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A bathroom exhaust fan clears steam and moisture before they turn into mold and peeling paint. A weak or noisy model gets left off after every shower, defeating its entire purpose.
Consumer Reports tested airflow and noise across models built for both 4-inch and 3-inch ducts, so shoppers can match a fan to their bathroom and duct size.
1 / 6
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The Homewerks Bath Fan with Bluetooth & LED Lights costs $170 and runs at a single-speed 110 CFM through a 4-inch duct. Consumer Reports gave the fan an exceptional score in its airflow test, rating its performance higher than the other 4-inch models it tested. CR rated its noise level about the same as the rest of the fans reviewed here, and testers noted the price runs higher than many competing models. The fan includes a dimmable LED light, a night light and Bluetooth speaker connectivity, all controlled from a single wall switch.
2 / 6
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The Kaze Appliance SNP100 costs $75 and moves air at a single-speed 100 CFM through a 4-inch duct. Consumer Reports rated its airflow performance as top-notch and found it performed well in noise testing too. CR noted the fan skips a built-in light and its own wall switch, so installers wire it to an existing bathroom switch instead. That existing switch can either pair the fan with the room's light or run the fan on its own separate switch.
3 / 6
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The Panasonic WhisperFit DC Fan with Dimmable LED costs $202 and offers three speed settings of 50, 80 or 110 CFM through a 4-inch duct. Consumer Reports rated its airflow as strong and found it ran as quietly as the other fans in these tests. CR noted the adjustable speeds set it apart from the rest of the lineup, since installers choose the airflow level when wiring it to an existing switch. The fan includes a dimmable LED light and a separately wired night light.
4 / 6
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The Broan-NuTone 110 CFM ChromaComfort costs $200 and runs at a single-speed 110 CFM through a 4-inch duct. Consumer Reports rated its airflow as excellent and found it kept operating noise low during testing. CR highlighted the multicolored light as a standout feature, controllable through a wireless wall panel or a smartphone app on Apple $AAPL or Android devices. A built-in Bluetooth speaker rounds out the fan's connected features.
5 / 6
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The Delta Breez SLM70H costs $77 and operates at 70 CFM through a 3-inch duct. Consumer Reports rated its airflow as decent for the smaller duct size and found it ran quieter than every other fan in these tests. CR noted the humidity-sensor mode shuts the fan off automatically once bathroom humidity drops back down. That same sensor may keep the fan from turning on when humidity starts out low, so manual operation may work better for some bathrooms.
6 / 6
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The Hampton Bay 50 CFM Bathroom Exhaust Fan costs $50 and operates at 50 CFM through a 3-inch duct, priced lower than every other fan Consumer Reports tested in this lineup. CR rated its performance on par with the pricier Delta Breez and found it ran fairly quietly as well. The fan skips a built-in light and adds no extra features beyond basic operation. Its bare-bones design suits a small bathroom where a simple, functional fan matters more than smart controls or lighting extras.
