The Best Desk Fans of 2021

The only fan on our list that doubles as a night light, the Hokeki USB Desk Fan is one of the better nightstand fan options. Plus, touch controls for the built-in LED light are easy to use, allowing you to set it to a steady glow or slow pulse even if you’re barely conscious. As for more traditional fan features, the Hokeki covers its bases. In terms of wind speed, it can keep pace with the Vornado. It has three settings that offer a good spectrum of breeze and noise. It can also oscillate, which is a feature not many desk fans include.

This fan is also extremely portable. Not does it sport a rechargeable battery capable of 12–14 hours of use, it can also fold up and lock its touch controls so it doesn’t accidentally activate as you lug it around.

The one downside—the fan charges via USB and doesn’t come with a wall adapter (so maybe toss one into your cart if you’re thinking about buying this).

This one surprised us a little. Initially, we saw its wood-patterned plastic exterior, mix of cheap and decent-looking components, and dial with six positions and only three different speeds and thought it would be a dud.

Despite all this, the TTKTK Desk Fan impressed us with its impressive wind speed and volume—though that throughput comes at a relatively high noise volume. Fortunately, the lower speeds offer a better mix of breeze and noise for an office setting. We liked its vertical adjustability, which allowed us to angle it appropriately at a variety of distances.

This little USB-powered fan has one of the more interesting form factors we’ve seen, resembling a piece of elbow macaroni with a tiny fan stuck inside. Its metal base is touch-sensitive and will power on with one tap, switch to a lower speed with two, and turn off again with three.

While this fan actually had the slowest wind speed out of everything we tested, it was also the quietest by far and one of the smallest, making it perfect for someone who doesn’t necessarily want a lot of breeze.

We were surprised at the wind speed we were able to get out of this incredibly lightweight, USB-powered fan. At its highest speed it could compete with our top-performers, but its lowest settings also provide decent wind for the noise output. Aside from its unique, thin form and battery-powered portability, the EasyAcc Desk Fan was notable for being the most customizable—its dial operated like a dimmer switch, allowing you to very finely adjust the fan’s speed.

As with other USB-powered options on this list, the EasyAcc needs a separate adaptor if you want to plug it into the wall.

The Lasko Platinum is a small tower fan with a somewhat unique form, employing more curves and asymmetry into its design than typical. You can twist the top and bottom halves independently to help share the breeze with a friend, no oscillation required. But if you prefer oscillation, it can do that too.

The Lasko Platinum might not have as many settings as other fans on this list, but it covers its bases well enough, providing everything from a very high wind speed or a moderate, quieter breeze. That being said, this fan was on the louder side of fans we tested—it’s definitely more for those who favor power over quiet operation.

This tiny fan doesn’t offer much more than an on/off switch and 10 mph winds. We liked its design, which looks like a miniature version of an industrial floor fan. And it is very small—it’s impressive how much wind you can get out of its relatively quiet, 4-inch fan blade.

The only real downside we could find is it does create some minor vibrations. Depending on your desk, it might be enough to shake that coffee mug full of pens. Otherwise, this is a small, simple, inexpensive desk fan that will likely meet the majority of users’ needs.

Right out of the box, we were a bit confused about this fan. It features a tower design with a single, small fan centered vertically inside. There’s quite a lot of space between the fan and its top, as well as the fan and the controls, leaving us wondering exactly why it’s so tall.

Much like the full-size QuietSet we reviewed for our other fan round-up, the QuietSet didn’t put up the most impressive testing scores. This fan seems to be aimed at consumers who want a quiet desk fan with plenty of options, but a number of the fans we tested actually offered much quieter operation. This fan also didn’t impress with wind speed. While it does have some features we didn’t see on all other models, like a timer mode, they don’t make up for its lack of performance. There are better fans on this list

We were skeptical of the Dr. Prepare, which both looked and felt cheap. Its glossy plastic construction belied a more budget option than its $20 price point. In terms of our performance tests, it wasn’t particularly powerful and it was one of the noisiest fans we tested. It also doesn’t have a price reflective of what it offers.

If you’re looking for a white noise generator while you sleep, and want something that keeps its blades hidden away, we’d recommend checking out the TTKTK, which outputs more wind, is equally bladeless, and can be made either louder or quieter.

This fan features a remarkably similar design to the Holmes fan further up the list, only scaled back slightly across the board. For its reduced price, you’ll get slower wind speeds at a louder volume, and you’ll have to deal with a USB charger with no wall adapter. While it’s the least expensive fan on this list, the other options offer significantly more functionality for a relatively small cost. Regardless of what use case you’re shopping for, there’s a fan on this list that will deliver that experience better.