The best essential oil diffusers for 2025

You can choose from literally hundreds of types of aromatherapy diffusers that range in price from $10 to over $100. Before you buy, consider these factors in selecting the best essential oil diffuser.

Reservoir capacity: The water capacity of the diffuser can be from 100 milliliters (3.4 fluid ounces) to more than 1 liter (33.8 ounces) of water, but the average water reservoir holds about 300ml. You may want a larger water reservoir capacity if you don’t want to be bothered to refill the water very often, or if you need your diffuser to run for a long time in a large space.

Running time and timers: Do you want to be able to set your aromatherapy oil diffuser for 1, 3 or 5 hours? Want an ongoing option for aroma and fragrant mist? How long do you need to run? These are all important questions to consider when buying a diffuser.

Automatic shutdown: Even if you’re not a forgetful person, choosing a diffuser with automatic shut-off is a smart move. If you forget to turn on your diffuser when there is little water, it can overheat and fail.

Area coverage: For small rooms, such as a bedroom, a bathroom, a children’s room or a small yoga studio, you don’t need to worry too much about the square meter that your diffuser covers. If you are looking to use it in an open space or a large room, look for diffusers with a range of high square meters.

Lighting: Many diffusers offer ambient LED lights or double as night lights. This is a personal preference, so if you don’t want a light, make sure the aromatherapy diffuser you want to buy doesn’t have one or has one that you can easily turn off.

Fog parameters: Do you want a continuous cool mist that runs for hours to spread drops of essential oil or an intermittent mist?

Intensity: For a stronger scent, look for nebulizing diffusers. A nebulizing diffuser is a device that vaporizes oil droplets without using heat, before pumping the scent into a fine mist into the air. These are often more expensive than standard diffusers, but can be worth it if you find standard models to not be as effective.

humidity: Many essential oil diffusers double as a cool mist humidifier. This can be a great two-in-one option if you live in a dry climate.