Best Ceiling Fans of 2025
Our tests have found that even cost-conscious options can provide great airflow
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Ceiling fans look attractive and can also make your utility bill look less daunting throughout the year. If you have central air conditioning and also run a ceiling fan, you can raise the thermostat by a few degrees and still feel just as comfortable, according to the Department of Energy. And in the heating season, running a ceiling fan on a low speed in reverse (clockwise) can push warm air down from the ceiling into a room to help keep you toasty.
Best Ceiling Fans
Below are the top five ceiling fans from our tests. All of them are on our recommended list.
How CR Tests Ceiling Fans
We measure airflow at high and low speeds using an anemometer, an instrument that measures wind speed, capturing airspeed at nine locations around a fan. We also rank the fans on adjustability based on the difference in airflow between the fan’s high and low speeds.
We also note how each fan operates. Ceiling fans are usually wired into a wall switch that turns the fan and light on and off. But with most fans, you have to use a pull chain to adjust the speed (and another to turn the light on and off). Some ceiling fans also come equipped with a remote control so that you can set the speed to your liking without getting up from your easy chair.
We also test each fan for the amount of noise it makes on both the highest and lowest settings. And we evaluate noise from both the moving air and the motor.
