• An essential oil diffuser can help create a calm, healing, or stimulating environment.
  • With tons of water reservoir capacities, styles, and dispersing methods, your oil diffuser selection should depend on the room size and type of mood you want to create.
  • Our pick for best oil diffuser overall, the Vitruvi Essential Oil Diffuser, has a sleek handcrafted porcelain design, decent BPA-free reservoir, and an optional-use light feature.

Scents have a wide-reaching impact on our daily lives.

According to research from the National Institute of Health, certain smells act as emotional gateways, affecting our moods, stress levels, sleep cycles, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making skills. And while scent-triggers can be pretty idiosyncratic (maybe you love the smell of bug spray because it brings up fond memories of summer camp, but it makes everyone around you gag), people within a culture often share common associations with particular scents (citrus smells are widely thought of as energizing, for example).

With that in mind, an essential oil diffuser can be used to stimulate the olfactory system for everything from creative work to calming sleep. An aromatherapist can help you find the right oils for the office, bedroom, and anywhere else you might need an emotional nudge.

Before you buy an oil diffuser, it’s good to familiarize yourself with the three types of dispersing methods as well as several important features.

  1. Ultrasonic diffusers: These diffusers use a high-frequency vibration to disperse an oil and water mixture. A good choice for enclosed areas with low humidity, these appliances act as both humidifiers and oil diffusers.
  2. Nebulizing diffusers: Requiring no heat or water, these diffusers disperse just essential oils. They produce a more potent scent but use much more oil than other types of diffusers.
  3. Evaporative diffusers: Essential oils are placed on a filter and circulated by a fan. No water is required.

Once you’ve settled on a diffusing method, the choices are nearly endless when it comes to features like settings, coverage area, and aesthetic appeal. Some things to consider before you make a purchase:

  • Automatic shutoff: This feature prevents damage if an ultrasonic diffuser runs dry.
  • Lighting: Many models have an LED light feature. Read carefully to determine the color of the light and whether it can be manually controlled if you don't want it on all the time.
  • Intensity: Are the diffuser settings continuous, intermittent, or both? Nebulizing diffusers produce a stronger output than other models.
  • Capacity and Coverage: If you choose an ultrasonic diffuser the water capacity can range from around three to 32 ounces. The larger the capacity, the more square footage it will cover.
  • Timers: A timer can help you control short or continuous runs and prevent damage if the diffuser is accidentally left on too long.
  • Aesthetics: Ceramic, wood, glass, plastic-essential oil diffusers are available to fit every type of decor.

To help you find the best essential oil diffuser, I have tested many different models and considered ease of use, price, and efficiency.

Here are the best essential oil diffusers:

The best essential oil diffuser overall

The Vitruvi Essential Oil Diffuser is quiet, has several settings, and the sleek porcelain vessel looks great in any decor.

I must admit that the first thing that attracted me to the Vitruvi Essential Oil Diffuser was the sleek, sophisticated exterior. The matte ceramic finish is hand-milled to look like stone, and shoppers can choose between charcoal, white, black, and terracotta. I also liked the size and shape. The tall narrow design (seven inches tall and approximately three and one-half inches wide) doesn't take up much space but still holds over three ounces of water.

After adding water and drops of essential oil, it was the operational functions that sold me on the diffuser. It runs quietly with only an occasional gurgle and produces a steady three-hour continuous mist. When I use the intermittent setting, it operates for over seven hours with enough power to cover more than 500 square feet. I first used the recommended Vitruvi essential oils set that comes with lavender, eucalyptus, frankincense, grapefruit, and spruce (grapefruit is my favorite).

With a one-year warranty, the customer service staff is helpful with any questions. Cleaning, which is important to smooth operation, is simple for both the outside vessel and the interior where all of the plastic components are BPA free.

The diffuser includes a built-in warm white light that can be used as a nightlight or turned off completely. With a five-foot-long cord, the diffuser can be tucked into many spaces. It turns off automatically when the cycle is over or when the water runs dry.

Pros: Sophisticated design, small footprint, multiple settings, automatic shut-off, easy to clean, one year warranty

Cons: Porcelain exterior can break if the unit is dropped

The best essential oil diffuser for small rooms

Foto: Source: Stadler Form

Small but powerful, the Stadler Form Jasmine Aroma Diffuser is perfect for office spaces and small rooms.

Leave it to the Swiss designer Fabian Zimmerli to create a discreet essential oil diffuser like the Stadler Form Jasmine. The simple bowl shape, which is just three-and-a-half inches high with a diameter of slightly more than five inches, is perfect for adding aromatherapy to small spaces. With a choice of black, titanium, red, or white, you're sure to find one to complement your decor.

I tested the Jasmine in my office because I need a stimulating scent to keep my brain at top performance while working. With a 100 ml capacity, I was able to go several days before I had to do a water refill. The diffuser only operates in cycles that are 10 minutes on/20 minutes, but that keeps the fine mist and scent at a pleasant level.

While it has an on/off switch for the end of the workday, there is an automatic shut-off function to prevent damage if I forget. The exterior is made of polypropylene plastic for durability and easy cleaning. The diffuser comes with a one-year warranty and customer service is readily available.

The diffuser runs extremely quietly and it does not leave an oily film on my work area. While I don't find this to be a problem, the LED lights are quite bright when the diffuser is operating. That might be an issue if you are using it in a small bedroom.

Pros: Small, efficient water use, quiet, easy to clean

Cons: Does not run continuously, LED lights are really bright

The best essential oil diffuser for large rooms

Foto: Source: Amazon

With one of the largest water tanks on the market, the Asakuki Smart Wi-Fi Essential Oil Diffuser covers lots of square footage with plenty of fun bells and whistles.

If you love high-tech gadgets and an essential oil diffuser that can put on a show, then the Asakuki Smart Wi-Fi Essential Oil Diffuser is the one for you.

We have an open floor plan in our living area so I was drawn to the 500 ml water capacity of the Asakuki diffuser to help humidify and scent the large space. My sons were impressed that I found an essential oil diffuser that can be controlled with an app and responds to Amazon's Alexa voice controls. Not only can I control the flow of the mist, but I can adjust the brightness and color of the LED lights with my phone. My two-year-old grandson thinks I'm a magician as I change the color from red to green to blue with my voice.

The Wi-Fi controls were simple to set up and if Wi-Fi goes down the diffuser can still be controlled manually when connected to an electrical outlet. Futuristic in design, the plastic components are BPA-free and the wood grain base complements contemporary decor.

After I set up the diffuser, it ran for around 16 hours before needing to be refilled. Once I found the perfect location and plugged it in, I just used the included cup to add water so I didn't have to haul the diffuser back and forth to the kitchen.

Pros: Large water tank capacity, Wi-Fi compatible, Amazon Alexa compatible, moderately priced, seven mood lighting choices, quiet operation, multiple mist settings

Cons: Wi-Fi instructions can be difficult for some to master, lights may be too bright for sleeping

The easiest-to-use essential oil diffuser

If you just want to plug in a diffuser, add oil and water, and enjoy, the SpaRoom Mysto Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser is a perfect choice.

Some oil diffusers come with confusing assembly instructions, even lengthier directions on how to reach certain settings, fussy specifications (like only using distilled water), and designs so complicated that only Houdini could figure out how and where to add the essential oils.

Not this one. Just pop open the top, pour in some tap or bottled water, add a few drops of essential oil, plug it in and the SpaRoom Mysto Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser fills the air with your favorite scent.

Designed with a modern marble base and mesh detailing, Mysto has continuous and intermittent settings controlled by just one button, as well as an automatic safety shut-off. At just over four-and-a-half inches tall and a little under five inches wide, it holds about five ounces of water and can run for five hours continuously or up to 10 hours intermittently. The illumination can be set for bright or warm white light and every function is, again, controlled with just one button.

For use in small spaces of around 200 square feet, I find it to be an attractive and effective diffuser.

Pros: Simple to assemble and operate, small size, automatic shut-off

Cons: Shorter running time than others

The best budget essential oil diffuser

Foto: Source: Amazon

With its affordable price point, the UR Power Essential Oil Diffuser is a perfect way to begin your essential oil diffuser journey.

If you are on the fence about the benefits of an essential oil diffuser and want to give one a try, start with the UR Power Essential Oil Diffuser. For around $20, this little diffuser will give you a chance to try aromatherapy without investing a ton of money.

The teardrop-shaped diffuser is around six inches tall and four inches wide at the base. Available in dark brown, light oak, and black and gray woodgrain, it holds around five ounces of water and will run around three to four hours in continuous mode.

A single button controls the mist mode and the adjustable LED lights that can be set to seven different colors.

Mine runs quietly and provides a steady stream of mist when operating in continuous mode. I like it for small areas like a bathroom or mudroom.

Pros: Low purchase price, quiet, automatic shut-off, small footprint

Cons: No warranty offered