A nice smelling home is a luxury you can’t put into words, and the best plug-in air fresheners are a great way to fill your space with fragrance, with minimal hassle.
Whether you enjoy a natural, soft linen scent or prefer a burst of floral sweetness, there’s nothing quite like stepping into a room and being met with a wave of lush smelling aromas from a plug-in air freshener. There’s no messy wax or risk of forgetting to blow out a candle when you choose an electric option, which either plugs directly into the socket or uses a charging cable to recharge.
When it comes to picking the right one for your home, it’s worth shopping around. From simple plug-ins that use scented gel beads to eliminate household odours to sophisticated diffusers that let you alternate between essential oils to set the tone in your home, there are lots of variations to pick from.
Plus, while some are designed purely to freshen the air, others come with additional benefits, including soft lighting and stress relief.
I’ve tested a wide range of electric air freshening products – from supermarket offerings to luxury wireless options – across a range of budgets, to make sure you don’t end up paying through the nose. Keep scrolling for my pick of the bunch.
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How I tested
I compared plug-in air fresheners by testing each one in the same room of my home for an hour. I assessed the following factors for each one:
- Strength of scent: I assessed how well each air freshener filled the room with fragrance and how long the scent lingered after use.
- Ease of set up: I noted how simple each model was to plug in and get started, including how intuitive the controls were.
- Portability: I considered how easy it was to move each air freshener between rooms or, if applicable, take on the go.
- Charging: I tested how long each device took to charge (for rechargeable models) and how long the charge lasted during use.
- Setup times: I tested how quickly each air freshener began releasing scent after being plugged in.
- Ease of operation: I adjusted the intensity settings on each plug-in freshener and swapped fragrances to test how user-friendly each model was.
- Value for money: I judged whether the overall performance and design justified the price and considered the ongoing cost of refills over time.
I then gave extra points for flexibility – being able to use different types of fragrance, or switch fragrances around.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Katie Gregory has been contributing to IndyBest since 2021. In that time she has covered all kinds of homeware and kitchen accessories, including the best pillows for neck pain, the best kettle and toaster sets, and reviews on Ninja air fryers. Everything she tests is used in a real life setting, and only products she believes to be worth your money make it into her recommendations.
The best plug-in air fresheners for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Scandiscents halo home diffuser: £39.99, Scandiscents.com
- Best budget buy – Febreze 3volution air freshener plug: £3.50, Tesco.com
- Best portable option – The White Company waterless rechargeable electronic diffuser: £70, Thewhitecompany.com
- Best luxury diffuser – Aromatherapy Associates atomiser connect: £185, Aromatherapyassociates.com
- Best for stress relief – My Stress Remedy plug-in diffuser: £28, Stressremedy.co.uk
Scandiscents halo home diffuser
Best: Plug-in air freshener overall
Type: Electric diffuser
Scent type: Oil
Why we love it
- Rechargeable
- Easy to swap scents
- Good value
Take note
- The silver touch panel at the top gets covered in fingerprints
This sleek, waterless machine from Scandiscents packs quite a punch for its compact size. Despite being one of the smallest diffusers I tested, it promises up to 80 square metres of coverage and I found it quickly filled the room with a decent throw of scent.
The halo can be used with both pure essential oils and synthetic fragrance oils, and Scandiscents sells its own range of oils and blends. I loved the spring-like waft of fresh linen and the easy setup – you just remove the nozzle and screw in an oil bottle, without needing to decant.
The rechargeable battery lasts for up to 72 hours on one charge, the price is reasonable, and the simple design – which looks great and takes up minimal space – makes this one my favourite all-rounder.
Buy now £39.99, Scandiscents.com
Febreze 3volution air freshener plug
Best: Budget plug-in air freshener
Type: Wall plug-in
Scent type: Liquid fragrance
Why we love it
- Lots of scents available
Take note
- Not particularly pretty
You don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune when it comes to making your house smell gorgeous, and this £3.50 Febreze air freshener plug is proof of that. It’s designed so that it diffuses three different but complementary fragrances alternately – for 45 minutes at a time – so you don’t get nose-blind to the smell (or just bored of it).
You need to buy the three-bottle refills separately, then just slot one into the holder, plug it into an electrical socket and – if you leave it on for 12 hours a day on the lowest setting – you’ll get three months’ worth of fragrance out of each refill.
I tried several scents and, while I found some a little too sweet, I really liked ‘spring awakening’ – walking into the room was like getting a fresh waft of fabric conditioner. The plug-in has three levels of intensity and the lights flash when you’re due a refill, which is pretty impressive at this price.
Buy now £3.50, Tesco.com
Diptyque electric diffuser
Best: Wall plug-in air freshener
Type: Wall plug-in
Scent type: Gel beads
Why we love it
- Super quick to set up
Take note
- It’s expensive, and so are the refills
This chic plug-in diffuser from Diptyque was really easy to set up. Just attach the right socket fitting (it comes with a few), pull the metal vent off the front of the unit, slide in a scented insert of your choice and replace the vent before plugging it into an electrical socket.
The insert contains lots of scented beads, which are activated by air passing through the vent. Touch anywhere on the vent once to turn it on, then again to turn it off – or leave it on and it will switch off automatically after three hours. I did find it wasn’t always easy to know if I’d switched it on or off – there’s only a slight puff of air to signal it’s on, which is easy to miss – so, I ended up switching off the plug socket, to be sure.
Having said that, I found even half an hour of use the insert filled the room with sophisticated fragrance, and each refill lasts for around 40 hours of use. Just bear in mind the insert should be kept in the resealable package it came in when you’re not using it, to retain the fragrance, which is a little bit of a faff.
Buy now £100.00, Spacenk.com
The White Company waterless rechargeable electronic diffuser
Best: Portable plug-in air freshener
Type: Electric diffuser
Scent type: Oil
Why we love it
- Rechargeable
- Portable
- Luxurious
Take note
- You can’t easily swap fragrances mid-bottle
I was really impressed with the battery life of this compact electronic diffuser from The White Company. It plugs into the mains via USB to charge, then you can put it wherever you want to – and mine didn’t need a recharge over several weeks of on-and-off use.
It’s waterless, so you just need to decant one of The White Company’s fragrance oils (£10) into the diffuser bottle to get started. There’s a handy little bottle opener and miniature funnel supplied, although, a spare bottle would allow you to swap one fragrance for another when you fancy a change of scent, without having to decant it all back again.
Operation is as easy as pressing a button on the top to start an instant stream of scent. I used the default one-hour setting on a low mist and found I didn’t need to leave it on for the full hour to fill the room with fragrance – although, you can switch to two or five hours, and high mist if you want a more powerful smell. Plus, the range of fragrances is as luxurious as you’d expect from The White Company – a well-timed waft of fireside just before guests arrived led to lots of admiring comments.
Buy now £70.00, Thewhitecompany.com
Salter aroma vase essential oil diffuser
Best: Mid-range plug-in air freshener
Type: Electric diffuser
Scent type: Water and oil
Why we love it
- Has colour-changing LED lights
If you’re looking for a diffuser on a tight budget, Salter’s aroma vase essential oil diffuser does the basics well. Add water and a few drops of essential oils to the 320ml tank and you can choose between one-, three- and six-hour settings, using the buttons on the front.
Although it’s plastic, the diffuser is designed to look more like a ceramic vase, and the neutral colourways mean it’s unlikely to clash with your décor. The wide base means it’s nice and sturdy, too, while the colour-changing LED light strip is a nice touch.
Buy now £26.00, Argos.co.uk
Aromatherapy Associates atomiser connect
Best: Luxury plug-in air freshener
Type: Electric atomiser
Scent type: Essential oils
Why we love it
- Portable
- Rechargeable
- Two chambers
- Wireless
Take note
- Expensive, but worth it
If you’re planning to splurge, this sleek machine is worth the investment. The Atomiser Connect charges via USB, so, you’ll need to plug it in to get it going, and it takes about eight hours to reach 100 per cent battery. From that point, though, it’s fully portable, rechargeable, and can either be operated via buttons on the atomiser, or wirelessly via a free app.
This allows you to control diffusion intensity, light colour and personalised schedules to switch it on and off. So, you can walk into your house after work to find it filled with scent or set a time in the evening to wind down ready for bed.
The diffuser is easy to set up – there’s no decanting needed, as the pure essential oil blend bottles slot into the machine itself, and there’s no need to add water, either. Plus, because it has two chambers, you can load it up with two fragrances and easily switch between them, or use two of the same if you want to fill a particularly large space with scent. While I initially baulked at the price tag, I realised it’s worth the extra spend – particularly if you’re serious about aromatherapy.
Buy now £185.00, Aromatherapyassociates.com
My Stress Remedy plug-in diffuser
Best: Plug-in air freshener for stress relief
Type: Wall plug-in
Scent type: Water and oil
Why we love it
- Looks great
- Easy to use
- Gives a soft glow
Take note
- No way to adjust the mist strength
This plug-in diffuser has been developed by the people behind Pet Remedy – which, if you have a dog or cat, you’ve probably already heard of. The calming diffuser for animals is sold worldwide and widely recommended by vets for its ability to calm the most anxious and nervous pets.
My Stress Remedy was developed much more recently, with a re-balanced formula for humans, using a patented blend of essential oils derived from valerian, vetiver, basil, and clary sage. The aim is still the same – to promote feelings of calm and relieve stress – and it certainly smells better than the pet version, which is a bit of an acquired taste.
The unit itself is easy to use – attach the fragrance bottle, plug it in, and, if you leave it on, it’ll last up to 60 days. It’s recommended for use in whichever part of the home you use the most, and its all-natural formula is also safe to use in the bedroom.
Buy now £28.00, Stressremedy.co.uk
Your questions about plug-in air freshener answered
What is the best plug-in air freshener?
Scandiscents’s halo home diffuser took the crown as the best plug-in air freshener in my book – it delivers a powerful scent at a reasonable price, with flexible fragrance options. The White Company’s waterless rechargeable electronic diffuser was a hit, too – I particularly liked the range of fragrances available. If you’re splurging, it’s got to be Aromatherapy Associates’s atomiser connect – a luxurious bit of kit that really does do everything well.
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