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: moisture output, convenience, noise, and energy efficiency. It also earns a respectable score for output using hard water. We can’t judge humidistat performance because this unit has none; it also can’t be programmed. But for a small outlay, you get an empty-tank indicator and automatic shutoff, both pluses.

The very inexpensive Comfort Zone CZHD20 humidifier is geared toward smaller areas, specifically up to 100 square feet, and can be used for travel as well. It earns an excellent rating in overall performance in our tests and top marks for convenience, as well as its daily output of half a gallon of water.

The Crane Drop humidifier is intended for rooms up to 250 square feet and earns an excellent rating for overall performance. This model comes with an empty-tank indicator and has an automatic shutoff feature. Easy to use and energy-efficient, this model also scores top marks for its low noise levels. 

It’s not all about looks with this whimsical Crane Owl humidifier. On just about every measure, including moisture output and noise, it earns an excellent rating. The 250-square-foot claimed coverage area is on the high end for a small-room model.

This CVS humidifier is intended to humidify areas up to 162.5 square feet. It earns top marks in our noise and output tests, the latter of which measures how many gallons are emitted daily per square foot. This model features a timer along with a power cord that spans 70 inches. And while its overall performance is rated as excellent, it falls slightly short in our hard-water test, which measures how well a unit performs with mineral-rich tap water.

The CVS Health GUL540V1 cool-mist humidifier is intended for rooms up to 150 square feet, and it earns an excellent rating in our noise tests, making it a good choice for a small bedroom. A CR Smart Buy, the model combines impressive performance with an appealing price. Like many small humidifiers, it’s light on features—but it’s equipped with an automatic shutoff and a night-light. This model is sold exclusively at CVS and cvs.com.

The CVS Ultrasonic cool mist humidifier earns top marks in overall performance and impresses in our noise and efficiency tests. It’s intended to humidify areas up to 200 square feet and even comes with a glow-in-the-dark element.

This mini Honeywell humidifier earns an excellent rating in overall performance and is intended to humidify areas up to 162.5 square feet. It boasts a power cord longer than 70 inches and offers the option to diffuse aromas. This model impressed in our noise, efficiency, and convenience tests, and is relatively compact to boot.

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: overall moisture output, convenience, noise, energy efficiency, and output using hard water. (It has no humidistat, though, so we didn’t test that feature’s efficacy.) 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, a plus.

The Air Innovations humidifier impresses in our tests, with top marks in efficiency and output, and for its low noise levels. It earns an excellent rating in overall performance and comes with an automatic shutoff feature, as well as an empty-tank indicator. Prime to tackle areas up to 400 square feet, this model is not one to miss. 

The Lasko UH200 is intended for spaces up to 320 square feet and nets excellent ratings in every performance test we could throw at it, missing out only on humidistat accuracy because it doesn’t have one. It has an indicator (and auto-shutoff) for when the tank runs dry, a night-light, and the option to diffuse aromas through the room.

When it comes to adding moisture to a room quietly and efficiently, this Comfort Zone humidifier earns an excellent rating. The only blemish is a so-so convenience rating; the tank can’t be filled in a bathroom sink, and a hand won’t fit inside it for cleaning. This model is loaded with features, such as an empty-tank indicator and auto-shutoff, though our testers found that controls weren’t clear or intuitive.

With a very good rating in overall performance, this Safety 1st humidifier can tackle areas up to 400 square feet. It excels in our noise, convenience, and efficiency tests but falls slightly short of our top-rated models when it comes to its sheer output.

With a very good score for overall performance, this Walgreens humidifier is intended to tackle areas up to 373 square feet. Unlike many of the other models on this list, this humidifier features a timer. It also offers the option to diffuse aromas, has a long power cord, and features an indicator for an empty tank as well as for when it needs to be cleaned. It earns top marks in our noise and convenience tests, and still impresses when it comes to its output.

Coming in at under $15, this Mainstays humidifier is worth checking out. Sized for a desk or bedside table, it earns an excellent rating in overall performance and shines in many of our tests. Intended to humidify areas up to 25 square feet, this model has a glow-in-the-dark feature, it indicates when the tank is empty, and it can hold essential oils directly in its tank. The lone drawback is that it has only two settings.

This HoMedics humidifier earns a very good rating in overall performance and is intended to humidify areas up to 25 square feet. It earns top marks in our noise and efficiency tests but performs poorly when filled with hard water. Despite a few drawbacks—a 60-inch power cord and only two settings—it’s still a solid choice.

The stylish 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 SPT SU-1053 portable humidifier is designed to be used in a very small room or—because a water bottle serves as the water tank—for travel. It excels at adding moisture to the air, earning an excellent rating for output as well as for noise and energy efficiency. It sports an empty-tank indicator and automatic shutoff when the water is used up. It didn’t fare well at all in our hard-water test.