Dreo Atom 316 Space Heater
#1 in Fan heatersFull review
For a desk or bedside where a cheap, quiet heater should hold a set temperature. A larger room is better served by a tower or radiator.
Amazon $39.99$39.99
Every plug-in electric heater turns all the electricity it draws into heat. A $25 ceramic heater and a $500 one on their 1,500 W settings both put out 1,500 W of heat, about 5,100 BTU an hour, and cost the same to run: roughly 20 cents an hour at an average US electricity rate. No element, “infrared” or otherwise, gets more heat out of a watt. Most stop at 1,500 W because that’s the most a heater can safely draw from a standard 15 A outlet.
What differs is how the heat reaches you and how well the heater controls it. A fan heater blows warm air and warms the space around you in minutes. A radiator (oil-filled, oil-free or convector panel) has no fan, so it’s silent, takes 20 minutes or more to warm up, and gives steady, even heat. A radiant heater beams infrared from a glowing quartz or carbon element, warming the people and things in front of it rather than the air, which suits garages and drafty rooms.
A heater that holds a set temperature uses less power than one left on high, because it turns itself down once the room is warm. That, more than the heating element, is what saves money.
Top Picks
Amazon Basics DQ1927-Y Ceramic Heater
#17 in Fan heatersFull review
For a cheap personal heater under a desk or in a small room where basic heat and tip-over protection are all you need.
Amazon $20.69$20.69
Shop by Type
Fan heaters
43 rankedCeramic towers, desktop heaters and infrared cabinet heaters that blow warm air: fast heat for the room you are in.
Top rated: Dreo Atom 316 Space Heater $39.99
Radiators
10 rankedOil-filled, oil-free and convector radiators with no fan: silent, slow to warm up and steady once they do, for bedrooms and all-day heat.
Top rated: Dreo OH310 Oil-Filled Radiator $99.99
Radiant heaters
3 rankedQuartz, carbon and halogen heaters with no fan that warm the people and things in front of them: for garages, drafty rooms and spot heat.
Top rated: Comfort Zone CZ998 Parabolic Dish $45.82
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By budget
Prices were last checked October 30, 2026 and are subject to change; the price and availability shown by the retailer at the time of purchase apply.
Best Fan Space Heaters
- Dreo Atom 316 Space Heater#1 of 43Full review
For a desk or bedside where a cheap, quiet heater should hold a set temperature. A larger room is better served by a tower or radiator.
Amazon $39.99$39.991,500 W-DigitalETL - Vornado Velocity Cube 5 OSC#2 of 43Full review
For a living room or open space where you want oscillating heat with a set temperature, remote and timer.
Amazon $119.24$119.241,500 W-DigitalETL - Amazon Basics DQ2209 Ceramic Heater#3 of 43Full review
For a bedroom or office where you want a remote, a set temperature and a timer for little money. It lacks a published safety listing and warranty.
Amazon $41.96$41.961,500 W700 WDigitalNo - Vornado TAVH10 (2026)#4 of 43Full review
For a bedroom where you want to set a temperature, use a remote and have it turn off on its own. Skip it for the AVH10 if you never leave your chair.
Amazon $129.99$129.991,500 W750 WDigitalETL - Vornado VMHi500 (2026)#5 of 43Full review
For a bedroom or living room where you want a sturdy metal heater with a remote, timer and set temperature. The TAVH10 does the same jobs for less in a plastic case.
Amazon $135.99$135.991,500 W750 WDigitalETL
Best Oil-Filled and Radiator Space Heaters
- Dreo OH310 Oil-Filled Radiator#1 of 10Full review
For a bedroom or office that needs silent, steady heat held at a set temperature. A fan heater warms a cold room faster for short stays.
Amazon $99.99$99.991,500 W600 WDigitalETL - Amazon Basics CY62RR-7 Oil Radiator#2 of 10Full review
For a bedroom or office where silent, steady heat matters more than speed. It is a safety-listed radiator without a timer or digital thermostat.
Amazon $86.19$86.191,500 W600 WDialETL - Dreo OH521 Oil-Filled Radiator#3 of 10Full review
For a bedroom or living room that needs silent, steady heat held at a set temperature. The OH310 does the same job for less.
Amazon $135.92$135.921,500 W600 WDigitalETL - Dreo Oil-Filled Radiator 153#4 of 10Full review
For someone who wants a silent radiator with plain knobs and no electronics to fuss with. Those who want a timer or a set temperature should pay a little more for the OH310.
Amazon $94.99$94.991,500 W600 WDialETL - Pelonis PSHO06MR6ASB Radiator#5 of 10Full review
For a bedroom or office that needs silent, steady heat held at a set temperature with a remote. Dreo’s OH310 offers much the same for less.
Amazon $119.99$119.991,500 W600 WDigitalNo
Best Radiant and Infrared Space Heaters
- Comfort Zone CZ998 Parabolic Dish#1 of 3Full review
For cheap, silent spot heat at a desk or chair, or on a circuit that cannot take a 1,500 W heater. Pick a thermostat heater to hold a whole room at a set temperature.
Amazon $45.82$45.821,000 W700 WNoETL - Comfort Glow ERH375 Parabolic Dish#2 of 3Full review
For warming one person at a desk or in a chair silently, or for a circuit that cannot take a 1,500 W heater. Pick a thermostat heater to hold a whole room at a set temperature.
Amazon $49.95$49.951,000 W700 WNoETL - Heat Storm Tradesman HS-1500-TT-R#3 of 3Full review
For a garage, workshop or covered patio where you want to feel warm where you stand rather than heat the air. It is the wrong choice for a living room or bedroom.
Amazon $159$1591,500 W-NoNo
How We Rank
Each heater is ranked against others of the same type, and scored on its price per kilowatt, its safety listing and shutoffs, whether it holds a set temperature, its other controls, how low it can turn down and its warranty.
| Factor | Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Value | price per kilowatt of heat | 25% |
| Safety | safety listing, tip-over and overheat shutoff | 25% |
| Thermostat | whether it holds a set temperature | 15% |
| Warranty | warranty length | 15% |
| Controls | eco mode, timer, remote, app | 10% |
| Low setting | how gently it can heat a small room | 10% |
How we rank explains each factor in full.
Space heaters cause more home heating fires than any other type of heating equipment. Plug one straight into a wall outlet, never an extension cord or power strip, keep it three feet from anything that can burn, and turn it off when you leave the room or go to sleep unless it’s made to run unattended. Only 23 of the 56 heaters here say which lab tested them for safety; our safety listing study shows which brands do and how to check a heater yourself.