Are bladeless tower fans actually quieter than bladed ones?

Not automatically. Bladeless designs (Dyson, Shark, some Dreo models) hide the impeller in the base, which can smooth airflow, but reviewers across r/dyson and r/fans repeatedly note that on higher speeds bladeless fans are often as loud or louder than a conventional tower fan. The bigger driver of quiet operation is a DC motor and a low minimum-speed setting, which is why mid-priced Dreo and Levoit models keep showing up in 'quiet bedroom fan' threads.