Skip to main content
A large white portable air conditioner with wheels stands on a wood floor. Credit: Getty Images / AlexLMX

The Best Portable Air Conditioners of 2024

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

A large white portable air conditioner with wheels stands on a wood floor. Credit: Getty Images / AlexLMX

Why trust Reviewed?

Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.

Learn more about our product testing
1
Editor's Choice Product image of Whynter Elite ARC-122DS
Best Overall

Whynter Elite ARC-122DS

4.9
Check Price at Amazon

The Whynter Elite ARC-122DS offers good cooling for a great value. While small, it doesn't have any handles, which hurts its portability. Read More

Pros

  • Good cooling
  • Great value

Cons

  • No real handles; hard to pick up
2
Editor's Choice Product image of LG LP1419IVSM
Most Portable

LG LP1419IVSM

4.7
Check Price at Best Buy

The LG LP1419IVSM can cool down an entire room, quickly. Its short stature and pocket handles make it easy to move and it can be controlled via app. Read More

Pros

  • Cools down a whole room fast
  • Smart features
  • Easily movable from room to room

Cons

  • Some parts feel flimsy
3
Editor's Choice Product image of LG LP0621WSR

LG LP0621WSR

4.7
Check Price at Amazon

The LG LP0621WSR performed well on just about all of our tests. It has decent portability and handling, and rolls smoothly over carpet. Read More

Pros

  • Cools down the room quickly
  • Quiet operation

Cons

  • Controls can be unresponsive
4
Product image of Whynter ARC-14S

Whynter ARC-14S

4.2
Check Price at Amazon

The Whynter ARC-14S offers some decent cooling at a reasonable price. As a bonus, its parts are eco-friendly as well. Read More

Pros

  • Eco-friendly parts
  • Decent cooling performance

Cons

  • Was slow to cool a whole room
5
Product image of Tosot GPC05AK-A3NNA2B

Tosot GPC05AK-A3NNA2B

4.2
Check Price at Home Depot

This portable AC unit cools small rooms well but is relatively heavy and somewhat ungainly to move around. Read More

Pros

  • Cools small rooms well
  • Fair price

Cons

  • Somewhat heavy
  • Hard to move
  • Best Overall Whynter Elite ARC-122DS
  • Most Portable LG LP1419IVSM
  • Other Portable Air Conditioners We Tested
  • How We Tested The Best Portable Air Conditioners
  • How Do Portable ACs Work?
  • What to Know Before Buying a Portable AC
  • More Articles You Might Enjoy

Like a fan or a classic window air conditioner, the best portable air conditioners keep you cool on hot days.

A portable AC is ideal for a low-occupancy household that only needs to cool one room at a time, offering the flexibility to move the unit from room to room.

After testing, the Whynter Elite ARC-122DS (available at Amazon) rose to the top as the best portable air conditioner, because it offers superior cooling, room coverage, and great value. However, there are plenty of great portable AC units on our list.

Our pick for the best portable air conditioner, the Whynter Elite ARC-122DS, located in a cozy living room.
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
Best Overall
Whynter Elite ARC-122DS
  • Cooling power: 12,000 BTU (ASHRAE) / 6,775 BTU (DOE)
  • Room coverage: Up to 400 square feet
  • Noise: Less than 52 dB

The Whynter Elite packs a lot of cooling capacity into a relatively inexpensive package, making it the best portable air conditioner you can buy.

During testing, it cooled an 81°F room down by about 20°F in roughly 20 minutes; then, within 15 minutes it cooled the room within a couple of degrees of its target temperature, 61°F. While not the fastest unit we tested, this was a remarkable performance for a portable AC at this price point.

This Whynter portable AC has a high-quality build, and it boasts the best filter system out of the bunch. While most other portable AC filters were large and flimsy, making them difficult to maneuver or snap out of place, this filter is a sturdy panel that lifts out vertically.

This Whynter portable AC is also fairly small and easy to move around and store. However, taller folks may not love this size.

A shorter model requires you to stoop down pretty far if you do want to move it around, and this may actually make it harder to transport during room-to-room transitions.

Pros

  • Good cooling

  • Great value

Cons

  • No real handles; hard to pick up

Buy now at Amazon

$499.99 from Best Buy

$499.00 from Home Depot

$425.00 from Walmart
A top-down and side-on view of the LG LP1419IVSM portable air conditioner in a blue void
Credit: LG
Most Portable
LG LP1419IVSM
  • Cooling power: 14,000 BTU (ASHRAE) / 10,000 BTU (DOE)
  • Room coverage: Up to 500 square feet
  • Noise: Down to 44 dB

While it doesn't have the most robust build of the bunch, this LG portable air conditioner still has plenty to offer.

It was able to cool down the whole testing chamber remarkably quickly. Its handles, small size, and manageable weight make it easy to move from room to room. It's also relatively quiet compared to other models we tested.

The unit also has Wi-Fi-enabled smart features, like remote control via a smartphone app.

While the LG portable AC was one of the better portable air conditioners we tested, its filter cover felt a bit flimsy, which made removing and replacing it a bit more difficult than it needed to be.

Pros

  • Cools down a whole room fast

  • Smart features

  • Easily movable from room to room

Cons

  • Some parts feel flimsy

$545.99 from Best Buy

$563.40 from Home Depot

$649.00 from Walmart

Other Portable Air Conditioners We Tested

Product image of LG LP0621WSR
LG LP0621WSR
  • Cooling power: 6,000 BTU (DOE)
  • Room coverage: Up to 250 square feet
  • Noise: 51 dB

This LG portable AC performed well on just about all of our tests. The unit is able to cool down our test chamber quickly and maintain that temperature.

The LG LP0621WSR has decent portability and handling, and rolls smoothly even over carpet. Its handle placement and center of gravity help it keep moving without falling over.

This LG portable AC is loud on the highest setting, but lower settings are much quieter, ranging from 57dBA down to 46dBA.

The controls are easy-to-read labels and it has an intuitive layout. Our only complaint is that switching between fan strengths can take up to four seconds to switch.

Pros

  • Cools down the room quickly

  • Quiet operation

Cons

  • Controls can be unresponsive

$308.70 from Amazon

$324.99 from Best Buy

$308.70 from Home Depot

$329.00 from Walmart
Product image of Whynter ARC-14S
Whynter ARC-14S
  • Cooling power: 14,000 BTU (ASHRAE) / 9,500 BTU (DOE)
  • Room coverage: Up to 500 square feet
  • Noise: 52 dB

The Whynter portable AC is able to cool an area about 22°F in 20 minutes, which is about average for this group of the best portable air conditioners.

During testing, the sensors that were less directly in the path of the cold air took about another 20 minutes to get the room down to its maintenance temperature.

One of the more notable aspects of this unit is that it uses more eco-friendly parts than the typical portable air conditioner. Its refrigerant is CFC-free, and the unit uses lead-free components that comply with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive.

While it's small in size, it doesn't have any handles to grip onto, making portability more difficult than most. The unit features edges towards its bottom to grab onto, but these can only accommodate fingertips.

If you want to support companies that produce less dangerous products without losing much functionality in the trade-off, this Whynter portable AC is a good choice.

Pros

  • Eco-friendly parts

  • Decent cooling performance

Cons

  • Was slow to cool a whole room

$529.99 from Amazon

$529.99 from Best Buy

$696.60 from Walmart
Product image of Tosot GPC05AK-A3NNA2B
Tosot GPC05AK-A3NNA2B
  • Cooling power: 8,000 BTU (ASHRAE) / 5,000 BTU (DOE)
  • Room coverage: Up to 300 square feet
  • Noise: 49 dB

This sturdy Tosot unit cools small rooms, but it isn’t the easiest portable air conditioner to move around. The Tosot portable AC is on the heavier side, so you’ll run into some significant friction trying to scoot it along a carpet. It also just has a single handle on its back, meaning you’ll probably need to grip the front vent area with your other hand to pick up the unit.

While this works, it means putting your fingers into the vent, which doesn’t feel like the correct handhold.

The controls can be difficult to read in dim light, as they use silver text on a black background.

In terms of noise, the Tosot GPC05AK-A3NNA2B is about average for a portable air conditioner, ranging from 48dBA at its lowest setting to 57dBA at its loudest.

Pros

  • Cools small rooms well

  • Fair price

Cons

  • Somewhat heavy

  • Hard to move

$249.99 from Home Depot

$339.99 from Walmart
Product image of De'Longhi Pinguino PACEX390LVYN
De'Longhi Pinguino PACEX390LVYN
  • Cooling power: 14,000 BTU (ASHRAE) / 8,600 BTU (DOE)
  • Room coverage: Up to 700 square feet
  • Noise: 53 dB

The De'Longhi Pinguino does a good job at cooling down a room. In the first eight minutes, the average temperature in the room had dropped by about 20 degrees, and after 15 minutes the room was within a degree of the unit's target temperature, 64°F.

Of course, the issue here is that just about every other portable air conditioner on this list is capable of hitting temperatures a few degrees colder, which puts the De'Longhi Pinguino at a slight disadvantage.

In terms of portability, the De'Longhi Pinguino lands in the middle of the pack. It has an average height and weight, with pocket handles located about halfway down the sides of the device.

While you'll have to stoop to pick it up, it is easy to grip and lug around once you have it lifted.

Pros

  • Extra temp and humidity sensors

  • Excels at cooling large rooms

  • A multitude of features

Cons

  • Weighs in at 83.3 pounds

$699.95 from Amazon
Product image of Frigidaire FHPC082AC1
Frigidaire FHPC082AC1
  • Cooling power: 8,000 BTU (ASHRAE) / 5,500 BTU (DOE)
  • Room coverage: Up to 350 square feet
  • Noise: Down to 50 dB

This model Frigidaire portable AC has an average performance in terms of cooling—nothing to write home about, but nothing to be concerned about either.

In terms of noise, this Frigidaire portable AC is louder than average, ranging from 50dBA to 58dBA on the higher fan settings.

Most portable air conditioners are also fairly loud at top speed, but the competition has a much lower decibel output on their lower fan settings.

It excels in terms of its overall size and shape. Its compact, narrow build makes it ideal for smaller spaces.

$329.00 from Amazon

$329.00 from Home Depot

$329.00 from Abt

$349.00 from Walmart
Product image of Midea MAP08R1CWT
Midea MAP08R1CWT
  • Cooling power: 8,000 BTU (ASHRAE) / 5,300 BTU (DOE)
  • Room coverage: Up to 175 square feet
  • Noise: 52-58 dB

This AC portable Midea model has average cooling power: You shouldn’t have any issues with it, but it’s also not the strongest performer.

Moving this unit around can be a little tricky. While it does have two dedicated handles, they’re only about an inch deep, which can make gripping the unit difficult.

That said, it rolls around smoothly, even over carpet, with no tendency to tip over.

This is another noisy unit, which peaks at 58dB, though it is much quieter on the lower settings.

One minor complaint: The remote has some responsiveness issues, with inputs either not going through or taking a few seconds to register.

$999.99 from Walmart
Product image of GE APFD06JASW
GE APFD06JASW
  • Cooling power: 6,100 BTU (DOE)
  • Room coverage: Up to 250 square feet
  • Noise: 52 dB

The GE portable AC commands a lower price than some other portable air conditioners, though it still delivers decent cooling power.

This unit isn’t the most portable of the ones we tested. The handles on its side are just over a centimeter deep, making it difficult to grip. The center of gravity and size of the wheels also make it difficult to push around on carpet.

While you shouldn’t have any problems with the GE portable AC’s noise level, it does get loud on the higher settings, peaking at 59.1dBA.

$359.00 from Amazon

$229.00 from Walmart
Product image of Costway EP24619US
Costway EP24619US
  • Cooling power: 8,000 BTU
  • Room coverage: Up to 230 square feet
  • Noise: 56 dB

The Costway portable AC feels like it has cut some corners. Its cooling power isn’t impressive, though it also doesn’t fall far below the average.

The remote has a few blank buttons that don’t have any functionality and, during testing, was completely unresponsive at times.

Instead of a second handle, you need to grip the vent with your other hand, which doesn’t feel great.

In terms of noise, the Costway portable AC leans toward the louder end, peaking at 57dBA at its highest settings.

Buy now at Amazon

$251.18 from Home Depot

How We Tested The Best Portable Air Conditioners

The Testers

I'm Mark Brezinski, and I've been testing and reviewing consumer tech for over a decade. At Reviewed, I’ve spent several years reviewing and developing tests for dozens of different categories, from cell phones to headphones to vacation cruises—and now portable air conditioners!

Dave Ellerby, the Chief Scientist at Reviewed, tested our most recent batch of window air conditioners. In the New England climate, summers can get especially hot, so he has a lot of experience using them, and built an all-new testing chamber for air conditioners to make sure our results would be even more consistent.

The Tests

Every portable air conditioner underwent the same testing regimen, addressing performance and user-friendliness.

A cooling test was our performance indicator. We outfitted our testing chamber (200 square feet) with temperature sensors placed at the center of each of its four walls, with a fifth sensor in the middle of the room. We set up a control sensor outside the room.

First, we heated the room using a space heater and let each unit run for two hours, taking measurements every minute from our sensors.

The resulting data lets us see how quickly the portable air conditioner can cool down the whole room, and it verifies how good each unit is at spreading its cooling air around the room.

Beyond this performance test, we also assessed the usability of each portable air conditioner. We observed slight variations between the units we tested. Each has roughly the same control layout and is equally easy to use, set up, and move around.

Features were also relatively minimal, with most units including a physical remote control and some Wi-Fi capabilities.

We did observe one main difference: overall size and weight.

How Do Portable ACs Work?

A diagram showing how an air conditioner takes in air from the room, removes its heat, expels that heat out the window, and blows the resulting cold air back into the room.
Credit: Reviewed / Getty Images / VectorMine

While the specifics will change unit to unit, this is generally how air conditioners remove heat from the air.

An air conditioner takes in hot air from around the room (or outside) and passes it over coils filled with coolant. The coils extract heat from the air, then blow this cooler air back into the room. The machine exhausts its heat out the back of the device (window units) or through a ventilation tube (portable air conditioners).

This cooling process produces condensation, which either drips out the back of the device, drains into a reservoir you need to empty, or pushes through a single hose that you can run to a nearby drain, depending on the unit.

What to Know Before Buying a Portable AC

What Are BTUs?

BTU stands for British Thermal Unit, which is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. This a measure of cooling strength: The higher its BTU rating, the more heat it can remove from the air.

You may see a BTU ASHRAE or BTU DOE measurement in our guide. BTU ASHRAE is the BTU the unit outputs, while BTU DOE is how cool it may feel given the loss of some cooling through the hose and ventilation system.

What Size Portable AC Do You Need?

Usually, when people ask this, they're referring to what BTU rating to buy for a room of a given size. A larger AC unit is likely overkill in a small space and will cause you to spend extra money on power.

Check out the Energy Star square footage chart for BTUs based on room size. This will help maximize your unit’s energy efficiency.

Should You Get a Portable AC or Window Unit?

Window air conditioning units are heavy, boxy-looking appliances, although they're more efficient than portable AC units when it comes to cooling off a space.

The benefits of a portable air conditioning unit are its easy storage and versatility. Portable ACs typically cost less than purchasing a regular window-mounted unit.

Does Noise Level Matter for Portable ACs?

Portable AC units are slightly louder than traditional window units since they don't funnel as much noise directly outside.

If you are concerned about how loud your air conditioner is, check how many decibels (dB) the unit produces. Most portable air conditioners land around 56 dB at the highest setting, although some may be slightly quieter or louder.

Meet the testers

Mark Brezinski

Mark Brezinski

Senior Writer

@markbrezinski

Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.

See all of Mark Brezinski's reviews
Dr. Dave Ellerby

Dr. Dave Ellerby

Chief Scientist

Dave Ellerby has a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds and a B.Sc. from the University of Manchester. He has 25+ years of experience designing tests and analyzing data.

See all of Dr. Dave Ellerby's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next