The 6 Best Fans of 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter

A good fan should make you feel more comfortable while also being energy-efficient, gentle on the ears, and easy to control. For almost a decade, we&#;ve tested dozens of fans, and we consistently land on the Vornado 630 Medium Air Circulator as our first recommendation.

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This inexpensive fan doesn&#;t feel cheap&#;it&#;s quiet, easy to clean, and comparable in performance to our pricier picks.

One of the most powerful fans we&#;ve tested puts out a strong breeze with its DC motor. It&#;s a good alternative to a tower fan, although it presents similar cleaning challenges.

This smart, energy-efficient fan is 43 inches tall and oscillates side to side as well as up and down.

This surprisingly affordable circulator offers efficient DC power, nuanced speed controls, and the ability to oscillate vertically as well as horizontally.

This fan performs and sounds practically the same as our top pick. But it adds oscillation, a sturdy metal construction, and an attractive retro design.

This compact fan can send breezes to the far corners of a large room. It&#;s also relatively easy to control and clean, and it has an established record of reliability.

The Vornado 630 Medium Air Circulator is a simple, powerful, and reliable fan that can move huge amounts of air without making too much noise.

The vortex that this fan creates allows it to circulate all of the air in a room better than an oscillating fan, without the distraction of intermittent gusts. This fan is compact, without any embellishments such as a remote or a timer. But minimalist design touches&#;including a readily accessible speed-control dial on the side&#;make the Vornado 630 easy to use, clean, and maintain.

Vornado puts out plenty of fantastic fans and backs them with a five-year warranty. We have found that the 630 in particular offers the best balance of power and energy savings.

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The all-metal Vornado Silver Swan Alchemy is a stylish improvement over the black-plastic design of many other air circulators. Its aesthetic hearkens back to the earliest Vornado fans, from the s, which were based on an experimental airplane propeller.

This model performs even better than our top pick, thanks to its oscillation ability and rigid metal fan blades, which create a pleasant but powerful breeze throughout the room without being too loud or grating.

It&#;s also one of the easiest fans to clean, so you&#;re more likely to take care of it&#;which is good, since it&#;s a genuinely nice home-decor piece.

The DC-powered Lasko Whirlwind Orbital Motion Air Circulator A is quiet, efficient, and easy to use.

With a single power button, the Whirlwind lets you move through 12 power settings ranging from a soft breeze to a steady blast of wind. At its lowest speed, the Whirlwind is one of the quietest fans we&#;ve ever tested; when it&#;s cranked up to the top, it&#;s even stronger than our top pick.

The Whirlwind also has the ability to oscillate up to 60 degrees left to right or up to 90 degrees up and down, moving waves of wind from floor to ceiling.

It&#;s easy to clean, with a single screw and a simple twist lock to remove the grille or fan blades.

While the Whirlwind does come with a remote control, it doesn&#;t work well with smart-home setups. And Lasko offers only a one-year warranty.

The Dreo PolyFan 704S smart fan offers a lot in addition to its height advantages. Thanks to its DC-powered motor, it&#;s quieter and more energy-efficient than most other fans, and its oscillation abilities include three horizontal-arc options, plus a vertical setting. The result is a fan that seems to paint the room in a multidirectional blanket of breeze.

The PolyFan 704S offers plenty of other options for dialing in your perfect wind, including a remote control, a smartphone app, and voice commands. It&#;s also especially easy to clean.

However, its one-year warranty is significantly shorter than the coverage on many of our other picks, even with the optional 18-month extension.

The Vornado Strata stands less than 2 feet tall but can still produce a column of wind that reaches heights of over 6 feet, with enough power that you can feel the breeze all the way across the room. In fact, it moves more air, faster, than any other fan we&#;ve tested. Although we generally don&#;t recommend tower fans, the compact Strata is a great alternative.

It also has a DC-powered motor, so it&#;s quieter and more energy-efficient than most of our other picks. Plus, it comes with Vornado&#;s generous and reliable five-year warranty.

It does take up a little more floor space than a tower fan, however, and it isn&#;t particularly easy to clean.

With a lot of inexpensive fans, you get what you pay for. But that isn&#;t the case with the Dreo Fox One, which performed comparably to our top pick in our tests.

The draft it produced didn&#;t fill up the room like the robust breeze we got from our top pick&#;but it came close, for about half the price. This fan is also easier to clean than the Vornado 630, with a single screw to keep the grille in place and an easily removable blade.

The simple, effective Fox One seems better designed and more durable than other similarly priced models. And that&#;s a good thing, since Dreo covers it with only a 30-month warranty.

To help you find the best fans on the market, we researched and tested a number of fans, evaluating them on their design, effectiveness, safety features, and overall value. We also tapped Brian Shaunfield , a store manager at Lowe's, for expert insight on how to shop for the best fan. Keep reading for our top fan recommendations, plus expert tips on what to keep in mind before you make your purchase.

A good indoor fan can make an enormous difference for your comfort level in your home . The best fans offer a combination of cooling power, air circulation, and customization options to get the settings just right for the unique needs of your home or office. With so many options on the market, though, it&#;s easy to overlook key details or just feel overwhelmed.

Best Overall

Dreo Pedestal Fan

PHOTO: Amazon

$140 at Amazon

$140 at Best Buy

View on Dreo.com

What Stands Out

• It offers several different settings and modes to suit various needs, plus an impressive range of motion for vertical tilt.

What Could Be Improved

• The cage design around the fan allows small items to easily reach the blades, posing a potential safety risk.

With tons of options to customize its use, the Dreo Pedestal Fan with Remote earns our top spot among all fans we tested. Its design allows for smooth adjustments to the direction and tilt&#;both horizontally and vertically&#;so you can easily get the perfect position. Not only can the physical position be easily maneuvered, but the fan&#;s programming is highly effective: It features varied speeds, on a scale of 1 to 8, with a turbo high and 6 modes. Plus, these features can be combined to achieve the most customized setting. 

After two months of use, the fan has maintained it's pristine quality and performance. It produces minimal noise on every speed, even the turbo setting, which proved to be particularly strong. We also appreciate that its lightweight and easy to carry, especially with the use of the handle. While the remote makes this fan more convenient to operate, it does have to be pointed directly at the motion sensor or it might not work.

During testing, we encountered a potential concern in the design of the wire cage around the fan&#;s core. Towards the outer edge, the gap between wires widens enough that small objects&#;or even fingers could collide with the moving blades. Most of the features of this fan provide excellent results, but customers with small children may want to beware of the safety flaw. 

Type: Pedestal | Size: 12.76 by 14.13 by 37.6 inches | Weight: 12.94 pounds | CFM: 882 | Oscillation: Yes

• Real Simple / Eric Brockob

• Real Simple / Eric Brockob

• Real Simple / Eric Brockob

Best Budget

Hampton Bay Personal High Velocity Table Fan

PHOTO: Home Depot

$17 at Home Depot

What Stands Out

• It provides steady, strong air movement, and it&#;s portable.

What Could Be Improved

• A slight but distinctly noticeable buzzing sound persists during use, and the cage is spaced far enough that small objects could get through.

With a low price point and a compact design, the Hampton Bay 3 Speed Personal High Velocity Table Fan is an excellent choice for anyone who needs a bit of airflow on a budget. Instead of trying to circulate air in a larger space, this fan is designed for personal use such as on a desk, while working out, or when relaxing in a chair. We found that it provides a surprisingly far-reaching breeze for its small size (though that might be frustrating if working with papers), although it just features three speed settings.

Because it&#;s a smaller and more budget-friendly fan, it doesn&#;t come with as many options or features. There&#;s no oscillation or remote control, the noise is noticeable (though not overly loud), and the only position adjustment possible is vertical tilt. The cage around the fan is just barely large enough that we were able to fit a pencil through, so while it&#;s not a glaring hazard, it&#;s still worth keeping an eye on, especially if you have young children.

In our testing, this fan stood out for its durability. It was able to endure two months of use&#;including two accidental drops&#;with not so much as a scratch. The impact-resistant cage showed no dents or cracks, a testament to the fan's well-made construction.

Type: Table | Size: 5.83 by 11.43 by 10.75 inches | Weight: 3.014 pounds | CFM: 512.56 | Oscillation: No

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

Best Tower Fan

Dreo Nomad One Tower Fan

PHOTO: Amazon

$70 at Amazon

View on Dreo.com

What Stands Out

• It features four speed levels, a timer option, multiple modes, and a super-safe, bladeless design.

What Could Be Improved

• The fan can&#;t be adjusted for height or tilt at all.

A bladeless design and powerful airflow elevate the Dreo Nomad One Tower Fan above other tower fans we tested. You can choose from four basic speeds&#;plus eco/energy-saver mode, automatic mode, and night mode with dimmed light&#;all of which provide efficient airflow in a variety of spaces. While the fan isn&#;t silent, its noise level emits enough sound to produce white noise if needed, but not so loud that it distracts from conversations, watching TV, or other everyday activities. 

For additional convenience, the fan can be operated using a remote control, which remained effective even up to 20 feet away during testing. While it does have an option for oscillation, it cannot be tweaked for height or tilt in any direction. However, the bladeless design is a definite safety plus, too. The slats at the front are close enough together that very few objects would be able to get past them, making it a great option for anyone in search of a child-safe appliance.

After two months of nightly use, this fan has become an integral part of our routine. It is still performing up to our standards, with all of the settings working as they should. Plus, it's sturdy enough to remain stable, even when we accidentally bump into it. Thanks to its durability and its sleek design, which makes it easy to display, we think this fan is a worthy investment.

Type: Tower | Size: 11.81 by 11.81 by 36.22 inches | Weight: 9.92 pounds | CFS: 24 | Oscillation: Yes

• Real Simple / Eric Brockob

• Real Simple / Eric Brockob

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Eric Brockob

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

Best for Desks

GreenTech PureFlow Oscillating Table Fan

PHOTO: Amazon

$89 at Amazon

$99 at Home Depot

View on Quill.com

What Stands Out

• It operates very quietly, even on the highest settings, plus it&#;s lightweight, portable, and has a wide range of adjustability.

What Could Be Improved

• The wind power is somewhat limited, and it&#;s not very suitable for larger spaces.

If you&#;re looking for a small fan to stay comfortable at your desk, the GreenTech Environmental pureFlow Bladeless Desk Fan will provide exactly what you need. Compact, lightweight, and sleek, it offers super-quiet air circulation with 90-degree tilt alongside oscillation and 12 speed settings. Its low energy requirements also make it an efficient option, and its bladeless design is exceptionally safe. It&#;s even aesthetically pleasing, featuring a glossy, modern globe design that looks stylish in an office.

After two months of use, this fan has maintained consistent quality. It is still operating as it did on day one, and the lack of blades makes it especially easy to clean&#;all you need is a damp cloth and you're good to go.

Since this is a smaller fan, its use may be more limited than other designs, making it better suited for personal cooling. The breeze produced wasn't as powerful as that of other models on our list. Despite its size, however, we found the range to be fairly impressive. Once we put the fan on our table, we were able to feel a light breeze from the couch about 30 feet away. Nevertheless, we still wouldn't recommend this pick for roomier spaces.

Type: Table | Size: 10.5 by 10.63 by 12.75 inches | Weight: 5.98 pounds | CFM: 198 | Oscillation: Yes

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• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

Best for Bedrooms

SNOOZ Breez 2-in-1 Smart Bedroom Table Fan

PHOTO: Amazon

$200 at Amazon

View on Getsnooz.com

What Stands Out

• It functions as both a fan and a white noise machine, featuring 10 customization settings to maximize your comfort.

What Could Be Improved

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Stand Fan Made in China.

• It&#;s one of the most expensive options we tested.

The SNOOZ Breez 2-in-1 Smart Bedroom Table Fan is designed to ensure you stay cool and comfortable through the night thanks to its variety of customizable features. The fan itself offers 10 different airflow settings and nearly a 360-degree tilt, allowing you to fine tune it to match your preferences. For further convenience, you can download a coordinated app for smart features, such as setting an operating schedule or controlling it remotely.

Thanks to its small size, this fan is incredibly lightweight and easy to carry from room to room. And while most smaller fans have a weaker output, we found this one to be very powerful. It promoted great air circulation in our bedroom as we slept, maintaining its strong performance over two months of use.

In addition to being a reliable fan, it serves a dual purpose as a white noise machine. While this can be especially helpful for bedroom snoozing, higher speeds&#;even when the white noise feature is turned off&#; produce sound that is loud enough to drown out conversation. Despite this, the device has gaps that are far too narrow to fit anything in between, making it safe for children. Just prepare to spend quite a bit for this two-in-one fan, as it is one of the most expensive options on this list.

Type: Table | Size: 7 by 11.25 by 11.75 inches | Weight: 5.76 pounds | CFM: 380 | Oscillation: No

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

Best for Large Rooms

Vornado Large Air Circulator

PHOTO: Amazon

$100 at Amazon

$100 at Wayfair

$100 at Home Depot

What Stands Out

• It offers four speeds, each of which provides powerful breezes.

What Could Be Improved

• It&#;s somewhat heavy and bulky, and it isn&#;t very portable.

The Vornado 660 Large Air Circulator can move an impressive amount of air, reaching even the furthest corners of large spaces. Although it does not have an oscillation feature, we found its tilt to have a wide range, allowing for more adjustments to customize the airflow. It features four different speeds, plus a glide bar that helps you to direct the airflow coming out of the fan. The fan also not only circulates air through large rooms with ease, it also cools the air down for quick relief&#;after one month of use, this fan's sheer power has exceeded our expectations.

That remarkable level of power does come with some downsides. It&#;s definitely a bulkier fan, (which gives it a very utilitarian appearance), making it a little too large to truly be a table or desk fan as advertised. Moreover, it lacks a handle for easy portability. While it might not be the prettiest fan, we found the white color and simple design minimal enough to display. Overall, this is a solid choice for when you need serious functionality.

Type: Table | Size: 11.75 by 13.5 by 15 inches | Weight: 7.32 pounds | CFM: Up to | Oscillation: No

Real Simple / Rachel Marek

Best Portable

Treva Portable Desktop Fan

PHOTO: Amazon

$29 at Target

What Stands Out

• It&#;s easy to move around and can be battery powered.

What Could Be Improved

• The battery life is fairly short, and the gaps in the front are wide enough to pose a safety concern.

Whether you need a fan that can be carried with you on the go, or you prefer a lighter fan that's easy to shift around, the Treva 10-Inch Portable Desktop Air Circulation Battery Fan is a top portable pick. The fan can either be plugged into the wall or operated via battery, and its lightweight and collapsible design makes it easy to maneuver (although it doesn&#;t have a handle for carrying). It also has LED lights on the frame, which could come in handy for outdoor excursions.

We've noticed no changes in the fan's quality or performance, even after two months of use. This device has proved to be impressively stable, so much so that we've been able to leave it angled above our baby's crib without fear of it toppling over. Our only gripe is the short battery life&#;after using the fan on battery mode overnight, it was dead in the morning. It also requires six, D-sized batteries.

Both of the fan&#;s settings provide decent airflow without excessive noise. Unfortunately, it only has two settings, and it lacks the ability to oscillate or change the height. The wide gaps in the front may also pose concerns, as the spacing is wide enough for narrow objects or fingers to slip through and come into contact with the blades.

Type: Table | Size: 11.02 by 12.6 by 12.8 inches | Weight: 2.38 pounds | CFM: Not listed | Oscillation: No

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

Best Quiet

Honeywell Tower Fan

PHOTO: Amazon

$57 at Amazon

$63 at Walmart

$57 at Home Depot

What Stands Out

• Even at the highest speed, it produced the least amount of noise compared to other fans.

What Could Be Improved

• It&#;s unwieldy to move around, and the base feels lower quality and unstable in comparison with the rest of the fan.

Excessive noise can be a downside to even the most efficient fans, which is why the Honeywell Quiet Set Tower Fan stands out from the crowd. Even on its highest speed level, it remains relatively quiet while still providing plenty of airflow, oscillation, and cooling. The control panel on top of the fan is straightforward to use and simple to read, with clearly visible symbols. We also appreciated the small but helpful detail of a clip on the back of the fan, which safely stores the remote control when not in use.

After six months of use, the fan is still working perfectly. In fact, we've actually started using it more often than air conditioning during the winter months. It fills our space with cool air quickly and efficiently, oscillating to promote airflow. Although the overall quality of the fan&#;s construction is pretty good, it's worth noting that we found the base to feel flimsier and less stable than the rest of the fan. While it comes with a carrying handle, it&#;s still fairly heavy and tough to carry one handed. Moving the fan also tends to dislodge the power cord from its secured slot in the base, so you&#;ll need to check and reposition it every time. It&#;s not ideal for situations where you need more of a portable fan, but it&#;s a great choice for pairing power with noise reduction.

Type: Tower | Size: 10 by 10 by 40 inches | Weight: 8 pounds | CFM: Not listed | Oscillation: Yes

• Real Simple / Rachel Marek

• Real Simple / Rachel Marek

Best Oscillating

Pelonis Pedestal Fan

PHOTO: Amazon

$80 at Amazon

$40 at Walmart

What Stands Out

• It pairs oscillation with 12 different speeds for a high level of control over airflow.

What Could Be Improved

• Changing the speeds requires cycling through all the settings, and the handle is a little too close to the blades.

The Pelonis Oscillating Pedestal Fan is an ideal choice for anyone who prefers a straightforward, no-frills floor fan in a classic style. It allows you to switch between 12 different speeds, and it has a wide oscillation arc. You can also adjust the tilt of the fan and its height for even more customization.

Although it&#;s a pretty standard, utilitarian style of fan, it&#;s still pretty sturdy and was able to get the job done during testing. After six months of use, it is still working exceptionally. We've noticed no changes in quality, as the fan continues to make our space cooler and more comfortable.

While the wide range of speeds is a useful feature, we had to cycle through all preceding speeds to get to our desired one, rather than being able to switch directly to it. We also found the handle for moving the fan to be a little too close to the blades to be comfortable. And speaking of those blades, the wire cage surrounding them has ample space for objects or fingers to slide through. While it's not as big of a hazard as fans that are placed directly on the floor or a tabletop surface, it&#;s not ideal, either.

Type: Pedestal | Size: 15.75 by 15.75 by 51.18 inches | Weight: 12.4 pounds | CFM: Not listed | Oscillation: Yes

Real Simple / Rachel Marek

Best Utility

XPOWER Industrial High Velocity Air Mover

PHOTO: Amazon

$144 at Walmart

$144 at Home Depot

$180 at Chewy

What Stands Out

• Its four settings provide a range of blowing power, yet the fan remains compact and relatively lightweight.

What Could Be Improved

• There is very little in the way of adjustability, and the noise level is quite high, especially on higher speeds.

When you&#;re looking for serious power in your fan, the XPOWER FC-200 Heavy Duty Industrial High Velocity Air Mover is an excellent pick. It provides four different settings, with the highest ones causing some of the most powerful air movement among all the fans tested. This remarkable strength makes it ideally suited to a workshop or similar location where its power will be truly useful, and the accompanying loudness won&#;t be as much of an issue as an indoor living space.

Along with the four speed settings, the fan can tilt almost all the way around and can be set on a timer&#;although it does lack an oscillation option or height adjustments. It has maintained its quality throughout two months of daily use, working just as well as it did on day one. It&#;s sturdy enough for more &#;industrial&#; settings but still compact and light enough to move or carry without too much effort. We found the outside of the fan easy to clean, though the blades were a bit more challenging to reach. Luckily, considering their power, they didn't accumulate much dust.

Although this fan is clearly designed for use in work spaces rather than family spaces, it&#;s still worth noting that there are fairly wide gaps between the wires, which could allow stray objects to easily reach the moving blades.

Type: Table | Size: 15.4 by 17.3 by 9.9 inches | Weight: 10.1 pounds | CFM: | Oscillation: No

• Real Simple / Eric Brockob

• Real Simple / Eric Brockob

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

• Real Simple / Dera Burreson

Best Window

Genesis A1 Window Fan

PHOTO: Amazon

$50 at Amazon

$60 at Walmart

$50 at Home Depot

What Stands Out

• It&#;s lightweight, portable, and provides excellent airflow at a reasonable price point.

What Could Be Improved

• The temperature-setting feature is confusing, and the fan can get quite noisy.

With two individual fans in a single unit and multiple settings, the Genesis Twin Window Fan offers plenty of options for increasing airflow in your space. It&#;s surprisingly lightweight for a window fan, and it also comes with detachable feet that can be used to convert it from a window unit to a classic floor fan if desired. As a full-time installed window fan, we expect that this fan would let in a lot of hot air, and removing it from the window would be a hassle. That said, we think this pick is best for those living in temperate climates.

Users can choose from three fan speeds and five &#;temperature&#; settings, although the latter feature seemed a bit inconsistent and confusing to use during testing&#;the fan&#;s strength is more in creating air flow than actual, direct cooling. It can also get noisy at times, especially on the higher settings, and it can take some effort to convert it between its window use and floor use.

The fan isn&#;t the most exciting or visually appealing, with a basic white plastic design, but it gets the job done. After six months of use, it is still working great. Plus, its relatively low price point compared to other fans makes it a budget-friendly choice for keeping rooms comfortable.

Type: Window | Size: 4 by 24 by 12 inches | Weight: 8.4 pounds | CFM: 706.21 | Oscillation: No

• Real Simple / Rachel Marek

• Real Simple / Rachel Marek

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Axial Flow Fan Manufacturers.