Here's a simple truth: where there’s a Dyson product, there’s a dupe, and none are more popular than the best Dyson Supersonic dupes. When the brand first released the Supersonic hair dryer in 2016, it reinvented the blow dryer.
Seven years later, it remains the best hair dryer in the world, and it’s clear that Dyson's beauty tech bet was more than a success. While it’s an impressive product, you don't need to pay upwards of $400 to get the home hair dry experience you desire. Diesel Screw Compressor
The Supersonic first made waves because, in typical Dyson fashion, it gave an upgraded, futuristic design to an everyday product.
Dyson is known for this aesthetic, but the sleek look also has a function. The ring-shaped head ditches the vented and coiled model of the traditional hair dryer and houses the tiny V9 motor in the handle. The combination of the V9 motor and the Air Multiplier technology makes for a dryer that clocks in at only 1.8 pounds, yet still delivers a powerful airflow that’s notably quieter than the roar of a traditional dryer.
To minimize damage, the Supersonic also measures the air temp up to 20 times per second and uses a built-in ionizer to minimize static and give the hair a sleek finish, which brings us to a quick ionizer science lesson. Ionizers are pretty common in higher-end air dryers. Why? Most work by blowing negative ions at wet hair to reduce static electricity by sealing the hair cuticle and taking down the power of that positive ionic charge (aka what's causing that annoying frizz). As negative ions make contact with hair, they're also dispersing the positive ions of water, therefore cutting down on your drying time and reducing damage in the process.
Basically, it's one of the reasons the Dyson Supersonic provides such quick and excellent results, and why hair dryers with ionizers will cost you more money — they do more than simply dry the hair.
Magnetic attachments designed to easily snap onto the blow dryer round out the futuristic feel of the Supersonic, with five included — a styling concentrator, a flyaway attachment, a diffuser, a gentle air attachment, and a wide tooth comb. It's a nice array of included nozzles even for high-end dryers, which might typically include three to four attachments at the most.
At $429, the overall package of the Supersonic is definitely an investment. However, you're paying for a high-end motor that's built to last, multiple heat settings to protect hair, an innovative design, and of course, the ionic tech. Other dryers from popular hot tool brands like T3, ghd, and Harry Josh boasting some similar features will run you anywhere from $150 to $350, but none quite capture the complete offerings of the Supersonic.
When I tested the Supersonic myself, I found that it had a luxe feel that still makes it stand out from other hair dryers. Dyson also released an "affordable" version of the Supersonic, called the Supersonic Origin, earlier this year that retails for $399.99. At only about $30 cheaper, I think the price-to-feature ratio is actually a much worse value than just going for the regular Supersonic, unless you can grab the Origin on sale.
At the same time, there are dupes out there that deliver similar features and elements of the performance at a much lower price.
There are a lot of options for luxury blow dryers out there and a lot of dupes that attempt to look like the Dyson but skimp out on quality.
While it’s not entirely feasible to find an exact one-to-one alternative for a fraction of the price, it is possible to find Supersonic dupes you’re more than satisfied with. The trick is to identify what exactly draws you to the Supersonic in the first place.
If you’re into ring design, and the appeal of something lightweight, the Laifen Swift is a near replica, even in how the airflow sounds.
If you like the idea of having a lot of attachments to customize your styling session, and still get a similar compact look, the Shark HyperAIR gets the job done.
If money isn't your biggest concern and you’re into a dryer that puts the tech in beauty tech, the Zuvi Halo is a strong choice.
If what’s most appealing about getting a dupe is the whole saving a ton of money aspect, there are respectable hair dryers to be had under $100. We’re particular fans of the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium dryer.
For a deeper dive on how each of these blow dryers performed and info on where to buy them, read on for the best Dyson Supersonic alternatives — all tested by the Mashable team.
Though it's not an exact replica of the ring-barreled Supersonic, the Laifen Swift bears the closest resemblance to Dyson's design, barring all the random iron and fuschia knock-offs that are inexplicably (or perhaps, very explicably) $40 or less.
At $199, the Laifen’s price inspires more confidence in its overall performance and longevity. Beyond the design, it also has magnetic attachments (though you’ll have to pay a bit extra to get more than the one included smooth nozzle) and that signature Dyson air sound I’ve come to know through my time using the Airwrap. What kept me reaching for it over and over again over the past few weeks, though, was its simplicity. For anyone who needs their blow dryer to be easy to use above all else, the Laifen is the way to go.
While doing my first round of testing for this story, I became a daily blow dryer user to help style my bangs. I’ve had the cut before, but held off on recutting them solely because of the necessary effort to styling them. Something about dragging out the blow dryer every single day really didn’t gel with my minimal-effort lifestyle. The Laifen felt compact and lightweight enough that pulling it out for just a minute or two every day didn't feel like a hassle. Though I no longer use it daily, I do use it regularly when I'm not testing other products, and it's held up for the better part of the past year with no signs of stopping.
I can’t say the dry time feels astonishingly fast, but it doesn't lag either. The two air speeds are strong, and I almost never found myself needing to go beyond the first one, even when doing an all-over rough dry to my wet hair before bed. The negative ions at work provided me with a super smooth dry, too.
For the days I felt like diffusing my wavy hair, switching the attachments was beyond easy. Though this is when I found myself most wishing for a temperature setting or two more, the hottest setting never felt scorching. A long press of the temperature button auto-cycles through each temp, which both felt a little extraneous and like it achieved the mid-temperature I was looking for.
Some particular design choices I like that add to the all-over simple vibe are the single switch and turning on the dryer and switching the airspeed, and the one button for adjusting the temperatures. The ring light at the back of the dryer changes color from blue to orange and red as you switch through the dryer’s three temps, or oscillates on this purple tone for the long press. Though at $199 this dryer feels ever so slightly on the steep side, it's still over $200 less than the Dyson. Plus, it's frequently on sale.
Shark already successfully (out)duped the Dyson Airwrap, so I had high expectations for them to do it again with the HyperAIR. Though the overall experience didn’t feel as one-to-one Dyson-like as the FlexStyle, the HyperAIR is still an excellent hair dryer, and just like the FlexStyle, it has some tricks up its sleeve.
I tested out the version of the HyperAIR that comes with the concentrator and styling brush, though there's also a version that swaps that brush for a diffuser for the same price. For $20 more, you can grab the premium bundle, which comes with all three attachments, plus the intriguing AirWave attachment. If you're attracted to the Supersonic's versatility, then the HyperAIR is the right alternative for you.
As a more expensive Dyson Supersonic dupe, the HyperAIR has most of the bells and whistles you might want. It has three different airflow settings and three different heat settings, plus a cold shot button. It has a negative ionizer that helps you achieve a sleeker dry, and the IQ attachments snap on magnetically and automatically adjust to the optimal heat and airflow setting for that attachment. That was a particularly nice feature, as the heat and airflow settings are located in the back of the barrel, and are awkward to reach mid-styling (though this does mimic the design of the Supersonic). The cool shot button was easily accessible along with the power switch on the dryer's handle.
Shark’s blow dryer really impressed with how it worked with the attachments. I was skeptical of the rotating styling brush at first, but within about three seconds of bravely using it on my tangly, wet hair (famously the most knot-prone state for my waves) my skepticism all but vanished. The smoothing and detangling bristles effortlessly undid any knots, made my hair look sleek, and dried sections entirely within a few passes. For the back of my head, I rotated the brush 180 degrees as Shark recommended, and found it actually made styling my hair so much easier, and made me waver slightly on my firm if-I-can’t-see-it-I-don’t-care styling stance. While I had one experience where the brush wouldn’t lock into place after pressing down the button once, it fixed itself after a few rotations and didn’t happen again.
The concentrator attachment also delivered a solid performance, directing airflow with ease. I especially like the slider on it that lets you toggle between a more dispersed pre-style air flow or an extra-targeted precision styling airflow. It felt like a smart combination of tools, and a recognition that it might actually be less convenient to have several attachments to store, especially if you're not using all of them regularly.
This dryer was a little on the hefty side, but it dried my long hair fast enough that I never my arms get tired while using it. It was also louder than the Laifen, but not so much that I felt uncomfortable using it later at night or earlier in the morning — and it was way less grating to the ear than any cheap hair dryer I've used.
Note: As of Dec. 2023, I'm in the process of hands-on testing the Zuvi Halo and will be updating this card in the near future.
The Zuvi Halo basically said take the Dyson Supersonic look, but make it infrared.
Infrared hair dryers are not exactly new tech. The Zuvi Halo, however, uses infrared light along with a less powerful airflow to provide an overall gentler drying experience that retains the hair's health, which they call LightCare technology. Though this was the one dryer I didn't hands-on test for this article, plenty of stellar reviews praised the efficacy of Zuvi's approach.
The tech behind the dryer seems to embrace that innovation has its place in the blow drying space, especially when it comes to protecting your hair. If you want a dry without damage (and don't mind paying for that), look no further.
Zuvi claims the LightCare tech dries the surface of the hair without baking it from the outside in, allowing it to retain some moisture. For those with damaged or colored hair in particular, this can be an especially appealing option. However, the tech has its limits. When you use the Zuvi Halo, you have your choice of five different modes: care, fast, soft, style, and cool. If you noticed that none of those are specific air flow speeds or heats, that's because you can't adjust those directly. Instead, the settings adjust as follows: care adjusts with the temperature of your room, fast uses higher heat for quicker drying, soft uses a lighter airspeed and heat for more sensitive scalps, style uses more heat but less wind, and cool uses a burst of — you guessed it — cold air to lock in your styles.
For people who are very much set-and-forget types, those presets may actually be a huge plus, but control freaks (I say this as one myself) may be a little more hesitant to full send on this model. It is worth noting that the hair dryer never gets that hot, topping out at 111 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus, review after review mentioned how shiny and frizz-free their hair turned out, which doesn't happen when you're frying the shit out of your hair. Reviewers also noted how quiet they found the dryer to be, which makes sense, considering it's not singularly reliant on airflow during the drying process. For more styling customization, you'll also receive a magnetic diffuser, style concentrator, and gentle air attachment along with the dryer.
The Zuvi Halo is for sure an investment, but the brand does offer a 30-day return period if you're not completely satisfied with your purchase.
Unlike every other dryer on this list, the BabylissPRO Nano Titanium doesn't do anything exciting. It looks nothing at all like the Dyson Supersonic. But also unlike every blow dryer on this list, it won't put a $200-plus price tag on drying your hair.
If you're interested in the Dyson Supersonic because you're getting your first hair dryer and it's simply the one you've seen most on your For You page, then you might want to take a moment and ask how often you'll really be using a hair dryer. Once, twice, maybe a few times a week? If your answer is yes to any of the above, I recommend seriously considering this budget option.
Save yourself the cash and get yourself a dryer that'll perform the basic function of drying your hair without incurring a ton of damage. How does do it do that if it's so run of the mill? Well, it has the trusty ion generator, plus three different heat settings (though the highest one does run quite hot). The included concentrator attachment can direct the air flow so you get a pinpointed dry and cut down on styling time, and the barrel is easily compatible with plenty of diffusers.
Prior to testing for this article, this was the hair dryer I used whenever I couldn't be bothered to air dry. While it never sparked an overwhelming joy and sometimes felt too clunky to extricate from the depths of my bathroom cabinet, it got the job done without taking a ton of time. It's lasted a couple years without issue already, and though it's a little loud, it's perfectly lightweight. My BaByliss has been with my through thick and thin, and if it ever breaks on me, I know I have a four-year warranty to fall back on.
I started the Supersonic dupe search by wading through the sea of listings with fake-sounding brand names and looked at hair dryers from established brands to select a pool of front runners that consumers seem to be interested in as Dyson dupes.
As of Dec. 2023, I'm hands-on testing the Zuvi Halo and will be updating my recommendations accordingly after I've spent more time with it. I'll also be testing the new Shark SpeedStyle dryer for a future update of this story.
To determine the finalists, here’s what I considered:
Design: Did the dupe look like the Supersonic, and if so, did that serve a function in being a lighter, more streamlined product? If the look seemed to be emulation for the sake of emulation, or seemed to outright sacrifice functionality, I passed.
Reviews: I looked at how popular the product seemed to be, and how many legit reviews it seemed to have. If a product had 3.5 stars among 18 ratings, I skipped it for this round of testing. I was looking for what dryers people seemed to be flocking to as Supersonic alternatives, and what products were getting a lot of hype, so I could determine if the hype was worth it.
Damage minimizing: One of the Supersonic's biggest claims is getting you a better dry while providing less damage to your hair. It's no secret that if you blast your hair with super high temperatures, it's going to dry faster, but it's terrible for your hair's health. That's why I kept my eye out for claims of damage-minimizing techniques — like automatic temperature regulating, customizable temperature controls, and ionic technology — to make my selections on what dryers to test.
Other stand-out features: Though I didn't hands-on test it for this round, the infrared light of the Zuvi Halo is what earned it a place on this list, as it was such a unique feature that I couldn't ignore it. It captured the same innovative spirit of the Dyson.
Potential product life: There's not really a point in spending less on a dupe if you're going to have to replace it way more often. I chose the product pool based on the idea that you would spend less on an alternative to the Supersonic and actually save money in the long run, rather than delaying the inevitable of dropping the cash on the quality product.
After picking my finalists, I got to testing. As mentioned in the article, I owned the BaBylissPRO prior to the testing period, so I used it a few more times to refresh my memory and affirm what my overall impressions of the dryer already were. As for the Laifen and Shark hair dryers, I used both regularly over the course of a month, allowing me to get a strong sense of what daily use felt like. I paid extra attention to how comfortable they were to use, which I personally wanted to reach for day to day, if they seemed to make good on their claims, and how my hair health felt after the course of the month.
The Zuvi Halo hair dryer was the only dryer I didn't hands-on test, but based on extensive research of customer reviews, YouTube videos, and a look into how legit the tech behind it was, I decided it earned a spot on the list (as I mentioned above, I'm in the process of testing it to update our recommendations).
For a quick sense of what my hair is like: I have long, wavy hair that sits somewhere between a 2A and 2B pattern. I typically prefer to air dry as my hair is prone to dryness at the ends that can be exacerbated with regular heat styling. Though it's wavy, it typically straightens easily and can hold a straight style for one to two days.
If you go to Amazon right now, and type in "Dyson Supersonic dupe," within the first 15 results or so, you'll see at least five hair dryers that mimic the same shape and signature iron/fuschia colorway. They're also all around $30. This probably goes without saying, but you shouldn't buy a $35 "Supersonic" and expect that you'll get anywhere near the same results with your hair.
In this case, the infallible advice of "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is," applies, as these hair dryers are likely to a) damage your hair more than an well-made dryer would and b) break much faster. You're much better off going for a hair dryer like the ones I recommend that may not look quite as similar, but share similar features. Still, I get it – even dupes can be pricey! Looking out for sales like Black Friday is always another way to save some more cash and get the quality product.
The Dyson Supersonic is a hair dryer with attachments that will help you achieve certain styles, but are ultimately fairly standard hair drying attachments.
The Dyson Airwrap, on the other hand, is a multi-styler that uses hot air to help you blow dry and style your hair, from diffusing to straightening to curling. Basically, it's more versatile, but it's also more expensive — it's $600 to the Supersonic's $429. For some people, the price may be worth it, but for most people, I recommend at least giving Airwrap dupes a look before making the plunge.
Bethany Allard is a Los Angeles-based shopping reporter at Mashable covering beauty tech, dating, sex and relationships, and headphones. That basically means she puts her hair through a lot, scrolls through a lot of dating apps, and rotates through a lot of different headphones. In addition to testing out and rounding up the best products, she also covers deals for Mashable, paying an especially obsessive amount of attention to Apple deals and prices. That knowledge comes in handy when she's covering shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, which she's now done for three years at Mashable.
Rotary Screw Gas Compressor She graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature. You can follow her on X @betallard and reach her by email at [email protected] . In her free time, you'll find her playing her Switch, hanging with her cat Mila, or cooking something new in her kitchen.