The best dehumidifiers in 2021

If you live anywhere in North America other than the desert Southwest, you’re probably sweating through this long, very hot summer. 

High heat combined with high humidity can make you feel like you’re being boiled alive, and air conditioning doesn’t always take care of the damp, especially in basements and other rooms that are partly underground.

That’s where the best dehumidifiers come in. Having one in your house or apartment will dry and cool the air, make it easier to sleep and make your life generally more comfortable, no matter the season. 

Lowering the humidity will also make mold, mildew and dust mites less likely, relieving problems for persons with allergies and asthma.

Even if you don’t have humidity-related health issues that could be affected by humidity, you won’t enjoy the sticky, unpleasant feeling of clammy skin and slippery floors.

The best dehumidifiers will help solve all those problems and make your home drier and more pleasant. You’ll notice the differences quickly.

What are the best dehumidifiers?

We’ve checked out more than 30 devices and read dozens of customer and expert reviews, and we’ve identified the best dehumidifiers for your home. 

Our top pick is the Frigidaire FFAP5033W1, which replaces the older Frigidaire FFAP7033T1. The FFAP5033W1 has a convenient automatic pump to move water and a top-notch design. It will quickly suck water from the air and is easy to set up, clean and put away.

The GE APER50LZ is not far behind. It’s got a slightly smaller tank than the Frigidaire FFAP5033W1, but also has an active water pump. Its digital interface makes it easy to change settings. However, it’s not as ergonomically well designed and is more difficult to move around or stow away for the winter. 

If you are on a budget (or have a smaller space), we recommend the Frigidaire FFAD2233W1. It’s a nice substitute for the older, no-frills Frigidaire FAD301NWD, which is no longer in production, and adds a digital display.

If you prefer a digital display for a small-sized machine, the Frigidaire FFAD2233W1 is an even better choice if you can find it for a similar price. 

Finally, the well-regarded, attractive Honeywell TP50AWKN has a five-year warranty, easily beating most of the other models on this list. Its only downside is a teensy 7-pint tank, so unless you can drain it passively into a sink or drainpipe, you’ll be emptying it frequently.

One note: New EPA classification standards went into effect in mid-2019, as detailed at the end of this page. We’ve indicated when a model is classified under the older set of standards.

The best dehumidifier you can buy today

The Frigidaire FFAP5033W1 is the best dehumidifier overall, based on reviews of its nearly identical predecessor, the Frigidaire FFAP7033T1. 

It’s one of the few devices on our list with an active pump, meaning you can send water to an elevated sink or out a window if you don’t have a floor drain and don’t want to go through the hassle of removing and emptying the bucket. 

What bumped the Frigidaire FFAP5033W1 above the other devices we considered is its design. It’s sleek and has an attractive digital display, making it easy to see indicator lights and settings.

There are hooks for wrapping up the power cord when the machine sits right next to an outlet or when you want to store it away, and the filter is easily accessible for removal and cleaning. While the device does come on casters for easy rolling, it also has a heavy-duty top handle for carrying down stairs.

One of the few areas in which the older model, the Frigidaire FFAP7033T1, fells short was in the initial pump setup. Testers and device owners reported that removing the plug from the pump socket was tricky, and that in some cases the plug simply broke off. 

This flaw isn’t unique to Frigidaire, but it is something to prepare for if you’re purchasing this model for the convenience of having a pump. We’ll keep an eye out to see if the FFAP5033W1 suffers from the same problem.

While the pump option does come at a premium, it’s a nice feature to have. Of course, you can also default to continuous draining (if you have a floor drain) or to simply dumping out the bucket manually if you’d prefer.

In the switch from the FFAP7033T1 to the FFAP5033W1, Frigidaire increased the tank capacity from 13.1 pints to 16.9 pints. If you live in a really damp space and run the machine continuously, that’s a significant improvement, because water volume will fill up pretty fast, and the device will shut down until you empty the bucket. The GE APER50LZ, our runner-up, has a 15-pint capacity.

As with many of the older models that fell under the previous set of Department of Energy regulations (see below), the FFAP7033T1 is disappearing from store shelves, so you’ll have an easier time finding the Frigidiare FFAP5033W1 or its pump-less sibling, the FFAD5033W1.

The GE APER50LZ is a close second to the Frigidaire FFAP7033T1. It’s the only other dehumidifier on our list with an active water pump, although you also have the option to passively drain the tank using a hose or by carrying the bucket to a sink. 

This device comes with all the features you’d expect in a top-ranked dehumidifier, including a digital display for indicator lights and changing timer, speed and humidity settings.

On performance and noise levels, the GE APER50LZ is right in line with the Frigidaire. The biggest difference is in design: There’s no option for wrapping or storing the power cord, and the handles may be difficult to grab. Setting up the passive drain is also not terribly convenient.

That said, the GE APER50LZ is an equal alternative to the Frigidaire FFAP7033T1 if you can find it at a better price. 

(This review was originally for the identical GE APER70LW, which has been rebranded as the APER50LZ due to new EPA EnergyStar certifications.)

The LG PuriCare UD501KOG5 is a medium-capacity, 50-pint dehumidifier good at drying out midsized spaces. It has an attractive design, a large digital display and a clear water bucket with a large handle. That makes it easy to see when the tank needs to be emptied, and the handle makes it easy to carry the tank to a drain or sink.

The LG PuriCare UD501KOG5 has lots of positive user reviews on the Home Depot and Sam’s Club websites. We’ll keep an eye on real-world tests and update here accordingly.

The 22-pint Frigidaire FFAD2233W1, which replaces the 30-pint Frigidaire FFAD3033R1, is a great choice for laundry rooms, apartments and other small spaces. It’s portable and its four wheels make it easy to move from room to room if needed. 

The older machine, the FFAD3033R1, did well in real-world tests for water removal, reaching humidity levels that were 28% below where the tests started). It also did well on humidistat accuracy and cool-room performance. 

The Frigidaire FFAD2233W1 also has user-friendly design features similar to those of its larger cousin, the FFAP5033W1, including an easily accessible filter and cord-storage hooks.

The Frigidaire FFAD2233W1 is Energy Star-certified. User reviews posted on the Amazon, Home Depot and Walmart sites were overwhelmingly positive.

The Honeywell TP50AWKN, which replaces the virtually identical Honeywell TP50WK but adds Wi-Fi connectivity, is well regarded by professionals and customers alike. 

If something does go wrong with the TP50AWKN, you’re covered under Honeywell’s five-year warranty. Most of the dehumidifiers we considered come with one-year or two-year warranties, so this extended policy ensures that your investment is protected.

One downside: The Honeywell TP50AWKN’s water bucket holds just 7 pints (three-quarters of a gallon), a small fraction of what the machine can condense in a day. If you don’t have the option to continuously drain, you’ll find yourself emptying the water bucket more frequently with the Honeywell TP50AWKN or going without dehumidification once the tank reaches capacity.

You probably don’t need a Wi-Fi-enabled dehumidifier, but if smart-home devices are your jam, then the 50-pint Frigidaire FGAC5044W1 may deliver on what you’re looking for. 

You’ll receive push notifications when the water bucket is full, and you’ll be able to remotely control the fan speed, target humidity and power. You can also set up voice controls for the Frigidaire FGAC5044W1 with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. 

All these smart features can be especially handy if you’re out of town or you’re monitoring a dehumidifier in a rental property. However, many online purchasers of the unit reported trouble setting up the app, which gets mostly negative reviews on both Google Play and the App Store. Here’s hoping Frigidaire gets that sorted out.

This dehumidifier is fairly similar to our top pick, the Frigidaire FFAP5033W1, but swaps Wi-Fi for a powered water pump. A drain hose comes with the unit to let the tank drain passively, or you can dump out the 2-gallon bucket by hand. 

There’s also a washable dust filter and an ionizer to eliminate airborne particles, much like one of the best air purifiers available. A light at the top of the front face changes color to let you know system status.

Hundreds of Amazon, Wayfair and Walmart customer reviewers liked the Frigidaire FGAC5044W1 a lot (even if many of them didn’t like its mobile app), rating the unit at  4.4 out of 5 stars on average.

(Note: This replaces an older model, the Frigidaire FGAC7044U1, which has been discontinued.)

Best dehumidifier comparison chart

How to choose the best dehumidifier for you

There are plenty of dehumidifier models to choose from. Here are a few factors to weigh when determining which of the best dehumidifiers is right for your home.

Regulations

In 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy instituted new dehumidifier testing standards. Dehumidifiers are now evaluated at lower temperatures, more in line with real-life basement conditions, than they were previously.

Because of this, the largest dehumidifiers, which had been classified as having 70-pint capacities due to the amount of water they could remove from the air in 24 days, are now be classified as having capacities of 45 to 50 pints. 

Medium-sized dehumidifiers are being reclassified from 50 pints to 30 pints, and small dehumidifiers from 30 pints to 20 or 22 pints.

As a result, some of the best dehumidifiers on our list are being phased out as manufacturers adjust to the new procedure and introduce new machines. For example, the GE APER70LW has been replaced by the nearly identical GE APER50LZ. We’ll update these rankings as we get more information.

Type

Dehumidifiers work in a few different ways. The most common method pulls air over refrigerated coils, cooling it enough to condense moisture and drop the water into the machine’s bucket.

You may also find desiccant dehumidifiers, which use water-absorbing material, and thermoelectric dehumidifiers, which use charged plates. In general, neither is as effective as a condensing dehumidifier, which is the only type we recommend here.

Capacity

Dehumidifiers generally come in three sizes: large (45-50-pint capacity), medium (30-pint capacity) and small (20-22-pint capacity). 

Under the old regulations, these sizes were 70, 50 and 30 pints, respectively, and you’ll see such numbers with three older models above. 

The capacity is how much moisture the machine claims to remove per day. In general, the larger the size, the larger — and damper — the space it can efficiently dry out.

Capacity is not the same as bucket size, however. This is another specification you’ll want to consider, as smaller buckets that fill quickly will need to be emptied more often to keep the machine from automatically shutting off.

How we picked the best dehumidifiers

To determine the best dehumidifiers on the market, we looked at the top picks from Wirecutter, Consumer Reports, the Good Housekeeping Institute, Dehumidifier Buyers’ Guide and others, as well as top-selling and highly reviewed machines on Amazon, Best Buy and The Home Depot. 

We narrowed the list down to several models based on features, price, efficiency and ease of use.