Best Space Heaters (2026): Six Picks Compared, From $21 to $160

A space heater is the cheapest way to fix one cold room: the home office over the garage, a drafty bedroom, the basement den. Instead of turning up the furnace for the whole house, you heat the room you are actually sitting in. With the first cold snaps of fall arriving, this is also the time of year the best-selling models start to sell out.

We compared six heaters that are selling well on Amazon right now, from a $21 Amazon Basics ceramic heater to a $160 De’Longhi oil-filled radiator, and covering every main type: small ceramic fan heaters, a tower, an infrared cabinet, a wall-mounted smart heater, and a radiator. Specs come from manufacturer pages and current Amazon listings, and safety advice comes from the National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Fire Administration. Prices move almost daily, so treat them as mid-October 2026 snapshots. On Amazon’s Indoor Electric Space Heaters Best Sellers list when we checked, the DREO Atom 316 was No. 1 and the Amazon Basics heater No. 2.

First, the one spec that is the same on every heater

Nearly every plug-in space heater sold in the U.S. tops out at 1,500 watts, because that is about what a standard 15-amp household outlet can safely supply for hours at a time. All six heaters here are 1,500-watt models. And because an electric heater turns essentially all of its electricity into heat, every one of them puts out the same amount at full power: about 5,100 BTUs an hour. A “5,200 BTU” or “energy-saving” claim on the box does not change that math.

So what are you paying for? How the heat gets to you (a fan, infrared light, or a slow, silent radiator), noise, controls such as a digital thermostat, a timer, and a remote, and safety and build quality. As for running cost, at the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest national average residential price of about 18 cents per kilowatt-hour (July 2026), a heater on full power costs about 27 cents an hour, or around $2.20 for an eight-hour day. A good thermostat cuts that by cycling the heater off once the room is warm.

How we chose

Sales and ratings came first. Every pick holds 4.3 stars or better on Amazon, and four of the six (the Atom 316, Amazon Basics, Lasko, and Dr Infrared heaters) have more than 20,000 ratings each. The Atom 316 alone sold more than 30,000 units on Amazon in the past month.

Then safety features. We looked for overheat protection on every pick and a tip-over switch on anything that sits on the floor, plus cool-touch housings and child locks where they exist.

And a mix of types and budgets. Different rooms need different heaters, so the list runs from a 3-pound desk heater to a 24-pound radiator, and from about $21 to $160.

Quick pick guide

Best overall: DREO Atom 316 Space Heater: Amazon’s No. 1 space heater, with a digital thermostat in 1-degree steps, a 34 dB quiet mode, a 12-hour timer, and a remote, for about $35.

Best budget heater: Amazon Basics 1500W Ceramic Space Heater: 1,500 watts, a thermostat dial, and tip-over protection in a 3-pound box, for about $21.

Best tower heater: Lasko 751320 Ceramic Tower Heater: a 23-inch oscillating tower with a remote, a 7-hour timer, and a 3-year warranty, for about $72.

Best for big, drafty rooms: Dr Infrared Heater DR-968: an infrared and fan heater on caster wheels with a 50–85°F digital thermostat and a 3-year warranty, for about $105.

Best wall-mounted heater: DREO Smart Wall Heater: gets the heater off the floor, with app and voice control, a 24-hour timer, and swinging louvers, for about $130.

Best silent heater: De’Longhi Dragon4 Oil-Filled Radiator: an oil-filled radiator with no fan at all, a 24-hour timer, and an antifreeze setting, for about $160.

Comparison at a glance

Model	Type	Thermostat	Timer / remote	Price
DREO Atom 316	Ceramic (fan)	41–95°F digital	12 hr / yes	~$35
Amazon Basics	Ceramic (fan)	Dial	No / no	~$21
Lasko 751320	Ceramic tower	Digital	7 hr / yes	~$72
Dr Infrared DR-968	Infrared + fan	50–85°F digital	12 hr / yes	~$105
DREO Wall Heater	Wall-mounted ceramic	41–95°F digital	24 hr / yes + app	~$130
De’Longhi Dragon4	Oil-filled radiator	Dial	24 hr / no	~$160

All six are 1,500-watt heaters. Specs are from manufacturer pages and Amazon listings. Prices are approximate Amazon prices on Oct. 19, 2026.

DREO Atom 316: best space heater overall

The DREO Atom 316 Space Heater is the heater we would buy for most rooms, and Amazon shoppers agree: it was the No. 1 seller in indoor electric space heaters when we checked, with more than 30,000 bought in the past month and 4.6 stars across more than 21,000 ratings. Per the Amazon listing, it is a 10-inch-tall, 3-pound ceramic heater rated for rooms up to 200 square feet, with three heat levels, an ECO mode, and a fan-only setting.

What sets it apart from cheaper heaters is the control. The digital thermostat runs from 41 to 95°F in 1-degree steps, so it holds the room where you set it instead of blasting and stopping. You also get a 12-hour timer, a remote, a child lock, and a quiet mode that Dreo rates at 34 dB. On the safety side, there is a tip-over switch, overheat protection, and a V0 flame-retardant housing.

Amazon lists the Atom 316 at $35.13 (list price $39.99), sold by Amazon. Trade-offs: it does not oscillate, so it heats best when it is pointed at you, and like any small fan heater it is meant for a bedroom or office, not a big open living room. Dreo’s warranty is 12 months, extendable to 30.

Amazon Basics 1500W Ceramic: best budget space heater

The Amazon Basics 1500W Ceramic Space Heater is about as simple as a heater gets, and that is its appeal. It was No. 2 in indoor electric space heaters when we checked, with more than 20,000 bought in the past month and 4.4 stars across more than 29,000 ratings. Per the Amazon listing, it has three settings (1,500-watt high, 900-watt low, and fan only), an adjustable thermostat dial, tip-over and overheat protection, and a rated noise level of 43 dB.

At 3 pounds and about 9.5 inches tall, it fits under a desk or on a bathroom-adjacent shelf, though Amazon warns not to use it in bathrooms, laundry rooms, or other damp spaces. Amazon lists it at $20.69, sold by Amazon.

Trade-offs: there is no timer, no remote, and no digital readout, so you set it by feel. And in Amazon’s own review summary, reliability and durability are the most common complaints, with some owners saying theirs stopped working within months. For about $15 more, the Atom 316 is the better long-term buy; for a spare or a seasonal stopgap, this one is hard to beat.

Lasko 751320: best tower space heater

The Lasko 751320 Ceramic Tower Heater is a long-running classic, and a tower makes sense when you want heat spread across a room rather than aimed at your feet. Per Lasko, it is a 23-inch ceramic heater with widespread oscillation, two heat settings plus an adjustable thermostat, a 7-hour timer, and a remote. It is rated for rooms up to 150 square feet, and its cool-touch exterior and automatic overheat protection make it a sensible choice around kids and pets.

It weighs about 5.7 pounds and is ETL listed. Amazon lists it at $71.99 (list price $79.99), sold by Amazon, with more than 10,000 bought in the past month and 4.5 stars across more than 40,000 ratings, the most of any heater here. Lasko backs it with a 3-year warranty, the longest of our fan heaters.

Trade-offs: the thermostat and timer are simpler than the Atom 316’s, the timer stops at 7 hours, and the 150-square-foot rating is modest for a heater this size. If you mostly need a heater beside one chair, the smaller Atom 316 does the job for half the price.

Dr Infrared Heater DR-968: best for big, drafty rooms

The Dr Infrared Heater DR-968 is the heater for a living room, basement, or older house with drafts. Per Dr. Infrared, it uses a dual heating system: infrared quartz tubes that warm people and objects directly, plus a PTC element and a blower that push warm air around the room. It has high, low, and eco modes, a digital thermostat from 50 to 85°F, a 12-hour timer, and a remote, and the blower is rated at a fairly quiet 39 dB.

Remember the 1,500-watt rule: its roughly 5,200-BTU rating is about the same heat any 1,500-watt heater makes. What the infrared design and the big cabinet add is a gentle, even warmth that many owners prefer in a large room. It rolls on caster wheels and has tip-over and overheat protection. Amazon lists it at $104.99 (list price $124.98), with more than 4,000 bought in the past month and 4.5 stars across more than 28,000 ratings. It comes with a 3-year warranty.

Trade-offs: it is heavy (around 20 pounds or more) and much bulkier than a ceramic heater, and its thermostat starts at 50°F, so it cannot hold a garage or cabin just above freezing the way the Atom 316 and the Dreo wall heater can.

DREO Smart Wall Heater: best wall-mounted heater

The DREO Smart Wall Heater solves the biggest problem with space heaters: they sit on the floor, where they get knocked over, blocked by furniture, and nosed by pets. Per the Amazon listing, this 1,500-watt ceramic heater mounts on a wall, swings its airflow through 120 degrees, and covers rooms up to 215 square feet. It comes with a drilling guide, and owners report installing it in about 15 minutes.

It is also the smartest heater here. Besides the remote and the on-unit display, you can run it from Dreo’s phone app or by voice with Alexa or Google Home, and it has a 41–95°F thermostat, an ECO mode, and a 24-hour timer. Amazon lists the white standard model at $129.99, sold by Amazon, with more than 1,000 bought in the past week and 4.4 stars across more than 5,000 ratings.

Trade-offs: you have to drill into the wall, and it still needs a nearby outlet. Some reviewers report units that failed after a season, so keep the receipt and register the warranty.

De’Longhi Dragon4: best silent space heater

The De’Longhi Dragon4 Oil-Filled Radiator (model TRD40615T) is the one for bedrooms and light sleepers. It is an oil-filled radiator, so there is no fan at all: the sealed oil inside soaks up heat and radiates it from the fins, which keeps working for a while even after the thermostat clicks off. Per De’Longhi, it has three power settings, an adjustable thermostat, a 24-hour programmable timer, and an antifreeze setting that turns it on when the room drops below about 41°F.

It has a tip-over switch and a thermal cutoff, and it rolls on snap-on wheels. Amazon lists it at $159.95, the same price De’Longhi charges, with 4.3 stars across more than 1,400 ratings.

Trade-offs: a radiator is slow, taking far longer than a fan heater to warm a cold room, and at 24 pounds and 26 inches tall it is the bulkiest heater here. The controls are mechanical dials with no remote, and some owners notice a smell the first few times it runs.

How to use a space heater safely

Space heaters are safe when you use them right, but the numbers are worth knowing. According to the National Fire Protection Association, space heaters and heating stoves caused 47 percent of U.S. home heating fires from 2020 to 2024, but 73 percent of the deaths. And the U.S. Fire Administration found that portable heaters caused just 3 percent of home heating fires from 2017 to 2019 but 41 percent of the fatal ones.

Give it three feet. Keep anything that can burn, including curtains, bedding, and furniture, at least three feet from the heater.

Turn it off when you leave or go to sleep. Both NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration say so. A timer, like the ones on five of the six picks here, makes it easy.

Plug it straight into the wall. NFPA advises using only one heat-producing appliance per outlet, and extension cords are meant only for temporary use. If an outlet or plug feels hot, stop using it.

Look for a safety listing and a tip-over switch. A mark from a testing lab such as UL or ETL shows the heater was safety tested, and a tip-over switch shuts it off if it is knocked over.

Bottom line

For most rooms, the DREO Atom 316 Space Heater is the best space heater: quiet, precise, packed with features, and about $35. On a tight budget, the Amazon Basics 1500W Ceramic Space Heater heats a small room for about $21. The Lasko 751320 Ceramic Tower Heater is the tower to get for spreading heat across a room, and the Dr Infrared Heater DR-968 is the one for big, drafty spaces. If you want the heater off the floor, the DREO Smart Wall Heater mounts on the wall and works with your phone, and if you want silence, the De’Longhi Dragon4 Oil-Filled Radiator radiator is the one to buy.

Whichever you choose, set the thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature, close the door to the room, and give the heater three feet of space.

Further reading