The Best Air Purifiers in New Zealand: 2025 Comparison

This is our third year running this comparison, and it’s become our most-read page. Over that time we’ve seen plenty of models appear and then quietly vanish - often from brands where air purifiers aren’t a core focus. Some disappear entirely, leaving customers with no way to buy replacement filters.

That’s why we update this guide each year: to show how purifiers actually perform, which are supported in New Zealand, and how much value they provide.

If you’d like to skip ahead, here’s a quick way to jump to the section that matters most to you:

• Under $300 - Smaller spaces
• Under $500 - Medium spaces
• Under $1000 - Larger spaces
• Over $1000 - Large & commercial spaces

Key things to know before comparing purifiers

Before we get into the numbers, here are the fundamentals that matter most when choosing a purifier:

Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR):
This measures how much clean air a purifier produces (in m³/h). The higher the CADR, the faster and larger a space it can clean. CADR is the single most important metric, far more reliable than “recommended room size” claims, which are often exaggerated.

Noise levels (dB):
Noise is one of the most practical factors when choosing a purifier. Many brands highlight their lowest “sleep mode” figures, but CADR drops heavily at those speeds. For this guide we’ve used maximum speed noise levels, so comparisons are fair.

How to read the numbers:

• <50 dB - relatively quiet for daytime use, fine in living areas but still very noticeable at night
• 50–54 dB - modest background noise, upper limit for comfortable indoor environments
• 55–59 dB - similar to normal conversation, very noticeable if close by
• 60+ dB - loud and disruptive, best avoided for long periods

Price vs performance:
The price tag should reflect what the purifier actually delivers. Some big-brand models are expensive but produce less clean air than simpler, better-value units.

A quick note on “extra features”
When shopping around you’ll see lots of air purifiers with added bells and whistles. Some of these aren’t just unnecessary, they can be unhelpful or even harmful:

• Ionisers / Negative ion generators - can create ozone and just push particles onto surfaces instead of removing them. These are used to improve CADR figures, without filtering out particulates.
• UV lights - sound impressive, but don’t get enough contact time to work in fast-moving air. HEPA filters already capture these particles.
• Auto sensors - often cheap, inaccurate and misleading. We recommend a separate, accurate monitor if you want to track your indoor air properly.

👉 For a full breakdown, see our article: What features matter when choosing an air purifier.

How we source and present the data

We’ve made every effort to ensure the numbers here are accurate and up to date, but air purifier data can be patchy. Some brands don’t publish CADR or noise levels at all (we’re looking at you Dyson and Shark), or publish only partial figures.

Here’s the approach we use, for all purifiers we find available in New Zealand:

1. Manufacturer or retailer specs - when CADR and noise levels are published clearly.
2. EnergyStar database - where CADR is independently verified.
3. Independent tester reviews (e.g. Housefresh, Rtings) when official data isn’t available.
4. If no reliable CADR data can be found, we exclude the model.

That’s why this guide shows every purifier in NZ with verifiable performance data. While we’ve double-checked everything, there may still be small differences between sources.

Why trust this guide?

The internet is full of “Top 10 Air Purifiers” and “Best Purifiers for Dust” lists - even from well-known outlets. Unfortunately, many are built to generate commission, not to give you the best advice.

We want to be upfront: yes, we are selling some of the purifiers in this guide. But unlike affiliate-driven lists, our business depends on you being satisfied years down the track. That means filters being available, performance matching the claims, and you getting genuine value.

Why you can’t trust every “Best Of” list

To show what we mean: in 2024, the NZ Herald published their “Best Air Purifiers in New Zealand” picks. The problems? Many. It was clear this was written by someone (or AI) with no knowledge of air purifiers. They included models with poor clean air performance, no filters available and unsupported models drop shipped from overseas. Their reason for publishing isn’t to inform you, it’s to earn commission on the products they list.

We broke this down in detail here:

It's a good reminder that while these lists look authoritative, they don't hold up when you check the numbers.

Our aim is different: to compare all models where data exists, show how they stack up, and make it transparent why certain units come out ahead.

Comparison Analysis (2025):

Now that we’ve outlined the key considerations, let’s step into the results. This updated analysis, conducted in August 2025, covers Smart Air purifiers alongside other well-known brands like Breville, Dyson, Shark, Sunbeam, TruSens, Winix, Xiaomi and more. These are all available from New Zealand retailers including the likes of Briscoes, PB Tech, and Noel Leeming.

We researched a total of 65 models, but we could only find reliable CADR and noise data on 59 of these. The others were excluded due to missing or unreliable specifications - as explained earlier, if we can’t source credible data, we don’t include the unit at all.

Before diving into the detailed breakdowns, it’s worth noting a pattern you’ll soon see across the charts: price doesn’t always mean better performance. In fact, some of the highest-priced purifiers deliver relatively low CADR, while some of the most affordable units outperform their category.

Budget Air Purifiers Under $300 (for smaller spaces, up to ~40m²)

This category is aimed at bedrooms, nurseries, and smaller apartments. In 2025, we assessed 12 models in this bracket, from brands such as Fellowes, Breathing Better, Sheffield, Sunbeam, Breville, TruSens, and more.

Among these, The Smart Air Sqair is the stand out winner. Its CADR of 315 m³/h is more than 50% higher than the next best competitor in this group. To put that in context, the Sqair is suited for spaces up to around 43m², while the next best options in this price range are only suitable for around 26m² (despite often advertising larger “room sizes”).

Noise is another advantage. At 52 dB max, the Sqair runs 7–12 dB quieter than its closest rivals, making it more practical for everyday use. And with no ionisers or gimmicks, it remains a safe choice for households with respiratory concerns or young children.

Graph 1: Air purifiers under $300 in NZ (price vs max noise vs CADR).

A striking contrast. While the Sqair comfortably outperforms, the Breville Easy Connect struggles. Despite its $270 price tag, it’s loud (60dB) and only suited for spaces of ~12m². It’s a clear example of how price doesn’t always equal performance

Air Purifiers $300 to $500 in New Zealand (for medium spaces, up to ~60m²)

In this range we start to see purifiers suited to medium living rooms, apartments, and shared spaces. For 2025 we assessed 14 models in this bracket, from brands including Daikin, Shark, Winix, Breville, Breathing Better, Xiaomi, TruSens and more.

This segment brings more competition - but one model stands out. The Smart Air SA600 delivers a CADR of 500 m³/h, making it suitable for spaces of ~60m². It shares the top cleaning power with Xiaomi’s Pro 4, but does so at just 53 dB on maximum. By comparison, the Xiaomi Pro 4 and Xiaomi 4 hit 64 dB and 63 dB respectively, which makes them noticeably louder if run at full capacity.

Graph 2: Air Purifiers $300- $500 in NZ (Price vs max noise vs CADR).

Now we’re moving into units suited for larger living areas, classrooms, clinics, and open-plan apartments. Prices rise sharply in this category, but as we’ve already seen, cost doesn’t always equal performance.

In 2025 we assessed 15 models from brands including Sharp, Daikin, Oransi, Winix, Mitsubishi, Breville, and Dyson. Performance varies widely - some units offer genuine large-space cleaning, while others fall far short despite premium pricing.

The standout remains the Smart Air Blast Mini Mk II. With a CADR of 740 m³/h, it’s comfortably the most powerful purifier in this price band. Even more impressive: it achieves this at just 49 dB, making it one of the quietest in the group. This combination of high CADR and low noise sets it apart from the competition.

The Oransi Mod HEPA is also worth noting. At 574 m³/h and 49 dB, it doesn’t quite reach the Blast Mini’s output but is still a strong performer for medium–large rooms. Like Smart Air, Oransi avoids ionisers and auto sensors, focusing on straightforward HEPA filtration.

By contrast, Dyson’s premium models again show very low performance for the price. The TP07 manages just 153 m³/h, and the HP03 only 113 m³/h, both at a noisy 62 dB. With Dyson not publishing CADR, these figures are drawn from independent testing, where results have consistently been underwhelming.

Takeaway: In this price bracket, the trend is clear! Most high-CADR units are very loud. The Blast breaks that pattern, combining the best output with surprising quietness. Trusens offers similar airflow but at far higher noise, while IQAir justifies its pricing more through specialist filters and build quality than through raw CADR. Dyson, once again, illustrates how sleek design and multi-function marketing can mask very modest air cleaning performance.

Wrapping Up: