Do you need an air conditioner that is movable?
And now you are thinking, “Even if I get one, will it be effective enough to cool my room?”
We understand it’s difficult to install a regular AC in all the rooms, especially if you are in a rented apartment. Moreover, it may become an expensive choice if it doesn’t work as desired to cool down your summers.
To help you better choose the best ventless portable air conditioner, we decided to perform extensive research. Based on it, we created this buyer’s guide for you.
In this article, we have curated all our findings, including a list of the best 10 ventless portable air conditioners.
What Do You Need For The Perfect Portable Air Conditioner?
You must have a window or a hose for your Portable Air conditioner
The whole purpose of having an air conditioner is to cool your spaces. AC’s operate using a cooling agent called a refrigerant that absorbs heat from the air. At the same time, the AC unit uses a fan to redistribute the cool air in your rooms. In this entire cooling process, some heat is generated, which needs to be vented out.
If the hot air generated by AC is not expelled out, it will stay in your rooms, negating the entire cooling effect. And this is the reason you need a window or hose venting system to throw out the hot air so it’s not fed again in your AC unit and your rooms maintain cool temperatures.
Now, let’s look if there is an alternative to a hose or window?
You cannot avoid a hose or window prerequisite with a portable air conditioner. But, portable evaporative coolers, also known as swamp coolers, can be used to avoid a hose. These coolers use less energy but are powerful as air conditioners only in low humid places. Hessaire MC37M Portable Evaporative Cooler is one of the best-engineered coolers for indoor and outdoor spaces.
A Place to Drain Water from Humidity
Air conditioners use a condensation exhaust system to throw out water vapor collected during the dehumidifying/cooling process. This moisture is released through the connected hose along with hot exhaust air. So, for this reason, you need to drain water in someplace that is expelled due to humidity.
Most conventional air conditioners need you to drain water very often. However, modern air conditioners are designed with a water tank and dehumidifier that togetherly work as an excellent self-evaporation system.
Having an efficient self-evaporation mechanism reduces water drainage and reduces your efforts to expel the water accumulated in the hose regularly. Modern air conditioning propellers like EUHOMY 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner also have sensors in the water tank that alert you with a sound if the water tank is filled and needs to be drained.
Each model has its own set of instructions for draining its water tank. Yet, the basic steps are somewhat the same for all as given below.
- Find a bucket or move the AC unit to a location to directly drain water into a sink.
- Locate the drainage plug on the back or side of the unit.
- Remove the drainage plug and rubber stopper to drain the water tank. Once the plug is removed, water starts draining freely.
Sizing The Room Appropriately For Your Space
Everything drills down to BTU’s (British Thermal Units) when choosing the right portable air conditioner for your rooms. BTUs are the unit rating based on which you can decide which AC unit will serve best for your room size.
It’s always a good idea to buy a 1000 BTU upper model in context to space when:
- Your room isn’t shady and faces south or west.
- You are looking for an AC unit in the kitchen which is both hot and humid.
- Your room is often crowded with more than 3 people.
- Your room height is greater than 8 feet.
Follow this chart to decide the BTUs you need to have in your portable air conditioners.
| Area To Be Cooled (square feet) | Capacity Needed (BTU’s) |
| 100 to 150 | 5,000 |
| 150 to 250 | 6,000 |
| 250 to 300 | 7,000 |
| 300 to 350 | 8,000 |
| 350 to 400 | 9,000 |
| 400 to 450 | 10,000 |
| 450 to 550 | 12,000 |
| 550 to 700 | 14,000 |
| 700 to 1,000 | 18,000 |
- Source: Calculator.net
Best Portable Ventless Air Conditioner
Hessaire MC37M Portable Evaporative Cooler
Hessaire is the Best Choice for Outdoor Areas.
The Hessaire swamp cooler is the best choice if you want to cool the breeze around you in outdoor and indoor areas. This is a perfect cooling propeller if you are cooking, camping, working in a garage, or tailgating.
It includes 4 heavy-duty locking casters to cool your surroundings up to 950 square feet, which is huge. With its ease of operation, you can set the fan speed, set the pump, and turn the swing switch on or off for automatic oscillation.
Including 2 options to fill water manually or continuously makes it ideal. Using the continuous fill you can connect the float adaptor to the household hose directly. This helps you to avoid wasting your time to keep a watch on when the water tank is filled.
You also have an option to keep the fan on without the water to just keep moving the air around you. Along with this, you get a cup holder and a unique palm grill design.
Pros
You get a supercharged, economical cooling system. It includes 3-sided rigid high-density cooling pads for increased evaporative surface area generating cooler air.
Cons
It can be a bit noisy at times.
Rating
4.5 stars out of 5
3100 Cubic Feet per Minute, Cools 950 Square Feet
SereneLife SLPAC Portable Air Conditioner & Heater
The SereneLife SLPAC is the Best Overall Choice for a Portable Ventless Air Conditioner (covers up to rooms of 325 square feet).
This air conditioner is lightweight, handy, and easy to move to any corner of your room. It’s multi-featured as it can work both as an AC and a heater. So, you are now sorted for both your summers and winters with this Serene AC.
Moreover, it has an inbuilt dehumidifier which helps to reduce the moisture levels of your houses and offices, keeping away all the dust mites, molds, and mildews.
You can set it in 4 possible modes, AC, heater, dehumidifier, or fan. It also includes an automatic swing mode to surge the airflow in your rooms. You can operate the AC using a remote control from any corner of your room.
It also includes a filter screen purifying the air that passes through it. To add on, it’s highly energy-efficient, helping you save some bucks on your power bills.
Pros
3 outstanding features of this AC are its extremely quiet motor, a remote, and a timer feature that you can set to automatically shut it off.
Cons
You have to buy a drain hose to hook it to the back of your AC as it’s not included in the kit.
Rating
4.3 stars out of 5
Midea MAP10S1CWT 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner
The Midea 3-in-1 AC is the Best Sleek Portable Ventless Air Conditioner.
This light and the modern air conditioner come in 4 variants based on room size. Having a remote control and being wifi-enabled makes it easy to operate with 3 modes: Cooling, dehumidification, and fan only.
As it’s wifi-enabled, you can control the Midea air conditioner using a smartphone app. You can also pair this AC with Alexa, Google Assistant, to control your room’s temperature through some simple voice commands.
Moreover, you also get an easy-to-read LED display. Along with this, you get a timer, sleep mode, and an automatic swing function. It also includes an air filter to reduce the impurities in your living spaces.
With all the elements included in the kit and proper instructions, installing this air conditioner is the easiest. You get adjustable window brackets, and a 5 feet hose to install quickly in any part of your homes or offices.
Pros
It’s wifi enabled and can be paired with Alexa. Also, it’s quiet, creating no disturbance in your homes and offices.
Cons
It cools your rooms swiftly, but then it has to be drained more often.
Rating
4.3 stars out of 5
EUHOMY 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Euhomy is the Best Fastest Cooling Portable Ventless Air Conditioner.
Including the best features you cannot imagine for a ventless air conditioner, Euhomy is the ideal choice for your rooms. It is designed to cool rooms up to 350 square feet.
It has an excellent self-evaporation feature, wherein this air conditioner reduces the drainage operation. Also, it includes a water tank to collect the water.
Suppose you are in a room with very high humidity, then the water drained might be more than evaporation. In that case, if your water tank reaches its threshold, then the air conditioner will sound an alarm and stop working to alert you to drain the water tank.
In addition to self-evaporation, you also get a remote sensor that sets the cooling of AC based on the temperature around the remote. You also get an LED display and 3 settings on remote, cool, dry, and fan.
Having UL and CEC certifications, Euhomy is an energy-efficient quality product you can opt for.
Pros
Has portable sensing features in the remote, which enables it to cool the air based on the temperature around the remote.
Cons
At times, it may create a little humming sound.
Rating
4.6 stars out of 5
DELLA 14000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Della 14000 BTU is the Best Portable Ventless Air Conditioner for Large Rooms. It is designed to provide a cooling breeze in rooms up to 700 square feet.
This Della AC unit is modern and technology high in features. It is Wi-Fi-enabled and can be paired with Alexa, Google Assistant, to operate it with ease from any corner of your room. To add on, it also includes a remote. Although it has a self-timer duration of 24 hours, you can set the schedule using voice commands or a mobile app.
This is ideal for people who do not like to clear the drain or are busy, as it has an excellent self-evaporation system. With 3-speed settings like cool, dry, and fan, you also get to set it on sleep mode. Also, you get a 24-hour timer to automatically turn it on and off by scheduling its operations.
It’s easy to install with a 3 step process which is described in the manual. Having caster wheels makes it easy to move anywhere in indoor spaces.
Pros
Having outstanding self-evaporation, you don’t need to worry about leakages anytime now. There is no drainage, even on cool days.
Cons
It’s heavier, weighing 72.2 lbs.
Rating
4.3 stars out of 5
Amana Remote Control in Silver/Gray for Portable Air Conditioner
Amana is the Best Portable Air Conditioner for the Garage.
It’s a stylish silver gray air conditioning unit that can flare well with your indoors. Amana covers areas up to 500 square feet. The design of this AC unit is cool, simple, and plain. Being light in weight, it’s easy to move with four caster wheels.
It has a unique power loss protection feature that restarts the AC unit at the same settings configured by you before the power cut. You also get a 4 feet hose and a window bracket included along with a 53” inch power cord.
It has a large easy to read display. Along with this, you also get a handheld remote control to set your AC in the way you need. Another interesting feature that this air conditioner has is its auto-reminder of cleaning filters. For optimal performance, you get a filter cleaning alert after every 360 hours of operation.
Pros
The alert for filter cleaning and power loss protection are major benefits of this AC unit.
Cons
It isn’t quite at high levels of cooling.
Rating
4.4 stars out of 5
Whynter ARC-148MS 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
The Whynter ARC-148MS perfectly cools the room size up to 450 square feet. It’s the Best Portable Ventless Air Conditioner for Midsize Rooms.
Having 14000 BTU, it’s fast in cooling and weighs 73 pounds. You can operate this using a remote control to different settings like cool, dehumidifier and fan.
It has a simple and elegant design and is easily movable in any part of your home or office. You need to make sure it’s placed near a window for effective cooling with a single hose.
Furthermore, it has a continuous and manual drain system and a 24-hour timer. It also includes carbon silver shield filters that remove the pollutants in the air and soak the bad odor keeping your rooms fresh always. It’s UL certified and energy-efficient.
Pros
It’s very quiet and creates a peaceful environment for you to focus on your work.
Cons
The window bracket does not fit the small windows. Some people feel this is a thicker unit and should be slimmed.
Rating
4.4 stars out of 5
Amazon Basics Portable Air Conditioner with Remote
Coming from the very own Amazon brand, this air conditioner is the Best Budget-Friendly Option.
Having a single hose exhaust system, the Amazon Basic AC unit is best for studio size apartments. It is designed to space upto 450 square feet.
This AC unit has a LED display, simple body with side handles to carry and move anywhere. It is available in two variants. One has 6000 BTU for extremely small size rooms, and the other one is 10000 BTU’s.
You can operate it using a handheld remote. Additionally, it also includes a dehumidifier. You can set the fan to cool, dry and fan mode with one click on the remote.
Including the brackets, hose and other spare parts needed to vent it in a window, it’s quick to install with a given set of instructions.
Pros
It fits the conventional windows and can be customized for non-traditional windows like crank and egress.
Cons
The caster windows are small, making it a bit difficult to move on carpets.
Rating
4.3 stars out of 5
Shinco 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Shinco 8000 BTU is the Best Ventless Portable Air Conditioner for Small Rooms (upto 200 square feet).
Having a built-in compressor gives this Shinco AC unit a sleek and modern design. It cools down the temperatures in small rooms in a few minutes. Some buyers have tested it by placing it in the sun, and it still works best.
With 3 modes to choose from, you can set it to cool, dehumidification and fan. Even the fan has 2-speed settings. Along with this, you don’t need to drain it as it has a self-evaporation system.
It’s very easy to use with a LED display to show the temperature, 24-hour timer, low-speed mode to have noiseless peaceful rooms. Moreover, you can move it easily anywhere with no hassle as it includes 4 caster wheels.
Including an exhaust hose and a window mounting kit, it’s easy to install with an easy-to-follow instruction set that comes along with it.
Pros
It includes a 30-Day Money Back Policy. Excellent customer service after the purchase.
Cons
The window mount may not fit most standard 31-inch windows. So you may have to get it cut.
Rating
4.4 stars out of 5
Whynter ARC-14S 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner
Whynter ARC-14S is the Best Ventless Portable Air Conditioner with Dual Hose (covers upto 500 square feet).
With 14000 BTUs and dual hoses, this AC unit makes the perfect choice for people living in hot areas. However, if you need an AC and a heater together, you also get a variant of this AC unit that works both in summer and winter.
It’s a platinum black sleek propeller that fits anywhere in your room and can be moved easily. Having a 5-star energy rating and UL certification, it’s very high inefficiency.
You get three modes of operation through remote, which are cool, dehumidifier, and fan. It’s eco-friendly and consists of a carbon filter that removes dust and pollutants from your room. The carbon filter also acts as an odor neutralizer in your rooms.
Pros
A modern air conditioner with dual hoses cools down the room faster than any other portable device. Awarded as Good Housekeeping’s “2020 Best Overall”
Cons
The window mount that comes with this AC unit may not be useful as it has the two hose brackets very close. Due to this, the air intake hose may consume hot air being expelled from the exhausted host.
Rating
4.4 stars out of 5
Conclusion
After reading this guide, you are now an expert and can decide on the best portable ventless air conditioner for your needs. Now you also know the prerequisites to install a portable air conditioner successfully with no hassles.
Our top choices recapped:
Best Portable Outdoor Cooling – Hessaire MC37M Portable Evaporative Cooler
Best Portable Overall AC – SereneLife SLPAC Portable Air Conditioner & Heater
Best Portable AC for Small Rooms – Shinco 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Best Portable AC for Large Rooms – DELLA 14000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Best Portable AC for Garage – Amana Remote Control in Silver/Gray for Portable Air Conditioner
Let us know what features attract you most in a portable air conditioner.
