The 11 Best Fans to Buy Before It Gets Hot Again (2026)

If you think you don't need a new fan this year, you might want to think again. Even if the dusty old pedestal fan you've been carting around for 25 years is still kicking, fans these days can do a lot more than just blow air. They're smarter, quieter, and far more versatile than they've ever been, with new tech features that would have seemed like science fiction even five years ago.

The Dreo TurboPoly 707S, for instance, has radar that can track where someone is in the room and redirect airflow as they move about, while the company's 508S model can provide mood lighting in more than 1,000 color shades. There are bladeless fans, fans just for fitness purposes, and ones that can mist or cool your skin with a cryo-inspired metal plate.

I've been covering fans at WIRED for almost two years, and I'm always on the lookout for the latest and most interesting fan technology. If you know of a cool fan you want me to check out, let me know in the comments.

If you're looking to take your fan on the go, be sure to check out our companion guide to the Best Handheld and Wearable Fans. For more ways to keep your indoor air quality cool and under control, check out our guides to the Best Indoor Air Quality Monitors, Best Air Purifiers, Best Humidifiers, Best Dehumidifiers, and Best Window ACs.

Updated April 2026: I've reformatted and rewritten portions of this guide, rearranged the picks, added new fans from Dreo, Dreame, SwitchBot, Antarctic Star, Shark, and Costway, and ensured that links and prices are up to date.

Pick Your Fan in 30 Seconds

Best Fan That Can Do It All

Vornado’s 660 air circulator is the Swiss Army Knife of fans, designed to make full use of Vornado's proprietary Vortex Action. (Which my colleague Matthew Korfhage describes—accurately—as “a fancy name for spinning a fan into a spiral grate oriented opposite to the action of the fan.”) This sends air out in a sort of high-volume corkscrew column, the shape of which allows it to travel longer distances. The front grille unscrews for easy cleaning; the back has a handle for carrying around (which is easy to do, as it weighs only about 7 pounds); the three-speed buttons are simple and easy to press; and it has a generous five-year warranty.

Its portability and compact size mean it can be placed on a table or on the floor. It's great in the living room, tucked out of sight; in an office so it doesn't blow papers around on a desk or bulletin board; or on the floor in the bedroom, because there are no lights and it doesn't blow air directly on your face.

I have used many fans over the years, and if I had to choose just one, this would be it. There's a smart version with Alexa (Vornado 660AE) for around 20 bucks more, and if you want something a little cheaper, the smaller Vornado 630 usually runs about $80 (even less when on sale). WIRED editor Julian Chokkattu has one and confirms that it does a great job of pushing air through his living room.

Features | | |---|---| | Smart app: | Yes, if you get the 660AE | | Remote: | No | | Wind speed on high: | 1,083 ft/m | | Noise (on high/on low): | 63 dB/42 dB | | Oscillation: | No | | Warranty: | 5 years |

Best Ultra-Quiet Fan for Bedrooms

Dreo’s flagship PolyFan 704S has been the brand’s most popular pedestal fan for years, but I didn't have the best luck with my test unit (see below). Plus, I found the fan to be heavy, unwieldy, and difficult to move around compared with competing models. Last year saw the release of Dreo's improvement on the PolyFan—the TurboPoly. It's not only slightly smaller and lighter than the original PolyFan, it's also billed as Dreo's quietest fan of all time. The marketing materials said 20 decibels, but I got 29 on my meter. Regardless, this is indeed the quietest fan I've tested. Its highest wind speed is average for a pedestal fan, but perfectly sufficient.

It comes in white, gold, or silver, sports nine speeds, can oscillate vertically or horizontally, and has smart capabilities (Google Assistant and Alexa) and control through the Dreo app, which also includes a 12-hour timer and the ability to set a schedule. It's got a cool RGB ring light on the back, controllable via remote or via a button on the fan itself. If you use the Dreo app, you can choose from up to 1,000 colors (ostensibly) on a color wheel.

If you prefer no-nonsense: Our previous pick for Best Pedestal Fan, the Vornado 683 Whole Room Circulator ($77), has no Wi-Fi or smart capability, no remote, no timer, and no oscillation. It's not as quiet or as strong as the TurboPoly, but it's lightweight, blessedly easy to move around, and will do whatever basic job you need it to do for years to come.

Features | | |---|---| | Smart app: | Yes | | Remote: | Yes | | Wind speed on high: | 1,040 ft/m | | Noise (on high/on low): | 55 dB/29 dB | | Oscillation: | Yes, up/down and side to side | | Warranty: | 1 year |

Best Space-Saving Fan for Apartments

Though tower fans aren't always easy to clean and are prone to tipping over if you have active children or pets, they are less top-heavy than pedestal fans, and the slim profile and small footprint make them easy to store when you're short on space. I've tested a lot of them, and not many stand out, but if you're just looking for a reliable tower fan that's well-built and powerful, yet also reasonably priced, Dreo's 519 (or 519S, if you want the smart version) is probably your best value.

With a round display at the top that lends a somewhat retro speedometer vibe, this is also Dreo's first brushless fan. This means it uses an electronic system instead of physical brushes in its DC motor, extending its life and ostensibly requiring less maintenance. Though the 519's top wind speed is nowhere near as impressive as Dreo's MC706's (below), this fan is no slouch at 1,100 ft/m. It's got nine speed settings, as well as all the goodies you'd expect from a midrange smart fan, including a timer, sleep mode, remote, and operability through the Dreo app, Siri, Alexa, and Google Home.

The only downside I found is that the display lights automatically shut off after a short time, and I wish there were a way to disable this. Paired with the quiet motor, there was more than one occasion during my testing period where I inadvertently left it on overnight, as I didn't realize it was running in another room as I walked by. Regardless, this is about as feature-packed and reliable a tower fan you can buy for around a hundred bucks.

If Looks Matter: The Vornado Ara ($290) tower fan is a little chunkier and quite a bit pricier, but it offers ambient light and a sleek, high-end aesthetic. My teen son has had one in his bedroom for the past year or so, and other than the grille attracting visible dust, it's been extremely reliable. (And comes with a five-year warranty.)

Features | | |---|---| | Smart app: | Yes | | Remote: | Yes | | Wind speed on high: | 1,000 ft/m | | Noise (on high/on low): | 51 dB/32 dB | | Oscillation: | Yes, 90 degrees | | Warranty: | 1 year |

Best Cheap Fan That Still Gets the Job Done

The no-frills Lasko box fan is an enduring classic—it's got plenty of surface area, there's a handle so you can move it around, and the shape makes it easy to stick in a window or sliding glass door. It's also reliable and widely available at most big-box stores. (If you live in a wildfire-prone area, you'll also know it's popular for making a DIY air purifier, also known as a Corsi-Rosenthal box.) It's not the strongest or the quietest fan you'll buy, but for around 20 bucks, you wouldn't expect it to be. It's also less than 5 inches in width, so it's easy to store in a closet.

Lasko added a Cool Colors line last year, offering the same long-time utilitarian staple in fun colors like red, blue, fuchsia, and purple. These are no different from the old-school white versions, but the color does make it look more intentional in your home, instead of a remnant of some water leak emergency or AC