Pedestal Fans vs Tower Fans – Which Is Better, And Why?

Are you having a hard time comparing tower fans vs pedestal fans?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Understanding the differences between these fans can be a bit challenging, especially because there’s often a lack of information out there.

Luckily, you’ve come to the right place for answers.

Pedestal fans are ideal for larger areas, as they can provide a more powerful airflow, while tower fans offer a more targeted cooling. In this article, we’ll delve into other differences between these fans, including height, price, noise, features, and more.

Read on to make the right choice!

Pros & Cons of Tower & Pedestal Fans

Sometimes the best way to decide between something is to compare their pros and cons. So I’ve put together this table to do just that! Hopefully it helps.

Overall Recommendations

When it comes to choosing the right fan, you need to consider multiple factors. However, the most critical one is the area you want to cool.

You see, pedestal fans can be used over much larger areas, and can be positioned behind furniture to reach over it. 

So, if you live in a big home, consider a good pedestal fan. Don’t forget to read our guide on the quietest models, to make an informed decision.

Tower fans, on the other hand, are excellent when placed close to you. They’re great for placing next to seating areas for more direct and gentle cooling.

While we’re still working on our tower fan comparison reviews, we can recommend the model offered by hOmelabs (pictured below).

This model can provide gentle cooling to a wider area and is very quiet. The fan even has a ‘Sleep Mode’ which works well on those hot summer nights.

Pedestal vs Tower Fans – Feature by Feature

For a detailed comparison, we’ve compared these two types of fans in different aspects. Consider which factor may be important to your living space, and it can reveal which fan type will best suit your home.

#1 Height

Tower and Pedestal fans are two of the tallest types of fans out there. While a pedestal fan stands high and mighty, blowing air from a height, tower fans tend to blow air up their entire height.

Since pedestal fans blow all their air from a height, they can be placed behind objects, such as a couch. Couple this with a remote, and you have a subtle but powerful air source.

Tower fans, on the other hand, are made to sit in front of you.

Because their airflow reaches from the floor upwards, they can’t be placed behind anything. This makes them much more suited to being placed a few feet from where you’re sitting.

#2 Power

While these two types of fans can cause the same, they deliver entirely different types of airflow.

Pedestal fans can be real powerhouses. They work the same way that old propeller planes used to be powered – so you can see how powerful they can get!

Modern pedestal fans can pack an amazing amount of force behind them. They come with sturdy bases and powerfully optimized fan blades – giving you as much airflow as you’ll ever need.

#3 Noise

The amount of sound from your fan makes all the difference. Instead of “this is so cooling and relaxing”, you can find yourself saying “yeah the air is nice, but why won’t it shut up!”

Now – any high-quality, modern fan will be mostly silent. But unfortunately for tower fans, the way they push air out is simply a noisier mechanism than a pedestal fan.

Instead of 3-5 simple blades spinning on a quiet axis, tower fans have entire towers of turbine-shaped blades being spun around inside a cylinder. This will just always be louder than a pedestal fan (despite giving less airflow).

In contrast, check out this high-end pedestal fan.

#4 Mobility

For mobility, it’s roughly a draw between the tower and pedestal fans.

Both are easy to place – though pedestals have the slight advantage of being able to sit behind something. Great for use as an office fan.

However, moving requires the same amount of weight and hassle with the plugs. Aside from that, mobility’s a draw.

#5 Space

Pedestal and tower fans are great space savers – but for different reasons.

Tower fans are often slim, easy to place, and barely take up any floor space. This makes them fantastic to sit next to your couch or bed. They’re ideal for when you have limited floor space.

On the other hand, pedestal fans tend to have a big, sturdy base. This is needed to help balance them and the extra power they have.

While this can take up more space, they make up for it by sending the airflow over a longer distance. Meaning, you have more options to place them.

#6 Features

Modern fans have plenty of features – and these are available to both types of fans.

Remote controls, oscillation, different modes, timer settings, and even child locks, can be found on most modern fan models.

Features are roughly a draw between both models.

#7 Looks

Modern tower fans are starting to look incredibly good. Almost like an ornamental part of the room.

Tall, sleek, slender designs make them blend in with most modern living spaces.

On the other hand, pedestal fans aren’t quite as glamorous. 

There’s not much you can do to improve the looks of fan blades on a stick. However, some modern models are looking very respectable.

#8 Price

The price ranges for both types of fans are around the same. Starting at anywhere from $20, all the way up to $80 for decent models.

However, pedestal fans have a ‘super high-end category’.

These machines will cost you over $100. Why? Because they’re super silent, super powerful, and super reliable. It’s a hell of a lot of money for a fan, sure. But they’ll last and never fail to have your friends commenting about how silent but strong they are.

Check out our run-down of the quietest pedestal fans to find the best options.

Conclusion

Pedestal AND Tower fans are both fantastic options for any living space.

For a minimal cost, they can help keep you cool without too much noise or taking up too much space.

If you’re looking to place the fan behind furniture (like a couch) and have it blow over a wide area, consider a pedestal fan.

On the other hand, if you’d rather have a gentler, quieter cooling fan that works over a wider area, consider a tower fan.

I hope this quick guide has helped you decide which of the two will be better for your living space. Please consider checking out some of our related articles below. Our website is entirely reader-supported, and we really appreciate your time.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

– Craig