The best air purifiers available in Australia

The 2019-2020 Australian bushfires led to a huge spike in interest for air purifiers. The smoke haze became so bad that many couldn’t escape it, even indoors. Naturally, many began researching solutions to clear the air in homes and offices and air purifiers began to sell out across the country. Unfortunately, what makes for a good-quality and efficient air purifier isn't regulated by any governing authority and there are many models available that simply aren't equipped to deal with bushfire smoke. That's why researching your options is so important.

Outside of the bushfire season, people typically use air purifiers to combat everyday airborne allergens and toxins. Pet dander, pollen, and dust are just a few examples of nasty particles that can cause you grief. A good air purifier will filter out all that and more if you know which questions to ask before purchasing.

How much coverage do you need? Some are suited to smaller bedrooms but spend a little more money, and you could get something with enough grunt to cover an entire apartment or office. Are features like scheduling and smart home compatibility important to you? Does the air purifier in your shopping cart have True HEPA filtering? And how much will you need to spend on filter replacements? (and how often?). We’ve taken all of these questions into consideration when reviewing some of the best air purifiers you can purchase in Australia.

The Philips Series 1000 has been the most impressive air purifier we've reviewed so far. Its top-notch performance is only made sweeter by its affordable price tag (and reasonable asking price for filter replacements).

Not only is it a generous price (with HEPA filter replacements costing $59.95 each) but it’s also one of the quietest and covers more ground than some more expensive air purifiers. It might not offer a PM2.5 readout (important for monitoring smoke levels) like some pricier models, and there are no scheduling or app monitoring features but it does offer a general air quality indicator with a simple colour-coded readout (red’s bad, purple is unhealthy but getting better, blue-violet is almost there and blue is fine and dandy).

WiFi connectivity and companion apps are important features, but smarter features fetch a higher price tag. The Philips Series 1000 does everything a reliable air purifier should do at a friendlier price than most.

Despite the name, the Welcare Desktop Air Purifier is far too large to fit on the average home workstation but it's still a solid little performer with up to 12.36² room coverage. Like the Philips Series 1000 Air Purifier before it, the Welcare Desktop Air Purifier's distinct lack of WiFi or app features are disappointing but justified by its more affordable price, coming in below $200. We've found it to be more suitable as a bedside purifier companion, even if the little turbine is capable of producing quite a racket. 

It's not easy to find a true HEPA air purifier in this price range, and it's simple colour-based air quality indicator will suit many just fine.

It’s hard to make an air purifier exciting but making it a little bit smarter is a breeze.

The Samsung AX5500 ticks all the right boxes for a connected air purifier (True HEPA filtering with PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 readouts), but its user-friendly app and smart home capabilities (like Google Home and Samsung SmartThings support) give it the edge over a lot of the competition.

There are some missed opportunities to educate users on what all those figures in the app mean but we still appreciate the extra data. The Samsung AX5500’s biggest downfall is its price tag (especially considering its unremarkable 60m2 coverage) but for some, the added comfort of remote monitoring and smart scheduling will make the higher price tag worth it.

While the name if wholly inefficient, the Philips Air Performer 7000 Series 2-in-1 Air Purifier and Fan's dual functions are its antithesis. 

If you're looking to clear out some tech clutter, and get the most out of your applianced then it is hard to go past the Air Performer 7000. Our reviewer found that the device outperforms two fans, adequately cools down large spaces, and gets in to every nook and cranny with the 350 degree rotation.

On the air purification front, the detailed reports in the accompanying app look at PM2.5 readout, temperature, and humidity both internally and outdoors locally.

Already equipped with smarts like scheduling, and trends from the sensors, the device is only going to get smarter. AI functionality is soon to be released, allowing the Air Performer 7000 to automatically adapt to the environment based on outdoor data, room size, and behavioural patterns.

We're already impressed, but check back in later to see how the AI features hold up.

Let's get one thing straight: we don't recommend the Dyson Pure Cool Me as an air purifier alone. Sure it offers a little extra support for filtering out smoke and dust but it's more of a personal fan than it is a fully-fledged air purifier. Dyson doesn't advertise the Pure Cool Me's coverage range but it's intended for smaller areas, such as bedrooms and nurseries. It will also set you back $320 - $499, which is a small fortune considering its limited capability. With that said, it is a superb little cooling/purifying solution for your office or bedside table if you can justify the price.

Dyson also means it when it says this is a 'personal purifying fan' and the 70-degree oscillation arc will make sure it's you and you only copping its cool breeze. If that's likely to cause a bit of drama around who gets the Dyson and on what days, you might be better off investing in something with a more generous airflow.

The Samsung Bespoke Cube Air Purifier AX53 lives and dies by how much you love its aesthetic. It looks great, but it's very expensive.

It certainly does the job when it comes to air purification, but there are plenty of cheaper options you can pick from.

Do you care about how your air purifier looks, and are you willing to spend more to buy one that bucks trends? If so, the AX53 could be right up your alley.

We’ve reviewed several air purifiers already but to cover the scope of what’s available out there, we analysed the price, coverage, HEPA filter efficiency, filter replacement cost and availability, alongside less important nice-to-have features, such as app control, and scheduling.

If a manufacturer wasn’t transparent enough with its testing and filtering efficiency, they were removed from the list.

We also removed all products that used meaningless marketing jargon, such as 'HEPA-type', 'HEPA-like' and any 'Permanent HEPA' brand that didn’t require filter replacements. Manufacturers also lost marks if they didn’t specify coverage size (an important consideration). Air purifiers that were transparent about their PM2.5 filtering and CADR (clean air delivery rate) were also given bonus points.

We disregarded any product where there was a conflict of information (e.g. products that make simultaneous claims of 'HEPA' and 'EPA' filtering or mixed messaging on coverage).

We’ve also removed products that aren’t currently available in Australia, such as the Rabbit Air MinusA2.

Lastly, we removed manufacturers that didn’t provide enough information about replacement filters. For example, the TruSens range, which is stocked by JB HI-FI doesn’t list any information on filter replacement pricing and when we got in touch with the customer care centre, we were told to get in touch with a local reseller. JB HI-FI also doesn’t stock replacement filters on its website.

Overall, that left us with a small list of options for air purifiers available in Australia.

In the event of a bushfire or any other event that reduces the air quality in your area, there are a few extra steps you can take to help reduce your exposure to smoke and dust .