The best humidifier releases gradual, consistent moisture throughout a room, helping you feel healthier and more comfortable. And it doesn’t require constant maintenance or leave dank puddles of dew dappling everything you own.
Sounds simple, right? You might be surprised to learn how hard it is to find.
After testing dozens of humidifiers over the years, we’ve found that the Wi-Fi–enabled Levoit LV600S Smart Hybrid Ultrasonic Humidifier comes close to that ideal: It’s quiet, durable, and easier to deal with overall than any other humidifier we’ve tested, with a 1.6-gallon tank that lasts all day.
Top pick
The Levoit LV600S is powerful, quiet, and easy to clean, and it offers Wi-Fi connectivity and warm-mist capabilities. Plus, it’s the rare ultrasonic model that doesn’t over-humidify your room.
The Levoit LV600S Smart Hybrid Ultrasonic Humidifier does everything right: It’s low-maintenance and easy to clean, and it humidifies the air quickly and (almost) silently. It’s also one of the very few ultrasonic humidifiers we’ve tested that can stop themselves before they turn your room into a dangerously murky haze. The top-filling tank is large enough to last all day, and it doesn’t have any annoying corners or crevices for funky things to fester in. The onboard controls—including warm-mist capabilities—are simple and straightforward, and the robust smart-home features offer more-customized control. This machine is still susceptible to some of the usual ultrasonic flaws, however, including a tendency to create a trail of fine mineral dust or other particulate matter. But that dust is easy enough to clean, and it’s even easier to avoid with filtered water.
Runner-up
The Levoit Classic 300S is just as powerful and reliable as our top pick, but you need the app to use its features to the fullest. It comes with a nice built-in night-light, though.
The Levoit Classic 300S Ultrasonic Smart Humidifier performs nearly as well as our top pick. And it also has a lot of the same features, including a top-filling tank (which holds 1.6 gallons of water) and smart-home capabilities that help prevent it from over-humidifying the room. It also adds a pleasant night-light feature, which is also easy to turn off when you need to. But the user interface isn’t quite as intuitive, and we’ve also heard some complaints about the tank leaking when it’s lifted off the basin.
Budget pick
A simple, straightforward humidifier with smart-home capabilities and a built-in night-light, the Dreo HM311S is also one of the rare ultrasonic models that won’t over-humidify your room.
The Dreo HM311S Smart Humidifier is a simple and attractive humidifier that does the job well without costing too much. The top-fill tank and basin are both streamlined, with smooth surfaces that make them easy to clean. And its basic “auto” setting actually works to prevent it from over-humidifying the room. The rest of the onboard controls are also easy enough to figure out, including the built-in night-light (a nice touch that makes this model a particularly good choice for a nursery). If you need more-customized control, the Dreo HM311S offers smart-home capabilities as well. The 4-liter tank is slightly smaller than those of our other picks, however, and the overall construction doesn’t feel quite as durable (a 30-month warranty is available).
Best for
This energy-smart evaporative model is great at keeping the humidity consistent and distributing it around the room, while also being easier to clean.
The Vornado EV3 Evaporative Whole Room Humidifier has the most powerful fan we’ve ever found on a humidifier, with its highest setting blowing twice as fast as the next-best humidifier fan we tested. It also circulates the air more consistently around the room, ensuring that every spot is evenly humidified. Unlike most of our other picks, the EV3 is an evaporative model, which means it’s better at self-regulation, but it also requires a little more maintenance, including regular replacement of the wicking filter. Fortunately, this model is remarkably easy to clean, with a simple rectangular design that’s easy to disassemble and doesn’t have any annoying crevices to scrub around. Vornado backs it with a five-year warranty, one of the longest we’ve seen for any humidifier.
Best for
The only model we recommend with a dishwasher-safe water tank (though it is a little smaller than we’d like), the H35i adjusts its speed to help regulate moisture output.
The BlueAir InvisibleMist Humidifier H35i is another new evaporative model with two major perks: smart controls and a dishwasher-safe water tank. When the tank runs out of water, the H35i automatically runs the fan at a low speed to help dry out the wick, preventing any gross growths from taking root. We could detect the difference in our tests, too: The air in the room felt much less dank than it did with other models, even when we let the humidity level get too high. The H35i also has an energy-efficient, DC-powered motor; a surprisingly functional app; and a three-year warranty.
Best for
The Venta LW25 is pricey, but it’s an exceptional performer with an unusual design that requires less-frequent cleaning and refilling than competitors.
The Venta LW25 Original Humidifier is the most low-maintenance humidifier we’ve found, requiring less-frequent cleaning and refilling than our other recommendations. It uses significantly less energy, too, and it has a larger tank than any of our other picks. It is notably more expensive, however. And despite the “air washing” claims on the packaging, this machine doesn’t actually wash or clean the air in any meaningful way. (If that’s a concern for you, consider getting an air purifier.)
