Do you know how much it costs to have regular air conditioning installed? $3,000 to $7,000.
Who can afford that?
Portable air conditioners on the other hand usually cost less than $500. And they can be really quiet too.
There’s no competition really, is there, it’s a no brainer.
There are some great quiet portable air conditioners on the market at the moment, and we’ve had a really good look, and have come up with our top 5 favorites to show you (which are also very quiet in terms of noise levels).
Table of Contents
Our reviews on those are coming up very shortly, and after that we’ve also got a very handy buying guide for you. You can use it as a checklist to make sure you’ve thought of everything before you buy.
Here goes…
In a hurry? This is our winner!
- HANDY AND PORTABLE: The Serene Life Portable Air Conditioner System features a lightweight, handy, sleek body design intended to be used in the bedroom, living room, or garage at home or office. It features rolling wheels for easy portability
- BUILT-IN DEHUMIDIFIER: You don’t only get the cooling effect of the portable AC, but it also helps reduce humidity levels, acts as purifier which makes your home less hospitable to allergens such as dust mites, mold, and mildew by selecting dehumidifier mode.Wipe with soft semi-dry cloth
- 4 OPERATING MODES: The compact floor AC indoor cooler conditioning unit features a simple electric plug in operation and has 4 modes - cooling, heating, dehumidifier, and fan. Also features automatic swing mode w/ moving wind vent for maximum air circulation
Last update on 2021-01-25 at 19:42 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quietest Portable Air Conditioners – Comparison Table
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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SereneLife 10,000 Portable Air Conditioner + 9000 BTU Heater, 4-in-1 AC Unit with Built-in... | 4,840 Reviews | $450.19 | See Details |
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Black + Decker BPACT10WT Portable Air Conditioner, 10,000 BTU | 5,065 Reviews | $409.99 | See Details |
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Honeywell HL12CESWK Contempo Series Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier & Fan with Dual... | 2,103 Reviews | $549.99 | See Details |
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Alen BreatheSmart FLEX, Dust, Mold, Odors + Smoke, White | 1,915 Reviews | $379.00 $349.00 | See Details |
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NTMY Portable Air Conditioner Fan, Mini Evaporative Air Cooler with 7 Colors LED Light, 1/2/3 H... | 1,029 Reviews | $47.99 | See Details |
Last update on 2021-01-25 at 19:42 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Reviews

This is a great portable AC to start our product reviews with.
Not only is it great for air conditioning and cooling of a room, but it can also be set to heat up a room when it’s cold, reduce humidity levels, and purify the air too!
It offers 10,000 BTU of cooling power, which is enough to cool down rooms of up to 350 square feet in size. And it’s heating power is almost as powerful at 9,000 BTU. So it’s a very handy device all year round.
It’s very quiet, with a noise level of just 52 to 56 decibels. It’s quiet enough even for a bedroom, and even has a special low noise sleep mode.
We just love it’s filter screen – it helps clear the air of all sorts of allergens like dust and mildew.
And with it’s dehumidifying properties, it can remove up to 15 litres of air per hour. It really is an all in one machine.
Once you’ve set what mode you want it to be on, you can make whatever tweaks you like, using the touchscreen control pattern that runs along the top. You can change the timer, the temperature, or the fan speed.
But you don’t have to get up out of your seat if you don’t want to – just use the remote control.
Despite the low noise of the machine, the fanning function is fairly powerful, able to put out 290 cubic meters of air per hour.
It has a slimline look, and is all white, so it won’t look out of place anywhere.
Please note that this review is based on the 10,000 BTU unit with heat, and not on any of the other units available on the same Amazon page.
- Remote control
- Very quiet
- Removes allergens from air
- Also has a heating function
- Great dehumidifying properties
- You have to remember to clean the filter every so often
- Although you can get a universal window seal for the air removal pipe, you have to buy it separately

Now this is a brand we all know and trust (Black and Decker).
This beauty is a 3 in one. It cools the air, removes excess moisture from the air, and it’s a cooling fan to boot.
With it’s 10,000 BTU cooling power, it can cool down rooms as large as 250 square feet, which is a room that’s about 20 foot by 20 foot.
It’s very quiet, and even on it’s loudest setting it only goes up to 53 decibels. There’s also a very quiet sleep mode which takes it down to 51 decibels, should you decide you want it in the bedroom at night.
You can choose whether to change the settings either using the LED touchscreen on the AC itself, or you can operate it via the included remote control, which can be quite handy. The controls are very intuitive and easy to use.
We like the timer option because it means you can set it to work just when you’re home. Rather than having it on constantly and letting it run amok with your utility bill.
There are 3 fan levels: low, medium and high, plus an auto-fan setting too.
We also love the dehumidifying function, the humidity of the room is reduced to prevent the growth of bacteria from mild and mildew, leaving the air cool and dry. And rather than having to remove a water bucket, the excess moisture is instead self evaporated.
It’s super portable, thanks to the castors and integrated carry handles, you can just slide it to whatever room you want.
It’s easy to maintain too, you simply remove the panel on the back when you’re ready to wash the filter.
It’s very easy to install, you get both a hose and a window adapter in the box when the AC arrives.
And it comes complete with a 1 year warranty for parts and labor.
If you like the sound of a Black & Decker AC but don’t want this particular model, there are plenty of other models by this brand on Amazon if you want to have a little scout around.
- Great, well established brand
- Quiet and powerful
- Remote control
- Dehumidifying function
- Super portable
- 1 year warranty (parts & labor)
- No heating function
- Not designed to cool down larger rooms
- Only meant for use with double hung or sliding windows

While Honeywell are perhaps better known for their dehumidifiers, they’ve done a great job with this portable AC. And as you may have already guessed, this device does have a dehumidifying function too.
It’s available at different BTU levels, and for the purposes of this review, we’re just going to look at the 12,000 BTU version.
With a powerful 12,000 BTU this AC can cool down rooms even as large as 550 square feet. Yet it still looks smart and sleek and isn’t obtrusive in any way.
Despite its power it provides a very quiet operation. Even at the highest speed setting it only goes to about 50 decibels. Perfect for sleeping babies.
Speaking of sleeping, there’s an energy saving sleep mode, it’s a pre-set 10-hour program that increases the temperature at fixed intervals, so you can save energy when you’re asleep, and you can start your day in a cool room again.
What we really love about it though is it’s dual filters. These filters trap all the dust and debris from the air. This dual filtration system really helps prolong the lifespan of the machine, and is also a great safety measure. They’re easy to clean too, just run them under a faucet.
Conveniently, the dehumidifying function, which allows it to remove up to 86 pints of excess moisture from the air per day, doesn’t require constant bucket emptying and the water is instead evaporated out.
In addition to its air purifying and dehumidifying, it also works as a fan, with 3 different fan speeds to choose from. That’ll really cool the place down.
If you can’t get to the AC to change the settings you don’t need to worry, there’s a remote control that comes with the machine.
It comes as a full kit, with everything you need to install it.
We like the look of this white AC, but Honeywell also does some black versions if that’s more your thing, or better suited to your decor.
There’s a handy little chart on the Amazon page for this product if you follow the link, where it lays out what BTU level you need for what size room.
- Powerful
- Remote control
- Great sleep mode
- Dual filtration system
- You can install it on vertical or horizontal windows
- No heating function
- Premium product at a premium price (even if you buy it second hand)

This is hands down the best looking AC in our top 5 picks! And it’s available in different finishes too. We like oak the best, but if you don’t fancy that, there’s 8 other options to choose from.
But of course there’s a lot more to it than that. Although it’s described as an air purifier rather than an air conditioner, it’s great for cooling the room down. It can clean the air in rooms as large as a whopping 700 square feet.
The noise level of the machine depends on what setting you’ve got the fan on:
Speed 1 is a whisper at just 39 decibels.
Then there’s speed 2 which is 42 decibels, the sound of light rain.
This is followed by speed 3 which is 49 decibels, which is still very quiet.
And at top speed, it’s still just 55 decibels, which is still quieter than a conversation.
Perfect for the bedroom to ensure a good night’s sleep.
Of course it’s standout feature is just how well it purifies the air. It uses a true HEPA filter which captures 99. 97% of airborne particles. It removes heavy smoke, airborne allergens, and household odors while eliminating bacteria and mold spores. The filter even has a compound that helps kill airborne bacteria, germs, fungi, and viruses.
And the filters really last too. You might go a whole year without having to change them.
It’s super easy to use – there’s only 4 buttons to bother with besides the on button, very intuitive.
It’s also energy star certified, which is good news for your utility bills.
There’s great after sales service available, which is handy if you lose the user manual.
And if all that’s not enough, it’s also available at a great price too. (And sometimes Amazon has great deals on this model.)
- Gorgeous finishes
- Can cool large rooms
- Extremely quiet
- Excellent air purifier
- Very long lasting filters
- No heating function
- Not a dehumidifier
- No remote control

As promised, we’ve included a personal portable air conditioner in our top 5 picks, and this is it. It’s super lightweight and portable with it’s little leather handle. It’s perfect for taking into the office in the hotter months.
And speaking of taking it into the office, you can use the included cable supplied to plug it into any USB port.
Although it kind of looks like a box fan, it is an actual air conditioner, it takes hot air in and blows cool air back out, through it’s fan.
You can adjust the angle of the fan slightly, up or down up to 60 degrees.
We like how you can adjust not just the wind speed of the fan, but also the timing.
It also helps the air to feel fresher by spraying light mists into the air. There are 5 sprays, and they have 3 settings. No more dry air! So handy for those with dry skin and chapped lips.
And you can use ice cubes for the mist supply rather than water, so the mist will be really cool.
It even makes for a great night light too, with 7 color options to choose from.
We also love how you can add perfume to it too – gonna make the room smell great!
The product is listed as “super quiet” and “low noise” but unfortunately the decibel rating is not provided. However what we can say is that after well over 650 individual customer ratings on Amazon, customers have rated the noise level at 4 out of 5 stars.
Even though it has all these fabulous extra functions, it has a really low energy consumption, so it’s cheap to run too!
- Sprays a cool mist
- Works as a night light
- Extremely portable
- Adjustable
- Low energy consumption
- Not designed to cool down a whole room
Buyers Guide
OK, so there are a few different things you might want to consider before you buy.
Let’s go through them.
Room air conditioner vs Personal air conditioner
What is your intention with your portable air conditioner? Do you want to cool down the whole room, or are you happy to just have a personal air conditioner to cool you down where you sit or work?
This is a big decision because, not least because it affects the whole room, but also because of how much it influences the cost.
In our top 5 picks we tried to include some of each, but have concentrated on room air conditioners.
Cost
In our top 5 picks we tried to include some for different levels of budget. Personal air conditioners generally cost $20 to $60, whereas portable room air conditioners can generally cost anywhere from $250 to $450.
Our advice would be to set a budget and buy accordingly. Because many features in the more expensive ranges can be also found in the more affordable options available.
How quiet is it?
Noise levels are measured in decibels. The higher the decibel rating, the louder the sound. A normal conversation is about 60 decibels, so you’ll definitely want your portable air conditioning to have a decibel rating under 60.
You should be able to let anything below 60 decibels fade into the background and not be disturbed by it.
The thing is though, the decibel rating isn’t always provided in all the product descriptions you find online, so in this instance you need to do a little digging and look at customer feedback, and see what other customers have said about how quiet or noisy it is.
It’s worth noting at this point that you don’t necessarily need silence in order to get to sleep, and a sustained low background noise can actually help you to get to sleep in many circumstances.
How portable does it need to be?
How much do you think you’ll want to move the air conditioner around?
Are you going to stand it on the floor against a wall and leave it there? Or do you want it to have a built-in handle, or castors, so you can carry it around depending on where you want to go?
How powerful is it?
The larger the room that needs cooling, the more powerful an air conditioner you need.
The power of a portable air conditioner is measured by its BTU rating. The higher the BTU rating the better able the AC is to cool down the room.
But, as the BTU rating increases, so does the weight, size and cost of the air conditioner.
Our advice is to measure the size of the room first, so you know what you’re working with. While the number of decibels of an AC aren’t always in the product descriptions, the BTU, and what size room it can cool, will be in the product descriptions.
Brand
There aren’t many brands dominating the best seller lists for portable air conditioners amongst retailers, but there was one brand that stood out to us, and that was Black & Decker.
Additional Features
Some portable air conditioners also have dehumidifying properties. So if the intended room for the AC can be a little on the damp or humid side, then this is also something to consider.
If however you find the room too dry, then you could go for an AC that sprays a cool mist, like our number 5 pick, the NTMY Portable Air Conditioner Fan.
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