Our Editor Tried the Best Air Conditioners on Amazon—This Is Her Favorite (2024)

"I've had this portable air conditioner for over three years and can't say enough good things about its cooling power!" Commerce Editor Nashia Baker says. Designed with large spaces in mind, this Black + Decker A/C can cool up to 700 square feet, has a 24-hour timer, and is programmable so that you can schedule cooling sessions with ease. "It was super helpful that it came with all the window kit equipment for setup and a decently long power cord to reach a nearby outlet," she adds. "Ever since I first started using the A/C, it's been a reliable unit to combat intense summer heat and sticky conditions with its auto water evaporation—no drainage required!"

It also comes with an LED display and a physical remote to control the temperature a couple different ways. Though it doesn't have automated smart capabilities, Baker notes that "it's easy to move and angle for the best cooling position" and has a "big airflow vent that helps cool my space down in about 10 minutes or less."

If you want to keep cool without sacrificing space, shop this mini portable air conditioner. Weighing in at just three pounds, and seven square inches in size, its footprint can allow you to place it anywhere from your kitchen counter to desk at home. Its three-in-one design acts as an A/C, fan, and humidifier, and its LED touch screen can help you to switch to any of these functions with ease. By adding cold water or ice cubes to its reservoir, the appliance is designed to push cool air in just about five seconds.

A reviewer said, "The portable mini air conditioner is a great choice for anyone looking for a compact, personal cooling solution. It's perfect for small spaces, energy-efficient, and easy to use. It's an excellent product for staying cool without the hefty energy costs of a full-sized air conditioner. I would recommend it for those hot summer days when you need a quick and convenient way to cool down your immediate surroundings."

Anyone on the hunt for a simple, to-the-point window unit will appreciate this Frigidaire air conditioner. It's mountable to windows and has adjustable side panels that can fit your exact window width—no gaping. The A/C has six preset cooling settings and four fan speeds to regulate the room's temperature. For routine maintenance, simply clean the washable filter to help keep air clean.

A reviewer said, "The A/C got delivered fast. Was extremely easy to install. It’s not loud, and the LED temperature display shuts off so it doesn’t glow when you’re trying to sleep. It comes with insulation pieces and everything you need to secure it to the window."

This Coolblus A/C has all the bells and whistles you'd need in a portable air conditioner. It's 360-degree swivel wheels make it easy to roll around and it has a window slide bar and adaptor for streamlined installation. You can control the cooling through the LED panel or remote. In the event of a power outage, this A/C even has an automatic restart to get right back to cool comfort.

"I bought this portable A/C for my bedroom to replace a bigger A/C that took up way too much space," one reviewer said, "This A/C is much smaller and works just as good, if not better. The remote is a big plus as well to turn it off or to sleep mode without having to get out of bed. Unpacking and set up was simple and easy. The unit is very manageable to move and even lift if needed."

Complete with a U-shaped design, this air conditioner is created to use the window to block out noise when it's closed and stay in place when it's open to welcome fresh air. When the window is down, you can use the A/C's anti-theft mechanism to lock the window for added security. Plus, it has a connected MSmartHome app to control from anywhere and voice commands.

"As to energy savings, running the whole house A/C to keep the bedroom cool meant cooling the entire house throughout the night," a reviewer said, "Now, I can keep the house temp higher, and use the efficient Midea to cool the only room needing to be cooled at night—the bedroom where it's installed."

Thanks to its DC inverter technology that helps regulate power consumption, this air conditioner is designed to cut energy costs by 35 percent. "There is a definite savings in energy use, and it means the whole house A/C gets a break during the night hours," they added.

While you do need to buy a wall sleeve separately, this air conditioner will make it easier to install if you have a space readily available in your wall. Bonus: It is still compatible for window setup. This A/C also has four fan speeds and a remote for ample control over your cooling.

A reviewer said, "By far the best installation package. [It came] with plenty of foam sealant strips and spacer wedges and tilting wedges. [The] shiny new aluminum grill plate installation was a breeze using my slightly oversized wall box."

At first glance, a lot of air conditioners can just look like a clunky appliance. That's not the case with this portable Whynter A/C. It has a stylish platinum and black design that can help elevate any modern home's interior.

Our colleagues at the Good Housekeeping Institute call this unit their favorite portable air conditioner because of its versatility. From doubling as a dehumidifier to its ability to cool nearly 600 square feet, the experts say this "powerful yet relatively quiet portable A/C" is a clear standout for shoppers. Perfect for humid climates, testers say that it can remove up to 101 pints of moisture from the air over a 24-hour period.

If you have tall windows or ones that slide open sideways or out to the side, this PerfectAire casem*nt air conditioner is for you. It has a vertical design to fit in slender windows and comes with a mounting kit to keep it in place. There are three cooling modes and fan speeds to choose from, plus controls like auto restart, sleep, dry, and energy saver to customize cooling to your needs. Another special feature is its "follow me" remote control, which works like a portable thermostat to adjust the A/C's cooling anywhere you are within its 26-foot radius.

A reviewer said, "I built a home 20 years ago, it is a two-story. Victorian living room windows are very narrow, just like they were in the old days! Could not find an air conditioner to fit. This was perfect! Love the 'follow me' feature."

Whether you want a cooling or heating system in your home, you can't go wrong with this Della find. The sleek, portable unit will give you the best of both worlds. Get the temperature just right come summer or winter with three fan speeds and temperature ranges from 61℉ to 90℉.

A reviewer said, "The Della A/C and Heater works very well, I’ve tried both functions and they work as advertised. It puts out very cool air, as well as warm air on the heat function. I use this primarily to cool and heat a storage/shop addition to my house."

"From the moment I set it up, I was impressed by its sleek design and compact size, making it a perfect fit for any room without taking up too much space," one reviewer said about this budget-friendly pick. The small but mighty portable air conditioner can hold up to 1.5 liters of water in its reservoir to project cool air for about 12 hours at a time.

It's equipped with four speeds (soft, medium, high, and strong) and two spray modes for a custom cooling experience. "It provides a refreshing and powerful breeze that keeps me cool and comfortable, especially when positioned directly in front of me," the reviewer added. "The adjustable settings allow for personalized comfort, whether you need a slight breeze or a stronger cooling effect. I also appreciate how quiet it runs, ensuring a peaceful night’s sleep without any disturbance."

This portable air conditioner has more high-tech features than others on this list. For starters, it has multi-purpose technology that cools, dehumidifies, and uses a fan to keep your air temperature anywhere from 61℉ to 88℉.

"The smart and sleep modes are particularly impressive, as they allow me to customize my comfort settings based on my daily routine," one reviewer said. "The remote control and app connectivity make it extremely easy to operate the unit from anywhere in the house or even when I'm away." This level of connectivity would be great for someone who likes to manage their home environment remotely.

Looking for a quality air conditioner that barely makes a peep? Point your attention to this smart Midea model. This A/C uses dual hose-in-hose technology for balanced air circulation inside that also keeps hot air from seeping through gaps. In turn, it claims to cool your home twice as fast. Plus, you can power the Wi-Fi compatible A/C through an app or Alexa and Google Assistant voice controls. No matter what cooling setting you choose, it's manufactured with a 42dB noise level, which is comparable to the white noise you'd hear in a quiet office.

"What's good about this unit is that the vents that blow out the cold air are a wide output, and it has a swivel that blows the air up and down, so it makes the air go in all directions. If you don't like that, you can just set it on one direction," a reviewer said. "All the other units that I looked at only had it blowing up from the top of the A/C unit, which, to me, defeats the whole purpose of getting to lower levels of the room where you will be sitting or lying down. The compressor is very quiet and so is the fan. It has a sleep mode that a lot of units do not have and it saves on electricity."

Available at an affordable price point and designed with a compact build, this window air conditioner is most ideal for those who need to cool off a small space. It comes with two manual cooling modes and two fan speeds, along with 10 setting controls to help cut down a room's temperature. Its included filter is removable and washable for streamlined maintenance.

A reviewer said, "I bought this a year ago and it got me through the tail end of summer. This is a smaller A/C unit, which is perfect for my bedroom. It also screws into the baseboard and window frame, which helps guarantee stability."

This portable air conditioner might have a slender design, but it's able to cool up to 800 square feet of living space for up to a day at a time with its 24-hour time setting. You can control the A/C through its remote control (with 25-foot range), its LED display, or through its connected app to control it from anywhere. While it does need to be connected to a window, it comes with an installation kit and has durable 360-degree wheels and handles designed to move it from room to room as needed.

"I bought this portable A/C for my large living room," one reviewer said. "The installation was fairly easy. I love that this portable air conditioner contains several features such as dehumidification, fan, cooling, and even heating built all in one! The size of this A/C doesn’t take a lot of space yet it cools down the area super quickly! I also love that I can control in with its app and remote control, very convenient!"