The 30 Best Desk Fans You Can Buy

Now that there’s been a massive change in the world of office work, it’s time to consider getting yourself a great desk fan. Whether it’s a larger oscillating fan, a UBS-powered desk fan, or something far fancier like a cutting-edge Dyson bladeless fan, the time for this simple but effective office desk accessory is here. 

While commercial office space sits mostly empty in many countries around the world, we have been asked to continue our toils at our home office desks for countless hours. It would appear that since the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many of us into work-from-home situations, pushing digital bits till our bosses are collectively satisfied, we are collectively working even more than before. We’ve replaced our commutes with more work. Good times huh? Yet it’s not all bad. The comforts of the home add plenty of opportunities to create a better work environment for yourself. 

While I’ve covered the ample options for the best modern home office desks you can buy as well as some great monitor stands and other office accessories such as office chairs, desk lamps, phone docks, desk clocks, cable management, headphone stands, and laptop stands, the one thing I haven’t talked about yet is desk fans. 

So why even consider getting a desk fan? First, desk fans have become more compact, stylish, and far better at cooling than they were in the past. Second, they can improve air circulation in any space. Third, desktop fans are a great way to accessorize your home office. With the massive variety of desk fans available online, you can find the right colour, size, and style to match your surrounding home office environment.

Also, because of their small size, you can often buy and place more than one in your workspace to provide for the ideal airflow. Modern desk fans also often incorporate some version of smart-features to allow you to control them remotely or set them on a schedule. Additionally, the fanciest models now allow for almost unlimited speed settings, letting you set the level of airflow to just the exact right conditions. Finally, because they tend to be fairly compact, you’ll also wind up using less energy to keep your office cool and fresh. 

For those sharing a workspace, a relatively quiet fan can also have the added benefit of adding a low-level of white noise that can often provide for a better environment for concentrating your mind while you work. 

Now that we’ve established why it is good to have a desk or table fan in your workspace let’s look at some of the best desk fans the world had to offer. Metal, plastic, USB-powered, retro, black, white, colourful, there’s plenty of options to choose from. Now go forth and select your cooling machine of choice after all the world is getting hotter every day.

1. Vornado Pivot Personal Air Circulator Fan

I wanted to start this list off with a bit of a beautiful bang. That’s why I chose this incredibly stylish and small desk fan. It also happens to be one of the most highly rated desk fans in the world. Trust me, I checked. Nearly every online retailer that sells this particular fan has hundreds if not thousands of five-star reviews. So what makes this Vornado desk fan so good? Is it cause it’s small, versatile, quiet, and awesome looking? In a word, yes!

The Pivot Personal Air Circulator looks less like a fan and more like a mini jet engine. Its design is a deliberate nod to the manufacturer’s roots in the aviation industry. At only six inches tall, the Vornado uses a unique airflow pattern called Vortex Action to circulate air around you. Small, sexy, and available with either a stand or a clip to attach to your desk or other surfaces, it’s a nearly perfect desk fan.

2. Vornado VFan Mini Classic Personal Vintage Air Circulator Desk Fan

It is very unlikely for me to be so taken by one company’s products that I would feature them as the number one and two items in any given product recommendation list that I’ve written so far. And yet here we are, finding ourselves in that exact predicament. But after catching a glimpse of this incredible gorgeous desk fan, I simply couldn’t help myself.

This is the type of retro desk fan that can be reliably added to any space or surface, and not only will it do the job of cooling the area more than adequately, but it will also look stunning while doing so. It would also be equally at home on a movie set staged to look like its taking place in the swinging ’60s. Check out all its features below. Actually, forget it, look through the colour combination options, and put at least one in each room of your home. When your house guests remark on this fan’s awesomeness, you’ll thank me.

3. Fanimation – Mini Breeze USB Portable Table Top Fan

Fanimation is a well-known brand in the world of fans. They’re famous for their wide array of cooling devices as well as for their design chops. This Indiana based company has created this terrific little USB powered desk fan. Compact, portable, and it can even run off the USB port of most laptops, the Mini Breeze is an affordable Brushed Nickel desk fan that will fit onto even the smallest of desk spaces. With its neutral silver look, this fine-looking, and retro-inspired desk fan can be a great addition to any workspace.

4. Boneco F100 Air Shower Desktop Fan

This Swiss-designed fan is the definition of cool. That’s probably a terrible pun to make when you’re writing about desk fans, but I felt it was appropriate given this fan’s quality and futuristic design. This fan is a part of a series of products from Boneco that also includes similarly designed fans in larger formats. If you like the way this one looks on your desk or tabletop, you can easily match it with other floor fans of varying sizes. The compact design features a one-touch control button with three different speed settings. Running at an incredibly quiet 55 decibels (akin to the noise a modern refrigerator makes), this fan features a tremendous amount of cooling power while looking rather chic.

5. Dyson Air Multiplier AM06 Table Fan

When Dyson first came out with this line of fans, it honestly seemed as if though they had made a deal with some modern-day sorcerer and sold their souls in exchange for the engineering required to create this product. The first thought that everyone had when seeing this was… where the hell are the blades? How do you make air shoot in a particular direction with no blades?

I’d be lying if I told you I fully understand the technology behind their “Air Multiplier” magic, but I do know that there’s plenty of benefits it confers upon us mere mortals. First is the lack of fans, which allows for non-choppy airflow and gives you peace of mind if you have small pets or young children in your house. No need to worry that they’ll get their tiny paws or fingers hurt by blades. That noise you hear from regular fans? It’s usually the blades slicing through the air. With this Dyson desk fan, you can expect about 50% less noise than a comparable bladed fan.

6. Fanimation Fans – Urbanjet Jr. Table Top Fan

This might well be the ultimate office desk or cubicle companion fan. Small, quiet, and retro-inspired, this metal desk fan uses a DC motor and can deliver a powerful stream of cool air while using a very small amount of power by way of its USB power cord. Using a five-blade design, this desk fan has plenty in the looks department with its silver and black finish and lets you switch between two speeds. Distinctive design and cooling air in a very compact package are but a mere few highlights of this fabulous desk fan. Get two of these, and you’ll feel like you’re cruising down the highway while getting some serious work done at your desk.

7. Schoolhouse – Table Fan

Sometimes the point of a desk accessory goes far beyond its use. Sure, if you’re going to be listed amongst the best desk fans available, you should do a good job providing a steady stream of cooling airflow. But you might as well fit into a deliberate set of decor and design choices while doing it. That’s where this jet black table fan from Schoolhouse fits into this conversation. Featuring a clean design, this oscillating fan boasts an iconic look. At the same time, it dishes out plenty of cooling power—a beauty of a desk accessory that could easily fall into the vintage desk fan category.

8. Holmes Heritage Desk Fan – 6 Inch – Brushed Copper

I’m going to stick with the retro theme here for a while longer. This rather cute and retro-inspired fan from Holmes is perfect for any desk surface that you want to class up. With a classic design that features all-metal construction, this 4-bladed fan from Holmes has a tilt-adjustable head and features something most desk fans don’t have a convenient carry handle. And while its small and portable, the six-inch blades provide plenty of cooling power with two-speed settings for your comfort. So don’t be afraid to jump into the world of brushed copper, this is as stylish as you get with an elegant and affordable desk fan.

9. SmartDevil Personal USB Desk Fan

Are you looking for an absolutely tiny but powerful and versatile desk fan? The SmartDevil Mini is a USB powered fan that provides quiet operation with plenty of airflow pushing power. What makes this desk fan special, however, is its frame, which has been designed to allow for complete 360º tilt rotation allowing you to quickly adjust where the air is flowing. It also features a thoughtfully designed rubber anti-slip base to ensure more stability and dampen the minor vibration that most fans produce while sitting on an office desk. Small, modern looking, versatile, and quiet, this is perhaps the best UBS desk fan I’ve encountered. And for the incredibly low price of $12.99 US (at the time of this writing), you could buy ten of these and bathe yourself in a heavenly cooling cocoon. Your only job of-course would be to find ten USB ports somewhere to plug all these SmartDevils into.

10. Fanimation – Urbanjet Sonic Silver Fan

Remember the way cars in the 1950s and 1960s looked? I suppose that depends on what generation you are a part of. Suffice to say, there was plenty of awesome art-deco inspired vehicles rolling around the roads and highways of the world, particularly in the United States and Britain. I mean, just look at some of these objects of design lust. So I suppose it’s no wonder that this desk fan from the minds of the designers at Fanimation was inspired by a 1957 Chevy car. Many of the same design components of that vehicle have been creatively transposed onto this amazing looking fan, right down to the chromed grill and fin-shaped carrying handle. Yup, this fan will set you back a few bills, but its design is worth every last penny. 

11. OPOLAR USB Desk Fan

Chinese manufacturer OPOLAR makes this small, but mighty desk fan. And it’s been designed for one simple purpose—powerful performance in a teensy weensy package. Operating at a quiet 50dB of noise, this USB powered fan will plug into practically anything featuring a USB-A port and provide plenty of cooling power. Available in three stylish colour combinations, my only gripe is that rather in-your-face Opolar logo, other than that, for a mere thirteen dollars, there’s not much to complain about.

12. Vornado VFAN Vintage Whole Room Air Circulator

Don’t let the name of this fan be a deterrence to the idea that you can’t use it as a desk fan. Its size is certainly a bit larger than the standard desk fan, but if you’ve got a bit of extra room on your surface, this is a striking mid-sized fan that features a classic design. The powerful five-blade system will provide plenty of cooling power directly at your desk and beyond. Like with other Vornado fans, the technology behind this fan allows for more efficient airflow movement. Through some sort of voodoo feat of engineering, it manages to move air both left and right as well as up and down. Great for any tabletop, this fan is comfortable on desks, countertops and even your floor.

13. Aluan Small Desk Fan

Compact and lightweight, this USB-powered desk fan is available in three colours, including the above pictured Sky Blue. The other colour options are a soft but beautiful pink, as well as a deep navy blue. Running at two speeds, this is one of the quietest desk fans you’ll find at a mere 40dB; you’ll sometimes wonder if the fan is actually on when not in its direct line of airflow. Like with one of the previously mentioned desk fans, the Aluan features a unique frame design that allows for 360º adjustable tilting. Plenty of features in an incredibly lightweight and affordable package are just some of the features that make this a great mini office desk fan.

14. Vornado Flippi V6 Personal Air Circulator Fan

I’m not entirely certain what the difference between an Air Circulator fan and a non-circulator fan is, but perhaps it’s just a matter of marketing speak in the fan world. In any case, this very sleek and chick looking desk fan from Vornado has two-speed settings and uses an innovative and stylish speed control dial at the base of the fan. Available in seven different glossy colours, the Vornado Flippo V6 brings a certain level of funky styling to any office space you deem worthy of placing it. It can be adjusted in a nearly 360º tilt to hide the oversized grill when not in use, thus rendering it as a somewhat mysterious object on your desk.

15. Stadler Form QFan

Wow. That was the first word that came out of my mouth when I ran across this incredible desk fan. Shaped like the letter “Q”, hence its name, this sleek and super quiet fan has three unique speed settings and is made of a gorgeous stainless steel exterior. Available in a stunning silver stainless steel or bronze (though the bronze looks more like gunmetal) finish, this contemporary and relatively small desk fan has plenty of power to circulate up to 85000 cubic feet of air. It also has an easily removable protective grill on the back to help facilitate easy cleaning.

16. TREVA – 02Cool – 5″ Portable Fan

Sometimes you want something so ultra-light and ultra-portable that you want to avoid cables all-together. That’s where this portable desk fan from Treva comes in. Battery-powered and available in some pretty unique and funky colours, this super-compact fan won’t take up much space. It has a unique folding mechanism and is perfect for bringing with you wherever you want or simply to live on your desk at home or the office. Quiet operation is the signature feature of this fan, so you don’t really have to worry about noise, even if you wind up placing two of these on your desk. And because it’s battery-powered, it can serve as a great backup for emergency and disaster preparedness.

17. RundA USB Desk Fan

For the low price under 25 bucks (at the time of this writing), you probably won’t find more value per dollar as you will with this unique desk fan. Coming with a plethora of features, this fan includes a 90º auto oscillation feature, as well as an integrated O-ring light. Yes, you read that right. A fan with an integrated O-ring LED light. In addition to having a default desktop stand, this small desk fan also includes a handy clip that can be used to attach this fan to objects of up to 1.5 inches in thickness. That feature alone increases the functionality and value of this desk fan tremendously. While it’s USB powered, it also has an internal 1200mAh lithium-ion battery, which allows you to run the fan for up to 2-4 hours without any external power source.

18. Holmes Heritage Desk Fan

Available in a 4-inch or 6-inch version which features a different design for the base, this beautiful antique looking vintage desk fan features a classic design. Using a brushed copper finish to give it that old-timey aesthetic, this small desk fan featured four six-inch blades that provide a powerful and cool breeze in your home or office. It features two-speed settings and has a completely tilt-adjustable fan head to direct the stream of cool air wherever you want it.

19. EasyAcc Portable Desk Fan

This fan is another shining example of versatility and portability in an affordable package. Featuring a massive 2600mAh battery, this Mini USB powered desk fan features a 160º rotatable base and features an almost infinite wind-speed adjustment by way of a volume-like knob on the front of the fan. That’s definitely a unique feature that I have not seen in any other desk fan on this list. The massive battery will provide for up to 10 hours of use without an external source of power. Resembling more of a picture frame, this classic looking and stylish fan has but only one minor flaw. It’s made out of plastic. Oh, did I mention, that even at its highest speed, it’s ultra-quiet at only 30 dB noise output?!

20. Vornado – Vfan Petite Alchemy Table Top Fan

This product is another beauty of a desk and table fan from Vornado. Featuring its stylish and retro looks, the Petite Alchemy Table Top Fan is extremely power-efficient. Sure, that might not be the first thing you consider when looking at desk fans, but if you’re finding yourself running one of these regularly, it can definitely eat into your electricity bills. With its unique airflow system, this desk fan can move air up to 50 feet away. With its beautiful black/gunmetal and bronze colour combination, this fan will keep you cool and feel right at home in any modern decor setting.

21. TTKTK – Desk Fan

If you’re not afraid of a more radical desk fan design, then this offering from a manufacturer who wins the most unpronounceable name award, TTKTK, is a splendid option. Using a unique no-blade system, the vertical inlet at the top of this desk fan resembles more of what you would commonly see in a car’s air-conditioning and fan system. But let’s return for a moment to the overall aesthetic and design of this fan. If you thought this product was a retro-looking radio for a moment, you’d be forgiven for your common mistake. Made of a combination of sandalwood grain that is the primary feature of the streamlined fuselage, this desk fan is more a work of art than a useful desk accessory. Not that it’s not the latter also. The design is topped off with a finely integrated large knob on the front that nicely matches the rest of the design aesthetic.

22. Dyson Pure Cool Me Personal Purifying Fan

This product is more than a fan. It’s even more than a desk fan. It’s what I would call your personal airflow assistant. That may sound like ridiculous marketing gibberish, but hear me out. This Dyson device uses a HEPA air purifier that intakes external air, cleans it, and then provides a nice stream of freshly cleansed, cool wind in whatever direction you desire. By adjusting the dome’s position at the top of this cooling desk fan, you can change the airflow angle to your heart’s content. The built-in LCD shows the airflow level as well as the filter life. It even has a night-time mode, which continues to purify the air with quieter operation and a dimmed display.

23. Soleus Air 12-speed Dual Oscillation Desktop Fan

This wide-based desk fan is a modern marvel. It offers dual oscillating (vertical and horizontal) as well as various wind and fan speeds. But even more fancy than that, the Soleus fan offers multiple modes you can use to vary your airflow. There’s of-course normal mode, which allows you to select from 1 of 12 wind speeds. But there’s also a natural mode that lets the airflow speed fluctuate to simulate a natural breeze. In sleep mode, this desk fan will cycle from high to low and eventually slow and dim the display after ten minutes. While in Eco-Mode, the wind speed will be adjusted based on the surrounding air temperature, which is also shown on the LED. There’s almost too many featured to list in this handy, small, and highly functional desk fan.

24. Fancii Small Personal USB Fan

It would appear that I simply cannot stay away from the more unusual desk fan designs, because after all, who wants something common and boring sitting on their desk that they have to stare at for countless hours? The Fancii Small Personal USB fan tickles my need to have something unique sitting around. It uses a turbo cyclone-blade technology to provide plenty of airflow. While accomplishing that task, it’s still plenty quiet, lightweight, and perfect for use in your home or office. USB powered, this desk fan has two speed settings and is available in black or white.

25. Vornado – EXO5 Heavy Duty Table Top Fan

Perhaps your work environment isn’t the dainty computer and screen-filled office that many of us toil at. Maybe your place of work is a workbench or a table where you do your rough and tough manly things such as, oh, I don’t know, put furniture together or glue things together or solder, or something like that. If this sounds like your kind scenario, this EX05 Heavy Duty Table Top Fan should be something your eyes and calloused hands will love. Designed to cool slightly larger spaces, this heavy-duty tabletop fan from Vornado is capable of circulating air up to seventy feet. Resting on a collapsible tripod base, the head rotates a full 360º degrees. This fan also comes with a standard clip that will allow you to attach it to nearly any tabletop surface.

26. Rowenta VU2660 Turbo Silence Fan

Available in a four or five-speed version, this table or desk fan from Rowenta is one of the most favourably reviewed desk fans available anywhere. Part of that has to do with the fact that for a desk fan of its relatively large size, it operates at a seemingly impossible 35 dB – which is practically whisper quiet. The dark art of magic the people at Rowenta had to employ to accomplish this feat was baffling to me. Nevertheless, this 12-inch diameter desk fan has a very nice electronic panel that includes a silent mode for night-time operation.

It also includes a handy remote control and an ergonomic transport handle. But as silly as it sounds, perhaps the feature of this desk fan that I admire most is the blue-tinged transparent blades. Just that small design flair makes this fan feel more breezy and light. Good work to the anonymous engineer or product designer that made that decision. I hope that one day you stumble upon this article and read this very sentence. If I have brought tears of joy to your eyes, this article will have been worth it.

27. Vornado 133 Compact Air Circulator Fan

Vornado products have made a number of appearances on this list of the best desk fans in the world for a good reason. They make an incredibly diverse range of products that are simply fantastic. That, of course, also applies to this compact desk fan with simple controls and 2-speed manual control. Equipped with an adjustable tilt head, the 133 Compact Air Circulator Fan provides ample air circulation to provide maximum comfort.

28. Vornado Zippi Small Personal Desk Fan

I was really reticent to add my name to the list of people that recommend this desk fan. So before I continue, a fair warning. Do you have small children? No. Scratch that. Do you have small children or grown children that are not overly bright? Do you have pets? Do you have any loose objects that may lend themselves to somehow finding themselves near or on your desk and in the path of a fan blade? If you answered no to all those, you can continue.

Or rather, that preamble warning you just read is something you’d have to worry about if it wasn’t for Vornado’s unique safe-to-touch soft nylon blades that make this an awesome desk fan design. This innovative design provides for an open-air fan that requires no caged-in protective shell. Stylish, small, safe, and available in six sexy colours, the rest of the features are a mere formality. Priced so low that I would suggest if you don’t get one in each colour, you’re committing a crime against the act of online shopping.

29. Aikpoer – USB Desk Fan

This two-speed USB desk fan from Aikoper has many unique features, not the least of which is its novel and sculptured design. Cast from a combination of aluminum and plastic, the Aikoper desk fan uses a dual blade design to produce cooling power at a quiet noise level. It features two rubber pads on its aluminum feet to dampen any vibration and allows for an upwards or downwards adjustable pitch angle. Additionally, and perhaps most awesomely, the fan has no buttons. So how do you turn it on or off or adjust the speed? The aluminum base has a tiny electrical current running through it, kind of like your smartphone’s screen, so touching the base one time turns it on, two touches bring it to the high-speed setting, while three taps turn it off. Pretty cool, right?

30. Vornado Vfan Vintage Table Top Fan

You guessed it. We’re going to end this article with a Vornado fan. And in case you’re wondering, no, they did not sponsor this piece in any way. I just love their downright adorable fans! Quality, comfort, and plenty of style. This vintage-inspired fan looks like something that came straight out of the 1940s… you know, that glorious period of… checks notes… World War 2. Ok, nevermind that. Perhaps it more resembles something that came out of the 1950s. With beautiful accents throughout and a fully tiltable head, this 3-speed fan with five blades is a work of beauty.

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