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Best desk fans 2024: keep cool with these compact models
Whether you're working from home, are back at the office, or are juggling a combination of the two, improve your desk setup by investing in a fan to keep your cool during back-to-back Zoom calls.
By Natasha Gregson | Last updated Jul 18, 2024
With temperatures set to soar this summer in the UK, many of us are looking for effective ways to cool down. If you’re working from home with back-to-back video calls keeping you indoors, we’d highly recommend adding an effective desk fan to your home office space, whether you’re working from the sofa, a coffee table or the spare room. Some of the best desk fans are portable too, so you can easily pop it in your bag and take it to work with you, so you can keep your cool anywhere.
The best desk fans will keep you chilled when cooking up a storm in the kitchen and are perfect if you haven’t got enough space around the house for a portable air conditioner or an air cooler. They can also be just the ticket in a child’s nursery, keeping your baby cool and comfortable at night. However, as temperatures rise so to does demand for these handy gadgets, so we'd advise snapping one up before they sell out - in previous years we've seen retailers run out of stock of certain models.
To help you choose the right one for your lifestyle, we’ve trawled the Mumsnet forums and checked expert suggestions and authentic reviews to provide you with a selection of the best desk fans to buy in the UK. Whatever you’re looking for, we’ve highlighted quiet, affordable, stylish and designer options to suit your needs and budget. Plus, if you're not sure whether you want a desk model or another style of fan, we also have guides to the best tower fan, handheld fan, neck fan and pedestal fan so you can buy the best type for your home.
Here’s our pick of the best desk fans 2024.
Meaco MeacoFan Sefte Table Air Circulator
Super quiet
Very effective
Quiet Mark certified
Trusted brand
Relatively large
Price: £120 | Size: 22.7D x 30.5W x 43.2Hcm | Weight: 3kg | Oscillation angle: 30° - 120° | Cord length: 1.6m | Warranty: Three years | Noise level: 25 to 50 dB | Power: 8 watts
Tested by MNHQ: Read our in-depth Meaco Sefte Table Air Circulator review
At just 25dB on its lowest setting, the fan is super quiet. There are 12 fan speed settings, and 3 oscillation modes that allow you to circulate air focused on yourself or around the whole room.
Just like the Meaco Sefte Pedestal Air Circulator, there's a sleep mode where the fan speed reduces every 30 minutes, which is perfect for cooling the room as you sleep. While the higher settings provide a powerful breeze, once you get to the lower settings the noise is almost unnoticeable, and there are no squeaks when the fan oscillates either.
The fan is quite chunky, and if your desk or bedside table is on the small side you might need to place it on another surface. The head is 30cm wide but the base is a little more compact at 22cm in width. Thanks to its clever design and the way it circulates air so effectively, you don't need to have it right next to you to feel the benefit.
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Bargain price
Compact size
Adjustable tilt
Warranty is only one year long
Price: £18 | Size: 30 x 17.8 x 21cm | Weight: 1.8kg | Oscillation angle: Not specified | Cord length: 1.7m | Warranty: One year | Noise level: Not specified | Power: 22 watts
It's a basic desk fan, but this budget buy has plenty of accolades and comes highly recommended by Which?
It might not have many frills or a stylish design, but it’s very efficient at cooling your room down, which is essentially what you want from a desk fan. It’s only 18cm in width so it sits neatly on your desk or table and it’s easy to operate with two speed settings. The adjustable tilt feature means you can position the incoming breeze to best suit your needs.
Our main gripe is that the warranty is only for a year, which is quite short compared to other fans, but we still think it offers great value, particularly if you don't want to splash out on something you'll only use during the summer months.
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Great looking
Adjustable tilt
Sturdy
Expensive for basic controls
Price: £64 | Size: 27 x 54 x 35 cm | Weight: 3.81kg | Oscillation angle: Not specified | Cord length: 1.8m | Warranty: Not specified | Noise level: Not specified | Power: Not specified
This desk fan does exactly what you want it to do on the cooling front while also looking pretty cool itself. As for features, it’s a pretty standard offering with a tilt function, an oscillating feature and four speed settings but it's the retro styling you’re paying for and this chic fan comes in a minimalist, Scandi inspired design with a wood effect neck and contrasting white finish.
There are cheaper models (like the Argos buy) and it's quite heavy compared to other fans, but what really sets this one apart is its designer good looks. If desk-scaping is your thing or you’re all about creating stylish Zoom backdrops, then this is the one for you.
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Safe design with no visible blades
Purifies air with a HEPA filter
LCD display
Large
Pricey
Price: £289 | Size: 25 x 25 x 40cm | Weight: 2.8kg | Oscillation angle: 90˚| Cord length: Not specified | Warranty: Not specified | Noise level: 56 dB | Power: 40 watts
If you’re willing to splurge on a quality fan for your office and you like to geek out on tech, consider this Dyson Pure Cool Me fan. The fantastic design is popular with Mumsnet users, and it’s easy to see why. There are no visible blades so it’s completely safe if you have little ones around the house who like to pick up and poke everything.
However, the real standout feature is its qualities as an air purifier: the HEPA filter and carbon filter both work to remove allergens and pollutants from the air, so it emits a purified airflow to cool you down. This also makes it a top choice if you have allergies, but you will need to change the filter every so often (about once a year depending on use), so that's a small bit of maintenance to factor in – luckily, the built-in LCD display lets you know the status of the filter life.
It is quite bulky so do make sure you have sufficient desk space, but overall this desk fan is a very smart buy if you can afford the expense.
Super powerful
Can be used on a desk, on the floor or mounted to the wall
Straightforward controls
Noisy
Price: £22 | Size: 28.2 x 16.2 x 29.1 cm | Weight: 1.3kg | Oscillation angle: 90˚| Cord length: 1.8m | Warranty: Two years | Noise level: Not specified | Power: 30 watts
If you want some serious breeze for your buck, try this turbo desk fan which lives up to its name by pushing out gusts of air to keep your room cool. In order to create such a powerful breeze, this fan makes more noise than others in our round-up, so that is something to consider if you'd prefer a whisper-quiet model.
It has a stand and a 90-degree oscillating fan head, which is fine on your desk, but also works on the floor or even mounted on a wall. You don’t get too many features going on here: it's a pretty basic, no-nonsense desk fan, but that makes it super easy to use and it's a great bargain, too.
Duux Globe Table Fan with Remote Control
Quiet Mark certified
Comes with a remote control
Long cord
Heavy
Price: £80 | Size: 38 x 28 x 28cm | Weight: 3.4kg | Oscillation angle: 90˚| Cord length: 2m | Warranty: Two years | Noise level: 13 to 42dB | Power: 14 watts
When you're focusing on work, be it at home or in the office, the last thing you need is a loud whirring noise distracting you. That's where the Duux Globe Table Fan comes in; operating at just 13dB on the low settings, it's our pick for the best quiet fan on our list. As you speed up the fan, it will understandably be louder, but at 42dB on the highest setting, it's still pretty quiet in comparison to other fans, earning it a coveted 'Quiet Mark' award.
We also love the remote – it's a doddle to control, and means you won't have to get up to turn it off if you're using it from bed before you go to sleep. On the other hand, it's one of the heaviest fans on our list, so it's not the best for portability, but the 2m power cord is a decent length for flexibility.
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110 degree oscillation
Two fans for maximum air circulation
2, 4 and 8 hour timers
Noisy on highest setting
Price: £33 | Size: 64 x 38 x 38 cm | Weight: 1kg | Oscillation angle: 110 degrees | Cord length: Not specified | Warranty: Not specified | Noise level: 60dB | Power: 16 watts
Mumsnet users love this bargain fan for its two fans, which provide an impressive breeze for less than £40. The fan has 3 speed settings, a timer for 2, 4 or 8 hours and oscillates at a 110 degree angle, effectively circulating air in the area around your desk or bedside table.
Its tower-like design means it takes up a lot less room than the other wide-based desk fans on our list, so it's a great choice if you're pushed for space.
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Should I buy a desk fan, pedestal fan or tower fan?
As the name suggests, desk fans usually sit on a table or desk. They are not as powerful as pedestal or tower fans, and may not be sufficient enough to cool an entire room. However, their small size and portability make them ideal for a work from home or office setup, allowing you to have a cooling breeze while you work. They also take up less space and, depending on the model and features you want, tend to be cheaper than floor fans.
On the other hand, pedestal fans are larger and more powerful than desk fans, and can be placed on the floor or a desk if the size is adjustable. They often have an customisable tilt and oscillate horizontally to cover a wider area of the room.
Tower fans are similar to pedestal fans and are designed to cool an entire room. They are tall and slim, taking up less space than a pedestal fan, but are usually more expensive. Additionally, tower fans have a modern and minimalist appearance compared to pedestal and desk fans.
How to choose the best desk fan for you
Want to keep your cool while working from home? A desk fan will do just that. Whether you’re at your desk, working in the kitchen or relaxing on the sofa, they're ideal for a chilling blast during hot weather. And they're small enough to be picked up and taken from room to room.
Here are a few things to think about before buying a desk fan:
Size. How big is your desk or table?
Do you need a long cable to reach a socket or will you charge using a USB port?
Do you want a basic model or a stylish design?
Do you need a model with a remote control?
Do you need a timer?
How much airflow do you require? Do you need it to tilt or oscillate?
How much are desk fans?
If you're watching the pennies, you can pick up a basic desk fan from around £10. These affordable options may not have all the bells and whistles, but they'll still do a decent job of providing a refreshing breeze. On the flip side, a high-tech, powerful fan like the Dyson can set you back nearly £500.
You'll find most quality desk fans usually retail between £25 and £90 depending on the settings and features you require.
Are desk fans effective?
The motor technology in desk fans has really moved on over the years and you can get a decent cooling airflow with fairly low noise levels from the smaller desk fans (as opposed to larger pedestal or tower fans). That said, the slightly larger models are a little more efficient at blasting out air.
Will a desk fan cool a room?
Desk fans are capable of cooling smaller rooms. Those with higher speed settings will have more punch. But for larger rooms, you need a pedestal fan or even a portable air conditioner to beat the heat.
How long can you leave a desk fan on?
You can typically leave your fan running for as long as you need it without any issues. However, it's always a good idea to give your fan a break every now and then, especially if it's been running continuously for several hours to allow the motor to cool down and prolong the life of your fan.
Which is the best desk fan?
The fan that swings it for us is the MeacoFan 650 Desk Fan which comes with great features and design for an affordable price. It’s hard to beat that winning combination.
How we chose our recommendations
Because we know that there’s nothing like a real recommendation from a real parent, we first headed to the Mumsnet forums to find out which desk fans discerning Mumsnet users had bought for cooling small spaces. We compiled a list of the desk fans they recommended for being powerful and offering value for money.
We then did some research across the wider web, looking at which desk fans had won accolades or been featured in ‘best buy’ lists across websites and print media, and what customer reviews said about them.
Having collated all that information, we picked the best desk fans we thought would make the best buys.
About the author
Natasha is an Affiliate Content Editor at Mumsnet, overseeing lifestyle and home articles with a focus on product round-ups and reviews. She has also written for The i Paper, Stylist Magazine, Gransnet and Exposed Magazine.
With several years of experience under her belt, she has written on many topics, including everything from beauty to baby essentials, fashion to food, but her true expertise is seeking out the best home and kitchen advice and products to make daily life that little bit easier.
Why you should trust us
We work hard to provide unbiased, independent advice you can trust. We do sometimes earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. This helps us fund more helpful articles like this one.
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