What Is the Best Tower Fan?

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The Dreo Tower Fan is a sleek and stylish choice to beat the heat.

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Maybe it’s the look, but when you put a tower fan next to a regular box or pedestal fan, it always seems to shine. That said, they’re not just designed for looks—our top tower fan pick kept our rooms just as cool as other fans we’ve used in the past. Plus, they’re compact and sleek, which makes them a great choice for smaller rooms and for those who don’t want their space to look cluttered.

After six months of testing a variety of fans from different brands, only one made it to the top based on size, airflow, oscillation, and special features. Whether you’re battling summer heat or need more ventilation in your room, this fan is one that you’ll want to cool things down. We also spoke to Brandon Young, CEO of Payless Power, who shared how to pick the right one for your space.

It’s as powerful as it is quiet, and it came with plenty of features we loved.

You can’t adjust the height, so it may not feel as cool at night if you have a tall bed frame.

There was hardly anything we could complain about with this Dreo fan. It had every feature we could think of (and even some we didn’t think of) including an LED display, remote control, a timer, and different speed settings.

It has four modes: normal, which keeps it at a constant speed; natural, which mimics the feel of a natural breeze by varying airflow; sleep mode, which uses a timer to gradually reduce speed in intervals before shutting off; and auto mode, which will adjust speed based on the room’s temperature and humidity.

The fan oscillated 90 degrees, which was enough to cool down our space, and there’s also a small handle at the back for us to move it around easily so you never have to be without cool air in your direction. This Dreo tower fan doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb either and can make your space feel as cool as a cucumber.

It has a high-torque motor and impeller blades that blow air up to 25 feet, so you’ll feel the breeze even if you’re on the other side of the room. It also doesn’t emit any loud noise, which is great for light sleepers or those who like hearing soothing sounds in the background. After six months of testing, we found it had just the right amount of white noise—not just for sleep, but for any time of day when you want ambient sound that’s not distracting.

Cleaning was also simple since the vents didn’t get dusty during testing. Even after six months of regular use, wiping it with a dry rag was enough to keep it looking good. You can also pop off the grill in the back to get grime out of crevices if you want to deep clean.

Its only flaw is that you can’t adjust the height, which is only an issue if you’re sitting or lying down on something tall like a high bed frame. Otherwise, if you need a fan that works well, blends nicely with your decor, and has soothing white noise, we highly recommend it for everyday use.

Product Details: Dimensions: 12 by 12 by 36 in. | Weight: 9 lbs. | Number of Speeds: 4 | Oscillation: Yes | CFM: 1,408 | Special Features: Remote, LED display, timer

To find the best tower fan, we put a range of options through a series of tests in our lab along with other fan types, including standing fans, floor fans, and box fans. First, we measured the noise level using a decibel reader to see how loud each fan was on its highest and lowest settings.

We also checked if the fans were height-adjustable and if we were able to tilt the head. We then noted features like oscillation, wattage, and if it came with a remote. To test how strong airflow was, we conducted paper tests by placing two strips of paper at 10- and 20-foot marks and recorded the after-effects. We then stood in front of our designated marks to see how much breeze we could feel.

Finally, for safety, we checked if the tower fans were safe around small children. We stuck an unsharpened pencil into the fan cage when it was unplugged to see if it touched the blades. We then continued to test the best fans in our homes in real-world situations for six months to see if our initial impressions held up over time until we narrowed them down to the single best tower fan option.

When selecting a tower fan, room size, including the height of your ceiling, plays a role in determining the size you should buy. “You can get away with a smaller fan in a compact home office or bedroom, but larger spaces require a model with stronger airflow,” Young says.

One useful metric to consider is the cubic feet per minute (CFM) rating, which measures the volume of air a fan can move. As a general rule, 1 CFM is equal to 1 square foot of room coverage. This means that if your room is 300 square feet, you need a fan with at least 300 CFM to cool it down effectively. Fans with higher CFMs, like our top pick, which has a 1,408 CFM, are more powerful and can circulate air more efficiently, making it easier to keep your space cool.

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Fans that oscillate help cool rooms because they blow air across the whole room instead of just blasting it in one direction. It also takes some of the pressure off your air conditioner since it causes air to circulate more evenly, Young says.

He adds an oscillating fan is also useful because it keeps air circulating evenly and prevents hot spots, which could be especially useful if you're sitting in a crowded room. Many tower fans, like our pick, can oscillate side to side up to 90 degrees.

Tower fans have more than just the usual speed settings, auto timers, and oscillation you’d get from a regular box or pedestal fan. Many come with advanced features that make them convenient to use.

For instance, the Dreo Tower Fan has a noise-canceling motor, temperature sensors, and a special natural mode that varies fan speed to feel just like an outside breeze is cooling you down. For safety reasons, a tower fan’s blades are tucked deep inside the fan, which prevents injuries if a child suddenly sticks their hand inside the grill.

For small to medium-sized rooms, tower fans are the way to go since they're not as obtrusive compared to the pedestal and box fans, and they run much more quietly. They also come with advanced features such as remote controls, timers, and smart functions that you may not find with your standard box fan.

That said, if you have a large space to cool down, a pedestal fan could be the better option because it has large blades to move more air. The one category where a tower fan remains undefeated? Aesthetics. While getting a box fan might be appealing because it’s less expensive, they’re not exactly the most stylish or compact choice compared to a tower fan, Young says.

According to Young, most tower fans are cost-effective because they use 50 to 100 watts on average. “It costs about $1 to $2 a month to run a tower fan, eight hours a day, depending on your electricity rates. Compare that to using an AC, which will end up costing you between $50 to $150 per month,” he says.

As a writer for Real Simple, Nor’adila Hepburn spends her days testing and researching everything all things home, whether it be the comfiest bedding or the coolest tower fans. She’s used tower fans in her home for years because of their futuristic and space-saving design. For the story, Nor’adila spoke to Brandon Young, CEO of Payless Power, who gave more insight and shopping tips on how to pick out the tower fan that’s right for your space.