Best Hygrometer Reviews 2023: Find The Right One?

Wouldn’t you like to enjoy quality air in your home or workplace?

If you invest in the best hygrometer today, you’ll be able to determine the amount of moisture in the air around you.

This, in turn, helps you maintain the humidity at the best, comfortable levels— not excess and not too low.

Getting the perfect hygrometer for your home, business or office will require you to consider various factors and considerations.

It’s a challenging and time-consuming process, to say the least.

Thankfully, I’ve done the hardest part for you;

I’ve analyzed dozens of hygrometers on the market and distilled them to get the 10 finest hygrometers for every home.

For more details about these types of hygrometers and how to choose the right one for you, check the guide below…

What is a Hygrometer?

A Hygrometer is an instrument that is used to measure the amount of water vapor and humidity in the atmosphere, in confined spaces, or soil.

Humidity monitor devices often rely on measurements of some other quantity such as pressure, mass, temperature, or an electrical or mechanical change in a substance as moisture is absorbed.

Through calculation and calibration, these measured quantities can result in a measurement of humidity.

Modern electronic instruments use the temperature of condensation or the changes in electrical capacitance or resistance to measure the differences in humidity. The very first crude hygrometer was invented by Leonardo da Vinci in the year 1480.

The maximum amount of water vapor that can be held within a certain volume of air varies depending on the temperature.

Warm air can hold a lot more mass of water per unit volume than cold air can. Temperature can affect humidity. Most instruments are calibrated to read relative humidity.

This is the amount of water relative to the maximum at a certain particular temperature. This is then expressed as a percentage.

Read also – Best Outdoor Weather Station in 2022

Why You Need a Hygrometer?

Before we delve any deeper, let me explain to you why a hygrometer is an essential tool for every home.

A hygrometer also referred to as a humidity meter or humidity gauge, is an instrument meant for measuring humidity (or the amount of moisture in the air).

When the air humidity gets high (or there’s excessive moisture in the air surrounding you), it causes mold and mildew. This is bad news for folks who suffer from allergy and breath-related issues as their conditions can get worse.

High humidity also causes other health-related issues such as chronic coughing, sneezing, clammy feeling, etc.

And when the humidity gets too low, it makes the air around you dry to the point that you might develop dry and itchy skin, chapped lips, or even static cling.

Low humidity can also damage your valuable possessions such as furniture, wooden musical instruments, etc.

Other than home, a hygrometer also enjoys broad application in other areas. These include incubators, saunas, greenhouses, humidors, painting, and coating, to name but a few.

Homes with humidifiers and dehumidifiers can also rely on a hygrometer to fine-tune them.

By having the best humidity meter at your home, you’ll enjoy quality air that makes you feel comfortable. Your body will remain safe, and all your valuable possessions won’t get damaged.

8 Best Hygrometer Reviews of 2021 Comparison Table

Our Best Hygrometer Picks:

1. Habor Hygrometer Thermometer Digital Indoor Humidity Monitor

Our list of hygrometer reviews starts with the Habor Hygrometer Thermometer Digital Indoor Humidity Monitor.

The instrument detects not only humidity but also the temperature in your house. It does this almost instantly so that you can take the necessary steps to make your home a comfortable living environment.

The hygrometer detects the humidity of your house using electric sensors. It then displays the results on a large LCD display in big digits so that you can easily and clearly see the details, even from a distance.

This highly reliable indoor hygrometer measures the humidity and temperature in your house every 10 seconds- with up to 24 sensitive VENTS- to present you with more accurate and updated settings.

It features an extended measuring range for both temperatures (32.0℉ to 122.0℉) and humidity (20% to 95%), which makes it even more reliable.

You’ll love how this hygrometer makes life easier for you…it indicates the comfort level in your house using icons.

This way, it becomes easy for you to know when the conditions are comfortable, uncomfortable, and normal. Trust me; not many models can do this!

Since the hygrometer comes with a small, lightweight design, it’s a space saver, and you can easily carry it around. And its black appearance makes it blend perfectly well with most spaces you place it in.

Highlighted features:

• Indoor humidity monitoring
• Various mounting options
• Highly reliable, an accurate hygrometer
• Easy to read and operate
• Indicates the comfortable level of humidity
  
• Compact and lightweight design

2. Caliber IV Digital Hygrometer by Western Humidor

If you’re looking for the most accurate hygrometer for home use, then the Caliber IV Digital Hygrometer is a sure bet.

If you didn’t know, Western Humidor has built a reputation for designing super-accurate hygrometers that enjoy wide popularity across countless homes.

In fact, they’re the original designers of digital hygrometers for the cigar industry.

The Caliber IV Hygrometer actually comes as an upgrade to the Caliber III model. One of the most notable improvements in this new model is that it allows you to easily recalibrate it.

This is good news for all home users as it ensures maximum accuracy.

I also noted that the new model comes in new packaging.

Because it employs the same advanced humidity sensor as the previous model, you can rest assured that it will provide you with incredibly accurate readouts.

In fact, the manufacturer states that its accuracy rating is +/- 1% accuracy (and all the previous users agree with this).

The hygrometer features a slim profile design. In addition to the humidity readings, it also shows temperature readings (with a switchable Fahrenheit/Celsius scale).

Like the previous model, it also delivers a higher humidity range that spans from 20% all the way up to 90%. Its compact and lightweight design makes it easy to carry with you to any place.

Highlighted features:

• Advanced humidity sensor w/ +/- 1% accuracy
• Comes pre-calibrated right outside the box
• User calibratable
• 3-day high/low averages for temperature and humidity
• Secure magnetic mount
• Source and Battery life included in the box

 

Are you interested in a complete package of various sensors in a compact size? Check out the best handheld weather station.

3. AcuRite 01226M Indoor Humidity Monitor (Pack of 2)

AcuRite 01226M Indoor Humidity Monitor is probably the best digital hygrometer deal you’ll ever get on the market.

The hygrometry comes in a pack of two at an incredibly affordable cost compared to most models.

Similar to the previous products, this AcuRite humidity gauge also displays both the temperature (in both Celsius and Fahrenheit) and humidity levels inside your home.

It comes with humidity level icons that easily show you when the conditions are High, Low, or ideal.

This humidity monitor is designed to help you measure humidity anywhere you wish—whether it’s in different rooms inside your house, your workplace, office, etc.

It allows you to place it as either tabletop or just mount it on the wall (with its magnet). What’s more, it features a large LCD screen that displays large digital digits for easy, clear viewing/reading.

If you’ve used other AcuRite products before, e.g. their weather stations, you don’t require an explanation on the level of accuracy that the manufacturer instills in all its products.

Did I mention that this humidity monitor runs on 1 AA battery?

Highlighted features:

• Measures indoor temperature and humidity
• Humidity level indicator for low, high, or ideal conditions
• Daily High and Low humidity and temperature records
• Completely wireless tabletop
• Magnetic mountable design
• Low battery life indicator

4. SensorPush Wireless Thermometer/Hygrometer

SensorPush Wireless Thermometer/Hygrometer makes it possible for you to remotely access the humidity and temperature data logging, and alerts, of your home from the comfort of your smartphone.

The wireless hygrometer comes with an extremely powerful transmission range of up to 325′ (in obstruction-free conditions), ensuring smooth functioning all-around your house.

The app meant for monitoring the humidity comes in both Android and Apple iOS versions to make it ideal for all users.

What’s more, the app is highly intuitive and easy to navigate, so you’ll never have any issues monitoring your indoor conditions remotely.

Regarding accuracy, the sensor features a Swiss-made sensing component that delivers exceptionally reliable and accurate humidity and temperature settings.

Above all, the hygrometer utilizes a CR2477 battery with over 1-year lifespan, for added convenience.

Highlighted features:

• Remote monitoring and alerts via the internet
• Powerful transmission range
• Beautifully designed apps for easy monitoring
• Reliable, accurate measurements

5. Exo Terra Hygrometer

Don’t know the best hygrometer for maintaining the ideal humidity in your terrarium? Well, consider using this Exo Terra Hygrometer and thank me later.

As you already know, maintaining proper humidity levels is essential for your amphibians’ or reptiles’ overall health and well-being. And this hygrometer was designed with this in mind.

The extremely easy and stress-free to install and read hygrometer ensures you get the most accurate humidity and temperature readings for your terrarium.

The hygrometer accurately measures water vapor saturation in the air with a scale running from 0 to 100%.

Don’t forget that this analog hygrometer comes with a touch of antiquity, which makes it a stylish addition to your terrarium.

The best part about this hygrometer is that it’s a fabulous bargain at its insanely low cost. Your eyeballs will pop out when you see the price tag, no doubt!

Highlighted features:

• Accurate humidity level measurements
• Easy to install/read
• Helps you maintain the ideal humidity levels

6. Xikar Round Digital Hygrometer

Xikar Round Digital Hygrometer will be an excellent pick for homeowners, especially those who live or work with people who smoke lots of cigars.

The round-shaped digital hygrometer also falls within a pocket-friendly budget range.

The first thing I liked about this hygrometer is the re-calibration option. It allows you to easily re-calibrate it to improve its humidity monitoring accuracy.

The calibration process is quite easy if you follow the instruction that comes with the package.

Like most of the models we’ve featured on this list, this hygrometer also records both the temperature and humidity. It records in both Fahrenheit and Celsius (with a range of 32- 120 °F or 0- 50 °C). And it presents you with a humidity range of 20-95%.

Its compact and lightweight design allows you to easily carry it with you to any place you wish to monitor temperature and pressure.

Highlighted features:

• Records indoor temperature and humidity
• Displays temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius
• 20-95% humidity range
• Dimensions: 1.85″ W x 0.5″ D

7. Ambient Weather WS-10 Wireless Indoor/Outdoor 8-Channel Thermo-Hygrometer

Ambient Weather WS-10 is the best indoor humidity monitor for you if you wish to monitor multiple locations within your home.

The complete package features a central data console and up to 3 remote sensors which are all accessible on the screen simultaneously.

Not just that, the device can support additional 5 sensors. This makes the total number of sensors 8, which translates to the ability to monitor as many as 8 rooms at the same time.

Because the wireless device uses a transmission signal with a range of 100 feet, you’d want to ensure that all your sensors are within this range for smooth temperature and humidity monitoring.

Something else that makes this model unique is the visual and audible alarms incorporated into the central console.

These will give you visual and audible alerts whenever the room humidity or temperature exceeds your pre-set minimum or maximum levels. This makes it possible for you passively monitor your home temperature.

Though the entire unit might sound complicated, it’s straightforward to operate for you. The price is slightly higher than most of the previously discussed models.

However, I believe it’s well worth it, considering all the unique features and functions you’ll get.

Highlighted features:

• Simple to read and operate
• Up to 3 remote thermometer/hygrometer sensors
• Can remotely read and update up to 8 sensors
• Audible and visual alarms
• Minimum and maximum recordings

8. Lockdown Vault Hygrometer

Last on our list (but not least), we feature the Lockdown Vault Hygrometer. This is the best hygrometer I’d recommend for your vault or storage area—such as the gun safe.

As you know, excess humidity (moisture) can seriously ruin your most valued possessions such as firearms, musical instruments, etc., to a point where you can’t use them again. It can even cause corrosion and pitting of metal surfaces.

Luckily, this hygrometer is designed to continually monitor the relative humidity in your vault or storage area and allow you to take necessary controls measures when the conditions aren’t right.

This way, you can remain assured of getting your items as good as new even after years of storing them.

Like most of the analog hygrometers out there, this model also comes with large, easy-to-read numbers so that you don’t have to strain to read them.

It has a humidity range of 0-100% for reliable humidity monitoring. You’ll find fasteners included in the box, which make the mounting process easy and fast

Highlighted features:

• Hassle-free mounting
• Large, easy to read numbers
• Monitors humidity in your vault

How To Choose The Perfect Hygrometer For You?

To choose a hygrometer that meets your specific needs, various factors must come into play. Below, I’ll discuss with you the key factors to consider when shopping for a hygrometer.

Accuracy

Accuracy is the first critical factor you should look for when choosing a hygrometer.

If you look at the available models on the market today, you’ll note that they come with different accuracy ratings and accuracy ranges.

If you’re looking for the most accurate digital hygrometer, make sure you get something with a ±1% RH sensor accuracy rating.

A sensor with up to ±4% RH will work for most hygrometer applications, though.

NIST Certification

Another crucial factor that will help you get an accurate, reliable hygrometer is the NIST certification.

If you come across an instrument with this seal, it means that it meets ISO and any other regulatory body requirements for product traceability and accuracy.

Ease of Use

The best indoor humidity monitor should be extremely easy to operate.

With that in mind, I advise you to look at the user interface of various models before buying them. Ensure they come with a large, easy-to-read display that anyone (including the older folks) can easily see.

If your hygrometer has a companion app, make sure its interface is also easy to understand and navigate.

All the controls and buttons of your hygrometer should also be intuitive for even easier operation.

Internet Connectivity (Remote monitoring)

Imagine being able to access your hygrometer readings when you’re far from home?

That’s quite an essential feature to have in today’s world, and I encourage you to go for it.

As you’ve seen in our reviews above, some models allow you to access them remotely via an app. They even alert you when the humidity in your home exceeds the desired limit.

Such a model will help you take the right steps in time and avoid irreversible damages that excess humidity can cause to your property or valuable possessions.

Cost

The cost of hygrometers usually varies from one model to the other, depending on the overall quality, list of features, and capabilities.

Knowing your budget limit can help you narrow down your choices to a few models that match the amount you wish to spend.

Set a reasonable budget that will help you land a quality, reliable product that will meet your special home hygrometer needs.

Extra factors to keep in mind:

• If you’re buying a hygrometer for outdoor use, make sure it has a rugged design that can stand up to harsh weather conditions and extreme humidity swings
• If you wish to record the humidity changes, be sure to buy a hygrometer that records data at your specified intervals
• You might also consider purchasing an expandable hygrometer that allows for additional sensors for use in multiple spaces/rooms
• Check what type of batteries the hygrometer uses and how long they can last before making a replacement

Analog or Digital: Which One To Choose?

We can divide the hygrometers out there into two main categories—Analog and Digital models.

Each has its own weaknesses and strengths.

To help you decide which one will match your interests and expectations, we’ll discuss the two modes below.

Digital Hygrometer

A digital hygrometer determines humidity using non-moving electric sensors. The electrical resistance of these sensors gets affected by moisture, thus displaying the current humidity level.

Their main pros and cons are explained below:

Pros

• They usually have a high level of accuracy
• Display temperature in addition to humidity

Cons

• They’re not visually appealing compared to analog models
• Require maintenance (battery replacement)
• thumbs-o-down most models are less reliable at low humidity levels (say below 55%)

Analog Hygrometer

An analog hygrometer works differently from a digital model. It employs springs that loose or tightens depending on the current humidity level.

Below are the main pros and cons of analog models:

Pros

• They come with stylish, elegant looks
• Premium analog models deliver higher precision measurements

Cons

• They need regular tuning up to deliver accuracy
• They display humidity info only
• thumbs-o-down cheap models have worse performance and look bad

As you can see, both analog and digital hygrometers work pretty well. The right model for you depends on your personal preferences.

If all you need is an instrument for measuring humidity, any model can do. If you prefer stylish models, you can go with the analog models. And if you’re looking for the ultimate accuracy, go for the digital models.

How Having a Hygrometer Can Save You Money?

A good-quality hygrometer can indeed save you a lot of money.

But how does it do that?

After interviewing many homeowners who own a hygrometer, I compiled a report on how this simple instrument saves you cash.

Find more about my report below…

Starting with the most obvious one, a hygrometer will save you from the hospital bills. As we’ve already said before, too much humidity in the air you breathe can lead to a myriad of health issues for you and your family. These include breathing difficulties, chronic coughing, allergic reactions, etc. which might require you to cough a lot of money to get treated.

Not just your health, but the instrument can also help you keep the health of your pets (e.g., the exotic reptiles and birds) in check. This will save you the money you’d have spent on the vet.

The mold and mildew caused by excess humidity can cause irreparable damage to your property, furniture, wooden stuff, among other valuable possessions in your home.

A humidity meter can also save you up as much as 3% on your energy bills. How? It enables you to increase your indoor humidity to a level that makes your house feel warmer. This will save you the heating costs you could have incurred to achieve the same warmth.

A hygrometer will keep you updated on the amount of humidity in all the rooms in your house. This way, you can take the necessary steps in time and prevent any potential damages and heal issues from coming up.

There are endless ways in which a hygrometer can save you cash—either inside or outside your home!

How does a Hygrometer Works?

You already know that a hygrometer measures humidity (amount of water vapor in the air). But how exactly does it do that?

In this section, I’ll explain in simple language how the instrument executes its intended job.

(We’ll focus on the analog and digital models as they’re both popular among the homeowners)

(i). How Analog Hygrometer Works

A typical analog hygrometer utilizes a composite coil. The coil usually involves a thin metal strip bonded to some moisture-absorbent hygroscopic material such as the paper polymer.

On absorbing moisture, the material expands as the metal strip remains consistent. This will cause the coil to rotate or bend, thereby moving the needle on the dial to indicate the relative humidity.

When the conditions become dry, the moisture will evaporate on the material. And this will cause the coil to contract. Again, this will move the needle along the dial to show the current humidity level.

(ii). How Digital Hygrometer Works

The digital or electronic hygrometer is regarded as the modern humidity meter.

A typical digital hygrometer uses solid-state sensors (either resistive or capacitive) to determine the humidity levels. In other words, it measures the resistance or capacitance of a given sample of air, from which it calculates its humidity.

For the capacitive hygrometer, you’ll get two metal plates with air between them. The presence of a lot of water in the air will affect the capacitance of the plates.

By knowing how much charge the plates can store, the hygrometer will provide you with an accurate and instant value of relative humidity.

In the case of the resistive sensor, electricity is fed through a ceramic material piece that’s exposed to air. When the humidity gets high, more water vapor will condense inside the ceramic, affecting its resistance.

By measuring the amount of current flowing through the ceramic, the hygrometer will deliver accurate humidity measurements.

How To Use and Calibrate a Hygrometer?

Now that you’ve finally found a good hygrometer for your home, you’d definitely want to know how to get the most out of it.

Since most of the products we’ve reviewed above are digital hygrometers, we’ll concentrate on how to use this type of hygrometer.

First, it’s worth noting that your new digital hygrometer comes ready for use right outside the box.

Keeping in mind that accuracy plays a crucial role in your humidity monitoring process, however, I’d recommend you first calibrate it before you start using it. This will ensure maximum accuracy at all times.

You should also make a point of occasionally inspecting and re-calibrating the hygrometer since measurements from the sensor can drift over time.

NOTE: you’ll need to buy a good calibration kit for a successful calibration.

Check the video below on how to correctly calibrate your humidity gauge.

Once your hygrometer is up and ready for use, you can place it in the specific space where you wish to monitor humidity.

Then, it’ll provide you with precise humidity pressure measurements so that you can take the necessary steps to bring it back to the desired level.

Some of the things you can do include:

• Using a dehumidifier to raise humidity
• Using a dehumidifier to remove the excess moisture in the air
• Turning on the air conditioner to cool your home
• Opening windows to decrease humidity, etc.

HOT TIP: If you notice that your hygrometer consistently records low humidity, you can bring it up to the best level by growing leafy plants. The water from the plant will evaporate into the air, causing an increase in the humidity.

Conclusion

Getting the best digital hygrometer will help you monitor the humidity inside your home, office, or workplace. It also helps keep your health in check while preventing damages to your treasured possessions and property.

In this guide, I’ve taken through you the 13 best-performing hygrometers that enjoy wild usage across many homes in the states. I believe that these will aid you in your search.

The buying guide section covers everything you need to know about how to easily and quickly pick the right hygrometer that meets your specific needs.