Best portable air conditioners | Top-rated air cons of 2025
The "great little aircon" might be one of the most underrated appliances at home, even during the colder months.
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Nothing really screams summertime more than when you peel yourself off a chair for the first time since retiring your Kathmandu puffer vest for the year.
Portable air conditioners are one way to survive the Aussie heat, especially if you're looking for a more affordable or renter-friendly alternative to ducted cooling.
For year-round versatility, the three-in-one De'Longhi 2.9kW Portable Air Conditioner is a "great little aircon" which doubles (or rather, triples) as an air con, fan and dehumidifier so it won't need to be shoved into storage during the colder months.
There's also the Dimplex 3.5kW Recycled Portable AC w/ Wi-Fi and Dehumidifier, which shoppers are praising for how "perfectly" the space-saving unit cools down a room.
OUR TOP PICKS
BEST PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER FOR SMALL ROOMS
De'Longhi 2.9kW Portable Air Conditioner, $1049 at The Good Guys
Dimplex 2.6kW Portable AC w/ Dehumidifier
What You Need To Know
Save space with this versatile three-in-one De'Longhi appliance (PACEL110WIFI), giving you everything you need for summer as an air conditioner, fan and dehumidifier. It comes with castor wheels to easily move the unit between rooms, along with an adjustable 24-hour timer for convenience, and an antibacterial filter and active carbon filter to help purify the air.
Happy customers love this "great little air con", with several praising it's "super quiet" operation and fast cooling capabilities.
"Compact unit that is easy to move on castor wheels. Easy to install. Assembly is fairly easy but a bit fiddly in some parts. Excellent cooling for the bedroom which is where I used it," a reviewer wrote on The Good Guys website.
"(I) have not needed to empty the water tank as it seems to have the ability to evaporate it during use, which is a huge plus (even when I run it overnight, every night, for weeks on end in the humid Brisbane summer). Excellent quality product."
BEST PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM ROOMS
Dimplex 3.5kW Recycled Portable AC w/ Wi-Fi & Dehumidifier
Rinnai 3.4kW Portable Air Conditioner, $960 at Appliances Online
Rinnai 3.4kW Portable Air Conditioner
What You Need To Know
Smaller rooms don't need as much beastly cooling power compared to large open spaces with high ceilings, so you can get away with something that's a little more affordable and won't need professional installation. Portable air conditioners like this 3.4kW option from Rinnai (RPC34MCWF) can be great for bedrooms and home offices, and includes sleep mode, adjustable temperature control, a built-in timer and a multi-speed fan for convenience.
"Very happy with this purchase. It cools quite well and works fast. The only drawback is the noise it creates when running, but to keep cool it’s a small complaint," an Appliances Online customer wrote in review.
"A good choice for those looking for an efficient and portable air conditioner. It provides solid cooling performance with convenient features, but the noise level might be a drawback for light sleepers," another shopped posted in a review on The Good Guys website.
BEST PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER AND DEHUMIDIFIER
De'Longhi Pinguino 2.6kW Portable Air Conditioner, $829 at The Good Guys
De'Longhi Pinguino 2.6kW Portable Air Conditioner
What You Need To Know
For those seriously humid days, the De'Longhi portable air conditioner (PACEM93KSILENT) can get rid of up to 50L of moisture in 24 hours so you can feel cool and dry. It also packs Silent Technology, making sure neither heat or noise prevents you from getting a good night's sleep.
Shoppers call the unit "small but powerful", and "best value for money".
"One of the best portable air conditioners I’ve used. Definitely worth every cent," raved a fan.
"It cooled down my bedroom room real quick. (The) outside temp was around 32°C (and) it got my room down to 20°C and had no problems holding it there."
BEST BUDGET PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER
Dimplex 2.6kW Portable AC w/ Dehumidifier, $699 at The Good Guys
Dimplex 2.6kW Portable AC w/ Dehumidifier
What You Need To Know
For something a little less pricey, check out this two-in-one 2.6kw Dimplex portable air conditioner (DCP9C). It comes with two speed settings and a dehumidifier to help make the room feel cooler, drier and more comfortable. Impressed shoppers like the slim unit for bedrooms, along with the space-saving design.
"The portable air conditioner has been very easy to use, cools rooms quickly and super convenient to move around. Love that it has a built in dehumidifier," a customer posted on The Good Guys website, giving it five stars.
WHAT YOU NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER
Cooling capacity
The higher the power output (kW), the more powerful and pricier it will be to run.
WEIGHT
Portable air conditioners can be surprisingly heavy, despite its name. Although they often come with handles and pre-assembled castors so you can easily wheel it between rooms.
DEHUMIDIFIER FUNCTION
Aussie heat can be brutal, but dehumidifiers can help remove moisture from the air and get rid of that sticky feeling. They're also useful for preventing mould and mildew.
HOW WE CHOOSE PRODUCTS
Our team of experienced writers spend hours researching products to include in articles. We find out what factors make a good product by talking to experts, reviewing test results and analysing thousands of customer reviews.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONERS AND FANS?
Though fans are certainly a more attractive cooling option for your wallet, there are many benefits to airconditioning worth considering when making an investment. Unlike fans, which simply move air around to create a breeze, air conditioners remove warm air from a room, and replaces it with cool air. This is especially useful in larger spaces with direct sunlight, where simply creating cool air would be is insufficient for lowering indoor temperatures.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DUCTED AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS AND SPILT SYSTEM AIR CONDITIONING?
For those looking to make the move to more permanent cooling arrangements in their home, there is the option of built-in air conditioners. But how to decide between ducted air conditioning and split system air conditioning?
DUCTED AIR CONDITIONERS
Ducted air conditioning moves through ducts from a central cooling system, allowing for many different rooms to be heated or cooled at once. Additionally, zones can be created, to allow for cooling or heating of only the rooms in use.
Arguably the most effective and efficient of the air conditioning systems, it also requires the most cost investment and is the most labour intensive to implement.
SPLIT SYSTEM AIR CONDITIONERS
Split-system air conditioning consists of two units: an internal, which ingests the warm air indoors; and external, which pushes out the hot air, away from your home.
It is also responsible for pumping cooled air back indoors. The most common type of air conditioning in Australia, it can cool a sizeable area at much less cost than installing ducted air conditioning – however, due to the need for the internal and external units to be connected, a home will typically need more than one to cool each side or floor.
DO PORTABLE ACS HAVE TO BE VENTED OUT A WINDOW?
Most portable air conditioners require venting through a window, or alternatively a wall, ceiling or door. This is because portable air conditioners draw in warm from inside the room, which then needs to be released outside.
If venting outside isn’t practical for your home, you can opt for a portable split air conditioner, portable evaporative cooler or fan to beat the heat.
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