To determine the best portable air conditioner for your money in 2023, we started by researching online to find the most popular models, and then we took it one step further and purchased the top 20 for extensive research. After we received the air conditioners, we turned off any other units or central air systems we have and let the summer heat sink in. As we let the portable AC units cool our space down, we measured key factors like noise levels and cooling capacity. We even considered ease of installation and power-saving functionality. Read on to learn about these portable units, but also check out other top-ranking air conditioners.
After all the hot days and all the cooling down, we found that the Honeywell Contempo HL10CES Air Conditioner is the best at keeping you cool. Its portable and compact design doesn’t sacrifice cooling power. This powerful little unit will keep you cool without making too much noise or taking up too much space. Keep reading to learn more about our #1 portable air conditioner and the other top models we researched.
See also: The best portable AC for camping will be light and provide hours of cool air.
Table of Contents:
- #1 Honeywell Contempo AC
- #2 Editor’s Choice Whynter Elite 12000 BTU
- #3 hOmeLabs Portable Air Conditioner
- #4 Whynter ARC-143MX Dual-Hose
- #5 LG Electronics LP1414GXR
#1 Pick Honeywell Contempo HL10CES Air Conditioner
Price: $349.00 | Features: 10,000 BTU, dual-filter, quiet operation
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: The Honeywell Contempo HL10CES air conditioning unit may not have the best cooling power, but this portable unit is dirt cheap and features a whisper-quiet operation to compensate.
With single-hose systems, you’re never going to get the same amount of cooling power you would from a comparatively powered dual-hose unit, but here’s the catch: dual hose units are quite a bit pricier than their single-hosed counterparts And when it comes to heating and cooling prices matter.
So if you’re trying to shop on the cheap and only need something that air-conditions a small bedroom or living room with ease, the Honeywell Contempo HL10CES portable AC unit is what you need. Again, this single-hose 10,000 BTU portable air conditioner can’t hold its own on cooling power alone with dual hose units, but what it lacks there it makes up for in a small profile and one of the quietest operations volumes of any portable air conditioner on the market today. This portable AC unit also has better airflow than the Black Decker BPACT08WT that only offers 8 000 BTU of power, even though Black & Decker has been a top American brand for decades. It’s a popular choice for large apartment bedrooms, living rooms, and offices, making it our best overall pick, and it is also available with free shipping and free returns for Amazon Prime members. If your home is much larger though, consider reading some of our central air conditioner reviews.
Related: Similar options can be found in our best portable air conditioner and heater buying guide.
#2 Pick Whynter ARC-122DS Elite 12000 BTU Dual Hose Digital Portable Air Conditioner
Price: $479.00 | Features: 12,000 BTUs, extra light, dual-hose exhaust
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: The Whynter ARC-122DS can pack a ton of cooling power into a petite package.
When you opt to go for a portable air conditioner over a window-mounted unit, you’re probably going to want to prioritize one aspect of the feature set over everything else: how “portable” the unit actually is in day-to-day use. Often though the tradeoff for choosing smaller/lighter units that you can move easily from room to room is the overall cooling power output you get from the unit, but not so with the Whynter ARC-122DS Elite.
Weighing a comparatively petite 57 pounds and just 30 inches tall, the 12,000 BTU portable Whynter ARC-122DS Elite puts out some of the best cooling power in its class, thanks in part to its Whynter dual-hose exhaust system which simultaneously pumps hot air out of the room at the same time it’s bringing cold air in. These dual hose designs are quite popular, making them some of the top dual hose portable air conditioners. Matching its small stature, the ARC-122DS Elite also happens to be one of the quietest personal air conditioners on the market both in cooling and the standard fan in high setting or air conditioner dehumidifier modes with less than 52 dBA of the noise level. It is also known as an evaporative air cooler.
No portable A/C will ever quite be able to measure up to what window-mounted units are capable of, but the Whynter dual-hose ARC-122DS gets about as close as any to hitting almost every feature out of the park.
#3 Pick hOmeLabs Portable Air Conditioner
Price: $449.99 | Features: 14,000 BTU, capable of cooling a 500 sq. ft. room
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: The hOmeLabs portable air conditioner has enough power to cool down any size of home.
While 10,000 BTUs (British thermal unit) may be enough to keep your home office or smaller living room at a comfortable temperature in the middle of a heatwave, what should you get when you have to cool an entire floor during the hottest portions of the day, especially if you’re traveling? You’ll want the best portable air conditioner for your RV.
This is where bumping up to 14,000 BTU portable air units like the hOmeLabs portable air conditioner comes in, with its ability to both cool and dehumidify a room size of up to 500 square feet at a time without even breaking a sweat. It’s got multiple air conditioning functions and a dehumidifier setting. Dehumidifying a 500-square-foot space isn’t a joke; this unit was built for cooling larger spaces. Plus, even though all that power may be reason enough to buy this monster on its own, it runs ultra-quiet, features wheels that make it easy to move, and can be controlled with a fully-featured included remote as a bonus, making this an easy choice to make. For more control over multiple rooms, consider the best mini split too.
#4 Pick Whynter ARC-143MX Dual-Hose
Price: $514.49 | Features: 14,000 BTU, auto-drain exhaust, CFC-free refrigerant
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: The Whynter ARC-143MX is a beastly powerhouse of a portable A/C.
From the boringly blasé design of the NewAir, we move on to the downright beautifully crafted Whynter ARC-143MX, a master class in how to make a home appliance both obscenely powerful and not too shabby on the eyes to boot.
Although the ARC-143MX may look imposing on the outside, the inside is all about eco-friendly energy consumption that keeps your electricity bills and ambient temperatures at an all-time low. Chuck in a 3M antimicrobial air filter and 14,000 BTUs of horsepower, and you’ve got a quick contender for one of the best portable air conditioners in 2023. These high BTU models really crank the cool.
#5 Pick LG Electronics LP1414GXR
Price: $489.05 | Features: 12,000 BTU, 1.2 pints per hour dehumidification, LCD remote control
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: If you’re cramped for space, the LP1414GXR fits nicely in any home.
Last up, we’ve got the LG Electronics LP1414GXR, which is a perfect solution for those who live in smaller homes or apartments and need to save all the space they can while still needing a moderate amount of BTUs to pump out of their portable AC. This unit can even work as a fine RV air conditioner, too.
At only two-and-a-half feet tall, this great LG air conditioner is a pint-sized powerhouse that is a cinch to set up and also comes with its own fully-functional LCD remote control. While it may not be as fancy as the smart home-ready LG LP1415WXRSM, it’s also about half as big and heavy. So, if you’re willing to sacrifice a few features here and there to make sure your AC doesn’t become the centerpiece conversation starter of your living room, do yourself a favor and grab the thoughtfully designed LG LP1414GXR portable AC unit instead.
Note: Other portable ACs that did not make this list but are still worth mentioning include the Stalwart fan blower that’s committed to providing the best price and value, with customer satisfaction guaranteed. There’s also the Max Storm Durable Lightweight Air Mover Carpet Dryer Blower with 3 operating angles, 2-speed settings, 25 feet power cord with a cord wrap, and is available in 3 colors Another portable AC, the LG LP 1419IVSM features a large easy to read control panel, a quiet BDLC motor, and a dual inverter compressor that makes it the quietest air blower. The dual inverter system also changes the compressor speed so that the AC can change its power to match the temperature of its surroundings. And finally, there’s the Frigidaire Gallery 12,000 BTU Cool Connect Smart Portable which is not very powerful but is stylish and has a very unique design.
How Air Conditioners Work
Air conditioners work by exploiting a physical law known as “phase conversion”, which means that whenever a liquid is converted to a gas, it absorbs heat in the process.
Air conditioners use a series of refrigerant compounds to repeatedly force warm air through a series of air circulating coils. This means that air conditioner coils continuously waft warm air over themselves to cool it down. When the warm air is pulled from either inside your home or outside, depending on your air conditioner’s hose setup, it then flows over the cold evaporator coils, the coils absorb the heat, and then transfer that heat over a secondary set of coils known as “condenser coils”.
The condenser coils expel the excess heat created by the process of phase conversion out of the back of the unit, which can be returned to the outside world via hose or the back of the unit itself. This depends on the style of the 2023 portable AC unit that you purchased (portable vs. window mounted). Any excess water drips into the AC drain pan which helps prevent water from collecting in your home. It’s a good idea to be aware of where the AC drain pan location is on your unit along with the other components.
Window vs. Portable – Which is Better for You?
Reading plenty of portable air conditioner reviews for 2023, can help narrow down your options. Although, when speaking of portable air conditioners vs. window-mounted, what’s truly the right setup for your home?
Well, it all depends on your windows. For a window-mounted air cooler to work, a vertical sliding window air conditioner needs to fit in a sill that slides up and down, rather than those that either open wide bay-style or slide left to right. The window size is also a factor to consider. So even a leading window air conditioner is harder to install than portable ACs due to design limitations. This makes it so window-mounted units are only viable in a few home setups, which is why the A/C industry offers a better option to anyone with alternative setups.
In short, that’s the reason great air conditioners that are portable exist.
Even the best portable AC units may not exactly be as “portable” as their name implies (some units can top 100lbs plus), however, the heaviest units will still come with caster wheels on the bottom and a convenient hose setup that allows you to roll it around the house and use it on just about any window configuration imaginable. Luckily there are some models that have both wheels and are lightweight like the one from our Luma Comfort EC110S review.
One of the biggest benefits window-mounted units have compared to portable options is cost. But central air conditioners are the most expensive. BTU-for-BTU you can expect to save anywhere between $50-$100 going with window air conditioners, but for all the convenience they provide, portable air conditioners are still worth a second look despite their higher price. Portable ACs are also generally better at energy efficiency. Another way to get a portable unit without exceeding a smaller budget is to make your own portable DIY air conditioner.
That said, window units are also more difficult to maintain. Portable units will usually have hoses to dispose of collected water or use self-evaporation system features that make it easy for the A/C to dump out excess moisture on its own, unlike a window unit. Windows units on the other hand will often come with trays that need to be regularly emptied by hand. Draining the unit regularly is a real hassle. On particularly hot days you may even find yourself having to empty the tray twice in less than 12 hours, depending on the humidity levels of the air pulled from outside.
Lastly, there’s the issue of air recirculation. With portable units, you have the luxury of choosing between single-hose and BTU dual-hosed portable air models which will either pull warm air from the inside or outside respectively, and determine air pressure. Dual hose ACs, like the Avallon dual hose portable A/C, get rid of negative air pressure. Window-mounted units will only recirculate air from the inside of your home, but why is this approach sometimes considered a bad thing?
Portable A/C Units: Single-Hose vs. Dual-Hose
If you do opt for the portable option, there are two different configuration types you need to know about before buying: single-hose and dual-hose.
Single-hose portable air conditioners work by pulling in air from the surrounding environment through a filter placed on the back of the unit. That air is sent through the system, cooled, and the cool air is ejected out of the air conditioner fan port, while the air carrying the excess heat generated by the phase conversion process is ejected out the hose that’s mounted in the bracket facing outside of your window. You can also learn more about what AC fans do.
While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, recently several studies released by the EPA suggest that indoor air – and more specifically, recirculated indoor air – may contain more pollutants than the air outside. If you’re worried about the overall quality of the air inside your home more than you are the outside, a dual hose portable option might be the choice for you. In this case, air quality is also important if you suffer from allergies or are sensitive to dust.
The easiest way to decide is to take stock of your particular setup, and how you want to minimize pollution the most given what you’re working with. Let’s say for example you live in an apartment like mine, which was only built last year and has little-to-no problems with indoor pollution, but I also live next to a major road which clogs up with cars two times a day. In this situation, I’d want to stick with a single-hose air conditioner, because I’d want to recirculate the internal air rather than risk pulling from the pollution gathering outside.
That said if you maybe live in an older house with possible contaminants, but it’s in the middle of the forest with plenty of fresh air to go around, a dual-hose option would be the obvious choice to make sure your home is always getting as much non-polluted air cycled in as possible.
Dual hose portable air conditioner options can sometimes be slightly pricier than single-hose, however, when it comes to making sure you’re breathing the freshest air out there, a couple of bucks here and there really won’t cost you as much as you think it will in the long run.
Key Factors and Features of a Good Portable Air Conditioner
Power/BTU Rating
- The first thing you’ll need to calculate before buying your next portable air conditioner is just how much power is required to cool down the room of your choice. Assess the foundation that you need work done on, like do you need the portable model unit for rooms in dry climates, humid spaces, garages like a one-car garage, or even three-car garages? Do you need this unit to have a heating mode that works for the colder months as well? See how this can correlate with fan speed and a timer setting too, like a 24-hour timer to help maintain a daily consistent temperature. This is one of the most important things to consider, and you need to look at your floor space and room layout. Keep in mind your needs and preferences, like if you prefer a popular model or one with a nice feature like a sleep mode, voice control, or built-in timer. A budget pick may not have these types of additional features, but they’re still capable of efficient cooling. All AC units will need maintenance and/or the occasional repairs, so it’s recommended that you learn how to keep up with cleaning all the components of the unit, like learning how to clean portable air conditioner coils.
- This power is rated in what’s known as “BTUs”. Without getting technical, in general, it’s said that a medium-sized 10,000 BTU portable AC for 2023 can cool upwards of a 250 sq. ft room, a 12,000 BTU unit can handle 400 sq. ft floor space, and the max 14,000 BTU unit can cool a single room or single floor as large as 500 sq. ft on its own. That’s also known as the maximum cooling area of an AC. The larger the BTU, the larger the room an AC can cool. Though even if you own the highest BTU AC unit on the market, you might be wondering, “How long can you run a portable air conditioner continuously?” It does matter, which our resource page further explores.
Air Filtration
- Several of the air conditioners we’ve mentioned on this list not only keep your house cool but will also double as full-on air purifiers.
- These can keep the air in your home free from fine particulate dust, pollen, or other allergy-inducing matter that might set more sensitive noses into a sneezing fit if left unchecked.
Noise
- Look, there’s no getting around it: portable air conditioners can be very, very loud when they’re running at full operation.
- Some people prefer the low hum they give off, but others can be quickly driven to madness by the constant rumbling these things put out.
- Don’t be surprised if you have to turn up your TV a few notches or blast your music a bit louder while the A/C is in the same room, and make sure your ears can handle any extra disruptions accordingly.
Ease of Installation
- Setting up a portable air conditioner can be a difficult process to learn if you haven’t already done it once or twice before.
- That’s why it’s important to make sure you have both the necessary tools and a window/sliding door where you’ll be able to mount the exhaust hose/intake hoses and keep a good seal. A portable air conditioning unit does require AC vents to get rid of the hot air. Keep in mind that a single-hose unit tends to be less expensive than dual-hose models. A single-hose model can be a great option for cooling a smaller space while a dual-hose system can tackle a larger space more efficiently.
- Measure the window you plan to keep the A/C next to first, and then once you have those figures go back and see if the unit you plan on buying has a mounting kit that fits appropriately.
Smart ACs
- If your primary concern is owning smart home devices, you should look for smart portable air conditioners that include useful features such as WiFi to connect to voice assistants like the Amazon Alexa voice command.
- Extra features will most probably include smart capabilities that allow you full control via smart devices, e.g. digital control via smartphone, SmartThinQ, or Google Home. There are other nice features too such as integration with the lighting system.
Power Saving Options
- Although it’s nearly impossible to find an A/C unit that won’t cause you to see a significant uptick in your monthly electric bill during the summer, you should still keep an eye out for any A/C units labeled “eco-friendly” for better energy efficiency. Also, make sure you check from the user manual what power outlet the unit operates.
- These types of units are made to be more power-efficient than most and will have various low-power fan speeds available so you can strike a fine balance between how cool your house is and how much you’re spending to maintain that temperature throughout the day.
Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t be fooled by the word “portable”: While it may be tempting to believe that it’s possible to fit an air conditioner that cools a whole room inside your pocket, in reality, most ‘portable’ A/C units will end up weighing anywhere from 50 – 100 pounds, depending on the model you eventually go with. Make sure you have enough room where you plan to keep the unit before making your purchase.
Miscalculate necessary BTU rating: The last thing you want to do is overspend on a unit that’s too powerful like the best 15000 BTU window air conditioner for your personal spaces, or underspend on a lower-BTU unit and be left sweating the difference. Know where you plan on keeping your A/C first and measure out the entire room’s square footage accordingly to afterward get to your final BTU figure. BTU is measured using one of two rating systems, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) system which is the standard system, or the US Department of Energy (US DOE) system. For medium to large rooms, a 1400 BTU unit is sufficient, which equates to 10,000 BTUs using the DOE rating, which calculates the weighted average performance of an AC in several test conditions. DOE’s test conditions for ACs are more demanding with higher efficiency standards than the ASHRAE conditions. They have also set new maximum efficiency standards set to take effect in 2021.
Get a window AC unit if you can: At the end of the day, even though portable or free-standing air conditioners have the option to be moved quickly from one single room to the next, if you’re really hurting but spend most of your time in an office or bedroom, window air conditioners will do the job just as well at a fraction of the cost/hassle. You just need an installation kit that involves screwing panels together to form a seal in the open window.
Which Portable Air Conditioner is Right For You?
If you’re looking for the best portable air conditioner in 2023, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with any of the models listed here. They all serve their own purpose in the space for home comfort, whether it’s ultra-compact cooling, high-fashion design accents, or just a solid all-around pick that does what you need it to at the lowest cost possible.
Because of its features and affordable price, the Honeywell Contempo HL10CES air conditioning unit is the perfect pick for shoppers on a budget, while the LG LP1414GXR is the obvious selection for those who want the latest technology. The Whynter ARC-143MX air conditioning unit cools half your house and looks great doing it, while the hOmeLabs Portable AC offers the kind of no-fuss, no-frills experience that anyone can get on board with ease.
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