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- Best fans: At a glance
- How we test fans
- The best fans you can buy in 2026
- 1. Best fan overall: Meaco Sefte 10in Pedestal Air Circulator
- 2. Best cheap fan: Igenix DF0030
- 3. Best smart fan: Duux Whisper Flex 2
- 4. Best value fan: Ansio 30in Tower Fan
- 5. Best desk fan: Meaco Sefte Pro 10in Table Air Circulator
- 6. Best fan for sleeping: Princess Pedestal Air Circulator
- 7. Best tower fan: Dimplex Ion Fresh Cooling Tower Fan
- 8. Best fan for big rooms: Levoit 36in Tower Fan
- 9. Best budget desk fan: Honeywell HT 900E
- How to choose the best fan for you
- Our favourite fan is the Meaco Sefte Pro 10in Pedestal Air Circulator. It nails the holy trinity of cordless fan performance: it’s powerful, quiet and has an impressive battery life
- We test all the fans we review to the same standard, measuring airspeed using a digital anemometer and sound output using a smartphone decibel meter app.
- This testing informs our roundup of recommendations below, in which we’ve featured a range of fans across different price points
- In our buying guide at the bottom of this page, we’ve also addressed some common questions you might have when shopping for a fan
You’re never guaranteed a scorching summer in the UK, but when the heat hits, the best fans will keep you cool, calm and collected – and might even help you get some shuteye as the mercury rises. Right now, our favourite is the Meaco Sefte Pro 10in Pedestal Air Circulator, a fan that performed superbly in our tests – even if it’s not the most viable option for smaller budgets.
Beyond Meaco, there are so many desk, tower and pedestal fans all vying for your attention, which makes it tricky to find the right one for you.
Well, in the last five years, I’ve tested and reviewed over 30 fans, including some of the best models in our roundup below. I’ve tried out their features, used them while snoozing, and run detailed tests to check their noise output, airflow and energy consumption.
With that said, scroll on for our top picks to keep you cool in the latest heatwave, alongside our mini reviews and buying guide.
Best fans: At a glance
- Best overall: Meaco Sefte Pro 10in Pedestal Air Circulator | Check price at Meaco
- Best cheap fan: Igenix DF0030 | Check price at Amazon
- Best smart fan: Duux Whisper Flex 2 | Check price at Duux
- Best desk fan: Meaco Sefte Pro 10in Table Air Circulator | Check price at Meaco
Listed below, you’ll find the fans that I’m happiest to recommend for a range of budgets and requirements. Meanwhile, if you want to know more about what to look for in a fan – including the strengths and weaknesses of different types – then take a look at the detailed buying guide that comes after the reviews.
How we test fans
We test every fan for airflow, power consumption and noise output, as well as checking through their features and finding out how easy (or not) they are to use. Having assembled the fan and set it up, we measure the speed of the airflow through the fan at a distance of 1m with an anemometer, being sure to test at both maximum and minimum speed settings, plus a medium setting.
We also measure the sound levels at these settings, along with power consumption at the highest and lowest point. From there, we use the fan in a variety of rooms to gauge how effectively they work in different situations and layouts, using different modes and oscillation settings where available. We also try out any special modes and get to grips with both the built-in controls and the remote control, where supplied.
The best fans you can buy in 2026
In our most recent update to this page, we cleaned house. Four fans – the NSA UK Compact Cool, the Duux Globe, the Vortex Air Cleanse Bladeless and the Princess Smart Compact Tower Fan – lost their place on our roundup because they have been superseded by better options. We also updated our buying guide with specific guidance for sleeping, so check it out.
1. Best fan overall: Meaco Sefte 10in Pedestal Air Circulator
Price when reviewed: £200 | Check price at Meaco
- Versatile
- Portable
- Powerful yet quiet
- Expensive
Meaco’s Sefte Pro 10in Pedestal Air Circulator offers one notable advantage over its predecessor (and our previous top pick): it’s portable. In our tests, its rechargeable battery – which can be removed and replaced – provided enough juice for over 32 hours use on its medium setting.
This means you can effectively take it anywhere you’re in need of cooling – and its portability is aided by its versatile modular design, allowing you to configure it at its full 1.1m height, as a 59cm tall floor fan, or in between. In terms of performance, it didn’t quite reach the gusts that the Sefte 10in Pedestal fan did, but it’s still mighty impressive: 4.6m/sec at top speed, 3.1m/sec at mid settings and 2.2m/sec on its lowest setting. It didn’t make a racket either, peaking at 35.5dBA at full tilt and registering a virtually silent 24.5dBA on setting 1.
It’s not a cheap option at £200 RRP, but its performance more than justifies this price. Plus, its easily replaceable battery promises a longevity that a lot of battery-powered appliances simply don’t offer. Alternatively, if you just can’t afford it, consider its smaller Table fan counterpart (£119) or the Sefte 8in Table Air Circulator: both excellent fans in their own right.
Read our full Meaco Sefte Pro 10in Pedestal Air Circulator review
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 34 x 34 x 59-109.8 cm; Weight: 5.5kg; Oscillation angle: 120 degrees (horizontal), 65 degrees (vertical); Sound level: 35.5dBA (max); Remote control: Yes; Compatible smart devices: N/A; Warranty: 3yr; Power: 26W
2. Best cheap fan: Igenix DF0030
Price when reviewed: £30 | Check price at Amazon
- Cheep and cheerful
- Easy to move
- Louder than more expensive rivals
If you don’t need to cool a massive space, this 30in tall Igenix fan is something of a bargain. I found I could easily lug it around the house with the integrated handle, yet it puts out a decent airflow at each of its three speed settings, with an 80-degree oscillation to help spread it around.
This isn’t the perfect fan for sleeping – even at its lowest setting, it’s far from silent – but it did a fine job of cooling down a small living room, and it’s good for taking heat out of the bedroom before you go to bed. Looking for maximum cooling for minimal cost? This is the fan for you.
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 24 x 24 x 76.2cm; Weight: 2.66kg; Oscillation angle: 80 degrees; Cord length: 1.8m; Remote control: No; Compatible smart devices: N/A; Warranty: 2yr; Power: 45W
3. Best smart fan: Duux Whisper Flex 2
Price when reviewed: £180 | Check price at Duux
- Smart
- Stylish
- Quietly powerful
- Improvements needed in app and setup
The Whisper Flex 2 is one of the cleverest fans we’ve reviewed. It has 30 speed settings, as well as “Night” and “Natural” modes – the latter of which automatically toggles between speeds for a convincing wind effect. Its Wi-Fi features are really useful, too (even if we did find the setup process quite fiddly): you can control the fan remotely via the app, set schedules and integrate it with Google Home or Alexa.
Performance-wise, we measured air speeds of up to 3.5m/sec and 2.3m/sec at its medium speed setting. Even when running at max, it’s “still far from raucous” at 45.8dBA, while its lower speeds are barely audible. An impressive product all-round.
Read our full Duux Whisper Flex 2 review
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 34 x 34 x 95cm; Weight: 4.2kg; Oscillation angle: 90 degrees horizontal, 90 degrees vertical; Sound level: 45.8dBA (max); Remote control: Yes; Compatible smart devices: Google Home, Alexa; Cord length: 2.3m; Warranty: 2yr; Power: 27W
4. Best value fan: Ansio 30in Tower Fan
Price when reviewed: £55 | Check price at Amazon
- Huge airflow for the price
- Loud
Don’t expect much in the way of modes or features, but this striking 30in tower fan has it where it counts. It’s one of the more powerful tower fans I’ve tested, with air speeds reaching 3.2m/sec from a metre away. Even at the lowest of its three speed settings, I measured 2.4m/sec; not bad for what’s still a budget model.
That’s a lot of cooling power, I did observe, however, that the airflow is at its strongest relatively low to the ground. With 60-degrees of oscillation, you can spread the airflow around a decent section of a bedroom or living room, and it doesn’t take up too much space. On the flip side, noise levels are relatively high as well. If you struggle to sleep through the 41dB at low power, you can forget about the 49.9dB at full. Still, the old-school mechanical timer works surprisingly well, and even if it’s not the most refined of fans, you’ll appreciate its icy blast as the temperature soars.
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 24 x 24 x 76.5cm; Weight: 3.96kg; Oscillation angle: 60 degrees; Sound level: 49.9dBA (max); Remote control: Yes; Compatible smart devices: N/A; Cord length: 1.75m; Warranty: 2yr; Power: 45W
5. Best desk fan: Meaco Sefte Pro 10in Table Air Circulator
Price when reviewed: £120 | Check price at Meaco
- Powerful
- Near-silent
- Impressive battery
- Too big for some spaces
Like the pedestal model featured at the top of this roundup, the Meaco Sefte Pro 10in Table Air Circulator houses an impressive removable battery that makes it the “ultimate take-anywhere floor and table fan”. And with a quoted runtime of up to 40 hours, it can keep you cool for longer you think.
As if we could expect anything less from Meaco at this point, air speeds are powerful, registering up to 4.6m/sec in our tests, and sound output is minimal – as quiet as 26.4dBA but no louder than 45.2dBA. It’s a bit too bulky for some surfaces and desks – in which case we turn your attention to the Sefte 8in Table fan. But if you’re looking for the table fan to beat when it comes to performance, this is it.
Read our full Meaco Sefte Pro 10in Table Air Circulator review
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 30.5×22.7×43.2 cm; Weight: 3.2kg; Oscillation angle: 120 degrees (horizontal), 65 degrees (vertical); Sound level: 45.2dBA (max); Remote control: Yes; Compatible smart devices: N/A; Warranty: 3yr; Power: 26W
6. Best fan for sleeping: Princess Pedestal Air Circulator
Price when reviewed: £120 | Check price at B&Q
- Good for large spaces
- Quiet at lower settings
- Louder at higher settings
At less than 80cm high, the Princess Pedestal Air Circulator is pretty short for a pedestal fan. Luckily, it more than makes up for it through a combination of air-circulating muscle and oscillation. Unlike most pedestal fans, it can oscillate on both the horizontal and vertical axes, giving it more scope to push air around the room. Meanwhile, its 12 speed settings deliver wind speeds of up to 4.3m/sec, making this one of the more powerful fans I’ve tested. At the highest speeds, it’s a bit too noisy, reaching 48dB, but by stepping down to 10 I could still get a 2.9m/sec airflow with a more bearable 43dB. At the halfway point, I was looking at 2.5m/sec and a mere 35.8dB. That’s still not perfectly quiet, but it’s close enough that you won’t notice it while you’re busy bingeing Netflix on TV.
On its lowest settings, it’s virtually silent – I dozed quite comfortably with it on – and you can still get a decent breeze. What’s more, this fan has one of the more usable Natural modes out there, varying the speed but without any extreme changes. It even has a sensible Sleep mode that starts at your current setting and then reduces the speed every 30 minutes. I also liked the simple controls and the rock-solid build quality; there’s barely any wobble once assembled. This is one of Princess’s only fans without smart features, but despite that, it’s arguably its best.
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 28.8 x 29.3 x 77.3cm; Weight: 5.1kg; Oscillation angle: 90 degrees (horizontal), 60 degrees (vertical); Sound level: 48dBA (max); Remote control: Yes; Compatible smart devices: N/A; Cord length: 1.6m; Warranty: 2yr; Power: 20W
7. Best tower fan: Dimplex Ion Fresh Cooling Tower Fan
Price when reviewed: £110 | Check price at Argos
- Well-controlled airflow
- A fresh feel
- Not the best for sleeping
The Ion Fresh stands out from the tower fan crowd thanks to its imposing 1.07m height, its built-in ioniser mode and its rather classy brushed-copper finish – even if it’s just a coloured plastic. It looks great with its low-glow green digital temperature display and touch-sensitive controls, and I was also keen on the fan’s tilt feature, where you can push it back by up to seven degrees to direct the airflow upwards.
The ionisation feature is designed to discharge negative ions that attach to positive ions to freshen up your environment. Whether this works or not is somewhat controversial, but I found that the Ion Fresh did a fine job of making stuffy rooms more liveable and – more importantly – it proved to be an effective fan.
It can speed air through the vertical slats at up to 2.3 m/sec at maximum speed, and 1.3 m/sec at its lowest, with a wide 70-degree oscillation to spread the gust of air around. I also found it easier to use than cheaper rivals, thanks to the bundled remote and intuitive controls, while it packs in a timer, a sleep mode and a natural mode that varies the power setting to make the airflow feel more like a natural breeze. Don’t get too excited about snoozing, however; even at its quietest, the Ion Fresh puts out around 41dB, reaching 50dB at its worst. Still, if it’s not the ideal fan for bedroom use, it’s a good-looking, capable cooler for everywhere else.
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 31 x 31 x 107cm; Weight: 5.6kg; Oscillation angle: 70 degrees; Sound level: 50dBA (max); Remote control: Yes; Compatible smart devices: N/A; Cord length: 1.5m; Warranty: 2yr (3yr after online registration); Power: 45W
8. Best fan for big rooms: Levoit 36in Tower Fan
Price when reviewed: £90 | Check price at Levoit
- Cools large areas with little fuss
- Loud at its highest speeds
While it’s one of the tallest tower fans I’ve tested, it’s worth making room for Levoit’s 36in column. Look beyond the two-part plastic base and it’s a well-built unit without a hint of wobble, with stylish and straightforward touch controls on the top panel. It also has some useful advanced features, including an Auto mode that adjusts the speed according to the room temperature, and a Sleep mode that will do its best to keep you cool while staying quiet. There’s also a Turbo mode for some extra speed, plus a simple 1- to 12-hour off timer.
However, what I like most about this tower fan is that it offers an efficient and economical way to cool a larger area. It pushes through air at speeds of up to 3.2m/sec at the highest of its five speed settings, or 3.3m/sec in Turbo mode. It’s a little loud when maxed out, putting out between 44.4 and 45.2dB, but on its next-to-lowest setting, you can still hit speeds of 2.1m/sec, with the noise reduced to around 32dB. That’s almost whisper quiet, and perfect for watching TV on a boiling summer evening. What’s more, on its lower settings it uses only around 20W. Throw in the competitive price, and you have a great tower fan for bigger rooms.
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 16.5 x 16.5 x 92cm; Weight: 3.6kg; Oscillation angle: 90 degrees; Sound level: 45.2dBA (max); Remote control: Yes; Compatible smart devices: N/A; Cord length: 1.8m; Warranty: 2yr; Power: 39W
9. Best budget desk fan: Honeywell HT 900E
Price when reviewed: £29 | Check price at Amazon
- Powerful performance on a budget
- Loud
As far as budget desktop fans go, the HT 900E is a monster. The 40W “turbo” motor blasts out huge amounts of air at its highest speed; the 2.7m/sec gusts were enough to send papers flying across my desk, and feels a little too high for close-up use. Thanks to the 90-degree tilting fan head, it can be mounted on the wall or stood on a desk or floor.
It’s incredibly simple to use and the construction is rock solid. The one downside is that at medium or high settings it makes an unholy racket, reaching 47.5dB at full tilt. At low, though, it’s less noisy – a bearable 40dB –while still putting out a respectable breeze. It’s not my go-to for features or finesse, but you’ll struggle to find more cooling power for this kind of money from any other fan.
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 27.7 x 15.9 x 27.7cm; Weight: 1.35kg; Oscillation angle: No; Sound level: 47.5dBA (max); Remote control: No; Compatible smart devices: N/A Cord length: 1.6m; Warranty: 3yr; Power: 40W
How to choose the best fan for you
Will a fan cool down my room?
To start, it’s worth making one thing very clear: a fan is not an air conditioning system. While air conditioners actually cool the air, fans simply push the air around. Obviously, this means that even the most effective fan won’t cool as well as one of our best portable air conditioners, but then they’re also much cheaper – both to buy and run. In the UK, with our comparatively mild, dry summers, an air conditioning unit may be overkill anyway.
Should I buy a desk fan, pedestal fan or tower fan?
Desk fans are small, portable and can be picked up for anywhere between £20 and £50 (although pricier designer models are available). Most offer an adjustable tilt so you can direct the airflow, and some have an oscillating feature to create a breeze that sweeps from side to side. Obviously, these fans won’t cool much more than a small desk-sized space.
Pedestal fans are larger, more powerful and are designed to fill a bigger space. Since they’re designed to be used at a distance, they might offer more angles, a wider oscillation range and a remote control. You can usually adjust the height, pivot and oscillation to control airflow, but they tend to be bulky so you’ll need to make sure you have enough space – both for use and for storage.
This is where tower fans come in. These slimline units blast out air from a tall column, giving you the cooling power of a pedestal fan in a more compact form factor. Most tower fans also come with a remote control, but you will sacrifice adjustability.
Are fans expensive to run?
Fans aren’t generally that expensive to run, no – even the most powerful models we’ve tested use around 40W when running at maximum speed. However, the most energy-efficient models we’ve tested consume under 20W at full blast and less than 5W at their lowest speed, which could make a difference to your bills if you’re running the fan all summer long.
You can also keep your costs low by using any timer features, which can be set to shut the fan off after a set period. We’ve even seen some fans that can regulate their speed according to the ambient temperature, or that have a sleep setting where the fan slows down gradually over the course of the night.
Which fans are best for sleeping?
There’s no point in having a fan to keep you cool if you can’t sleep through the noise on a hot night. Nearly all fans offer a choice of speed settings – always use the lower settings for quieter results – and some have special nighttime modes.
When it comes to sleeping through noise, we all have different tolerances, but in our experience 35-40dB is quiet; 40-45dB is bearable; and anything beyond 45dB is too loud to sleep peacefully.
More expensive fans will likely use quieter, more energy-efficient motors and blade designs, maximising cooling power while minimising noise.
What other features should I look out for?
A growing number of fans are also coming with Wi-Fi connectivity built in, enabling them to be used with an app for remote control or voice commands through Amazon Alexa or Google Home devices. These features don’t tend to be as sophisticated as those you’ll find in smart lighting or heating devices, but they make it easy to control a fan from across the room.
