Portable Air Conditioners · Ranking

The Best Budget Portable Air Conditioners

Budget portables trade quiet and efficiency for price — acceptable in a garage or guest room, painful in a bedroom. These are the cheap units that still cool credibly, ranked by overall score.

BLACK+DECKER

BPACT08WT 8,000 BTU

/10

The small-room best-seller with Follow Me remote

Strongest on cooling (4/10) and quiet (4/10).

Cooling

Quiet

Efficiency

$270Check price on Amazon

SereneLife

12,000 BTU Portable

/10

The Amazon budget staple in its biggest size

Strongest on cooling (5/10) and efficiency (4/10).

Cooling

Quiet

Efficiency

$300Check price on Amazon

SereneLife

10,000 BTU Portable

3.7

/10

Mid-size budget cooling with a window kit included

Strongest on cooling (4/10) and efficiency (4/10).

Cooling

Quiet

Efficiency

$260Check price on Amazon

SereneLife

8,000 BTU Wi-Fi Portable

3.3

/10

The cheapest path to app-controlled cooling

Strongest on efficiency (4/10) and cooling (3/10).

Cooling

Quiet

Efficiency

$230Check price on Amazon

The Best Budget Portable Air Conditioners

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