8 Best Portable Air Conditioners of 2024, Tested by Experts

Our Good Housekeeping Institute product experts start by shopping the current marketplace to identify the top-selling portable ACs that you’re most likely to find at stores and online. Next, we identify brands that have performed the best and proven the most reliable through years of AC testing at the Good Housekeeping Institute. We also consider newer brands with unique features or innovations.

Hands-on evaluations mainly happened in our Home Improvement and Outdoor Lab, where our engineers and experts spent more than 100 hours testing and reviewing 30 new models and analyzing scores of technical data.

Performance testing covers multiple factors. We check to see how close the air temperature coming out of the AC is to our set point. Next, we measure air speed with an anemometer (pictured). This tells us how quickly the AC can cool a room.

Portable ACs work by drawing in air, cooling it with the use of evaporative coils and exhausting the leftover heat through a tube that is typically vented through a window. There are two types of portable ACs that use this basic engineering: single-hose and dual-hose. The best choice for you will come down to a few factors. Here's what to know about each:

✔️ Single-hose portable AC: This is the most common type of portable air conditioner and also the least expensive. So if you're on a tight budget, it's your best bet. It features one exhaust hose which vents heat from the unit to the outside. Air to be cooled is pulled directly from the room.

This leads to the main drawback of single-hose ACs: They create negative pressure in the room, meaning hot air from outside or other unconditioned parts of the house will be drawn into the room through any openings, like cracks around windows and doors. This makes it harder for the AC to maintain consistent temperatures and the units also have to work harder, making them less energy efficient. For this reason, our experts say single-hose ACs are generally best for smaller spaces (200 square feet or less) where the heat and humidity doesn't get too extreme.

✔️ Dual-hose portable AC : As the name suggests, these units feature two hoses that usually connect to the same window — one to take air in and one to exhaust it. Using outside air to cool the system instead of air from the room eliminates the negative pressure issue.

That's why our experts say to go for a dual-hose unit if you need to cool a larger space that can get quite hot and humid. It will be more effective at keeping the room cool and it will use less energy in the process, since the motor won't have to work as hard. The downside is you'll have to spend considerably more for a dual-hose portable AC, as much as $300 more based on current prices.

What about evaporative coolers (EC)? We include these devices in this report because A) they are portable and B) they are designed to cool a space. But that's where the similarity between evaporative coolers and portable ACs ends.

ECs do not have exhaust or intake hoses. Instead, they use the process of evaporative cooling to cool a space. The only moving part is the internal fan that moves air across a water reservoir and cooling pads. As this happens, the water slowly evaporates, creating cooler air which is then expelled back into the room.

ECs produce more of a cool breeze than a blast of cold air; they're ideal in dry climates where humidity levels are low and the air is hot.

ECs use much less energy than any other AC type, as they do not have internal parts that do the cooling. Since they don't need to be exhausted, you can use ECs in any space, or even outside.

Short for British Thermal Units, BTUs are a measure of air conditioner capacity that equates to a particular room size. Choosing the right capacity is essential: Too strong and you’ll waste unnecessary power, while a portable AC that is too weak won't cool effectively and, in the process, will waste energy by continuously running at full tilt. That's why the DOE recommends an average of 20 BTUs for each square foot of living space.

✔️ When to size down in BTUs: After you calculate BTUs based on room size, you might find that you're in between offered sizes. Our experts say it's better to opt for the smaller unit. Using too powerful of an AC can be detrimental to the cooling and the comfort of the room, as it won’t properly dehumidify the air as it cools. While you’ll have to run a smaller AC for longer, it will be more efficient, and the room will be more comfortable.

✔️ When to size up in BTUs: It's important to recognize that not all rooms are built the same. You’ll want to size up your AC if it is in a room with the following:

• High ceilings that create more space that needs to be cooled
• High traffic as more people means more heat generated
• Lots of sun (e.g. a room with a lot of south-facing windows)
• Near the kitchen with a lot of heat-generating appliances

A note on BTU measurements: Previously, BTUs were indicated with a measurement based on testing standards from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). BTUs were measured based only on an ambient temperature of 80º F. And while this rating is still used to sell products, a more accurate BTU rating is the newer scale known as Seasonal Adjusted Cooling Capacity (SACC), a recent standard introduced by the Department of Energy (DOE).

SACC is a rating of BTU per hour that is meant to portray the capabilities of the machine more accurately by providing a weighted average based on a variety of test conditions, not just an average use case. (Think: a combination of normal usage, a muggy day, a particularly hot or dry day, etc.)

New SACC ratings will show lower maximum BTUs than previous ratings. So an AC that previously had a 14,000 BTU ASHRAE rating may now have a SACC rating closer to 10,000 BTU to more accurately reflect cooling in a range of conditions.

Short answer: no. Window ACs cool more effectively and efficiently than portable units, because their heat-generating mechanical parts are located outside of the room that's being cooled. Here are other pros and cons to weigh when choosing between the two types:

• Portable ACs are easier to move. They're on wheels after all. Window ACs need to be properly secured, held in place and connected to the window (some even require you to drill into the frame).
• Portable ACs fit more window types. Another benefit of a portable AC's exhaust hose is that it allows the unit to connect to different window types. While window ACs only work with vertical double-hung windows, portable ACs work with horizontal sliding windows as well. Portable ACs can also work with smaller window types that may not fit a window unit.
• Portable ACs are noisier and heavier than window ACs. Portable units tend to be louder, since all their mechanicals are sitting right there in the room, instead of out the window. They can also be larger than their counterparts, weighing up to 80 pounds.
• Portable ACs take up more square footage than window ACs. Because they sit inside the room they cool, portable ACs unit take up more floor space. Our experts recommend placing the unit away from walls so the airflow isn’t restricted, but that will likely mean a longer hose and more space taken up. For proper efficiency, make sure the exhaust hose is as straight as possible, since kinks can limit its effectiveness.

Standard portable ACs must be vented out a window to exhaust the hot air they produce. You can also choose to vent through a wall or ceiling — anything that will send the hot air to another space. The machines don't produce toxic fumes, like carbon monoxide, so the venting is about cooling performance, not safety.

However, evaporative coolers don't need to be vented. These units require a large amount of water or ice to cool the space.

For many decades, the Good Housekeeping Institute has provided expert reviews and advice on all things home-related, including portable air conditioners and other HVAC equipment. This project was spearheaded by Alec Scherma, test engineer at the Institute. Scherma's background in mechanical engineering and HVAC consulting provides testing expertise and knowledge on the different types of HVAC equipment one can purchase.

Scherma worked closely with Dan DiClerico, director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab. DiClerico brings more than 20 years of experience to the Institute, having reviewed thousands of home-comfort products, including room air conditioners, air purifiers, space heaters, humidifiers, dehumidifiers and more.