We love our furry friends, but there's no denying they can make a bit of a mess. An air purifier can make a slight difference here and improve the air quality in your home by a measurable degree. If you're shopping for an air purifier and have pets, a few features are worth looking out for. A HEPA-rated filter will help trap fine allergens, while a washable mesh pre-filter can help prevent any tufts of hair from getting sucked into the machine.
A quick warning, however: while an air purifier can pull in short, lightweight strands of hair in its immediate vicinity, these units are best used to deal with fine, lightweight particles, like pet dander. If you need to keep your floors and furniture pet-hair-free, you might want to look at our recommendations for the best vacuums for pet hair and the best vacuums for allergies.
We've tested over 25 models, and below are the best air purifiers for pets we've tested. If you want a broader overview of the product landscape, check out our recommendations for the best air purifiers and the best air purifiers for allergies. Or, if you only need an air purifier for a smaller room, check out our recommendations for the best air purifiers for bedrooms.
Quick Look
We've independently tested over 25 air purifiers, purchasing each one ourselves like the average consumer would: no cherry-picked samples or talking points from manufacturers. Each unit goes through the same standardized test bench, and the results get validated by multiple teams before being published on our website to ensure you can accurately compare the results side by side.
Check out our How We Test Air Purifiers article to learn more about our purchasing, testing, and writing procedures.
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Best Air Purifier For Pets
Pets8.1Particle Filtration Rate8.0Particle Concentration9.6Noise @ Lowest Fan Speed32.7dBANoise @ Highest Fan Speed55.6dBAAverage Final 0.3 µm Concentration13 particles/LSee all our test resultsAir Cleaning Rate268 m³/HourThe best air purifier for pets we've tested is the Levoit Vital 200S. This mid-sized unit features a washable pre-filter, which can help collect smaller airborne strands of pet hair before they can get stuck in the primary filter. Beyond that, its air inlet is U-shaped to prevent clogging when it ingests large amounts of hair. This Levoit has a three-stage filtration system that comprises the aforementioned pre-filter and a combined primary filter with an activated carbon layer to trap odors, though the latter layer isn't substantial enough to have much of an impact anyway. The unit is also Wi-Fi enabled, so you can change fan speed settings or see a rough estimate of air quality using the VeSync companion app.
In terms of raw performance, it works quite well, with sufficient clean air delivery rate (CADR) to handle medium-sized rooms with ease, though we'd suggest buying a second unit for really wide-open spaces. While the primary filter isn't HEPA-certified, we found its actual particle filtration performance to be similar to most other HEPA-certified units we've tested. It also runs pretty quietly, even at its highest fan speed setting.
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Best Budget Air Purifier For Pets
Pets7.4Particle Filtration Rate7.1Particle Concentration8.7Noise @ Lowest Fan Speed33.0dBANoise @ Highest Fan Speed55.1dBAAverage Final 0.3 µm Concentration42 particles/LSee all our test resultsAir Cleaning Rate162 m³/HourIf you want something a little cheaper and don't mind sacrificing a bit of performance, the Levoit Core 300 is a great option. Like the Levoit Vital 200S, its default filter isn't HEPA-rated, though it's still pretty good at trapping small airborne particles like pet dander. It's fully compatible with a more specialized '3-Stage Pet Allergy Filter,' which the manufacturer claims will provide superior pet dander filtration and reduce pet odors more effectively. You can buy the filter on Levoit's website. Plus, this model has a smaller footprint than the Vital 200S, so it's easier to fit into smaller spaces or even on top of a nightstand or dresser.
Of course, the downside of its smaller footprint is that its CADR is significantly lower, making it far less efficient for bigger rooms. Also, unlike the Vital 200S, it doesn't have a built-in particle sensor that would allow it to adjust its fan speed automatically, and its pre-filter isn't washable under water, making it harder to clear away larger clumps of fur.
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Best Feature-Rich Air Purifier For Pets
Pets8.5Particle Filtration Rate8.6Particle Concentration7.9Noise @ Lowest Fan Speed32.3dBANoise @ Highest Fan Speed63.2dBAAverage Final 0.3 µm Concentration77 particles/LSee all our test resultsAir Cleaning Rate405 m³/HourIf you're looking for an air purifier with the latest and greatest convenience features and don't mind spending more for the privilege, the NuWave OxyPure is among the best air purifiers for pet odors we've tested. Right off the bat, there's no denying that this is a very pricey machine; buying multiple Levoit Vital 200S units and placing them around your home would set you back roughly the same amount as a single NuWave. While this air purifier is slightly better than the Levoit at trapping fine particles and delivering clean air, the advantage still doesn't align with the price gap.
Instead, its main advantage lies in its unique multi-stage filtration system, in which almost every filter inside is washable and reusable, so you won't have to replace the main filter like you would with other units. This system comprises a stainless steel mesh pre-filter that can easily trap clumps of hair, two 'Bio-Guard' filters (for mold, viruses, and bacteria), an ozone filter, and a HEPA/pellet-type activated carbon filter. Except for the latter, which needs replacing every year, these filters have a 20-year lifespan, only requiring a wash every couple of months. This air purifier has Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can operate it remotely using the NuWave Connect companion app. This allows you to check the air quality while you're away, set cleaning schedules, or change the device's settings.
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Best DIY Air Purifier For Pets
Pets7.7Particle Filtration Rate9.5Particle Concentration8.8Noise @ Lowest Fan Speed51.7dBANoise @ Highest Fan Speed67.3dBAAverage Final 0.3 µm Concentration38 particles/LSee all our test resultsAir Cleaning Rate587 m³/HourDo you have several heavily shedding pets or require cleaner air in a large space? Are you easygoing when it comes to looks and operating noise? If you answered yes to some or all of the above, you could consider building your own Corsi-Rosenthal Box! You can build this do-it-yourself solution by following this guide, which combines a quartet of 3M Filtrete MERV 13 air filters with a Lasko 20-inch box fan. However, this isn't a do-it-all solution, as unlike the NuWave OxyPure or Levoit Vital 200S, it lacks convenience features. Most Corsi-Rosenthal box designs lack a carbon filter to trap pet odors, and there's no particle sensor or Wi-Fi connectivity. Corsi-Rosenthal boxes are also pretty noisy due to their large box fans. To reduce noise and energy consumption, some users have swapped the single large box fan for multiple PC fans; however, we haven't tested this design yet. Other users have added a Wi-Fi-controlled outlet; while this adds remote control and sometimes even scheduling, it can't control the fan speed and adds cost.
That said, the Corsi-Rosenthal Box handily outperforms every conventional air purifier we've tested in terms of actual performance. It has a very high clean air delivery rate and exceptional particle filtration performance, so it'll have no trouble trapping finer allergens like pet dander. While it might hurt its performance, you can also tape mesh filters to the outside of the furnace filters to trap any larger clumps of pet hair or dust bunnies.
Notable Mentions
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Shark NeverChange Air Purifier MAX HP302:
The Shark NeverChange Air Purifier MAX is an air purifier with a unique filtration system that's supposed to last five years without the need to replace a component, keeping recurring costs low. That said, its air cleaning rate is slightly lower than that of the Levoit Vital 200S.
See our review -
Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty:
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty is an air purifier with a built-in ionizer that you can turn on and off and an automatic fan speed adjustment function. However, its particle filtration performance lags slightly behind the Levoit Vital 200S, and it's noisier.
See our review -
Levoit Core 400S:
The Levoit Core 400S is a very good alternative to the Levoit Vital 200S that delivers similar air filtration performance. That said, unlike the Vital 200S, you can't wash larger debris from its pre-filter, so it isn't the best air purifier for pet hair.
See our review -
Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde BP04:
The Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde BP04 is a good alternative to the NuWave OxyPure if you want something quieter. However, its particle filtration performance is inferior to that of the NuWave.
See our review
Recent Updates
Dec 01, 2025:
We replaced the Winix 5500-2 with the Levoit Vital 200S as the 'Best Air Purifier For Pets' pick due to current availability.
May 02, 2025:
We've checked to ensure all our recommendations are still available and represent the best choices. We also made some small text edits for clarity.
Mar 05, 2025:
We changed the link to the Corsi-Rosenthal Box guide. We mentioned adding a Wi-Fi-controlled outlet to the Corsi-Rosenthal Box. There was some minor rewording of the rest of the article.
Jan 27, 2025:
No change in recommendations, as all picks are still valid and available. Small text changes for conciseness and clarity.
Nov 25, 2024:
Minor in-text adjustments to further clarify product information.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are some of the best air purifiers for pets. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
That said, there's no single best air purifier for homes that will suit everybody; your needs will depend on your budget, the size of your living space, your tolerance for operating noise, and whether you like having a device with convenience features like Wi-Fi connectivity. If you'd like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our air purifier reviews.