These Are the 12 Best Humidifiers of 2024, According to Experts

For people who have dry skin because there’s too little moisture in their indoor environment, the Honeywell HCM350 Cool Moisture Humidifier is easy to operate and maintain for the full length of a cold winter, when your skin needs extra hydration.

Dr. Dass points to its large tank as a standout feature. Not only does it hold enough water to last for 24 hours, the tank has a wide opening and built-in handle for easy refilling. Plus, she notes that the tank can be cleaned in a dishwasher, so it is even more convenient to keep the humidifier running properly all winter long to soothe your dry skin. Honeywell doesn’t list the square footage that this humidifier can cover, only that it’s suitable for medium-sized rooms.

The HCM350 is an evaporative humidifier, which means it uses a wick-and-fan system to generate humidity and circulate it through the air. (For more information on the different types of humidifiers, see the explainer later in our guide.) This means that you can use the humidifier with tap water for some cost savings, but evaporative humidifiers require filter changes, which can add to the cost and maintenance. The fan, which has three speeds, creates a gentle white noise effect. No decibel level is specified, so we can’t tell you how loud the unit is while running.

We chose the Vicks V745 Warm Mist Humidifier as the best product for congestion. Whether you run this humidifier to help combat the symptoms of a cold, the flu, or indoor allergies, it’s convenient and easy to clean. It’s a steam-based vaporizer, so it doesn’t require any filters, and with a 1-gallon tank, it can run for 24 hours. You can use tap water, since it heats to boiling before being expelled into the air.

Stacey Ishman, MD, an otolaryngologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison and a sleep medicine expert, says that warm mist can help soothe irritated nasal passages and throats, alleviating symptoms like coughing and congestion. Plus, the built-in medication cup lets you add cough-suppressing Vicks VapoSteam to the humidifier. When combined with the warm mist, the medication can provide even better respiratory relief for illnesses and allergies.

At less than $40, the Dreo HM311 Cool Mist Humidifier is a budget-friendly way to occasionally humidify the air in your home or try out a humidifier to see if it helps you. It’s also filter-free, so you’ll save money on maintenance costs.

Even with distilled water, ultrasonic humidifiers are more likely to create a white dust or film when the mist dries, which can settle on items in the room. You can buy cartridges to help remove more minerals from your water and get a cleaner mist output, but if you’re concerned about residue or particles in the air, you should choose an evaporative or steam-based humidifier.

In our research of online reviews, consumers noted difficulty operating the buttons on the control panel and disliked the inability to adjust the humidity. But considering the value of the HM311, it remains our pick for consumers on a budget.

Some online reviewers complained that the Canopy Bedside Humidifier is louder than other humidifiers, so if you have trouble sleeping, you may not want to run it in your bedroom. (There’s no decibel level listed, so we were unable to compare noise levels with the other products.) The Canopy includes many of the same features as its competitors, like a 36-hour running time and a 500-square-foot capacity, so combined with its mold-fighting abilities, we think it’s a good choice for people with allergies.

Any humidifier in a child’s room should produce cool mist for safety reasons, but that doesn’t mean every cool-mist humidifier is the best fit for a nursery — ideally, it would have other kid-friendly features, too. We like that the Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier also has a night-light and is whisper quiet (though no decibel level is specified), which means it’s perfect for late-night feedings or soothing a child back to sleep. Plus, it won’t keep your kiddo awake when you run it at night.

The large tank can accommodate almost 2 liters of distilled water, so the humidifier will keep a 250-square-foot room comfortable for up to 25 hours. It also has an adjustable nozzle so you direct the mist in any direction for maximum effect. The tank is easy to remove, rinse, and refill. Plus, the unit comes with a brush to help scrub away mineral deposits during the suggested weekly cleanings.

If you don’t want to fiddle with controls and buttons constantly, you may want a smart humidifier like the Levoit 300S. Through the free companion app, you can monitor a room’s humidity level and set your preferred goal — from there, this ultrasonic humidifier maintains that level and responds to changes in the room. You can also set timers and change the settings based on your schedule. There's even voice control.

Dass notes that the Levoit 300S is a top-fill unit, so it’s easy to fill up with distilled water, and she likes the large capacity and 60-hour running time. It quickly brings a 500-square-foot room to your preferred humidity level but does so quietly and efficiently, with a noise level starting at 30 decibels. However, some reviewers noted that their humidifier lasted only about one year with regular use, so depending on how often you plan to run it, it might not be the most durable option on this list.

If you wake up every morning with a sore throat because of dry air, you need a humidifier that runs seamlessly all night long without keeping you up. We recommend the Raydrop 4-Liter Cool Mist Humidifier, which is compact enough to fit on a bedside table but powerful enough to run for 15 hours on its highest setting, keeping a 430-square-foot room comfortable. And it’s whisper quiet, coming in at under 30 decibels, so it won’t disrupt your sleep.

Dass celebrates these features, describing this Raydrop product as a compact, space-saving humidifier that is affordable and quiet. In our research of online reviews, consumers appreciated the dial for adjusting settings, its impressive output, and the easy cleaning, but some noted that it sometimes emits so much mist even on lower settings that it can cause wetness on nearby surfaces. This humidifier is a cost-effective option at less than $36, but that means it may not last as long as some of the other products on this list. And the unit price does not factor in the cost of the distilled water you’ll need to purchase because it’s ultrasonic.

Placing a small humidifier in a large room can feel like a waste of time and resources. If your room is too big for the unit, it won’t do much to increase the overall humidity. But the Vornado UH200 Ultrasonic Humidifier is capable of increasing the moisture level in as much as 900 square feet, so it’s perfect for bigger spaces.

On top of that, the sleek UH200 has a host of features: a touch screen to adjust the settings, a remote, and two fan modes as well as an auto mode. The humidifier continuously senses the amount of humidity in the air and adjusts to maintain a healthy moisture level between 40 and 60 percent. Because the UH200 has a heating element, it can produce cool or warm mist. The tank is quite large, at 1.75 gallons, but it’s shaped like a large pitcher, so it is easy to carry, clean, and fill with distilled water.

Online reviewers of the UH200 tended to dislike the noise level (Vornado doesn’t list the decibel level in the product materials), and they sometimes had difficulty with the advanced features, like the humidity sensor and the touch screen. But few humidifiers can cover 900 square feet for less than $200, so we still think it’s a smart purchase.

According to Christopher Brooks, MD, an allergist and immunologist at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, people with sinus problems who are looking for a humidifier may want to choose an evaporative model. Because ultrasonic humidifiers can aerosolize bacteria and minerals in the water, they can further irritate your sinuses, so an evaporative one is often a better fit. With this in mind, we chose the Vornado Evap40 Evaporative Humidifier as our best pick for sinus problems, because it’s not only evaporative but large — both in size and room coverage.

The Evap40 comes with two tanks for a total water capacity of 4 gallons, which means it can run consistently for 24 hours. The dual tanks also make cleaning easier, because you don’t have to lug a single 4-gallon tank back and forth to the sink. Plus, you can use plain tap water if you like. The Evap40's powerful fan can cover a room up to 1,000 square feet and keeps humid air circulating uniformly, filling every corner. The analog control panel is simple to operate, with adjustable fan speeds and humidity levels, but the unit also senses the humidity in the air and automatically adjusts as needed.

In general, users of the Evap40 appreciated how easy it is to clean and how much water it holds and expels, but disliked how noisy it is (Vornado doesn’t include decibel levels for its humidifiers) and felt it could be easier to set a fixed humidity level.

Capable of covering a generous 3,000 square feet, the 6000S can maintain a comfortable humidity level throughout an entire home. Yet despite its large coverage area, it can still run a long time: up to 72 hours on low, thanks to the 6-gallon water tank. The hefty tank does make cleaning and refilling more challenging than smaller tabletop humidifiers, but if you need to humidify your full house, a compact, 2-liter model won't do it.

In addition to its high capacity, the 6000S has a few other features we appreciate, like the app compatibility and voice control (it’s a smart model), the wheels to easily move it from room to room, and the quiet operation on low (on higher settings, though, it can be as loud as 45 decibels). Another bonus: The top half of the humidifier can slide into the bottom half for storage, making it more space saving than it first appears.

When you’re sick with a cold or the flu, you’re grateful for anything that provides a little comfort. The Vicks EasyCare+ Top Fill Filter Free Humidifier is a convenient and easy-to-use way to add moisture and a cough-suppressing mist to the air. Ishman says this model is special because it dispenses a cool mist but can still accommodate the insertion of Vicks VapoSteam and Vicks VapoPads to help alleviate congestion and cough. (Our other Vicks pick on this list is a warm-mist humidifier, which can be soothing but isn’t kid-friendly.)

This Vicks model's top-fill tank is fairly small, so you’ll need to refill it with distilled water more frequently than with some other humidifiers. Online reviewers noted that the machine doesn’t always turn off when the water runs out (and sometimes it runs out quickly, despite the claim of a 24-hour running time). This means the appliance will still be using energy even when it isn’t providing any benefit, and that could damage the unit if it happens often enough.

Still, this Vicks humidifier lives up to its name by being simple to clean. It’s reasonably quiet (though no decibel level is listed), includes a directional nozzle for mist, and is perfect for smaller rooms like nurseries and kids’ bedrooms, covering around 250 square feet. It may not be the best choice for ongoing humidifying, but when you or someone in your family are sick, this is the unit you’ll want on hand.

Buying a combination air purifier and humidifier is an investment, but it can save you money and resources over time. Choosing the Sharp Air Purifier and Humidifier means you don’t have to buy and maintain two units.