Best Humidifiers Under $50

The competitively priced, ultrasonic Aqua Oasis AO-101 handles humidifying small rooms with ease. It passes almost every performance test with flying colors, including moisture output, convenience, noise, and energy efficiency. Its measured output of moisture is one of the highest among this size of humidifiers we test. This humidifier has an empty-tank indicator and automatic shutoff, both pluses. You can adjust the knob dial to get your preferred mist level.

If you’re looking for a humidifier with a more unusual design, consider the cat-shaped CVS Health Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier. It earns top marks in overall performance and impresses in our tests for moisture output, noise, and energy efficiency. It’s designed to humidify areas of up to 200 square feet and even features a glow-in-the-dark element. This model is available only at CVS and cvs.com.

This mini Honeywell humidifier earns an excellent rating for overall performance and is designed to humidify areas of up to 162.5 square feet. It boasts a 76-inch power cord and a tray for use with essential oils. This model impressed us in our noise, efficiency, and convenience tests and is relatively compact to boot.

The PureGuardian H940AR is intended to humidify areas up to 162.5 square feet, and it does an excellent job in our moisture output tests, both with regular tap water and hard water. It’s energy-efficient and relatively quiet, and features an optional aromatherapy tray that can be used with essential oils. It comes with a night-light, and the manufacturer claims its design inhibits the growth of bacteria, though we haven’t tested that claim.

The ultrasonic Vicks VUL525 Humidifier offers great value. This model, which is designed to humidify up to 250 feet, excels in every test we throw at it, including overall moisture output, convenience, noise, energy efficiency, and output using hard water. (It has no humidistat, though, so we didn’t test the efficacy of that feature.) It’s spartan, with no programmable options, empty-tank alert, automatic shutoff, or night-light or glow-in-the-dark feature. But it has a long 76-inch cord, which is a plus.

The Air Innovations humidifier impresses in our tests, with top marks in moisture output, low noise level, and energy efficiency. It earns an excellent rating in overall performance and comes with an automatic shutoff feature and an empty-tank indicator. The tank and base are made of antimicrobial plastic that the manufacturer claims will help prevent bacteria, mold, and mildew, though we haven’t tested that claim. It can be used to humidify areas up to 400 square feet. 

The CVS Health # 268550 Humidifier, which is designed to humidify rooms up to 400 square feet, earned a respectable score in our moisture output test. The teardrop-shaped model ticks all the boxes for being quiet, easy to use, and energy-efficient. It features an aroma tray where you can place essential oils and comes with additional features such as automatic shutoff, an empty-tank indicator, and night-light settings. This model is available only at CVS and cvs.com.

The Lasko UH200 is intended for spaces up to 320 square feet and nets excellent ratings in each of our performance tests. It misses out only on humidistat accuracy because it doesn’t have one. It features an indicator (and auto-shutoff) for when the tank runs dry, a night-light, and the option to diffuse aromas throughout the room.

The Vicks VUL545 Humidifier is designed to humidify a midsized room of around 400 square feet. It notched a solid score for its moisture output and aced our tests for noise, energy efficiency, and ease of use. It comes with a 74-inch power cord, and you can use it with VapoPads and essential oils.

The Black+Decker BUH005 is designed to humidify areas up to 550 square feet. It earns a solid rating in our moisture output test and performs even better in our noise level and energy-efficiency evaluations. However, the model scores only middling for how easy it is to maintain and use. You can adjust the mist speed using its touch panel, and there’s a filter included that the manufacturer claims can soften water and reduce the calcium buildup inside your humidifier.

While the other models we’ve recommended above have been cool-mist only, the Lasko UH300 comes with both cool-mist and warm-mist options. Its moisture output is higher in warm-mist mode, but our testers have noted that it also uses more energy. The humidifier comes with a humidistat, which measures the relative humidity in a space, though its accuracy is subpar. One of the pluses is that it has a top-fill design, which makes refilling the humidifier easier.

The compact Lasko UH150, designed for areas up to 25 square feet, is the only travel/personal humidifier to ace all our lab tests, making it the ideal companion for a trip. It’s light on features, but the machine does shut off automatically when the tank is empty, and it’s equipped with a multicolor night-light.

The ultra-low-budget Comfort Zone CZHD20 Tabletop is designed for smaller areas, up to 25 square feet. It’s effective at producing moisture, convenient to use, and quiet. However, based on our lab tests, it doesn’t perform as well with hard water. Its design is more bare-bones than others: You use a water bottle (not included) as the humidifier’s water tank. Its only feature is an automatic shutoff.

Similar to the two models we mentioned above, the cylindrical HoMedics UHE-CMP15-BK is designed to humidify areas of up to 25 square feet. It gets excellent scores for its moisture output, quietness, and energy efficiency. However, its water output is definitely negatively impacted by hard water. You have the option to either plug it into an outlet or run it on its battery. The humidifier features a top-fill design, making it more convenient for refilling with water. The model features two mist settings: continuous or intermittent, and includes accent lights.