Shopping People Tested The 10 Best Fans of 2023, Tested and Reviewed Our top pick is the Pelonis Standing Fan By Camryn Rabideau Camryn Rabideau Instagram Website Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product reviewer specializing in home, kitchen, and pet products. In her 6+ years of experience as a product tester, she's reviewed hundreds of items firsthand, and her work appears in publications such as PEOPLE, The Spruce, Homes & Gardens, and more. Camryn is also the proud owner of a small homestead in Rhode Island, where she spends her spare time gardening, tending her many animals, and working through a never-ending list of home improvement projects. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 16, 2023 03:31 PM Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Our top picks Reviews Things to Consider How We Tested FAQ Why Trust PEOPLE? What Is People Tested? We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. People / Rachel Marek On hot summer days, fans are a convenient and affordable way to stay cool. Household fans come in all shapes and sizes, from desktop fans to tower fans and everything in between, and they’re a much more budget-friendly cooling solution than air conditioning. “Fans work by moving air in a space and directing it towards you,” explains Theo Jones, design engineer in environmental care at Dyson. “The cool feeling you get is from the air passing across your skin and wicking away the tiny amounts of moisture on your skin surface.” If you’re shopping for a fan to help cool down your home, there are a few important decisions you’ll have to make. First, you’ll need to choose the style of fan that will work best in your home, and you’ll also want to consider its power and speed settings. Other features you may want to look for as you shop include oscillation, built-in timers, and even air purification. To help you narrow down your options, we tested more than 30 popular fans over six months to find the right cooling fan to help you sleep, bring down the temperature in your kitchen, or just keep you comfortable as you lounge in your living room this summer. These are the best fans PEOPLE tested. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Pelonis Pedestal Fan at Amazon Jump to Review Best Budget: Honeywell Air Circulator Fan at Amazon Jump to Review Best Investment: Dyson Purifying Fan at Walmart Jump to Review Best Portable: Crane Circulating Desk Fan at Amazon Jump to Review Best Quiet: Honeywell Tower Fan at Amazon Jump to Review Best Box Fan: Pelonis Box Fan at Amazon Jump to Review Best Tower Fan: Better Homes & Gardens Tower Fan at Walmart Jump to Review Best Window Fan: Genesis Window Fan at Amazon Jump to Review Best Desk Fan: Vornado Large Air Circulator at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Small Spaces: Lasko Tower Fan at Amazon Jump to Review Best Overall Pelonis 16-Inch Pedestal Fan 4.7 Amazon View On Amazon View On Pelonis.com Our Ratings Air Speed 5/5 Design 5/5 Portability 4/5 Effectiveness 4/5 Value 5/5 Pros 12 speeds Quiet operation Wide range of settings Adjustable height Cons Heavier than other options For a powerful fan that’s well-made and versatile, the Pelonis Standing Fan is our top pick. This pedestal-style fan offers 12 different speeds — the most out of all our winners — and it has a variety of useful settings to tailor its performance to your needs. It offers a 12-hour timer, 85-degree oscillation angle, and 24-degree head tilt, and it’s even height-adjustable, allowing you to select a height between 3.5 and 4 feet. This fan blew us away during testing — pun intended! The unit feels exceptionally durable and well-made, and our tester noted that the heavy base was sturdy enough that she didn’t worry about her dog knocking it over. On its lower speeds, this fan is virtually silent, making it ideal for use in the bedroom, and on its highest setting, we could still feel its breeze standing 20 feet away. During home testing, it even improved our sleep. This cooling fan kept our bedroom at the perfect temp, not too hot and not too cold, and there was virtually no noise, so we didn't have to turn our TV volume up while watching late-night shows. Overall, the Pelonis Standing Fan is a versatile option that’s well-priced, and it would work well in a variety of spaces. The only (small) negative that we could find is that it’s heavier than other fans we tested, making it a bit more cumbersome to move around your home. Price at time of publish: $37.73 Dimensions: 15.75 x 15.75 x 51.18 inches | Weight: 12.35 pounds | Speeds: 12 | Timer: Yes | Remote: Yes | Oscillation: Yes People / Rachel Marek Best Budget Honeywell TurboForce Air Circulator Fan 4.2 Amazon View On Amazon View On 123office.com View On Target Our Ratings Air Speed 3/5 Design 3/5 Portability 5/5 Effectiveness 2/5 Value 5/5 Pros Good value Powerful on high setting Easy to move Cons No oscillation The Honeywell TurboForce Fan still packs a powerful punch, despite its small size and budget-friendly price. This compact fan weighs less than 3 pounds, making it easy to move around your home, and it offers three fan speeds, as well as several head tilt angles. You can even mount it on the wall, if desired, but it doesn’t have a timer, oscillation, or a remote control. During testing, we were impressed with the breeze created by this fan on its high setting — we were able to feel the air movement from 20 feet away! It’s fairly noisy on its highest setting, but the lower speeds are quiet enough that it won’t disturb your everyday tasks, whether you’re watching TV or taking a Zoom call. Plus, despite being made from plastic, the construction of this fan is still sturdy and durable, and it held up perfectly over our 6-month testing period. Price at time of publish: $16.99 Dimensions: 6.3 x 10.9 x 10.9 inches | Weight: 2.6 pounds | Speeds: 3 | Timer: No | Remote: No | Oscillation: No People / Rachel Marek Best Investment Dyson Pure Cool Purifying Fan 4.4 Amazon View On Walmart View On Wayfair View On Best Buy Our Ratings Air Speed 4/5 Design 5/5 Portability 4/5 Effectiveness 5/5 Value 4/5 Pros Bladeless design Quiet operation Air purification Cons Plastic components Expensive If you don’t mind splurging on a fan for your home, the Dyson Pure Cool is definitely one of the most high-tech and stylish options out there. This pricey tower fan has a sleek modern design, and as an added bonus, it doesn’t have any fan blades, making it a bit safer for your kids and pets. It offers 10 fan speeds, as well as features like a magnetic remote control, 70-degree oscillation, and a built-in timer, and it also does double duty as an air purifier, using a HEPA filter to remove microscopic particles from the air in your home. During testing, the design of the Dyson Pure Cool made it stand out: Not only is the shape really sleek and unimposing, but the lack of blades makes it look particularly streamlined. We found that it’s extremely quiet on lower settings, but if you want a strong breeze, you can dial up the power and push air all around your space. Besides its high price point, the only other downside to this fan is that most of its components are made from plastic—we think they could have been a bit higher quality considering the price point. Price at time of publish: $399.99 Dimensions: 7.5 x 7.5 x 40 inches | Weight: 8.4 pounds | Speeds: 10 | Timer: Yes | Remote: Yes | Oscillation: Yes The 8 Best Dyson Hair and Home Products Best Portable Crane Circulating Desk Fan 4.6 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Wayfair Our Ratings Air Speed 4/5 Design 4/5 Portability 5/5 Effectiveness 5/5 Value 5/5 Pros Compact size Folds down Powerful for its size Cons Pricey If you’re planning to move your fan around often, the Crane Desk Fan scored top marks in terms of its portability. We found that it was lightweight and easy to carry, and its design lends itself well to easy storage: The top part of the fan folds down when not in use, so it's easy to stack in storage. This desk fan has three speeds, and its head can be tilted 90 degrees vertically. It comes with a remote control, as well as an oscillation setting and built-in timer—essentially, it offers all the same features as a full-size fan. Plus, we were able to feel its breeze from up to 20 feet away, so it’s definitely powerful enough to cool down an office space, RV, or other small space. Price at time of publish: $48.20 Dimensions: 9.75 x 9.75 x 7.75 inches | Weight: 6.05 pounds | Speeds: 3 | Timer: Yes | Remote: Yes | Oscillation: Yes People / Rachel Marek Best Quiet Honeywell QuietSet Whole Room Tower Fan 4.6 Amazon View On Amazon View On 123office.com View On Target Pros Quiet operation, even on high speeds Dimmable control panel Useful settings Cons Poorly-designed base The HoneyWell QuietSet Tower Fan is a top pick for a bedroom, nursery, or any other room where quiet operation is important. We were impressed at how little noise this fan makes, even on the highest of its five speeds. It’s audible but not loud enough that it will disturb your sleep or other activities. This tower fan is 40 inches tall, and it offers an 8-hour timer, oscillation, and remote control that can be docked on the backside of the fan. It even has a dimmable control panel, so the light doesn’t disturb you at night. The one negative about this fan is that the base is poorly designed — it’s fairly light, making the fan top-heavy, and if you pick the fan up and move it, the power cord often becomes dislodged from its notch, making the fan wobble when you put it back down. Price at time of publish: $59.99 Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 40 inches | Weight: 8 pounds | Speeds: 5 | Timer: Yes | Remote: Yes | Oscillation: Yes Best Box Fan Pelonis 3-Speed Box Fan 4.6 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart Our Ratings Air Speed 3/5 Design 3/5 Portability 5/5 Effectiveness 5/5 Value 3.5/5 Pros Powerful air flow Easy to move Good for large spaces Cons Noisy Unintuitive controls The Pelonis Box Fan has a basic design that’s straightforward to operate, and it’s a great option if you want to create a strong breeze in a medium to large room. As its name suggests, this fan has a square form — ideal for putting in a window or even on the floor — and it has three-speed settings that you control via a knob in the corner of the fan. However, we didn’t love the way the knob was programmed: To turn the fan on, you turn the knob, but rather than starting on the lowest setting, it starts on the highest. In our testing, this fan provided a powerful breeze that can be felt from across a large space, but it is definitely noisy, even on its lowest setting. The construction is sturdy yet lightweight, and we thought the fan was easy to carry around with one hand thanks to its built-in handles. Overall, the design is simple — there’s no remote or timer — but it’s a solid, no-frills choice for cooling down your home. Price at time of publish: $44.99 Dimensions: 5.6 x 20.6 x 21.3 inches | Weight: 7.83 pounds | Speeds: 3 | Timer: No | Remote: No | Oscillation: No Best Tower Fan Better Homes & Gardens 40-Inch 3-Speed Tower Fan 4.8 Walmart View On Walmart Our Ratings Air Speed 5/5 Design 4/5 Portability 5/5 Effectiveness 4/5 Value 5/5 Pros Sleek design Internal oscillation Wind mode Cons Tricky to clean Slightly wobbly Tower fans are popular because they have a compact footprint that doesn’t take up much space in your home, and in this category, we recommend the Better Homes & Gardens Tower Fan. It has a sleek design that’s available in either black or white, and it offers three fan speeds, as well as three wind speeds (which uses varied airflow to recreate the feeling of a natural breeze). The tower fan comes with a magnetic remote control that can be stored on top of the fan and has a 7.5-hour programmable timer, too. This tower fan produced powerful airflow during testing. The airflow was strong and kept the room much cooler, eliminating the need to run the air conditioner during our home testing. We also found that the fan is quiet enough to run in a bedroom, especially on its lower setting. Another feature that made this fan stand out is its internal oscillation — the fan louvers rotate within the housing, keeping the unit more stable. However, we did find that the fan grate is quite tricky to clean because the slats are so close together. Price at time of publish: $59.87 Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 41.5 inches | Weight: Not listed | Speeds: 3 | Timer: Yes | Remote: Yes | Oscillation: Yes People / Rachel Marek The 8 Best Cooling Dog Beds of 2023, Tested and Reviewed Best Window Fan Genesis A1 Window Fan 4.7 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Home Depot Our Ratings Air Speed 4/5 Design 4/5 Portability 5/5 Effectiveness 4/5 Value 5/5 Pros Two fan heads Reversible fan direction Circulates air around space Cons Confusing “temperature controls” Hard to remove feet The Genesis Window Fan can be installed directly into a window in your home thanks to its expanding side panels. This unit actually has two 9-inch fan heads, and you turn on each one independently or use them both at the same time. There are three speed settings, but the fan also has five “temperature” settings, which we thought were a bit misleading since it’s not actually cooling the air in your home. Still, we were impressed by the performance of this fan; it does a superior job circulating air around a room, potentially because of its dual fan heads. We also loved that you’re able to reverse the direction of each fan, if desired, which is handy for pushing hot air out of your home. While the fan does come with detachable feet that allow it to be used freestanding, the feet were challenging to remove and attach, making for a frustrating transition. Price at time of publish: $46.42 Dimensions: 24 x 12 x 4 inches | Weight: 8.4 pounds | Speeds: 3 | Timer: No | Remote: No | Oscillation: No People / Rachel Marek Best Desk Fan Vornado 660 Large Air Circulator 4.6 Amazon View On Amazon View On Target View On Walmart Our Ratings Air Speed 5/5 Design 4/5 Portability 3/5 Effectiveness 5/5 Value 5/5 Pros Superior air circulation Powerful air flow Cons Somewhat bulky Expensive If you’re looking for a fan that’s small but powerful, the Vornado 660 is one of the best options out there. Designed as an air circulator, this unit excels at moving air around the entire room, yet it’s compact enough to place on your desk or other raised surface. It has four speed settings with push-button controls on the back of the fan, and while it doesn’t oscillate, you can tilt the fan head to the right angle for your needs. During testing, the Vornado was able to effectively circulate air around a large, lofty room, and we found it to be the definition of “small and mighty.” You can easily feel its breeze from 20 feet away, but the design is fairly bulky for a desktop unit. Additionally, it’s quite expensive considering its size, although you can opt for an even smaller version for $50. Price at time of publish: $99.99 Dimensions: 13.5 x 11.8 x 15 inches | Weight: 7.3 pounds | Speeds: 4 | Timer: No | Remote: No | Oscillation: No People / Rachel Marek Best for Small Spaces Lasko Wind Curve Tower Fan 4.4 Wayfair View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Wayfair Our Ratings Air Speed 5/5 Design 5/5 Portability 3/5 Effectiveness 4/5 Value 4/5 Pros Powerful air flow Fairly quiet operation Nighttime mode Cons Design might not appeal to everyone Cumbersome to move The Lasko Tower Fan is ideal for small spaces — not only does it produce a powerful breeze that will cool down the entire room, but it also takes up minimal space thanks to its tall, slim form. This fan offers three speeds, oscillation, and a 7.5-hour timer, and you can adjust its settings from the digital control panel or the included remote. However, it is on the heavier side, weighing 13.5 pounds, and we noticed it’s a bit bulky and awkward to move around. The tower fan has a woodgrain-inspired front panel — which may not be everyone’s cup of tea — but it’s definitely up to snuff in terms of its performance. It is a mighty fan, easy to switch between modes, and it's very quiet. In fact, sometimes we forgot to turn it off during home testing. If you want to use this fan in your bedroom, it also has a special nighttime mode that automatically decreases the fan speed and dims the display so it won’t disturb you when the room is dark. Price at time of publish: $74.99 Dimensions: 13 x 13 x 42.5 inches | Weight: 13.5 pounds | Speeds: 3 | Timer: Yes | Remote: Yes | Oscillation: Yes People / Rachel Marek Things to Consider Before Buying a Fan Style There are several popular styles of fans available today, all of which have their own pros and cons. Here are some of the fan styles you may want to consider: Pedestal: These fans typically have a large, round fan head on a pedestal-style base. They’re often well-priced and powerful, offering a wide range of oscillation, but they can be wobbly if the base isn’t heavy enough. Additionally, they typically have a wide base that takes up quite a bit of space. Our top pick, the Pelonis 16-inch Pedestal fan, falls into this category. Tower: Tower fans are generally 30 to 50 inches tall, and they have a tall, slim form that makes them more compact than other types of fans. Most tower fans offer oscillation and other handy features, but they can be tricky to clean, as they often have small grills guarding their blades. Box: Box fans, also called floor fans, have a square shape that can be placed in a window or used freestanding within a room. These fans are generally quite basic, offering just a few speeds and minimal features, and they tip over easily. Window: As their name suggests, window fans are designed specifically for use in a window, and they generally have sliders similar to an air conditioner. Many window fans have multiple fan heads, but they’re often small and not the most versatile option for your home. Desk/Tabletop: These fans are smaller than other options, making them suitable for use on a raised surface. Their small size makes them more portable and easier to store when not in use, but they generally aren’t as powerful as full-size models. Airflow Fans provide a cooling effect when they push air across your skin, so it’s essential to select a model with sufficient airflow. “It's important to remember that to get the benefits [of a fan], you need to be in the range of the fan’s airflow,” explains Jones. “Projection of the airflow is really important to ensure that even if you move a bit further away from your fan, you can still feel a benefit.” If it’s available, look at the fan’s CFM, which stands for cubic feet per minute and indicates how much air is being pushed through the fan. You’ll also want to look at how many speeds the fan has and if it offers oscillation. Features Some fans, such as the Pelonis Box Fan, have an extremely basic design with a few speeds only. However, other models, like our top pick Pelonis Standing Fan, come equipped with a variety of features, including wide-angle oscillation, head tilting, a remote control, built-in timer, and more. High-tech fans, such as these from Dyson, even offer additional skills that allow them to replace other appliances: “When choosing the best fan for your needs, you’ll want to determine if you simply want it to cool you, or if you’d like it to be able to purify, heat, or humidify the air for year-round use,” says Jones. Noise Level Depending on where you’re planning to use your fan, the noise level may be an important factor. In a bedroom, nursery, or office, it’s best to have a fan that operates quietly, such as the Honeywell QuietSet Tower Fan. As you compare different models, look at their minimum and maximum decibel rating to get a sense for how loud they are during use. How We Tested Fans To find the best fans available today, we gathered 31 popular models in a range of styles and sizes. We set up each fan, then we evaluated them on air speed at different settings, as well as their build quality, aesthetics, and features. We carried each model around to assess its portability, and we also measured how far away you could feel the breeze from each fan, up to a distance of 20 feet. We also considered factors like the noise level and overall value, and we sent fans home with product testers, who used them over six months to provide insights on their real-life performance. Using all this data, we scored each fan, and there was actually a three-way tie for the top spot — the Pelonis Standing Fan, Crane Oscillating Desk Fan , and Better Homes & Gardens 3-Speed Tower Fan all finished with top scores, so we sorted them into categories based on their best uses. Frequently Asked Questions What size cooling fan do I need? It can be tricky to find the right size fan for your space, as there aren’t clear-cut size guidelines like there are for ceiling fans. Instead, you’ll need to look at a variety of specifications to find the best option for your home. You’ll want to consider factors like blade size (when applicable), CFM (a measure of airflow), number of speed settings, and oscillation angle, all of which play a role in a fan’s performance. What is a good CFM for a fan? CFM stands for cubic feet per minute, and it’s a measure of the airflow created by a fan. The CFM of household fans can range significantly, from as little as 100 to several thousand, but in general, 300 to 600 CFM is sufficient for an average-sized room. However, you’ll want to look at other specs in addition to CFM as you shop: “Relying on singular performance metrics can be misleading if they don’t reflect the full performance of the machine,” warns Jones. “A higher CFM might sound positive, but it may also be reflective of high energy consumption or it might not also correlate to airflow projection, limiting performance in larger spaces.” What are the two types of cooling fans? Fans can be sorted into two main categories based on the type of motor they use: direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC). DC fan motors are smaller in size, use less power, offer variable-speed operation, and are generally quieter, while AC fan motors are more affordable and have a longer lifespan. Some fan manufacturers may list what type of motor is inside their products — for instance, the Pelonis Standing Fan has a DC motor — but others may not have this information available. Why Trust PEOPLE? Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product reviewer specializing in home, kitchen, and pet products. In her over 6 years of experience as a product tester, she's reviewed hundreds of items firsthand, and her work appears in publications such as PEOPLE, The Spruce and Homes & Gardens. For this article, she relied on the input of our team of product testers and interviewed Theo Jones, a design engineer in environmental care at Dyson. What Is People Tested? We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs. But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square. In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust — every day, every purchase. The 13 Best Pool Cleaners of 2023, Tested and Reviewed