conclusion

    Thank you so much for going down this journey with us. We hope that we have steered you in the right direction and that you know that our motives are as pure as the air you will breathe after finding the perfect air purifier. So, do you see yourself buying our top pick, the Germ Guardian, or will you go the value route and buy the purifier from Hamilton Beach? Whichever you choose, we were glad to provide these reviews as a resource, and now that the decision making is over, you can finally breathe easy.