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Which is the best fan for home?

When it comes to choosing the best home fan for you, where you want to use it will change the style you should go for.

Traditional pedestal fans are great for cooling down bigger spaces but they also need more room to work, especially if you turn on the oscillate function. They can also be too intense to sit in front of.

You can get air cooling units that use water to help create a cool breeze. These are great for one or two people, but they do take up quite a lot of space in your home.

A tower fan is a great alternative if you’re short on space as they’re tall and narrow, but most don’t have additional cooling functions.

For smaller rooms, a desk top fan can work better – they target the air towards you and don’t take as much space. Plus, many are much quieter and can be used at night.

We’ve picked out some of the most popular brands and tested a couple, too. Read on for our selection and our verdict.

1. We tested: AirGo Smart Fan

• AirGo Smart Fan, £126.32 from Amazon – buy here

The AirGo claims to be the world's first "smart fan", which means it can be connected to your WiFi and then controlled through your phone — extremely handy if you want to get it started before you get home, or if you're simply too lazy to get out of bed and do it manually.

Although perhaps an unnecessary luxury, we found that having a smart fan did make us smile. It's nice to get into the house for the fan to be already on (although it is only a fan — it won't bring an entire room down in temperature like air conditioning), and to be lazy and turn the fan up without getting off the sofa – especially on lazy, muggy days. And if you're feeling even more lazy, you can even connect the AirGo up to voice assistants like Amazon Alexa so that you can control your fan without even opening your eyes.

Other nifty features involve being able to set timers, meaning that you can tell the fan to turn off once you've fallen asleep, or to turn on just before you wake up.

The only issues were that manually controlling it can be a bit fiddly, and some Amazon reviewers have said that it wasn't as quiet as they expected it to be — however, we found that it was quiet enough to fall asleep to, and it's certified by Quiet Mark, an independent reviewer of the quietest appliances on the market.

2. We tested: Beldray EH3187 6 litre purifying portable air cooler

• Beldray 6 litre portable air cooler, £64.99 from Amazon – buy here

This air cooler from Beldray is quite a chunky piece of kit so it’s definitely not one for really small spaces.

But at just over 5kg, it’s surprisingly lightweight and, thanks to the wheels, is really easy to move around the room.

There are two modes to choose from – with or without cooling – and three different fan speeds. You can also choose whether or not to oscillate the fan, and adjust the direction of the breeze.

Without cooling, it works just like your average fan, but it really comes into its own when you turn on the cooling function.

For this to work, you have to fill the 6 litre reservoir at the back with clean cold water.

When you turn on the cooling function, a pump will suck up the water from the reservoir and pour it over a filter. And when the fan blows wind over this, the breeze that comes out of the other side is much cooler.

You also get a couple of bottles that you can fill and freeze – just put the frozen bottles into the reservoir to lower the water temperature even more.

When we tested this, it did a really good job of cooling us down and the difference between having the cooling function on and off was really noticeable.

Unlike an air conditioning unit, it won’t cool the whole room down but it works a lot better than just a regular fan.

And while it’s quiet enough to work through during the day, we wouldn’t use it at night to keep you cool.

3. We tested: Boneco Air Shower floor-standing fan

• Boneco Air Shower floor-standing fan, £160 from Selfridges – buy here

Boneco's famous fans are stocked in the likes of Selfridges and Harrods, so we had high expectations from the get-go.

The monochrome Air Shower fan is 85cm in height with a 270° manually adjustable airflow.

We were excited to see whether the shower-air effect works when the fan is aimed at the ceilings and walls. Spoiler alert: it's great.

When aimed at the ceiling, it gave the effect of a gentle air con around our bedroom and we were very impressed.

The only downside is that it's not quiet enough to use when you're sleeping and we had to turn our radio up a bit to hear over the top, but for the cooling-impact, it's definitely worth it.

4. Stadler Form O-009

• Stadler Form O-009, £150.70 from Amazon – buy here

If it’s a floor fan you’re after, the Stadler Form O-009 combines style and function.

Stadler Form is a Swiss company that specialises in elegant fan designs and this is an incredibly attractive appliance that will suit most homes.

Its frame is made from a single piece of bamboo, and you have three speed settings to choose from.

It’s not the most powerful of fans, nor does it oscillate, so you’re paying more (quite a bit more, actually) for style compared to substance, but it still generates a decent amount of cooling power while creating little noise.

5. Dimplex Mont Blanc

• Dimplex Mont Blanc, £64.99 from Amazon – buy here

Tower fans have a tendency to be bulky and a little ugly.

Dimplex’s Mont Blanc breaks this mould. Its tall, slim design and small base (the unit measures 1.2m high and only 31cm wide) means it can easily be tucked in a corner to cool the room without getting in the way.

It offers three speed settings that can be manually controlled on a discreet LED display, or via a remote control, and this can also be used to switch it from static to oscillating mode, and set the 8-hour sleep timer.

Instead of blades, the Dimplex Mont Blanc has what’s called directional louvres, which are slanted fins that help better control the flow of air and generate less whirr.

Ideal if you’re keeping it in an office and don’t want your papers blowing in the wind.

If you're especially interested in tower fans, check out our roundup of the best tower fans here.

6. Swan retro desk fan

• Swan retro desk fan, £32.99 from Amazon – buy here

If you like edgy, retro designs, this fan might be the one for you.

The Swan retro desk fan comes in a range of funky colours, including black, blue, red, green, grey and cream.

It also has three varying speeds, and both oscillation and adjustable tilt functions.

The speed options are all very powerful (even the slowest, bottom one), making this fan one of our favourites.

If anything, the fan is actually a bit too powerful, and when standing on your desk, you should adjust the flow correctly to avoid blowing important documents right off your desk.

Since it is designed for use in homes and offices, it's pleasantly quiet, even at higher speed levels.

Swan is selling a version of this fan that includes a pedestal, but the desk version is compact and light enough to make it in this list.

The 12-inch desk fan is easy to assemble through a single screw to hold the metal cage and plastic thumbscrews for the base.

7. Meaco MeacoFan 1056 Air Circulator

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• Meaco MeacoFan 1056 Air Circulator, £99 from Amazon – buy here

This great fan is one of the most powerful in our list, and also one of the most compact.

With 12 speed options and horizontal and vertical oscillation, the MeacoFan 1056 is a truly versatile device.

It also offers a series of additional features, including an off-timer, eco mode and light control.

All the modes can be monitored and controlled from both the fan stand and through the  remote control.

The MeacoFan is built to be used at night with a noise level of just just 20dB.

In terms of design, this fan is built in solid plastic, but has a faux leather handle that will complement many rooms.

8. Anyday handheld and foldable desk fan

• Anyday handheld and foldable desk fan, £12 from John Lewis – buy here

If you're on a hunt for a light, compact fan for when you're on the go, this one from John Lewis might be the right one for you.

Weighing only 190g, this fan is truly portable, with dimensions of H25 x W11.3 x D2.5 cm.

Available in white, azure, steel and watermelon colours, the fan's battery can last up to 9 hours on a single charge, making it ideal to take on a one-day trip or for use at the office.

The device charges through a USB port, and a USB charging cable is included in the box.

9. Red Candy retro desk fan

• Red Candy retro desk fan, £40.50 from Red Candy – buy here

Another example of a retro-looking design, the Red Candy desk fan is available is hot pink, lime green and bright blue.

This industrial-style mini metal fan is light for its size, and features a carry handle for easy transport.

It also has non-slip rubber feet to avoid scratching your floor or desk.

The fan offers only two speed settings, but they are both quite powerful, making this fan a good option for anyone who favours style over extra features.

It works through a traditional 3-pin GB plug, and its cable is not excessively long, so you will have to make sure you have a wall-plug near where you need ventilation.

10. Stadler form Q Fan

• Stadler form Q Fan, £162.34 from Wayfair – buy here

This fan is a unique piece of classy design, but you pay for more than just style here.

Not requiring any assembly, the fan is ready out of the box, and features three wind speeds.

This is a powerful device, and can rapidly cool down rooms of up to 40 square meters.

It's also not excessively big, and is easy to operate through the large button on the support leg.

The fan is built with stainless steel and aluminium, and is extremely resilient and robust.

It also features a detachable protective grille on the back to allow for blade cleaning.

On the downside, the Stadler form Q fan is not one of the most quiet in this list, but its design and materials justify the hefty price tag.

11. Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool™ Formaldehyde purifying fan heater

• Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool™ Formaldehyde purifying fan heater, £599.99 from Dyson — buy here

Known for its innovative home technology, Dyson's Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde captures dust, allergens and bacteria. It also destroys formaldehyde.

It heats in the winter, with long-range projection meaning a warm room quickly and evenly, it cools in the summer and it also diverts airflow through the back of the machine to purify without cooling the room. The machine senses and reports automatically, using integrated sensors that constantly analyses the air. It also uses a unique algorithm that cross-checks data every second, diagnosing pollutants at a molecular level and displaying live results on the LCD screen.

It is also compatible with voice services and can be controlled through the mobile app. There is a remote control that comes in the box, meaning you can control it from the comfort of your bed.

The filter is so easy to remove, taking a couple of minutes to set up when it arrives in the box.

What to look for in a home fan

Once you’ve chosen your ideal style of fan, it’s time to look at the frills.

It’s always good to have a few different fan speeds so you can find the power level that suits you, but three to five is more than enough.

If you’re planning to use the fan to cool the room, you’ll need a more powerful one that can oscillate, and ideally that you can tilt to direct the flow of air.

For those who want to use their fans at night, look for the Quiet Mark certification and make sure it has a remote control or timer so you don’t have to get up at night to turn it off.

And if you have allergies, look for one with a filter that can take out some of the allergens from the air.

Is there a fan that blows cold air?

Most fans will create a breeze and if you have sweat on your skin, this will cool you down.

Some fans have filters in front of them that you can dampen. When the breeze blows over this, it picks up some of that moisture and blows it onto your skin, making you feel cooler.

To really cool a room, you’ll need an air conditioning unit that has some kind of refrigeration system to cool the air before it’s blown into the room.

We’ve rounded up the best tower fans that won’t take up much space in your home.

Or for table top options, we've got a guide to the best desk fans.

And if you’re looking for some serious cooling power, why not check out our guide to the best air conditioners?

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