The Best Small Space Heaters for Any Situation

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If you’re living or working in a space that’s uncomfortably cold most of the time, the simplest answer, short of moving, is a small space heater. These little home appliances can fit on a desk surface to keep fingers warm while typing or can be tucked near a chair or bed to heat up your toes. In fact, you can bring them pretty much anywhere you need a little personal heating source, whether it’s by the couch, in a cold bedroom, at a small studio — you get the idea.

In This Article

What Are the Best Small Space Heaters?

A Buying Guide for the Best Small Space Heaters

How to Pick the Best Small Space Heaters for You

What Are the Best Small Space Heaters?

The best small space heaters should be portable enough to move from room to room, but powerful enough to heat up your surroundings quickly and safely. Here is a quick list of our top-reviewed small space heaters based on our testing at home and at the office.

TOP PICK: GiveBest Portable Electric Space Heater

EDITOR’S CHOICE: Amazon Basics Ceramic Personal Mini Heater 

BEST DESIGN: F.EASY.D Space Heater

SLIM OPTION: andily Space Heater

BEST VALUE: Brightown Small Space Heater

1. GiveBest Portable Electric Space Heater

This powerful space heater can warm up spaces as large as 200 square feet, while its light weight and the practical handle makes it easy to move from room to room. This little heater definitely hits the mark in the small-but-mighty category, with the ability to heat up your space in seconds. It’s also a two-in-one heater and fan that you can use all year round, with three heat settings and a thermostat setting that automatically shuts off when the space has reached the correct temperature.

2. Amazon Basics 500-Watt Ceramic Small Space Heater

This is a super compact and straightforward desk heater, with a simple on/off switch and tip-over safety features. Its small size means you should be able to fit in just about any space, and it has a solid base that keeps it in place. It’s compact enough to sit as a tabletop heater too, say, for the office or on a side table in the bedroom. Despite its smaller design, we like that it heats up quickly. It’s available in four colors that blend in easily to any decor.

3. F.EASY.D Space Heater

Sleek and stylish, this portable space heater looks more like a piece of decor than a heavy-duty appliance, and that’s exactly why we love it. Compared to bulky heaters, at just 7 x 4 x 8 inches, it’s compact but still packs a punch. It comes with three heating modes too: 1000 watt high heat, 500 watt low heat, and a regular fan. With a durable PTC ceramic heating element, it can heat up super fast in around two seconds based on our testing. We also like that it runs at a low 45 db, so the noise won’t disturb your environment, whether you’re focused on work or on your TV.

4. andily Space Heater (Electric)

This heater has three heat settings and a thermostat so you can find the right temperature. It’s also easily portable thanks to its small size and built-in handle. Reviewers say it heats up quickly, powerfully and quietly, and we are reassured by how sensitive the automatic shutoff safety feature is. It’s ETL (Electrical Testing Laboratories)-certified for safety and reliability too. The matte black colorway easily blends into any room decor.

5. Brightown Small Space Heater for Indoor Use

This tiny, well-designed heater is particularly ideal if you need something small at work that will keep your space adequately toasty. It has a low wattage (400 watts), which is good news for your energy bill, and comes in a variety of bright, stylish colors. Instead of an automatic switch, it includes a basic on/off button to manually turn it off once you’re warm. The heater powers down if it gets knocked over. The brand says it’s ideal for up to 100 square feet, and in our testing, it’s relatively quiet when it’s running (just 40 db).

In our review, this is a practical and reliable mini space heater that delivers a ton of value for its price-point. The slim size means it tucks away easily for storage when not in use.

6. Dreo Space Heater for Indoor Use

Few names in heating appliances are as well-known and reliable as Dreo, and we like this portable space heater, which offers a ton of features for its price-point and size. At 1500 watts, this mini heater delivers the most power on our list. The unique curved “heat funnel design,” meantime, ensures that warm air is quickly and evenly dispersed around the room.

Set a timer or manually adjust settings using the digital touchpad on top; the multiple heating options include an “eco mode” that conserves energy when not in use. A ton of safety features are built-into the space heater, including tip-over protection, overheat protection and a shell made from flame-retardant materials. We like the modern look of the white colorway too.

This is the small space heater we’ve been personally using in our office, and it always gets compliments for its good looks — and cozy warmth.

Best Small Space Heaters: Buying Guide

As its name suggests, the best small space heaters should be compact enough to fit and store in small spaces. But aside from size and ease of use, there are one or two safety and convenience considerations to keep in mind when choosing a good piece of equipment.

Temperature Settings: At their most basic, a space heater has just one button to turn it on or off. Better heaters offer a variety of temperature and strength settings so you can adjust to whatever feels most comfortable to you. Settings can include the power of your heat (I.e. how hot you want your space to feel) and also the duration of the heat (I.e. how long you want the heater to be on for).

Safety Features: To prevent accidental fires and overheating, basic safety features are essential in any small heater. This includes things like automatic shutoff after a certain amount of time or when the heater is picked up or knocked over. We also chose heaters made with flame-retardant materials, with shells that remain relatively cool to the touch even after prolonged use.

Power: You may want to think about how much space the heater can warm up on its highest setting. If you only need it for one person, this may not be a huge consideration, but consider the size of the area or room you’re using it when looking for your next space heater. The small space heaters we reviewed range from 400 watts of power (great for a desk, bathroom or cubicle) to 1500 watts — ideal for living rooms and studios.

How to Pick the Best Small Space Heater for You

There are multiple places to use a small space heater, but they should mostly be used to compliment or enhance an existing heating system. In other words, these mini heaters won’t be powerful enough to use as your only or main heat source in a home or room.

When picking the best small space heater for you, consider where you’ll be using it, and whether you want to keep it in one place or have the ability to move it from room to room. A tabletop space heater won’t need to be as large or powerful, but if you’re warming up a room, you’ll want something in the 1000 to 1500-watt range. Slimmer space heaters may look good, but they’ll take longer to heat up your space.

Looking for a portable space heater? We included a number of options above that are light in weight and come with built-in carrying handles for easily portability.

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