Best Easy To Read Hygrometer: ThermoPro TP50 Digital Hygrometer

Hygrometer is the fancy word for humidity gauge. The best hygrometer is both accurate and easy to read—and if you need track humidity over time in a greenhouse, you may also want a smartphone-app enabled model.

For most folks, however, we think an easy to read hygrometer is the best bet. After trying out several models, we pick ThermoPro’s TP50 as the best bet for most folks.

Here’s why:

What We Liked

• LARGE display of humidity reading at top of display.

• Emoji-like symbols give quick reading on comfort levels (dry, comfort, wet).

• Easy to move from room to room.

• Very good accuracy.

• Display can stand on a table (thanks to kickstand) or a magnet mounts it to a metal surface.

• 2.7″ display is visible from many angles.

• Displays both all-time high and low humidity and temps.

What Needs Work

• Indoor only. No, this hygrometer isn’t weatherized, so it can’t be used outside. 

• No backlight. 

• Large sensor may be too big to fit in a humidor or guitar case. For those needs, we’d suggest this next recommendation.

Best For Guitars, Terrariums

If you have a terrarium (that is, a tank or cage) for reptiles, maintaining humidity is important—at least 50% or more. The same goes for guitars, which can be very sensitive to changes in humidity. 

A small hygrometer gauge is great for these uses—we liked Veanic’s 4-Pack Mini Digital humidity meters as the best bet. These small gauges are less than 2″ tall/wide . . . and sample the air every 10 seconds. 

We found them to be accurate enough in our tests. Now, that said, these are not precision instruments—they give an approximate humidity reading (plus or minus 5%). That’s good enough for a terrarium or guitar case. (One tip: give these humidity gauges some time to adjust to the environment).

Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Easy to read.

• Displays both humidity and temperature.

• Easy to use.

• Affordable.

• Convenient.

• Great for use in terrariums and humidors.

What Needs Work

• Only Farenheit (no Celsius) reading for temperature.

• Not precise. If you need an exact reading for humidity, this may not be the best choice. As mentioned earlier, they can be off by 5 percentage points. That said, they are close enough for use in a terrarium or guitar case. If you need a more accurate measurement for a place like a greenhouse, consider this next recommendation that also tracks humidity via smartphone app.

Best Greenhouse Hygrometer: Govee Indoor Hygrometer

When it comes to greenhouses, tracking humidity overtime is important—most hygrometers just give you an instant reading.

For this use, we’d recommend Govee’s Indoor Hygrometer. This smartphone-app enabled humidity gauge works via Bluetooth up to 260 feet. The quality here impressed us: great accuracy and a two-second refresh rate. We liked the app interface, which is easy to read and use. Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Accurate (+/- 3% relative humidity).

• Nice desktop unit with kickstand—easy to read.

• Can add additional sensors.

• Max/minimum values.

• Can be calibrated for even more precise readings.

• Alerts if temperature or humidity drops outside preset level. That’s very handy.

What Needs Work

• App alerts only work when you are within Bluetooth range. 

• Display isn’t backlit. 

Best Large Screen Hygrometer: ThermoPro TP55 Digital Hygrometer

There are two things we love about this hygrometer: first, the large 4″ screen. Second, the backlight. 

Sure, you’d think most humidity gauges with desktop displays would be backlit so they could be read at night—but alas, no. Most models we researched don’t have backlit screens. That’s why we liked this model: ThermoPro’s TP55. 

Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Easy to read, large display.

• Good accuracy.

• Easy to set up.

• Display max and minimum levels for humidity and temperature.

• Updates every 20 seconds.

• Quick reading of comfort level.

• Trend arrows are helpful.

• Affordable.

What Needs Work

• More pricey than non-backlit models. But we think it is worth the extra expense.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do hands-on testing—we buy the products with our own money and evaluate with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

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