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• Utilizes the same Coanda airflow effect as the Airwrap
• Measures temperature up to 1,000 times per second
• Twistable base turns it into a traditional hair dryer
• Nine different attachment options to choose from (with a build-your-own bundle option)
• Diffuser option for wavy and curly hair
• Different finishes available

• A little loud
• Carrying case sold separately
• Curling wand can only go one direction

Read our full review of the Shark FlexStyle.

If you want the closest possible version of the Dyson Airwrap for roughly half the price, you want the Shark FlexStyle.

Shark didn't have to reinvent the wheel when they created their Airwrap dupe, but they decided to innovate a little anyway. They introduced a twisting base mechanism that allows the tool to function more like a normal hair dryer, without any attachments. They also beat Dyson to the punch by offering a diffuser and other attachments aimed at wavy and curly-haired customers.

Even more than the tool itself, Shark has been more creative in how you can experience its multi-styler. While Dyson finally got around to offering a customization tool for the Airwrap in October 2023 that lets customers get attachment bundles slightly more targeted to their hair type, Shark has offered a build-your-own option that lets you individually select three attachments (at a slightly cheaper price) since its release in September 2022. At the time of writing, the build-your-own option is less than half the price of the Airwrap, clocking in at $299.99.

As for how the tool actually performs, I'd say it's pretty damn close. When I styled half my hair with the Airwrap and half with the FlexStyle, it was genuinely hard to tell the difference. Sure, only select bundles come with a storage case (or it's $59.99 sold separately), and some of the attachments feel less elegant than the Airwrap. For instance, Shark's styling concentrator doesn't really match up to Dyson's dryer and flyaway smoother, often resulting in a dry time that's ever-so-slightly longer than the Airwrap. Shark's tool is slightly louder, and curling barrels still require you to switch barrels when you want to switch the curl direction, like the first-gen Airwrap, while the Airwrap's curling barrel has a switch at the top that can change the direction of the curl. (I was able to get around switching barrels by using the tool upside down to switch the direction of the curls, but this is a slightly less elegant solution.) The actual curls I got from the barrels, however, were basically identical in shine and longevity.

I also appreciate that the FlexStyle comes with a diffuser (Dyson's now offers one too, but you either have to buy it separately or with a bundle that also includes a wide tooth comb, an attachment that you likely won't be using with looser waves and curls). The twisting base allowed me to dry my hair all over with the diffuser much easier than a straight wand would.

Ultimately, after spending several months with both tools, and after trying some of the more high-tech features on the newer Dyson, I believe the FlexStyle's overall value makes it the better choice for most buyers. As I wrote in my review for the FlexStyle, "[It's] hard for me to imagine a reason why you'd opt for the [Airwrap] unless you're into big purchases for the sake of big purchases, or if you're especially loyal to Dyson."

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• Curls were shiny and bouncy, with more defined wave than that of the Airwrap
• Case offers the best storage solution of any multi-styler we've tested
• Round brush creates excellent volume
• Lightweight and easy to maneuver
• Dual-voltage version great for international travel

• Comes with fewer attachments than other options
• Dual-voltage version option costs $350, with diffuser version being slightly more expensive
• Need to switch curling barrels for different curl directions

Multi-stylers may be all about the convenience of an all-in-one tool, but their storage solutions are often bulky (even in the case of the Airwrap). With the T3 Aire 360, T3 succeeded in not only making a multi-styler that performs very similarly to the Shark FlexStyle but also offers a smart storage solution.

The vegan leather storage case is pretty enough not to hide away, small enough if you do want to chuck it under your bathroom sink, and makes organizing your attachments easy.

Plus, this Airwrap dupe produces the best, longest-lasting curls of any multi-styler I've tested, full stop. Paired with the smart storage, the T3 Aire 360 is absolutely the most underrated Airwrap dupe on the market.

T3 has been a name in the hair space for some time, thanks to its ever-popular curling and straightening irons, known to perform well and last forever. It felt only inevitable until the brand hopped on the multi-styler train, and it's done exactly that with plenty of grace.

With more and more dupes coming out, the gaps for a new product to fill are becoming fewer and fewer, but T3 correctly identified two that were wide open: storage and curl styling.

Before I get into the specifics, yes, it must be said up front that, like every other multi-styler that isn't the Dyson Airwrap, you have to switch curling barrels for different curling directions. That said, simply maneuvering the tool upside down means you can change the direction without changing the barrel. And trust me, it's worth the trouble — the ceramic barrels on the Aire 360 produced actual loose curls that actually lasted through the day. If your hair isn't the most curl-friendly, and the curls are the reason you want a multi-styler, this is the one to buy. Every other multi-styler I've tested, FlexStyle and Airwrap included, initially provide bouncing curls — but they fall to more of a blown-out look within an hour.

Styling time was on par with the FlexStyle; the tool maxed out at 203 degrees Fahrenheit to keep things healthy, and the round brush was easy to brush through my hair without snagging, with a size that was perfect for offering plenty of volume. This tool is also incredibly light, clocking in at 1.2 pounds, as compared with the FlexStyle and Airwrap, which both sit around 1.5 pounds.

Now, please allow me to gush about the storage case. The FlexStyle doesn't come with a case in its base kits. The Airwrap's case is an organized, but massive brick that is too big for me to want to actually use regularly. T3 hit the perfect happy medium with a leather pouch — it feels luxe but functional, with interior pockets so everything has its place, and the drawstring closure keeps your product out of sight. It's not an eyesore at all, so I happily kept it out in my room, making it easy to reach for and store.

For travelers and folks who want a diffuser as a part of their multi-styler experience, T3 recently released an updated version that includes dual-voltage and a slightly shorter base. Without the diffuser, it'll run you $349.99, making it $50 more than the OG Aire 360 (with the diffuser, it'll cost you $359.99 — and while the diffuser is sold separately, it's not compatible with the original Aire 360). For some folks, it may be worth the extra cost, but in most cases, I still recommend the original. With a new model, I would anticipate that the original is eventually phased out (it's no longer on T3's site), so I would scoop it up sooner rather than later.

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• Works fast
• Super easy to use
• Long warranty
• Comes in several different colors
• Easy to find on sale for under $40

• Loud
• Bulky
• Gets really hot on its highest setting

Read our full review of the Revlon One-Step.

The Revlon One-Step is the original Airwrap dupe, launching in 2016 and going viral on TikTok in 2020. While there are better dupes these days, it's still one of the best ways to get an easy blowout for under $50 — just please use heat protectant, and only go in on mostly dry hair if you want to avoid major heat damage.

Honestly, it's kind of iconic that you can buy roughly 21 One-Steps for the price of a single Airwrap i.d.. What keeps the One-Step on our list, though, is that this large-barreled brush does deliver on bounce and volume, without a tough learning curve. While I certainly didn't find it to be all that comparable to the Airwrap in terms of the variety of the results, and I felt that it generally ran hotter and put my hair through the heat-damage wringer more than the pricier alternatives on this list, I still liked this tool for an easy blowout.

However, it bears repeating — drying your hair beforehand is essential. You don't need to get it all the way dry, but at least to the 85 percent point if you want to keep this tool from giving you the fried look. This does knock some points off the convenience scale, as you will either need to air dry or use a separate hair dryer. I'd also recommend only using the low and cool settings if you can get away with it, as the high setting really does up the ante. While these are drawbacks, if you've never quite been able to figure out how to wrestle with a round brush and hair dryer at the same time (society needs to stop acting like this is easy), then the One-Step makes a blowout much more attainable, for a fraction of the price of not only the Airwrap, but the other dupes on this list.

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• Heats up quickly
• Works well with touch ups
• Two separate smoothing and volumizing modes
• Silent
• Doesn't take up nearly as much storage space as the hot air multistylers

• Only for use on dry hair
• Offers less variety in how you can style your hair
• Cool tip doesn't cool down all the way
• Barrel size means you'll achieve a more blown out than curled look

The amika Blowout Babe is the least like the Airwrap and its dupes on this list, but it has its place for anyone looking for the easiest possible blowout and doesn't mind starting with completely dry hair.

For people who don't get their hair wet in the morning, who are sensitive to the loud sound that's unavoidable with air-styling tools, or don't have a ton of storage space, a thermal brush like the Blowout Babe is a great option that still provides you plenty of volume, shine, and life to your hair.

Instead of using hot air to achieve your fresh-from-the-salon look, this thermal brush uses far infrared heat that radiates from the ceramic barrel to provide even heat that'll keep a sleek style locked in, without scorching your strands.

Of course, you'll want to use a heat protectant (as you would with any heat styling), as more direct contact with the barrel that styling with this brush requires can put your hair at a higher risk for damage than a hot air tool. However, you do get some pretty big pros in return: your hairstyle is likely to be locked in longer, a brush is less unwieldy to use than a tool blowing out air, making touchups and the initial learning process easier, and a single brush is going to take up way less storage space than any of the other tools on this list.

Will you have less versatility than with multi-stylers? Yes, but not as much as you might think — for all their attachments, multi-stylers are basically tools to deliver slightly different blown-out looks. Against the multi-stylers, I found the 1.5-inch barrel of the amika brush to provide comparable volume and bounce, and with some practice, some more defined (and long-lasting) waves than I could achieve with the Airwrap. The brush also has a special negative ion mode that provided noticeably smoother locks than any blowout I got using hot air. And maybe the best thing about this TikTok-viral thermal brush? It retails for $100, making it one of the cheapest dupes I recommend.

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Ease of use

Temperature regulation/heat settings

Styling variability

Value