If you're searching for the best fan to help keep your home cool, you're likely preparing for a heatwave or struggling to stay cool in the middle of one.

Before you rush in and buy the first air cooler you lay eyes on, though, it's important to consider that they come in plenty of shapes and sizes.

It's up to you to figure out whether you require a desk fan, a pedestal fan or even a tower fan, and how much you're willing to pay for the cold-blowing privilege.

To help you snap up one of our tried and tested fan favourites, we've detailed exactly what they're able to help with, and which budget they're suited to. So don't delay, explore below and gain back control of your home's temperature.

Dyson Pure Cool
Dyson Pure Cool Air Purifier and Tower Fan
1. Best fan overall

Purify and cool

With trademark panache, Dyson's fan and purifier is a sight to behold.

Pros
  • Amazingly efficient
  • Really quiet
  • Superb purifier
Cons
  • Premium price

Dyson is a huge name in the fan market for good reason, and many of its fans are far more complicated than the category suggests. This tower model doesn't just cool your room, it'll also purify the air as it goes, which is ideal for anyone with pet allergies or hayfever, since hot weather often brings pollen.

It's a stunningly efficient fan, and incredibly quiet if you need it to be, although it does take up a chunky amount of space. Still, you basically won't get anything that performs better than this, which accounts for that high price.

HoneyWell Turboforce
Honeywell HT900E turbo fan
2. Best fan for desktops

Modest but effective

A bit more of an industrial-looking solution is offered by this Honeywell unit

Pros
  • Great price
  • Simple to use
  • Surprisingly powerful
Cons
  • Might not fill a room

If you're after a pretty basic fan that's not too noisy for your desk, then Honeywell might have the answer.

There are few exciting features for this fan, with just three different speeds and some tilting, but, interestingly, it does feature the option to be wall-mounted - ideal for gardens or saving space.

This one is only about 30cm in diameter, but does come fully assembled, so it's ready to keep you cool from the off.

Dreo Nomad
Dreo Nomad One
3. Best fan for timers

Great tower fan

Dreo has made a really excellent budget fan here, one that packs proper power but doesn't break the bank.

Pros
  • Tall and powerful
  • Easy to use
  • Simple timers
Cons
  • Not as cooling as Dyson

It might not be a household name but Dreo has a lineup of really solid fans that don't cost the world, and work a treat with simple controls. The Nomad is a great option that offers a tower-fan setup for way, way less than Dyson's further up our list.

It pumps air through at a really good rate and the remote makes setting it up on a timer or in one of its different modes extremely simple, which is key when the heat is rising.

Amazon Basics fan
Amazon Basics 3 Speed Fan
4. Best fan for value

Excellent size

Amazon's own fan might not be the most powerful, but it's got a superb price and is compact enough to be really useful.

Pros
  • Good value
  • Easy operation
  • Decent power
Cons
  • Not big enough for large rooms

As is true in so very many product categories, Amazon's own Basics lineup offers a really good alternative if you need a fan quickly but don't have much money to spend on it at all - matching Honeywell for value.

This is also a desktop fan more than one to cool an entire room, but that doesn't mean it's tiny, and it's got enough oomph to do a really good job even on a hot and sticky day.

Vornado Vfan
Vornado VFAN Jr.
5. Best fan for design

Lovely looks

This fan looks better than almost anything else you're going to find on the market, but still works really well.

Pros
  • Looks so great
  • Solid power
  • Easy to direct
Cons
  • Modest efficacy

If you've been looking at various fans and finding that they're almost all a bit uninspiring visually, this could be the answer. A lovely little compact fan, the real heart of Vornado's proposition is the design, which is vintage and stylish in the extreme.

It'll have your home standing out a little from the crowd of black or white plastic fans out there, and brings a real slice of 1950s charm to things, right down to its metal grille.

How I chose the best fans

When you're testing and researching fans, it's all about the cooling - everything else comes after how well it'll circulate air, whether it has proper cooling, and that sort of question.

Design is of course a significant factor too, though, since bigger fans will likely be taking up a corner of a room that you want to spend time in. The likes of Dyson don't exactly make stealthy fans, but there are most tasteful options out there for those who want them.

Finally, price cannot be ignored - Dyson is again one to spotlight because its incredible tech comes at a high price, so it's always worth looking into more budget-friendly (if less superb) choices.

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions could help you narrow down your choices while you shop for a new fan.

What size of room are you hoping to cool?

If you're looking to circulate the air around a large lounge, that's a very different situation to a small office or bedroom, and this should play into what fan works best. There's no point having a huge tower fan if you're in a tiny room, after all, so desktop fans might be a smarter choice in that case.

What sort of design speaks to you?

Are you a form-over-function sort of person, or would you rather put in the time to find a fan that's more attractively designed? Or do you like the futuristic curves of a Dyson enough that it'll fit right in? Your aethestic preferences might be hard to match with a fan, but it's worth at least trying.