The Coway Airmega 400 is pricey but offers air cleaning coverage of 1,560 square feet. Credit: CBS Interactive

Depending on where you live, an air purifier may be more of a necessity than a luxury. If allergy season tends to wreak havoc in your area, an air purifier can help by keeping allergens out of your home. They're also useful if you live in an area where wildfires are common, and can improve the breathability of the air at home.

There are quite a few different models on the market right now, so to help you find the best air purifier for your home and your needs, we've tested, reviewed and rounded up some of the best options out there at the moment.

WHAT Blueair Blue Pure 211 Plus

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Blueair's excellent large-room air cleaner looks great, runs fairly quiet and cleans large rooms efficiently. The Blue Pure 211 Plus weighs 13 pounds and has a simple interface: The touch-sensitive button on the front of the device lets you set it to low, medium, high or off.

While it would be nice if it had a few more smarts, like an automatic setting that responds to air quality, Blueair has invested where it matters: the cleaning technology. The True HEPA filter is certified to clean the air in spaces up to 560 square feet, and the activated carbon filter helps remove airborne pollutants.

WHAT Coway AP1512HH HEPA Air Purifier

The Coway's ion filtration technology covers 361 square feet and removes pet dander, dust and other allergen particles. Its striking, retro design is an added perk. In short, it's a solid product without all the complicated extras some other devices offer. Just plug it in, turn it on and forget about it.

It also won't produce significant ozone, as tested by the California EPA. If you want an air purifier for a midsize room, Coway's HEPA air purifier is one of the best air purifiers around with one of the most adventurous looks.

OK, if you've got the money and want a super-powerful air purifier — or if you'd rather get one purifier to cover your whole house than one for each room — Coway's Airmega 400 might be the best air purifier for you. This thing costs a pretty penny, but you get air cleaning coverage of 1,560 square feet.

The Airmega comes with a lot of perks: You get a real-time air quality indicator, a variety of fan speed settings (the highest of which is surprisingly quiet), smart settings that adjust fan speed according to air quality and a range of timers. It's also larger than many competitors, weighing nearly 25 pounds.

The following CNET staff contributed to this story: former CNET contributor David Priest and copy editor Jim Hoffman. For more reviews of personal technology products, visit cnet.com.

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