Our pick
The quietest, strongest, and most efficient window fan we’ve tested stands apart from all competitors, though it is a bit more expensive.
In our tests, the Vornado Transom produced a powerful yet pleasant breeze that filled the entire room with enough strength to shake strings and sheets of paper more than 24 feet away—and it did that while using half as much energy as the competition. It’s roughly half as tall as the competition, too, with a sleek modern design and sturdy foam side pads that help you get a much tighter seal on the window frame. In addition, the Transom comes with plenty of other thoughtful features, including an auto-dimming LCD control panel, a remote control, and a weather-resistant design, as well as a reliable five-year warranty. It’s not the easiest fan to clean, but otherwise it’s the best window fan we’ve tested in more than seven years of firsthand comparisons.
Upgrade pick
This variant of our top pick adds voice commands and smart-home capabilities.
The Vornado Transom AE is identical to our top pick in every way but replaces the remote control with the convenience of built-in Amazon Alexa integration. This version is simple to set up, and natural voice commands make it easy for you to turn the fan speed up or down, to switch the fan from intake to exhaust after you accidentally burn your dinner, or even to turn the fan on from the comfort of your bed.
Budget pick
This model is the most powerful of the standard twin window fans we’ve tested, but it’s not without its shortcomings.
The Bionaire Twin Reversible Airflow Window Fan was nearly as powerful as our top pick, producing robust breezes up to 10 mph that could make a string dance from 24 feet away, about 8 feet farther than other, similar dual-blade window fans could reach. Clearly marked buttons allow you to control speed and temperature, and another button reverses the fans’ direction, switching them from pulling in fresh outdoor air to expelling indoor air. But this fan has drawn some buyer complaints—and among those concerns are problems we’ve encountered ourselves in retests of this model. Bionaire has been inconsistent in its customer service, too. Still, it’s the best version of a basic window fan we’ve found, outperforming similar competitors in spite of its flaws.
