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CPAP Machine Finder Quiz

This free CPAP machine quiz asks 7 quick questions about your prescription, travel, noise, data, and budget priorities, then suggests machines to discuss with your provider.

Question 1 of 7

Machine finder

What brings you machine shopping?

What This Tool Does

This quiz evaluates seven factors that determine which CPAP machine fits your situation: whether this is your first machine or a replacement, your prescribed machine class, where you will use it, how noise sensitive you are, how much therapy data you want to see, your humidification needs, and your budget approach. Your prescription class acts as a hard filter, never a score: the quiz only ranks machines within the class your prescription already calls for, and it will never suggest a different therapy class based on your answers.

CPAP, APAP, BiPAP, ASV: What the Classes Mean

CPAP and APAP

A CPAP delivers one fixed pressure all night. An APAP (auto-CPAP) adjusts pressure breath by breath within a prescribed range. Nearly all modern machines, including every full-size machine this quiz recommends, can run in either mode, which is why one prescription covers both. This is the most common prescription for obstructive sleep apnea.

Bilevel (BiPAP)

A bilevel machine delivers two pressures: higher when you inhale, lower when you exhale. Physicians typically prescribe bilevel when higher pressures are needed or when a patient cannot tolerate exhaling against CPAP pressure. Bilevel machines are a distinct prescription class; if your prescription says CPAP or APAP, a bilevel machine is not interchangeable with it.

ASV

Adaptive servo-ventilation treats central and complex sleep apnea by adapting support to your breathing pattern in real time. ASV machine selection and settings come from a titration study and your sleep physician; this quiz deliberately does not recommend ASV machines and routes ASV users to their care team instead.

How the Quiz Works

The prescription question is a filter, not a score. Machines outside your prescribed class are removed before any ranking happens, which is why the quiz can never steer you toward a different therapy class. Within your class, the remaining questions weight the candidates: explicit travel intent counts most, followed by data access, then noise (using each manufacturer's declared sound levels), humidification, and budget.

The data-access question is where CPAP Clarity is opinionated: every machine in this quiz is one whose data we can analyze, and each recommendation says exactly what you will be able to see. A machine whose only feedback is a cloud app score gives you less to work with when therapy gets bumpy. If seeing your full data matters to you, the quiz weights SD card machines accordingly and is honest that the AirMini travel machine exports usage hours only.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a prescription to buy a CPAP machine?

Yes. In the United States, CPAP, APAP, and bilevel machines are prescription medical devices under FDA rules. Online retailers like CPAP.com collect your prescription during checkout, and your DME supplier or sleep clinic can also fill it directly. Masks and most supplies do not require a prescription when bought as replacement parts.

Can this quiz tell me whether I need a CPAP, APAP, or BiPAP?

No, and that is by design. The machine class comes from your prescription, which reflects your sleep study and your physician's judgment. This quiz only narrows the choice within the class you are already prescribed. If you answer that you are not sure about your prescription, the quiz routes you to preparation resources instead of recommending a machine.

What data can CPAP Clarity analyze from these machines?

Every full-size machine this quiz recommends records complete therapy data to an SD card: AHI, leak, pressure, and (on ResMed machines) breath-by-breath waveforms. CPAP Clarity reads all of it free in your browser, and your data never leaves your device. The one exception is the AirMini travel machine, which has no SD card; CPAP Clarity can import its nightly usage hours from the AirMini app export, but the detailed metrics stay in ResMed's cloud.

Is a travel CPAP a full therapy machine?

Yes. The ResMed AirMini delivers the same AutoSet auto-adjusting therapy algorithm as the full-size AirSense machines, and it is FAA approved for in-flight use. The trade-offs are data access (no SD card), waterless humidification instead of a heated water chamber, and a slightly higher noise level (29 dBA versus 26.6 dBA for the AirSense 11, per ResMed's specifications).

Why does the quiz not recommend Philips machines?

We keep the recommendation list to machines we can fully analyze and confidently recommend. Philips' original DreamStation was subject to a major 2021 recall, and while the DreamStation 2 was not affected, we currently point machine shoppers elsewhere. If you already own a DreamStation, CPAP Clarity fully supports analyzing its data, and our machine comparison article covers the recall history in detail.

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