The Best Dyson Hair Dryer Alternatives

When it comes to budget-friendly hair dryers, this one from Remington, is hard to beat. Features include three heat settings, two speeds, and a cool shot button (the Dyson Supersonic has four heat settings and three speeds, so it's pretty comparable). This versatility gives users control over how much heat and power they apply to their hair. It also comes with two accessories (a concentrator and diffuser, while Dyson provides three).

One of the Dyson Supersonic's key selling points is that it helps protect hair from damage, and this one does, too, with its "Advanced Coating" and "Micro-Conditioning" technologies. 1875 watts of power means hair dries fast, while ceramic, ionic, and tourmaline technologies help cut down on frizz. It's not exactly the Supersonic, but for less than $20, you can't do much better.

Relevant Amazon review: “This is the absolute best product I have bought on Amazon. If you have wavy or curly hair, you need this hair dryer! I have 2b-3a waves and curls, and so I wanted to get a diffuser because my low porosity hair takes FOREVER to dry. I spent hours researching what the best hair dryer was, and what diffuser attachment I should buy. I was pretty skeptical when buying this product because you receive the hair dryer AND two attachments for under $20. There are two speeds and three levels of heat, and the ‘cool shot’ option. This hair dryer has cut down my drying time drastically, and my curls are much more defined and shiny.”

The Bellforno ionic hair dryer looks like something you’d see straight from a salon. And, customers agree that it’s quite a powerful tool. Based on its design, it cuts down on drying time — which means less heat damage to your hair — and includes two different speeds, three heat settings, and a cool shot button. The package also comes with a diffuser.

Relevant Amazon review: “The first thing that hits your eye is it looks, this is an absolutely beautiful tool; and its lightweight, which makes easy to move around while styling your hair, once I finished drying my hair it was silky, shiny, and pliable. The tourmaline Ion can help stimulate hair growth and provides consistent heat that dries hair evenly. This prevents the scalp from overheating or drying damaging your hair. The Ceramic and Tourmaline help provide mild heat that is evenly distributed, giving your hair a smooth, glossy finish. And it is a great value!”

You're probably familiar with T3's line of professional-quality hair tools. The award-winning T3 Cura hair dryer isn't exactly cheap, but it still costs about half the price of the Dyson Supersonic. If you're looking to invest in a top-of-the-line blow dryer but don't want to spend $400, this is your next best bet.

Like with the Supersonic, the Cura dries hair incredibly fast, thanks to its wide design that allows for more airflow. The Cura also has three heat settings, two speeds, a cool shot button, and an ionic generator to reduce frizz and enhance shine. Additionally, it comes with two concentrator attachments, has a 9-foot cord, and is gorgeously designed with its white and rose gold color scheme.

Relevant Amazon review: “I did quite a bit of research as I believe good quality hot tools mean healthy hair. It was between this and a Dyson. I chose this dryer as I was not thrilled with the button placement on the Dyson. I saw results immediately and even after two uses, my hairdresser (who I see regularly) commented on my hair. The only thing that I changed was my dryer.”

If you want a blow dryer that looks like the Dyson Supersonic — and performs similarly — this Karrong ionic hair dryer is your best bet. Highlights include three heat and two speed settings, a cool shot button, and ionic technology for faster drying, less damage, and enhanced shine. It comes with three attachments (two concentrators and a diffuser), has a removable filter that's easy to clean, and, being the size of an iPhone, is surprisingly easy to travel with.

Relevant Amazon review: “I’ve wanted the Dyson forever but refused to pay an arm & a leg for it. I was so excited to find a knockoff version with great reviews. It’s refreshing to know these reviews were true. This blow dryer is compact, easy to hold, and powerful. It comes with a diffuser and 2 other attachments for blow-drying. There is a single press button for the cool shot that you don’t have to hold like on other dryers. The cord is also really long. My curls loved the diffuser attachment & my results speak for themselves. Overall, I love this dryer and highly recommend it!”

The only hair tool that may rival the Dyson Supersonic in terms of its cult status is the iconic Revlon One-Step. Not only is it a best-seller on Amazon with over 250,000 five-star ratings, but it’s gone viral on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and beyond. What makes it so brilliant? It’s a hot air brush that smooths, dries, and volumizes your hair all at once — so even blow-dry novices can achieve a salon-level style without putting in much effort. Designed with three different settings and an 1100-watt motor, the One-Step truly stands up to the Dyson in terms of effectiveness and ingenuity — and it costs less than $50.

Relevant Amazon review: “This thing took me 8 minutes. I naturally assumed, upon finishing, that I had entered some sort of Amazon-created beauty time warp. I checked with my husband, in the next room, and in fact, I did not go through a blowout wormhole. The silkier-than-silk style was accomplished by this miracle of a brush in 8 minutes (several more minutes were lost to running my hands through my hair and flicking it over my shoulder while smiling coquettishly in the mirror).”

For just under $75, you can get this hot air brush that combines the Dyson Supersonic with the Revlon One-Step — though it comes with four attachments total, so technically you’re getting four different styling/drying tools for the price of one. It uses ceramic-ionic technology to minimize static and flyaways, it has three heat settings, and it even comes with a durable storage pouch for travel. You can create literally every type of blowout with this set, from bouncy curls to super-straight hair.

Relevant Amazon review: “This hot air brush is what I've been looking for. It has the heat, the drying power, and convenience. I love the fact I don't have to hold a brush in one hand and a bulky blow dryer in the other when I straighten my hair. It's light enough it doesn't make my hand or wrist ache like my blow dryer does. I was pleasantly surprised how much air comes through all of the attachments. My hair is very long at it took about 10 minutes to dry all of it.”

If you’re still looking for a great investment-worthy hair dryer but don’t want to shell out $400 on a Dyson Supersonic, consider Drybar’s Buttercup blow dryer, which our Deputy Editor, Commerce, Chelsey Conroy, swears by. She says, “All around this is a good a little hair dryer — relatively lightweight, long cord, and fairly quiet. But what I really like about this hair dryer is that the cool shot button can be locked in place so you have continuous cool air instead of just a quick blast. I have pretty limp, lifeless hair so the continuous cool air is great for setting in volume so my hair doesn’t just immediately fall flat a few minutes after styling.”

Relevant Amazon review: “This hair dryer is MAGNIFICENT. I ordered it because my hair was brittle and dried out from over bleaching and I read about this hairdryer and did my homework and sure enough with not much washing and careful conditioning and using this hairdryer it is just amazing what it has done to bring my hair back to health.”

When asked for a recommendation for an alternative to the Dyson Supersonic, another one of our editors nominated this one. Commerce Editor Amy Biggart says, “I stand by this affordable Conair hair dryer brush, which I've owned for years. You can clip in the various hair attachments and brush and dry simultaneously. It dries my hair so quickly, and doesn't add any frizz to my hair when I use it. You wouldn't guess it by the price tag, but I've used it for years and it still works like it is brand new.”

Relevant Amazon review: “This dryer has all the settings as my old dryer and did a great job getting my natural hair straight. Great tip to add coconut oil to my conditioner, rinse and my hair was soft and manageable and thanks to my Conair styler hair dryer, I was able to blow dry my hair straight. Sometimes a less expensive product can do as well as a higher price product.”

Here’s one last contender for your consideration: this best-selling NITION hair dryer, which boasts over 7,000 five-star ratings and reviews on Amazon. It’s a solid, reasonably priced blow dryer that comes with three attachments (a comb, a diffuser, and a concentrator), and it’s sold in two aesthetically pleasing colors, in addition to classic black: rose gold and baby pink. The lightweight dryer has features like a cool-shot button, three heat settings, and two different speed settings. But perhaps best of all, the grill is made with tourmaline and argan oil to give your hair a smooth, shiny blowout with less damage.

Relevant Amazon review: “I really loved this hair dryer. I purchased it primarily for the diffuser, because I have wavy hair. But I also have bangs which I like to smooth out, so being able to switch out attachments easily is a big plus. I also like having 3 different speeds and 3 different heat levels, which allows for a lot of control. I feel like my hair dries very quickly even without a lot of heat.”