The 10 Best Window Air Conditioners, According to Reviewers

There's nothing quite like entering a nice, cool room on a sweltering hot day. Those without central air understand just how humid and sticky summertime can feel. Thankfully, window air conditioners are the perfect solution since they are easy to install, take up zero floor space, and can keep you from becoming drenched in sweat when the weather starts to heat up. Not to mention, with so many options out there, you can find one to suit your needs without breaking the bank.

When hunting for a window AC unit, the first thing you'll want to do is determine the size of the room you wish to cool. If you settle on a machine with too high of a capacity (read: Btu or British thermal units), it could cost you — literally, it'll make your electricity bill crazy expensive. On the other hand, a unit that is under-capacity won't cool your space efficiently, or hardly at all. The amount of Btu an air conditioner has directly correlates to the square footage of a room: the larger the room, the more Btu you'll want, and vice versa for smaller rooms. (Not sure what you need? Consult this helpful guide.)

If you're ready to start shopping, we've researched the top-performing window air conditioners from the most reliable brands (to minimize window air conditioner malfunction), and have highlighted features like noise level, energy-saving modes, Wi-Fi capabilities, allergy-preventing qualities, and more.

Ready to beat the heat? Here are the 10 best window air conditioners, according to customer reviews.

‌Best Overall:‌ LG 115V 8,000 BTU Window-Mounted Remote Control Air Conditioner, from $329

With 1,600 positive reviews on Amazon (and over 1,200 of those earning five stars), most customers agree that it's the "best window unit I've ever owned." This efficient unit has three cooling and fan speeds, including an energy saver function to help keep your electricity bill down. It also comes with a sleep mode, timer, and remote to decrease the temperature from the couch or bed. And it can cool a room up to 340 square feet, making it a smart pick for your family room or bedroom. Bonus: You can even upgrade to the Wi-Fi capable model for less than $40 and conveniently control the settings from your phone.

‌Best Small Window AC Unit:‌ Frigidaire 5,000 BTU 115-Volt Mini-Compact Air Conditioner, from $178.13

The name of this unit — "Mini-Compact" — should tell you something. This space-saving window air conditioner is remarkably smaller than other units on the market, and yet still guarantees to quickly cool rooms up to 150 square feet. Don't believe us? Multiple reviewers tout it as "small but powerful". It has two fan speeds, 2-way air direction control, a washable mesh filter that helps reduce bacteria and zap room odors, and a low power start-up to conserve energy and save you money.

‌Best Smart Option:‌ GE 8,000 BTU ENERGY STAR Window Smart Room Air Conditioner, from $299

Not only does this unit have multiple cooling and fan settings and an energy saver mode, but it is also enabled with Wi-Fi so you can control it with your smartphone, voice, or with the coordinating remote. Tech lovers will appreciate that it's designed to work with Alexa, Google Assistant, and the Apple Home Kit, and those who tend to be a bit forgetful will like that it has a filter reminder light that prompts you when it's time to clean the filter. Shoppers noted that they really liked being able to control the air conditioner remotely — even from "65 miles away." You can turn it on with a tap on your phone to cool down your space for pets or for you while on your way home from work.

‌Best Quiet Option:‌ Midea MAW05M1BWT Window air Conditioner 5,000 BTU, from $169.99

You might not be familiar with the brand, but this highly-rated unit is Amazon's choice for "window unit air conditioner," so it must be ‌good‌. While this machine, in particular, can cool a room up to 150 square feet, you can choose a model up to 12,000 BTU to accommodate larger spaces. It has seven temperature settings, two cooling and fan speeds, 2-way air direction control (and it's energy-efficient). The best news is that almost 25% of its positive reviews commented on how quiet it is, so it won't keep you up at night or disrupt work or Zoom calls during the day.

‌Best for Cleaner Air:‌ Frigidaire 8,000 BTU 115V Window-Mounted Mini-Compact Air Conditioner, from $449

This air conditioner can cool a room up to 350 square feet and boasts three fan speeds, an automatic mode, a timer, and eight-way air direction control. It also has a handy remote for controlling the temperature from across the room. But the best feature has to be the air ionizer, which helps to remove pollen and dust from the air, offering relief for those who suffer from allergies. Multiple reviewers touted the unit for freshening stale air in their homes and making the air ‌actually‌ smell cleaner.

‌Best for Small Rooms:‌ hOmeLabs 5,000 BTU Window-Mounted Air Conditioner, from $229.99

While it might not have all the bells and whistles of a smart air conditioner, you'll keep cool at home with this reliable, budget-friendly pick for small rooms. The easy-to-use mechanical design features seven temperature settings, dual cooling and fan settings, a reusable, washable filter, and a low power start-up to make it more energy efficient. One reviewer wrote: "This a/c is on the small side but it works very well. It cools down my room and the hallway of my place within 10-15 minutes on Low a/c. I don't even put it on the high setting."

‌Best for Large Rooms:‌ Frigidaire 12,000 Btu Cool Connect Smart Window Air Conditioner w/Wi-Fi Control, from $469

This super sleek machine isn't an eyesore like most other window air conditioners out there. It can cool up to a 550 square foot room and can also connect to Wi-Fi so that you can use your smart device to turn it on and off, schedule coolings, change the temperature, and control the modes and fan speeds. It's energy star certified, and also has a clean air ionizer that removes impurities from the air for a fresher environment. Customers praise it for effectively cooling large rooms like bedrooms and living rooms.

‌Best for Studio Apartments:‌ LG 14,000 BTU 115-Volt Dual Inverter Smart Window Air Conditioner, $549

A whopping 91% of customers would recommend this air conditioner to others. It can cool large rooms, including studio apartments, up to 1,000 square feet and it has all the features you'd want, such as multiple speeds, 4-way air deflection, scheduled cooling, a remote, Wi-Fi capabilities, and a reusable, washable filter — which will save you the hassle of buying replacements. Another cool stat: It removes up to 4.5 pints of moisture from the air in an hour to control humidity, making it ideal for moist climates. And nearly half of reviewers noted how quiet it is, making it a solid choice for studio apartments in which sound truly carries.

‌Best Vertical Window AC Unit:‌ Frigidaire 10,000 BTU 115-volt Slider/Casement Room Air Conditioner, from $578.99

If you happen to have vertical, sliding windows, shoppers swear by this device. Specially designed for casement- or sliding-window installation, this vertical window AC unit cools a room up to 450 square feet and has humidity control so that it helps to remove up to 3.4 pints of water per hour. The simple machine has multi-speed controls, 4-way air direction, auto cool, sleep mode, energy saver mode, a reusable filter, and an alert that lets you know when you need to check and clean the filter.

‌Best AC and Heat Window Unit:‌ Koldfront Window Air Conditioner with Heater, from $439

Giving you the benefits of cooling and heating, this versatile machine has 12,000 BTUs of cooling power and 11,000 BTUs of electric heating power, meaning it can service a space up to 550 square feet. You can set your desired temperature using the electronic thermostat, and also make use of a multitude of settings including sleep and energy saver modes, a dehumidifying mode, different fan speeds, a 24-hour timer, and more. It comes with a handy remote and also features a check filter light so you're never guessing when it's time to swap it out. Reviewers love how it can be used year-round to cool and heat their homes.