The 9 Best Ultrasonic Pest Repellers

For a whole house on a modest budget, the Bell+Howell 8-Pack mixes four styles, two of each. The smallest tuck behind furniture, two keep a spare outlet free on the front, and two add a night light that turns on at dusk. Each plays a shifting high tone meant to unsettle mice, roaches and spiders. Proof on insects is weak, so pair the set with sealed gaps and tidy food storage. Some dogs avoid rooms where it runs.

The Victor PestChaser M756K comes from the maker of the classic wooden snap trap, and it sticks to mice and rats instead of promising to clear every bug. Each small cube plugs into a wall outlet and gives off a soft blue glow, so a six-pack can cover a hallway and several bedrooms. The sound doesn't pass through walls, so plan on one per room. A 2019 lawsuit claimed these units don't drive rodents away.

One plug-in at a low price, the Neatmaster Neat-002 lets you choose from three settings, each shown by a green, blue or red light. The red setting is pitched for heavy problems, but it's the loudest, and some people and pets can hear it. The box also claims an electromagnetic effect through house wiring, which has no research behind it. Some units stop working within weeks, so keep the receipt.

Rabbits, deer and squirrels in the garden call for a different tool, and the Broox Solar RB-101 stands on a stake outdoors. A motion sensor wakes it to sound a tone, chirp and flash a light when an animal walks by. A small solar panel keeps it charged, with a USB port as backup. In a month-long home trial by Bob Vila, a rabbit stopped visiting within about two weeks. The chirp can annoy neighbors and dogs.

If you'd rather not fiddle with settings, the OWLTRA OW-5 four-pack plays a single fixed tone and nothing else. It's aimed at mice and rats, not bugs, which keeps its promises modest. A small light shows that each unit is working, and they sit flat against the outlet. The brand is fairly new and has little coverage outside store pages. A tone that never changes also gives rodents a steady sound to get used to.

Mice that nest in a parked car can chew through wiring, and the Loraffe DD-AR-001 is built to sit in the engine bay. It runs on AA batteries, straps in with zip ties, and pairs a high tone with two flashing lights. It rests while you drive and wakes once the car is parked. Mount it well away from the fan and belts. Batteries aren't included, and you'll need to swap them now and then.

Attics, basements and garages are the open spaces the Victor Ultra PestChaser M793 was built for. Three speakers point in different directions, and a long cord lets it sit on a shelf or the floor. The tone sweeps up and down and runs loud by the maker's own figures, so keep it far from pet rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs. Stacked boxes still block the sound, and it's a pricey answer for one space.

Two rooms on a small budget is where the Repelix Armour PR-025 fits. The pair offers three modes, and the first is the quietest if anyone in the house can hear the tone. Each unit plugs straight into the wall and shows a small light when it's on. The brand is new, so there's no long record of how the units hold up, and its coverage claims run well past what walls and furniture allow.

Dark storage rooms, sheds and crawl spaces suit the Loraffe 4-in-1 ZN-666C, which mixes a high tone with predator calls and a ring of bright strobes that switch on at dusk. Three speakers face different ways. The idea is that changing sounds are harder for rodents to get used to, but no study shows that. The strobes are far too bright for a bedroom, and the calls can be heard through a door.