Best dehumidifier for a basement
Six dehumidifiers from $149.99 to $293.99, compared from their own Amazon listings.
Short answer. For a large basement the Midea 50 Pint ($259.99) is the sensible buy: 4,500 sq ft listed. If your drain is above the unit, the GE with pump ($293.99) lifts water 15 feet. The Arecovas ($151.99) is cheapest. We have not tested these products ourselves; this compares listed specifications.
Prices and availability read from Amazon on October 12, 2026 and change without notice. We earn a commission if you buy through our links, which costs you nothing and is the only way this site makes money.
| # | Dehumidifier | Best for | Stands out for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier, 4,500 Sq. Ft. | Best for large basements | 4.2-gallon tank, extendable body | $241.59 |
| 2 | Midea 50 Pint Dehumidifier for Basement, 4,500 Sq. Ft. | Best value 50-pint | Quiet 49 dBA low mode | $259.99 |
| 3 | GE 50 Pint Dehumidifier with Pump and Hose, 5,000 Sq. Ft. | Best for below-grade drains | Pump lifts water 15 feet | $293.99 |
| 4 | Amazon Basics 50-Pint Dehumidifier with Pump | Best with a drain pump for less | 50 pints at 65F / 60% RH | $234.05 |
| 5 | Arecovas 52 Pints Dehumidifier for Basement, 3,500 Sq. Ft. | Best budget pick | Lowest price here, $151.99 | $151.99 |
| 6 | Midea Cube 20 Pint Dehumidifier for Basement, 1,500 Sq. Ft. | Best for a small basement | 3.2-gallon tank, 1,500 sq ft | $179.99 |
Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier, 4,500 Sq. Ft.
Best for large basements
$241.59
A 50-pint Midea with a large removable tank, a hose for continuous drain and Wi-Fi control.
Strengths
- Large tank runs longer between empties
- Hose included for continuous drain
Trade-offs
- No built-in pump listed
- $241.59, above the plain Midea 50
Midea 50 Pint Dehumidifier for Basement, 4,500 Sq. Ft.
Best value 50-pint
$259.99
The lower-priced Midea 50-pint, with a listed 49 dBA low mode and a built-in hose socket.
Strengths
- $259.99 for 4,500 sq ft
- Wi-Fi control listed
Trade-offs
- Hose is not included
- No built-in pump listed
GE 50 Pint Dehumidifier with Pump and Hose, 5,000 Sq. Ft.
Best for below-grade drains
$293.99
A 50-pint GE with a built-in pump and a 16 ft hose for basements where gravity drainage will not work.
Strengths
- Pump and hose included
- Highest coverage listed, 5,000 sq ft
Trade-offs
- $293.99, the priciest here
- Pump adds one more part to maintain
Amazon Basics 50-Pint Dehumidifier with Pump
Best with a drain pump for less
$234.05
An Amazon Basics 50-pint with a drain pump, auto-defrost and a rating stated at DOE conditions.
Strengths
- Pump listed at $234.05
- Rating given at stated test conditions
Trade-offs
- 2,500 sq ft is the smallest coverage among the 50-pint units
- Hose length not stated in the text we read
Arecovas 52 Pints Dehumidifier for Basement, 3,500 Sq. Ft.
Best budget pick
$151.99
The lowest-priced large unit here, with three modes including a clothes-drying setting.
Strengths
- Lowest price in this guide
- Three modes including DRY
Trade-offs
- Small 0.66-gallon tank fills faster
- Third-party seller; its 52-pint figure uses a hotter test than the DOE rating
Midea Cube 20 Pint Dehumidifier for Basement, 1,500 Sq. Ft.
Best for a small basement
$179.99
The small-room option: a 20-pint Midea Cube rated for 1,500 sq ft, with the same extendable body.
Strengths
- Fits a small or partial basement
- 1-year warranty listed
Trade-offs
- Not meant for a large open basement
- Only 20 pints a day
What size dehumidifier does a basement need?
Start with floor area, then check how the pint figure was measured. The listings here tie capacity to square feet: 1,500 sq ft for the Midea Cube 20-pint, 2,500 for the Amazon Basics 50-pint, 3,500 for the Arecovas, 4,500 for both Midea 50-pint models and 5,000 for the GE. Do not compare pint ratings across brands without checking the test: Amazon Basics states 50 pints at 65F and 60% humidity (the DOE condition), while Arecovas states 52 pints at 95F and 90%, a much wetter and hotter test. A 52 beside a 50 is not an apples-to-apples comparison.
Reading the pint rating
The Midea Cube 20-pint listing says its 20 pints is similar to 30 pints on the older 2012 DOE standard. Check which standard a listing uses before assuming a bigger number means a bigger machine.
Do I need a dehumidifier with a pump?
You need a pump if the unit sits lower than the drain it would empty into. The GE lists a built-in pump that moves water up to 15 vertical feet through a 16 ft hose, and the Amazon Basics lists a drain pump for continuous operation. The Midea models use gravity drainage: the Midea 50 connects a standard hose to a built-in socket (hose not included) and the Midea Cube comes with a drain hose to run over a floor drain or sink. If a floor drain is level with or below the unit, gravity works. If you would otherwise empty a bucket every day, a hose or pump is the fix.
Tank sizes
Tank size sets how often you empty it without a hose: 4.2 gallons on the Midea Cube 50, 3.2 gallons on the Midea Cube 20 and 0.66 gallon on the Arecovas. The GE lists a 15-pint bucket.
What humidity level should a basement dehumidifier hold?
The listings give their own targets. The Midea 50-pint listing says to maintain a healthy range of 45% to 55% humidity, and the Amazon Basics listing says its unit maintains 45 to 55%. The controls cover wide ranges: Midea models adjust from 35% to 85%, and the GE humidistat covers 30% to 70%. Set the humidistat inside the range your listing recommends, and let the machine cycle to hold it. These are manufacturer-stated ranges, not medical or building-science advice, and we have not tested these products ourselves.
If the basement stays damp
If a unit runs constantly and the room stays damp, a larger unit or a drain that removes water faster may be needed. The listings do not give a single sizing rule, so compare coverage against your floor area.
Is a Wi-Fi dehumidifier worth the extra money?
The two Midea 50-pint models and the Midea Cube 20 list Wi-Fi control through the SmartHome app, with voice control through Alexa or Google Assistant. The GE, Amazon Basics and Arecovas listings do not mention Wi-Fi in the text we read. Wi-Fi lets you check or change the setting without going down to the basement, which is useful if the unit sits in a space you rarely visit. It does not change how much water the machine removes. At $259.99 the plain Midea 50 is the lowest-priced Wi-Fi model here; the Arecovas is $151.99 but does not list app control.
Wi-Fi and privacy
App-controlled appliances send data through the maker’s cloud. If that matters to you, the non-Wi-Fi listings here avoid the question.
Related guides: best air purifiers and best portable air conditioners.
What is the best dehumidifier for a basement?
For a large basement, the Midea 50 Pint at $259.99 is the sensible buy: its Amazon listing gives 50 pints a day, 4,500 sq ft of coverage, a 49 dBA low mode, Wi-Fi control and a hose socket for continuous drain. If your drain sits above the unit, the GE 50 Pint at $293.99 lists a built-in pump that lifts water 15 vertical feet. For a smaller room, the Midea Cube 20 Pint at $179.99 is rated for 1,500 sq ft. We have not tested these products ourselves; this answer compares listed specifications and prices read from Amazon.
What is the cheapest basement dehumidifier here?
The Arecovas 52 Pints at $151.99 is the lowest-priced unit in this guide. Its listing states 52 pints a day at 95F and 90% humidity, coverage up to 3,500 sq ft, three modes (DEHU, DRY and CONT) and a 0.66-gallon tank that shuts off when full. Two cautions from the listing: the tank is small compared with the Midea Cube’s 4.2 gallons, so use the continuous drain option, and the 52-pint figure comes from a hotter, wetter test than the DOE condition used by the Amazon Basics unit. It is sold by Arecovas rather than Amazon.
Which dehumidifier has a built-in pump?
Two listings here name a pump. The GE 50 Pint ($293.99) lists a built-in pump that moves water up to 15 vertical feet to a sink or drain and includes a 16 ft hose; it also lists a 15-pint bucket if you do not run the hose. The Amazon Basics 50-Pint ($234.05) lists a drain pump for continuous operation, along with auto-defrost, auto restart after a power cut, a timer and overflow protection. Choose the Amazon Basics for the lower price and the GE for the longer stated coverage of 5,000 sq ft versus 2,500.
How many pints should a basement dehumidifier remove?
The listings suggest matching the unit to floor area rather than chasing the biggest pint number. The 20-pint Midea Cube lists 1,500 sq ft, the 50-pint models list between 2,500 and 5,000 sq ft, and the 52-pint Arecovas lists 3,500 sq ft. The caution is that the pint figure depends on the test. The Amazon Basics listing gives 50 pints at 65F and 60% humidity and up to 102 pints at 90F and 90%, so one machine carries two very different ratings. Compare units on the same condition, and use coverage in square feet as the first filter.
Should I buy a dehumidifier with a hose or empty the bucket?
If the basement is damp enough that the tank fills more than once a day, use a hose. The Midea Cube 50 includes a drain hose and lists a 4.2-gallon tank, so it can run for long stretches before it needs emptying, and the Midea 50 has a built-in hose socket (hose sold separately). If the unit sits below your drain, the GE and Amazon Basics pumps remove the need to carry water at all. For occasional use, a bucket is fine, and the Arecovas shuts off automatically and lights up when its 0.66-gallon tank is full.