The 5 best Dyson Airwrap alternatives in 2026 — ranked after 4 months of testing
The Dyson Airwrap is a brilliant tool — and it costs nearly $650. So we spent four months testing 15 cheaper multi-stylers to find the ones that genuinely come close. One of them beat it outright on value.
Every product here was bought and tested independently — no freebies, no sponsorships. Here's how we test.
The Dyson Airwrap is, genuinely, a brilliant bit of kit. It's also over $600, enough that it's one of the questions readers email us about most: is there anything cheaper that actually comes close, or do you get what you pay for? So last fall we set out to answer it properly.
Over four months we tested 15 air stylers with the help of 20 volunteers across different hair types, fine, thick, coily, color-treated. We judged each one on four things: how well it dries, smooths, curls and adds volume; how much it protects the hair from heat; how easy it is to live with day to day; and, crucially, whether the price makes sense. These five made the final edit, ranked, with an honest note on where even our top pick falls short.
The shortlist, at a glance
- Best overall & best valueGlamBeauty 5-in-1$99.90 · read more
- Best heat controlSilkyAir Flex$269 · read more
- Best for beginnersShark FlexStyle$199 · read more
- Most powerful (thick hair)Max Pro Aurum Aerostyler$329 · read more
- The pricey all-rounderLuxx Air Pro 2$349 · read more
- The benchmark, for referenceDyson Airwrap i.d.$649.99
1. GlamBeauty 5-in-1
Sold direct only; it goes out of stock fairly regularly, so check availability before you set your heart on it.
We'll be blunt: we didn't expect a $99 tool to end up at the top. It uses the same Coanda-style airflow principle as the Dyson, wrapping the hair with air rather than blasting it with heat, and in testing that translated into a genuinely smooth, shiny, frizz-free finish without the scorched feeling cheaper hot tools leave behind.
The test that convinced us was a blind one. On several volunteers we styled one side of the head with the GlamBeauty and the other with the Dyson, then asked them - and a hairdresser - to identify which was which. Most couldn't; both sides looked equally polished. The GlamBeauty is also noticeably lighter in the hand, which matters when you're holding a tool above your head for ten minutes.
On a blind half-head test, neither the volunteers nor the stylist could reliably pick out the Dyson side.
It's versatile, too; it handled short bobs and long, thick hair, and had enough power for coily and frizz-prone textures, which a lot of cheaper stylers simply don't. The attachments feel solid rather than flimsy. The only real gripes: it's online-only, so you can't try it in a store first, and the curl attachment takes a wash or two to get the knack of on very long hair. Neither stopped it topping the list.
Reasons to buy
- Coanda-style airflow protects against heat damage
- Fast, smooth, genuinely frizz-free finish
- Lightweight and easy to handle
- Copes with thick, coily and afro hair
- Attachments feel built to last
Reasons to avoid
- Online-only — no in-store try-before-you-buy
- Sells out regularly
- Curl barrel has a slight learning curve
2. SilkyAir Flex
The SilkyAir's party trick is a temperature system that adjusts the heat up to 50 times a second, so it's the one we'd point heat-nervous or bleached hair towards. Five interchangeable attachments give you good range. It's a lovely tool, it just doesn't quite reach the finish of the Dyson or the GlamBeauty, and at $269 you're paying a fair bit for that "quite".
Reasons to buy
- Clever real-time temperature regulation
- Five attachments for different looks
- Light and easy to use
Reasons to avoid
- Results are good, not exceptional, for the money
- Build feels a step below the top two
3. Shark FlexStyle
The most beginner-friendly of the bunch. It's light, the LED display is genuinely useful, the auto-curl function is forgiving, and five accessories cover most everyday looks. It's a great first multi-styler. Where it shows its price is on very thick or curly hair, you'll need a few passes, and the attachments feel a touch fragile next to the pricier models.
Reasons to buy
- Light and easy to handle
- Clear LED display
- Forgiving auto-curl
- Five attachments
Reasons to avoid
- Needs multiple passes on thick or curly hair
- Attachments feel a little fragile
4. Max Pro Aurum Aerostyler
A proper workhorse. This 6-in-1 has a powerful 1400W motor and a good spread of heat and airflow settings, so if your hair is thick and takes an age to dry, it's the one that'll get through it fastest. It's ergonomic and quiet at lower settings. The catch is the price, the bulk, and the fact that it gets noticeably louder when you push it.
Reasons to buy
- Powerful, fast drying (1400W)
- Adapts well to all hair types
- Ergonomic and quiet at low speed
Reasons to avoid
- Expensive
- Loud at high power
- Bulky to hold and store
5. Luxx Air Pro 2
The Luxx looks the part and comes with a generous set of attachments and a nice long cord. But at $349 you're paying a fair bit for middling results, and there's no dual voltage, so it's a pain to travel with. It's the one we'd steer you away from, you're paying for the box, not the finish.
Reasons to buy
- Lots of attachments for different styles
- Long, reach-anywhere cord
Reasons to avoid
- High price for average performance
- No dual voltage — awkward for travel
So, which should you actually buy?
If you take one thing from four months of testing, take this: you do not need to spend $600 to get a salon-quality finish at home. The GlamBeauty 5-in-1 gave us results we genuinely couldn't tell apart from the Dyson in a blind test, for a fraction of the price, which is why it's our overall pick. If your hair is very heat-sensitive, the SilkyAir is worth the jump; if it's thick and stubborn, the Max Pro has the grunt. But for most people, most of the time, the GlamBeauty is the smart buy.
Get the GlamBeauty 5-in-1 $99.90 →