I Live In One of America’s Hottest States — These Are the Best Fans to Keep You and Your Home Cool

For parents who are still in their stroller era, or who just need a quick de-stressor, we recommend the Gaiatop Mini Portable Stroller Fan. I used this fan on walks with my son when he was a baby, and it saved us from cooking in the warm spring and summer temperatures.

It has three “octopus arms,” as I like to call them, which wrap around the stroller’s frame for security. They’re also manipulable to stand like a tripod. I love how they’re detachable, too. That lets you set the fan on a flat surface for indoor use once you’re done with your activity.

This rechargeable stroller fan has four speeds, and the fan’s head rotates 360 degrees horizontally and 210 degrees vertically. That gives you greater control over its angle and airflow direction. As a mom, I appreciate the grill spacing in the overall design; it’s too small for little fingers to get through. 

Small, powerful, and convenient to carry around: That’s why the Aecooly Flow High Velocity Waist Fan is our Best Wearable pick. It features a dual-clip system, with the large clip attaching to your belt and the small clip to your shirt’s hem to prevent obstruction.

With its small size, a maximum wind speed of about 20 miles per hour, and air conditioner–style blades, “this fan is super-compact, convenient, and strong,” says Samantha Johnstone, senior operations associate at Everyday Health.

The fan’s battery is also impressive, lasting up to 18 hours on a single charge. (Just note that this depends on the speed you use). Plus, with USB-C fast charging, you can reach a full charge in less than 5 hours.

The fan doesn’t rotate, but it has many other notable features, like an easy-to-read digital display, five fan speeds, and a built-in flashlight. 

Tower fans are sleek, space-saving, and often use less energy than an air conditioning unit, which is everything the Dreo Tower Fan Nomad One embodies (and more). It has four speeds, an eight-hour timer, and 90-degree oscillation. “I like that it's really powerful, yet quiet and has a very small footprint,” says Ladaga, who uses the fan in her living room. Unlike other Dreo fans on our list, this one does not connect to an app, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa. However, control everything via the included remote, which is just the right size to keep on a nightstand or coffee table without taking up too much space.

A sleek, thin design makes it easy to find a home for it in any room. “Since it's a tower, I just put it in the corner and set it to oscillate,” Ladaga says. “I don't have to worry about bumping into it or tripping over the cord.” A huge benefit of this fan is its tool-free assembly. Everything snaps together in seconds. Cleaning it is just as simple — just remove the back piece and wheel to blow out any dust.

With app compatibility, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, multiple speeds, and oscillation options, the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 707S is about as smart as it gets.

I was immediately impressed by the fan upon opening it from the box; the quality is incredibly nice and durable. It arrives in three pieces that screw together. You only have to screw in the base for security, and the company provides the Allen wrench and screw to get the job done. It’s heavy once you put it together, but with how nice the quality is, I’m not too surprised.

As someone who’s not tech-savvy, I’ll admit there’s a learning curve with this fan. It connects to a Dreo app, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. It also has a remote with several buttons, so you can operate it from across the room. The buttons aren’t intuitive, so I highly recommend reading over the instructions.

Once you get the hang of using the fan, you’ll love its 110-foot wind distance, low noise level, nine airflow speeds, horizontal and vertical oscillation, and 12-hour timer that will come in handy overnight.

Of all the fans we tested, the Vornado Flippi V6 Personal Air Circulator was, hands down, the best compact option that kept us cool. It’s only 4.9 x 5 x 6.2 inches (in), so it doesn’t take up much real estate, wherever you keep it.

Ladaga kept this small but mighty fan on her desk and nightstand. “Since I don't have A/C, this little guy is an important part of my fan game in the summertime,” she says. “It's perfect when it's a little too warm, but not hot enough to run a bigger fan. I also use it at night on my bedside table when I need some white noise.”

This Vornado fan weighs less than 2 lbs and features one knob to choose between two speed levels. We wish the 6-foot (ft) cord were a little longer, but if you have multiple outlets in a room, it won’t be a problem. Also, you have to manually move the fan up and down or side to side if you want the air to flow in a different direction, which isn’t a huge deal if you’re keeping it close by. Overall, it’s a compact fan with more power behind it than you’d think.

A box fan is one of the best fans to buy, because it’s lightweight, affordable, and gets the job done — and well, I might add. I tested the Lasko Cool Colors Box Fan and was immediately impressed when I turned it on.

It includes three speeds, but the airflow was so strong on the highest setting that I thought about taping streamers to the fan for fun to see it blow like one on display at a store. (For fun, people. Yes, send help). The top-mounted manual control is simple to reach when you want to adjust the speed. A carrying handle on top also makes it easy to move from room to room.

We love how the steel frame is lightweight yet durable; the fan once accidentally fell off my kitchen counter, and nothing broke. It’s also slim at less than 5 in wide, but the square shape may be bulky for some. The overall design isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing, but the pretty earthy blue color makes up for it. While this is an indoor fan, it has a weather-resistant motor, so you can keep it safely by the window to let in outside air.

Allow us to introduce you to our Best Quiet pick: the Windmill Fan. It features five speeds: whisper, low, medium, high, and booster.

Don’t let its quiet operation fool you. This fan is also powerful and compact, and it connects to an app for hands-free use. (It also includes a remote that you can keep close by if your phone is charging in another room.) The simple display, five small dot lights, lights up when you change the fan speed but automatically dims after a few seconds. If you connect the fan to Alexa or Google Home, you can schedule it to turn on and off, program it to turn on at a specific speed, and more.

We appreciate how its internal parts are made with 50-percent recycled materials. The fan also comes in several fun colors to match any room decor. 

The Vornado Energy Smart Fan found its forever home on my desk because it’s small, powerful, and easy to use. Seriously, I really love this little thing.

My office’s ceiling fan doesn’t push air as it should, and this fan keeps the whole room cool. One of my favorite features is the variable-speed control. Most fans on our list have fixed speed settings, but with a single knob on the Vornado, you can choose from what feels like dozens of speeds.

While it doesn’t oscillate automatically, it moves up or down manually to create multidirectional airflow up to 30 ft. (It tilts almost fully backward.) The cord is 6 ft long, giving you plenty of options for where it should live without needing an extension cord. Overall, it’s a fantastic option for airflow while you work or stay in a small room.

Want something more energy-efficient and cost-effective than an A/C window unit? A window fan, like the Vornado Transom Window Air Circulator, is a fantastic option.

“It is easy to install, and it works to circulate the air and cool the room perfectly,” says editor Alexandra Klausner. “It even has an auto mode where you can set it to a specific room temperature.” Other notable features include four speeds, a remote control, an 8-ft cord, and a weather-resistant case to protect against outdoor elements.

The only downsides we found are the lack of oscillating vents and vents that close. They’re always open to the outside. 

Sleep hot? You’re not alone. (Seriously, let me introduce you to my husband.) We love the Dreo Smart Tower Fan Pilot Max S 714S for its strong speeds that help us sleep better. The fan features up to 12 speed levels and four airflow modes — normal, natural, sleep, and auto — so you can customize your sleep experience.

“For general sleep, fans can often provide an improved night’s rest,” says Austin Shuxiao, MD, a board-certified internal medicine specialist and founder and medical director of Peach IV in New York City. “A lower overall room temperature while sleeping has been associated with improved sleep quality.”

We love that the fan comes with a remote to keep on your nightstand for easy access to change the speed and 120-degree oscillation. Plus, it connects to the Dreo app, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home for added convenience. With so many smart features, the fan may have a learning curve for those who aren’t technology-savvy. Still, we didn’t have any issues navigating them.

The biggest complaint we have is that the fan makes a loud beep when you turn it on or off. It may disrupt light sleepers, but that hasn’t stopped us from using it. “I use this fan every night and already got rid of my previous tower fan because this one is such an improvement. So I'll be using this until further notice,” says writer Sophia DeVito.