5 Quietest Portable Air Conditioners (47dB – 52dB)

Here are the 5 quietest portable air conditioners between 47dB and 52dB. You’ll find all cooling capacities between 8,000 BTU and 14,000 BTU.

For each quiet portable air conditioner, I’ll also list the room size each model is good for!

Quick answer: The quietest portable air conditioner is a 47dB TOSOT unit. After that, most quiet air conditioners are rated either 51dB or 52dB. An average portable air conditioner is 56dB, which is significantly more because each 3dB increase doubles the perceived noise volume.

Here’s the full list of the quietest portable air conditioners. After deciding for a model, I highly recommend to keep reading.

I will tell you how to make your portable air conditioner even quieter than the manufacturer’s specification with a few simple tweaks!

Recommended Products: Quietest Single-Hose and Dual-Hose ACs

Single-hose ACs are a bit easier to setup and a bit more affordable, while dual-hose ACs will provide better cooling.

In general, you should pick the dual-hose AC over the single-hose AC!

Quietest Single-hose portable AC (51dB)

Of all the quiet air conditioners ranked and listed below, I recommend getting this BLACK+DECKER AC (click to view it on amazon).

This one is only the second most quiet portable air conditioner from the list below. However, I trust the BLACK+DECKER brand a lot more than TOSOT (the number #1 ranked AC) to specify accurate noise levels on their sales page and I strongly assume this one is the better air conditioner.

BLACK+DECKER is a good brand and they are proven to work reliably.

Quietest Dual-hose portable AC (52dB)

If you are looking to get a quiet, but very powerful air conditioner, then get this Whynter ARC-122DS air conditioner (click here to view it on amazon).

With 52dB it’s just 1dB “louder” than the previous model. So, the noise difference is barely noticeable.

It’s a dual-hose portable air conditioner which makes it a lot more efficient than regular single-hose air conditioners.

Whynter Elite-ARC-122DS portable air conditioner

Because of its increased efficiency, it outputs more cold air (12,000 BTU) while still running quietly.

Those two air conditioners are my personal recommendations. But keep reading to see the full list of quiet portable air conditioners and their specifications (e.g. room sizes and noise levels):

5 Quietest Portable Air Conditioners (Ranking)

All of the portable air conditioners in this list are very quiet. So, instead of going straight for the quietest air conditioner, you should also consider your room size.

For each air conditioner, I’ll list the corresponding room size it is suitable for.

#1 TOSOT portable AC (47dB)

The quietest portable air conditioner is this TOSOT portable air conditioner (click to view it on amazon).

  • Noise level: 47dB
  • Cooling capacity: 8,000 BTU
  • Room size: 150 sq. ft. – 250 sq. ft.

With just 47dB, this portable AC is incredibly quiet. If the manufacturer’s specification is accurate, then you can expect this to be only half as loud as the next air conditioner.

Each 3dB decrease is a halving in perceived noise levels. 

So, if you are looking for the absolute quietest portable air conditioner, then you can stop here and get this TOSOT portable air conditioner.

However, I find the power consumption of 1,050 a bit too high for only 8,000 BTU of cooling capacity. That’s about 10% higher than other comparable air conditioners.

So, according to the manufacturer, it’s a quiet AC, but uses more power… Something is off here.

And that’s why I personally would not buy this portable AC and opt for the next-ranked AC instead.

#2 BLACK+DECKER portable AC (51dB) 

The second quietest portable AC is this BLACK+DECKER AC (click to view it on amazon).

  • Noise level: 51dB
  • Cooling capacity: 8,000 BTU
  • Room size: 150 sq. ft. – 250 sq. ft.

With a 51dB noise level, it is still significantly quieter than other portable air conditioners. However, the big gap between the #1 model, which is 47dB and this AC makes me suspicious.

All air conditioners produce noise. So, one portable AC outperforming all other ACs by 4dB (which is a lot) is very unlikely.

Personally, I trust BLACK+DECKER significantly more than TOSOT and I think a rating of 51dB is more realistic than 47dB.

And that’s why I would recommend getting the tried and trusted BLACK+DECKER AC instead of the other most quiet AC, which might turn out to be a lemon…

#3 SereneLife SLPAC10 (52dB)

Another silent portable AC is this SereneLife SLPAC10 air conditioner (click here to view it on amazon)

  • Noise level: 52dB
  • Cooling capacity: 10,000 BTU
  • Room size: 200 sq. ft. – 300 sq. ft.

The SereneLife portable air conditioner provides more cooling power than the previous quiet portable air conditioners.

This AC unit is well-suited for larger rooms. You can also choose other cooling capacities for this AC.

One thing is very curious. The specifications for the 10,000 BTU model (which I recommend here) state that the noise level is only 52dB.

The same AC, but with 8,000 BTU cooling capacity, has noise levels of 55dB to 57dB. Something is off here… Either the 8,000 BTU model is manufactured more cheaply, or the specification is wrong.

Because intuitively a small air conditioner should be quieter than a stronger one. But who knows?

SereneLife is a good company. Their air conditioners have tens of thousands of positive ratings only, so I trust them.

I included this portable air conditioner in this list because this model is the quietest 10,000 BTU portable air conditioner I could find!

#4 Whynter ARC-122DS (52dB)

Another quiet portable AC is this Whynter ARC-122DS air conditioner (click here to view it on amazon).

  • Noise level: 52dB
  • Cooling capacity: 12,000 BTU
  • Room size: 250 sq. ft. – 350 sq. ft.

And actually, I’d say if I had to get one to cool a medium to large space, then this portable air conditioner is your best choice.

It is a dual-hose portable air conditioner. Dual-hose units are technically superior to single-hose models because they are a lot more efficient.

If you are looking to get the most cooling for the least cost, then this portable air conditioner is for you.

You should always prefer a dual-hose model over single-hose models. Some single-hose portable air conditioners are a bit quieter than this dual-hose model.

But the difference of just 1dB does not justify the cooling efficiency difference.

Dual-hose air conditioners cool just as well as real window or split air conditioners. They don’t have the drawbacks most other (single-hose) portable air conditioners have.

If you want a quiet, powerful, and energy-efficient portable AC, then you should get this Whynter AC.

#5 DeLonghi Pinguino (52dB)

The strongest quiet portable air conditioner is this DeLonghi Pinguino AC (click here to view it on amazon)

  • Noise level: 52dB
  • Cooling capacity: 14,000 BTU
  • Room size: 300 sq. ft. – 400 sq. ft.

This model has the highest cooling capacity of all quiet portable air conditioners. So, if you are looking to cool large spaces, or multiple rooms at once, then this AC unit is for you.

With noise levels of 52dB it is very quiet, which is surprising given the high cooling capacity of 14,000 BTU.

However, because it’s a single-hose model and it has such a high cooling capacity you can expect it to have a higher running cost than the other models in this list.

How noisy are portable air conditioners?

Portable air conditioners have a noise level of about 56dB on average. Noise level and cooling capacity do not correlate strongly.

This means that there are quiet, but strong portable air conditioners (such as the ones in this list), and there can also be loud, but weak air conditioners.

The noise level of a portable air conditioner depends mostly on the compressor quality, the general build quality, and the temperature settings.

How can you make a portable AC more quiet?

The quiet portable air conditioners are not quiet enough for you? By following the below-listed tips you will be able to cut down your portable air conditioner’s average noise levels by an additional 3dB.

Facts for geeks: A 3dB decrease is a halving of the noise level (because decibels are a logarithmic scale). Accordingly, a 3dB increase would double the noise volume.

You can make your portable AC quiet by insulating it properly and placing it on an anti-vibration pad. Also, you can reduce the fan settings.

Insulate your portable air conditioner

Insulate your portable air conditioner to make it quieter. An insulated air conditioner needs fewer cooling cycles, which means it will produce less noise.

To insulate a portable air conditioner, the first best thing to do is to wrap the exhaust hose in an insulating aluminum wrap. This prevents heat from reentering the room through the poorly insulated plastic hose.

Also, you should ensure that the window setup of your portable air conditioner is fully sealed. There should be as little hot air leaking into the room as possible.

I know it’s not possible to perfectly set up the window kit, because they are one-size-fits-all.

However, the better you set up your portable air conditioner, the less cooling cycles it will need and the quieter it will be.

For more portable air conditioner efficiency tips, read “How to make a portable air conditioner more efficient?”.

how to make portable air conditioner more efficient
Here’s a Whynter portable AC with added hose insulation, which improves quietness and energy-efficiency!

Place the AC unit on an anti-vibration pad

An anti-vibration pad is a thick, noise-insulating pad that you can place large appliances on.

Usually, they are used for dishwashers or washing machines. But you can use them for portable air conditioners just as well.

Anti-vibration pads reduce the vibration going into the floor. Therefore, they are very good to dampen the noise exposure of neighbors and rooms nearby.

You will still be able to heat your portable air conditioner just as before. But any neighboring rooms will heat a lot less of your air conditioner’s noise.

Also, when you are sleeping with a running portable air conditioner, anti-vibration pads help a lot. Because less noise is moving through the floor, less noise reaches you lying in bed.

Personally, I get very noise-sensitive while sleeping to any noise that is carried through the floor, such as neighbor’s walking, or portable air conditioners running.

Anti-vibration pads are worth gold in this case!

Reduce fan settings

Another way to reduce your quiet portable air conditioner’s noise even further is to simply reduce the fan settings.

All air conditioners have a built-in fan to distribute the cold air. Aside from the compressor, the fan is the second source of AC noise.

It’s very easy to fix this:

Just reduce your fan settings.

Read “How to make a portable air conditioner quiet?” for more tips!

Are quiet portable ACs better than noisy ones?

Quiet portable air conditioners are not necessarily better than noisy ones. The noise level of a portable air conditioner does not correlate strongly with its power consumption or its cooling capacity.

This means that it is possible to get a quiet air conditioner that is very inefficient and accordingly causes high electricity costs without providing the cooling you need.

That would, however, be the exception. All of the air conditioners listed in this article are efficient and silent.

In general, portable air conditioner noise levels (or quietness) in combination with a high cooling capacity is an indicator of good build quality.

If a portable air conditioner can produce a lot of cold air while remaining quiet, that is a sign of good engineering and solid manufacturing.

You can assume that the materials used are of high quality. Or… at least the internals of the portable AC, since almost all AC casings are made of plastic.

And also, it’s a sign of low-tolerance manufacturing, where parts are built to work together well.

If you compare two portable air conditioners with the same specifications (cooling capacity, power consumption, etc.) but different noise levels, then you should always get the quieter model.

Conclusion

Portable air conditioners can get as quiet as 47dB.

However, portable air conditioners usually have efficiency issues. If you are not only looking for the quietest portable air conditioner possible, but you also want efficiency, I highly recommend checking out window air conditioners.

Window air conditioners can be as quiet as portable air conditioners, but they consume a lot less electricity than portable air conditioners because of their higher efficiency.

An in-between solution is a dual-hose portable air conditioner.

Dual-hose portable air conditioners are almost as efficient as window air conditioners, but you get all the advantages of a portable air conditioner.

In the list above, you’ll find one dual-hose model! This one is a great balance between quiet, efficient, and cost-effective.