The 6 Best Whole-House Humidifiers of 2025

Best Overall, Console

Aircare Digital Whole-House Pedestal-Style Evaporative Humidifier

$175 at Walmart $175 at Home Depot $175 at Lowes

While testing the Aircare Whole-House Pedestal-Style Evaporative Humidifier, we found it easy to set up and monitor, with an accurate digital display and simple, intuitive controls. We also liked the attractive housing, which can double as a side table or plant pedestal. Though quite large, it isn't wasted space or an eyesore.

Since this is a console humidifier, it uses a fan to pull water from a tank, which evaporates and then releases into the air. This type of humidifier is powerful enough to circulate moisture through a single-level home or apartment. Digital controls allow you to adjust a desired humidity level and switch between nine fan speeds, and it shuts off automatically when it reaches the target humidity level. 

Rather than being hooked up to an HVAC system, this humidifier only requires a standard 120-volt outlet. Simply attach caster wheels, install the float bar, and fill the water tank. This humidifier’s vents are located on the side of the unit, so you’ll want to be sure it’s not placed flush against another piece of furniture or a wall. 

The digital display will show an “F” if the water tank needs to be refilled. You don’t need to lug a water tank to a sink to refill it. To do so, open the fill door (where the Aircare plaque is) and insert the funnel before pouring water into the 3.5-gallon tank.

This unit is good for areas up to 2,400 square feet, so it's sufficient for most one- or two-bedroom houses and larger apartments as long as the airflow is good. During testing, we noticed that some parts of our home were not as well humidified as others while using this unit, especially if doors were left closed, so anything you can do to promote air circulating throughout your home will help.

If you need to add moisture to a larger space or multiple floors but don't have HVAC ducts or don't want an HVAC-compatible model, we recommend purchasing an additional pedestal model for the second floor of your home. 

_{Type: Console | Dimensions: 18 x 18 x 27.25 inches | Coverage Area: 2,400 square feet | Tank Capacity: 3.5 gallons}

Best Overall, through HVAC

AprilAire 600 Whole-House Humidifier

$275 at Amazon $307 at Walmart View on Sylvane.com

Our recommendation for the overall best HVAC-compatible humidifier is the AprilAire 600, because it’s effective, doesn’t require constant monitoring or adjustments, and only needs minimal maintenance each year. This system takes up a remarkably small amount of space on your ductwork and can provide humidity to well-sealed homes up to 5,000 square feet in size (but it works just as well for smaller homes).

This bypass whole-home humidifier uses warm air from your furnace to heat an internal water panel, which produces humidity that’s pushed through your existing ductwork along with warm air throughout the year's colder months.

You can install this type of system yourself, but it requires HVAC and plumbing knowledge (and has an outdoor sensor), so we recommend using a professional. Maintenance can also be DIY or handled by a professional, but it’s fairly simple. It has an indicator light that shows when it’s time to replace the water panel (about once per year).

This system adjusts your humidity automatically based on a level you select, the temperature inside, and the outside temperature and humidity. We would have preferred if you could select a specific humidity, but the system works well enough, and you can connect it to a smart thermostat like a Nest if you want additional control.

_{Type: Bypass, through HVAC | Dimensions: 10.25 x 15.38 x 15.75 inches | Coverage Area: 5,000 square feet | Tank Capacity: Not applicable}

Best Smart

Levoit Superior 6000S Smart Evaporative Humidifier

$250 at Amazon View on Levoit.com

If you have a large home with humidity issues that isn't too closed off and has great airflow between spaces, you may not need to invest in an HVAC-compatible unit. This option from Levoit is excellent for homes with bigger footprints (up to 3,000 square feet). We used it primarily in our centrally-located dining area and noticed less dust accumulation and fewer static shocks when shuffling over carpet during the dry winter months.

This model includes a humidity sensor with the option to set it for automatic operation up to 80 percent humidity—perfect if you like to pack your house with moisture-hungry plants—and that it's loaded with great smart features. It was only able to reach a maximum humidity of 71 percent for us during our tests, but that still felt quite comfortable.

We also like the overall design of this freestanding humidifier. Its sterile white design doesn’t fade into the background like our best overall console pick, but the built-in casters let you move it around to find a location that isn’t in the way. The casters are essential because the humidifier is heavy when full, but they really come in handy. We had to move it into the living space during the winter since that's where our fireplace is, and we appreciated having the casters to make the transition easier.

This humidifier has a huge 6-gallon tank, which Levoit says can keep it running for up to three days at a time on the low fan setting. That will vary depending on your home, but we ran it continuously for three months and found that we had to fill the tank every four days. Refilling is easy since it has a lift-off top and a convenient hose and faucet attachment (no need to use distilled water).

We also like that this humidifier has smart home connectivity, with Alexa support for voice commands and a phone app for remote monitoring and control. Smart home integration also allows for custom humidity settings based on whether anyone is home.

We would have preferred if this unit also had features like a low water alert and filter change alert, but we think it’s still a good option for large homes (you just need to pay attention to how long the tank lasts between refills in your home and settle into a schedule like we did.) We kept a close eye on the tank during three months of use and were able to keep it clean with a quick rinse and wipe without any noticeable buildup.

_{Type: Console | Dimensions: 12.72 x 12.72 x 26.7 inches | Coverage Area: 3,000 square feet | Tank Capacity: 6 gallons}

Best Budget

Aircare 836000HB Evaporative Humidifier

$200 at Walmart $200 at Walmart $123 at Home Depot

While we think a big pedestal model is the best option, a portable evaporative console humidifier like this is a budget-friendly solution. We like this model from Aircare because of its large water tank capacity, impressive coverage capabilities, and simple-to-use control panel.

This humidifier is on caster wheels, so you can easily move it around a room or between areas of your home when needed. If your home has poor air circulation, moving it around can help keep the humidity at an ideal level throughout. It also has a digital display that shows the current humidity level, and two dials allow you to adjust the three-speed motor and desired humidity level. 

We also like that this model has a water refill and check filter indicator, which helps you understand your humidifier's maintenance needs. The water tank is also easily refilled through the front grate on the unit, so you won’t have to worry about carrying the 6-gallon tank to a sink.

Unlike our best overall console pick, this model cannot be used for additional tabletop storage because the fan is located on the top of the unit. However, we do like that it has a good coverage area—2,300 square feet, just 100 square feet less than our best overall console—for $50 to $75 less.

_{Type: Console | Dimensions: 21.5 x 13 x 17.75 inches | Coverage Area: 2,300 square feet | Tank Capacity: 6 gallons}

Best for Small Homes

Aircare D46 720 Designer Series Evaporative Humidifier

$140 at Home Depot $150 at QVC $150 at Ace Hardware

This evaporative humidifier from Aircare is a great option for apartment or home renters who cannot install a humidifier with their HVAC system and don't have a huge amount of square footage to cover. Aside from its attractive design and minimal floor footprint, we love that this humidifier can add 3.52 gallons of water to your indoor air daily. The four-speed motor makes it easy to adjust the rate at which your home’s air is humidified.

This humidifier has two 1-gallon water tanks, which are easy to refill and reinstall on each side of the unit. Keep in mind that Aircare recommends using distilled water with this humidifier to prevent mineral buildup on the filters.

The digital display incorporates check filter and refill status indicators, so you know exactly how to maintain this humidifier’s long-term performance. Just keep in mind that it has a 1,200-square-foot coverage area, so if you have a larger home, our best overall console model is a better choice. 

_{Type: Console | Dimensions: 26 x 15 x 10 inches | Coverage Area: 1,200 square feet | Tank Capacity: 2 gallons}

Best for Hard Water

Honeywell Home TrueEase Large Evaporative Bypass Humidifier

$255 at Amazon View on Supplyhouse.com

If you have hard water and don’t have a water softener, our favorite whole-house humidifier is this one from Honeywell. It doesn’t prevent mineral buildup or remove minerals from your water, but the flow-through system can reduce buildup and increase the amount of time you can go between maintenance, cleaning, and replacing the humidifier pad.

We love how well this unit manages indoor humidity. It has a digital control panel that looks and works a lot like a thermostat. It senses both indoor and outdoor humidity (to prevent condensation) and then maintains your desired humidity level by changing outdoor conditions and indoor temperatures.

The control unit isn’t the most accurate, with a potential inaccuracy of plus or minus five percent, but that won’t be an issue in most homes. If you want a more accurate controller, the one included with our overall best through HVAC pick is accurate to within plus or minus three percent.

This bypass humidifier connects to your HVAC system, so you can hire a professional or install it yourself if you’re comfortable with that kind of work. It usually only needs maintenance every six months to a year, but it includes an indicator light that shows when it’s time to replace the humidifier pad, so there’s no confusion or guesswork involved.

_{Type: Bypass, flow-through, through HVAC | Dimensions: 15 x 17.15 x 10.1 inches | Coverage Area: 20,000 cubic feet | Tank Capacity: Not applicable}