The Best Portable Air Conditioners for Keeping Cool, Tested and Reviewed
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Looking to beat the heat but unable to install a window AC? We tested the top portable air conditioners to help you choose the best one for your home.
True to their name, portable air conditioners are, well, portable—especially when compared to virtually all other types of equivalent cooling solutions. A portable AC unit sits entirely inside the home, transferring heat to the outdoors via an exhaust hose.
While they take up floor space and don’t run quite as efficiently as their in-window counterparts, they’re your best bet (or only bet) in many scenarios. We researched and tested a variety of portable air conditioning units in 80+ degree Fahrenheit weather with humidity levels between 70 and 80 percent to see which units performed best and kept our area cool and comfortable. Our favorite is the Midea Duo Portable Air Conditioner thanks to its powerful cooling and heating capabilities, energy efficiency, and unique voice-control feature.
We also reached out to Glenn Gault, CEO of Gault Heating & Cooling, located in Northeast Ohio, to get his expert opinion. Continue reading for tips on how to choose the best portable air conditioners for your space, and find out how the models we tested performed.
- BEST OVERALL: Midea Duo Portable Air Conditioner
↓ Jump to Review - BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Whynter ARC-14S Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner
↓ Jump to Review - BEST SMART: LG Smart Dual Inverter Portable Air Conditioner
↓ Jump to Review - BEST APP: Dreo AC516S Smart Air Conditioner
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR SMALL ROOMS: Whynter Elite ARC-122DS Portable Air Conditioner
↓ Jump to Review - BEST QUIET: Honeywell Smart Wi-Fi Portable Air Conditioner
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR CAMPING: EcoFlow Wave 2 Portable Air Conditioner
↓ Jump to Review - BEST PERSONAL: Evapolar EvaChill Personal Air Cooler
↓ Jump to Review
| Testing Stats | |
| Products tested | 10 |
| Time spent testing | 18 hours |
| Tests performed | 2 to 3 |
| Price range | $93 to $1,300 |
Our Top Picks
The following products represent some of the best portable AC units on the market today. See how each one fared in our tests, including the various functions offered and the overall cooling efficiency.
Best Overall
Midea Duo Portable Air Conditioner
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Portability 4/5; Noise 5/5; Value 5/5
Product Specs
- BTUs: 14,000 cooling; 12,000 heating
- Decibel level at lowest setting: 42
- Weight: 77.16 pounds
- Hose setup: Hose-in-hose
What We Like
- Provides powerful heating and cooling
- Combined Energy Efficiency Ratio (CEER) rating of 10.8; high for a portable unit
- Voice-control feature
- Inverter technology; quiet and efficient operation
What We Don’t Like
- Unit is heavy and requires a fair bit of effort to take upstairs
The Midea Duo 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner with heat is powerful enough to cool, warm, dehumidify, and circulate the air in rooms up to 550 square feet. It uses variable-speed inverter technology to increase energy savings by 40 percent in comparison to U.S. federal standards.
We found the Midea Duo to be the most powerful unit we’ve tested. We installed this unit on a hot and humid day to really test how quickly it could cool our area. Within minutes, we felt relief, and within a half hour, our living area was considerably cooler. We were incredibly impressed with this indoor air conditioner’s ability to cool effectively and quickly.
You can operate the Midea Duo via the control panel or adjust the heat and cooling from afar thanks to the Midea app, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa. The efficient app was easy to set up and use. We also liked the option to use the remote control for easy operation.
While this portable AC and heater weighs a hefty 77.16 pounds, we found it easy to move thanks to its four-wheel design. It comes with an installation kit that includes a unique hose-in-hose design, which provides 20 percent better cooling two times as quickly as standard portable ACs. Maybe one of our favorite features was how easy this AC unit was to install. Sometimes, when installing portable air conditioners, you find yourself wrestling with the hoses and attachments. This unit’s built-in hoses eliminates that frustration.
Its air duct system also projects cool air further (up to 26 feet away), which we were able to feel comfortably sitting in the next room.
Although looks are certainly subjective, we really liked the sleek black appearance of this unit. It seemed to fit well with our decor without being a huge eyesore.
Get the Midea portable air conditioner at Amazon or Walmart.
Best Bang for the Buck
Whynter ARC-14S Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Portability 2/5; Noise 4/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- BTUs: 14,000
- Decibel level at lowest setting: 56 or lower
- Weight: 73 pounds
- Hose setup: Dual-hose
What We Like
- Powerful cooling ability
- Effective in spaces of up to 500 square feet
- Included remote control
- Dehumidifier mode available
- Rolling wheels for easier transport
What We Don’t Like
- Heavy; difficult to move from floor to floor
Read our full review: Whynter ARC-14S Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner
For a reasonable price, this Whynter dual-hose portable room air conditioner features a maximum output of 14,000 BTUs and is suitable for rooms up to 500 square feet in size.
The portable AC unit can be set to cooling, fan-only, or dehumidifier mode. The fan speed in the cooling and fan mode can be adjusted between low, medium, and high to meet your personal preferences. The unit sits on four wheels, making it easy to move around and set up within the home.
This was among the most powerful portable AC units we tested. Setup took a few minutes as we connected each hose to the back of the unit and screwed the window panel in.
We turned the unit on when our 600-square-foot room reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The unit was set to the lowest cooling setting at 61 degrees Fahrenheit and the highest fan setting. Cold air was instantly pushed through the top vent, and the room was noticeably cooler within 10 minutes. Where traditional portable air conditioners are bulky, this model is sleek stainless steel and slimmer than most.
Get the Whynter ARC-14S portable air conditioner at Amazon, The Home Depot, or Best Buy.
Best Smart
LG Smart Dual Inverter Portable Air Conditioner
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Portability 3/5; Noise 4/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- BTUs: 10,000
- Decibel level at lowest setting: 44
- Weight: 70.99 pounds
- Hose setup: Dual-hose
What We Like
- Built-in dehumidifier
- Works with smartphones for easy adjustments and monitoring
- Easy to set up; can be fully put together in minutes
What We Don’t Like
- Heavy; somewhat less portable than comparable top picks
The LG LP1419IVSM smart portable air conditioner features dual-inverter technology, which allows for quicker and more efficient cooling. Users can customize their cooling preferences with three cooling and fan speeds (along with a 24-hour timer), and LG ThinQ technology provides the ability to control the unit with a smartphone. This portable air conditioner can also act as a dehumidifier with its built-in dehumidifying mode that removes extra moisture in the air.
During testing, we found that this unit was among one of the quietest to run. While it ran in sleep mode, we measured its noise output at 42 to 45 decibels, which was quiet enough for us to comfortably watch TV while it was running. We tested this unit in our 600-foot living space. It cooled the area efficiently and kept it at a comfortable temperature. When we tested the LG ThinQ app, we were able to easily pair the unit with two different smartphones with no issue. The app allowed us to control the unit and set an operating schedule.
Our favorite part of using the LG portable air conditioner was its ease of setup; we had this unit installed within minutes. The air conditioner vent is built into the back of the unit, so there is no fumbling with hose assembly, and the hose and venting mount are among the best quality we’ve dealt with. The unit has a sleek appearance and is beautifully designed.
Get the LG portable air conditioner at Walmart.
Best App
Dreo AC516S Smart Air Conditioner
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Portability 4/5; Noise 3.5/5; Value 5/5
Product Specs
- BTUs: 14,000
- Decibel level at lowest setting: 46
- Weight: 62
- Hose setup: Single-hose
What We Like
- Easy and fast setup
- Powerful Dry Mode
- Sleep Mode with variable temperatures
- User-friendly interface; app is simple to navigate
What We Don’t Like
- No temperature control
- No way to determine room humidity in Dry Mode
- Eco Mode only cools to 76 degrees Fahrenheit
The Dreo AC516S smart air conditioner delivers powerful cooling with 14,000 BTUs that can handle rooms up to 450 square feet. It features an LED display and control panel as well as a magnetic remote control. Installation is extremely easy. Instead of the traditional multipage instruction manual, the Dreo came with an easy-to-follow illustrated installation sheet. Not only did it tell us how to set up and connect the AC unit to the window, but it also highlighted the most important things to know about placement and safety.
What sets the Dreo apart from many other portable AC units we’ve tested is the app. While many of the settings can be adjusted using the remote and buttons on the unit itself, we found that the functions in the app provided incredible flexibility when managing temperature. We loved that the unit provided us with the ability to adjust the temperature over the course of the night. In the easy-to-use interface, we could set what temperature we wanted the AC unit to drop to once Sleep Mode was activated; we could also determine how long we wanted the unit to maintain that temperature. In addition to the app, users also have the option to connect it to their Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control.
We really enjoyed the Dry Mode, allowing us to sleep comfortably in Minnesota’s high humidity. The settings for this mode are based on percent humidity—not a specific temperature. However, there is no option to view the actual humidity in a room or set the portable AC unit to a specific temperature. Overall, though, this AC unit cooled and dehumidified the room quite effectively.
Get the Dreo portable air conditioner at Amazon.
Best For Small Rooms
Whynter Elite ARC-122DS Portable Air Conditioner
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Portability 4/5; Noise 3/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- BTUs: 12,000
- Decibel level at lowest setting: 47
- Weight: 68 pounds
- Hose setup: Dual-hose
What We Like
- Built-in dehumidifier
- Compatible with Amazon Alexa
- Quiet operation; ideal for bedrooms
What We Don’t Like
- No Energy Star certification;
- Not as eco-friendly and energy efficient as comparable options
The Whynter ARC-122DS stand-up air conditioner’s sleek appearance helps it fit in with the design of most rooms. The sturdy wheeled base improves its portability, allowing it to be moved around on a flat surface easily, despite its 68-pound weight. It has a maximum output of 12,000 BTUs, ensuring that it can rapidly cool a room up to 400 square feet in size.
This unit was among some of the most powerful on the list and is ideal for a smaller bedroom, apartment, or office. Thanks to its dual-inverter technology, it cooled off our space quickly. We also liked how quiet it was when running at the highest setting, which was ideal for a bedroom.
When the humidity rose, the unit was able to keep up with the increased temperature and keep our living area more comfortable than some of the other units we tested. The stainless steel adds an elegant look as well.
Get the Whynter Elite portable air conditioner at The Home Depot, Wayfair, Walmart, or Best Buy.
Best Quiet
Honeywell Smart Wi-Fi Portable Air Conditioner
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Portability 4/5; Noise 3/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- BTUs: 10,000
- Decibel level at lowest setting: 52 (dBA)
- Weight: 62.8 pounds
- Hose setup: Single-hose
What We Like
- Includes built-in dehumidifier
- Compatible with Amazon Alexa
- Quieter than many of the other models we tested
What We Don’t Like
- Not Energy Star certified
The Honeywell portable air conditioner is a powerful cooli