Winix Air Purifier Reviews: Best 6 Model Compared And Rated (2023)

Indoor air pollution is a problem. It’s not about the wildfires alone. EPA regularly clarifies that indoor air has from 200% to 500% worse air index than outdoor air.

Winix air purifiers are designed for one purpose:

Remove indoor air pollutants, and thereby increase the quality of the air we breathe.

Of course, Winix is not the only company producing air purifiers. If you’ve looked around, you have probably come across a number of different air purifier brands. These include Coway, Molekule, Levoit, Dyson, and so on.

All of them produce HEPA air purifiers. How do Winix air purifiers compare to other indoor air cleaners? Well, obviously Winix units can’t be compared to the Alen BreatheSmart air purifiers – those are the best of the best.

Nonetheless, Winix does make solid air purifiers:

Example: The most popular Winix air purifier – the Winix 5500-2 – with 243 dust CADR rating and PlasmaWave filter is considered one of the best air purifiers overall.

In this review of the best Winix air purifiers – model-by-model – we’ll answer two things:

1. Are Winix air purifiers any good?
2. How do Winix air purifiers compare to other air purifier brands?

Here’s the quick outtake: Winix air purifiers have a very narrow specification interval. They work extremely well for 360 sq ft room sizes (or thereabout). In addition to the standard filtration system, Winix uses its proprietary PlasmaWave filtration.

In fact, the PlasmaWave filter – which uses hydroxyl to neutralize active bacteria and viruses like Influenza A (H3N2) – is especially sought after during these troubling times.

Most air purifiers have a standard 3-stage HEPA-based filtration system. With the addition of the PlasmaWave filter, Winix air purifiers have a more thorough 4-stage filtration system. The most advanced model – the Winix HR900 – has even a 5-stage filtration.

To help you when choosing the most appropriate Winix air purifier for your home, LM features a shortlist of 6 top-rated Winix air purifiers. LM recommends Winix models based on the filtration system, specifications, and user feedback. We have also made an analysis of 529 best air purifiers, Winix included.

Further on, you will find a comparison of top Winix models, followed by features explanation and individual Winix air purifier reviews.

Here is a list of the best Winix air purifier models, followed by a spec-by-spec comparison:

1. Winix 5500-2 (Most Popular And Best Winix Air Purifier)
2. Winix C545 (Best Wifi Winix PlasmaWave Air Purifier)
3. Winix HR900 (Best Winix Air Purifier For Small Room And Pets)
4. Winix 5300-2 (Best Cheap Winix Air Purifier)
5. Winix C535 (Still Good Winix Large Room Air Purifier)
6. Winix AM90 (Most Compact Winix Air Purifier)

Comparison Of Best Winix Air Purifiers In 2023

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Winix Air Purifier Filters

When assessing any air purifier, you first have to look at the filtration system. Most Winix air purifiers have an upgraded 4-stage filtration system; that’s a 3-stage filtration with the additional PlasmaWave filter (we’ll explain what that does further on).

Here’s the standard filter set-up of the first 3 stages:

1. Fine Mesh Pre-Filter. Captures and removes larger particles like hair, pet dander, even mold spores from the air. It’s washable; you don’t have to buy replacement pre-filters.
2. Carbon Filter. Adsorbs gaseous air pollutants like undesired kitchen smell (think after-dinner odors) and other odors like cigarette smoke or VOCs.
3. True HEPA filter. The main filter; removes more than 99.97% of the smallest air pollutants that are only 0.3 microns in size.

Here’s how this looks in the Winix 5500-2 model:

That washable carbon filter saves you about $50 per year because you don’t need to buy replacement filters.

However, the more intriguing is the 4th filter: the PlasmaWave air cleaning technology filter.

PlasmaWave Filter Explained

PlasmaWave filter is what separates Winix air purifier from other air purifier brands. PlasmaWave is a patented Winix technology. It’s designed to remove bacteria and tested even to remove certain types of viruses.

If you compare the sizes of Winix air filters, you will notice that PlasmaWave is by far the biggest and most comprehensive one:

PlasmaWave filter works by producing hydroxyl groups (-OH). These are negatively charged ions that naturally occur in nature. They attach to positively charged entities, such as bacteria and viruses, and thereby destroy them.

The end result is water (H₂O). The PlasmaWave basically performs the same function as air ionizers (which use ozone – O₃). We all know that ozone might be harmful.

Here’s the ingenious PlasmaWave filter that destroys bacteria and certain viruses without producing harmful ozone:

This filter is the cornerstone of Winix units; all the best Winix air purifiers have a PlasmaWave filter.

Coverage Area (Based On CADR Rating And ACH)

Winix air purifiers are very effective because of two reasons:

• They have a high 200+ CADR rating for removing smoke, pollen, and dust particles.
• The recommended coverage area by Winix is practical (not exaggerated).

In fact, Winix uses 5 air changes per hour calculation to size their air purifiers properly. What’s more, all the coverage areas as verified by AHAM.

That being said, Winix produces air purifiers with a very focused scope. 4 out of 6 best Winix air purifiers have the following CADR rating:

• 243 dust CADR rating.
• 232 smoke CADR rating.
• 246 pollen CADR rating.

The CADR rating is the main measure of how well an air purifier can remove air pollutants. The higher the CADR rating, the quicker an air purifier will be to improve indoor air quality.

Despite the high CADR rating, Winix chooses to recommend their air purifier to be used in a 360 sq ft area. That’s how they achieve the best air purifier efficiency; putting a 243 dust CADR rating in a 360 sq ft room will be extremely effective for removing airborne dust particles in that room.

The only exceptions to these specifications are the upgraded Winix HR900 and the older Winix AM90.

HR900, the only Winix air purifier with 5-stage filtration, has an even higher CADR rating and is recommended for 300 sq ft rooms.

AM90, on the other hand, has a lower CADR rating, but it keeps the 360 sq ft recommended coverage area.

Winix Special Features

All in all, Winix is very thorough when it comes to their air purifiers. Most of their models have a number of certificates, including AHAM, UL, CARB, Prop65, and even Energy Star rating for energy-efficient operation.

On top of that, Winix has, in addition to the PlasmaWave filter, a number of special features that are quite useful. These include:

• Dual or even Triple Smart Sensor. These accurately measure indoor air quality.
• Auto Mode. Based on the measured indoor air quality, Auto Mode can adjust the fan speed to optimize the removal of air pollutants. This most efficiently increases the indoor air quality.
• Air Quality Indicator. Give you insight into the current indoor air quality.
• Remote Control or even Wi-Fi. Some of the more advanced units can be controlled via remote control or even over Wi-Fi.

You will notice that the newer models have more Winix special features to offer.

With all that in mind, let’s look at the reviews of the best Winix air purifiers:

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1. Winix 5500-2 Review (Overall Best Winix Air Purifier)

5500-2 in the all favorite Winix air purifier model. If you heard of one Winix air purifier, you’ve most probably heard about the Winix 5500-2. Currently, it has more than 10,000 positive reviews of Amazon; that’s outstanding.

The reasons for Winix 5500-2 popularity are quite clear. It has:

• High CADR rating, characteristic for efficient Winix air purifiers.
• ‘360 sq ft coverage area’ size is one of the most sought after air purifier sizes.
• It has an upgraded 4-stage filtration system, including the PlasmaWave filter.
• Get this, the activated carbon filter is washable and has to be replaced every 12 months, instead of 3 months (that results in $50/year savings on filter replacements alone).
• It’s one of the most affordable high-performance air purifiers. It’s so cheap, in fact, that people usually buy 2 or 3 of them.

In short, it pretty much outstanding in every way. Being a flagship model, the Winix 5500-2 has all the latest special features like the dual smart sensor, coupled with Auto Mode, and even a remote control.

It’s Energy Star rated for high energy-efficiency. Due to washable AOC filters, it has the lowest maintenance cost of all Winix units as far as filter replacement is concerned.

All in all, pretty much everybody agrees that Winix 5500-2 is the best Winix air purifier. Performance, specs, cost; everything checks out just perfectly:

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2. Winix Winix C545 Review (Best Wifi Winix PlasmaWave Air Purifier)

Winix C545 is the solid-specs advanced-tech model. Like most Winix air purifiers, it has a 243 dust CADR rating and is recommended to be used in a 360 sq ft area. That includes medium-sized and large rooms.

The thing that makes the Winix C545 stand out is its wifi-connectivity. Using wifi, you can monitor your indoor air quality via the Winix Smart app. You can even adjust the fan speed or set a timer using a smartphone.

That simply means you have to position the Winix C545 in a room (you can read an article about Where To Place An Air Purifier), connect it to your iPhone or Android-based phone, and you’re good to go.

You can lay back and control the Winix C545 completely remotely. The activated carbon filter will take care of unpleasant odors, the HEPA filter will capture minuscule air pollutants unseen by the human eye, and the PlasmaWave filter at the end will destroy bacteria and certain viruses.

All in all, the Winix C545 offers both performance and convenience at a very reasonable below $200 price:

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3. Winix HR900 Review (Best Winix Air Purifier For Small Room And Pets)

The latest Winix HR900 is the one air purifier that might have the edge over the all popular 5500-2 model. For starters, the Winix HR900 is the only Winix air purifier with a 5-stage filtration system.

The multilevel filtration with PlasmaWave filter ensures high performance. In fact, the Winix HR900 has the highest smoke, pollen, and dust CADR rating compared to all Winix air purifiers. The difference in air pollution cleaning efficiency is from 10% to 20% in favor of Winix HR900.

What is interesting is that with an upgraded CADR rating, the Winix HR900 is marketed as an air purifier for pets. Certainly, the addition of the 5th filter – the pet dander pre-filter – is very useful if you have a dog or a cat, with fluff flying all around the place.

The recommended area by Winix is 300 sq ft. That would make HR900 model the best Winix air purifier for small rooms. But, given the record-level Winix CADR rating, it can be much more than a small room pet-focused air purifier.

All in all, performance-wise the latest Winix HR900 is the best smaller air purifier. The high CADR rating and the fact that this is the latest model does increase its price tag, but not by much:

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4. Winix 5300-2 Review (Best Cheap Winix Air Purifier)

Winix 5300-2 is a predecessor of the all favorite 5500-2 model. If you compare 5300-2 vs 5500-2 spec-by-spec, you will see that there is not much difference between these two Winix air purifiers from the same series.

They have the same high CADR rating, 360 sq ft coverage area, same certifications, and, most importantly, a 4-stage filtration system with a PlasmaWave filter.

However, between the Winix 5300-2 and Winix 5500-2, the 5300-2 is the older model. Compared to 5500-2, it lacks two things:

• A remote control (a minor inconvenience).
• A washable activated carbon AOC filter (big difference).

Using the control panel of Winix 5300-2 is quite easy. Of course, having a remote control can be a bonus.

The real difference is the washable AOC filter. Comparing 5500-2 vs 5300-2, the 5500-2’a filter has to be changed every 12 months, and the 5300-2’s filter has to be changed every 3 months.

That’s a difference between needing 4 vs 1 filter replacements per year.

Nonetheless, compared to 5500-2, the 5300-2 has a lower price point; well below $200:

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5. Winix C535 Review (Still Good Winix Large Room Air Purifier)

Winix C535 is the tried-and-tested C Series Winix air purifier. It’s been on the market for quite some time and is regarded as a highly reliable device. Nonetheless, it’s been outpaced by the newer C545 model.

It has a customary solid specification, characteristic for Winix air purifiers. These include the 243 dust CADR rating and 232 smoke CADR rating, with a recommended 360 sq ft coverage area.

You can put it pretty much in any room – bedroom, living room, even kitchen. Its 4-stage filtration system with PlasmaWave and HEPA filter will remove more than 99.97% of the small up to 0.3-micron particles as well as certain bacteria and viruses.

When comparing Winix C535 vs C545, there is not much difference. The C545 does have some newer features such as Wi-Fi connectivity and a slightly higher price tag.

All in all, the progress from Winix C535 to Winix C545 wasn’t huge, and you can get the tried-and-tested Winix C535 at a discount price:

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6. Winix AM90 Review (Most Compact Winix Air Purifier)

Winix AM90 is a special compact Winix air purifier. It has a coverage area of 360 sq ft, the same as most top-rated Winix air purifiers. However, the CADR ratings for smoke, dust, and pollen are a bit short (about 10% lower).

The main characteristic of Winix AM90 is the compactness of the unit. Winix air purifiers can be quite broad or/and tall. The AM90 model, however, is a bit more compact. It’s worth realizing that the difference is not big, it might be almost insignificant.

Apart from that, the Winix special features in the AM90 model include the dual smart sensor, always useful Auto Mode, and even a remote control.

Quite surprisingly, the Winix AM90 is one of the most highly rated Winix air purifiers by consumers:

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Winix VS Other Air Purifier Brands

It’s always interesting to compare the Winix air purifier with air purifiers from the other brands. Winix has that PlasmaWave filter advantage no one else has. But other air purifier brands also have aces on their sleeves. Here are some of the most interesting air purifier brand comparisons:

Winix VS Coway

Both Winix and Coway have one thing in common; they produce high-performance air purifiers.

Here is a comparison of very similar Coway vs Winix air purifiers:

• Award-winning Coway AP-1512HH: 246 CADR rating, 361 sq ft coverage area. Price: About $250.
• Most popular Winix 5500-2: 243 dust CADR rating, 360 sq ft coverage area. Price: Below $200.

You can see that the Coway vs Winix units are neck-a-neck, as far as specifications are concerned. The Winix 5500-2 is available at a lower price point, but independent testing always praises Coway AP-1512HH’s performance.

On top of that, Coway has a broader portfolio of air purifiers. For example, Coway Airmega 400 Smart has a coverage area of 1,560 sq ft with a CADR rating of 360. Albeit the 2 air changes per hour are used in that calculation, it still shows the range Coway units have.

Between Coway and Winix, Coway has a broader range, but Winix has more budget-friendly prices.

Winix VS Blueair

Comparing Blueair vs Winix air purifier is fairly hard because they are not in the same size categories. Winix produces almost exclusively 360 sq ft coverage area and about 250 CADR rating air purifiers.

In comparison, Blueair producers either below 300 sq ft or above 500 sq ft units.

Example: The best Blueair air purifier – the Blue Pure 211 – has a 541 sq ft recommended coverage area and 350 CADR rating.

Blueair does produce quite high CADR ratings with only 3-stage filtration. If you compare Winix vs. Blueair, however, you can see that the 4-stage filtration system by Winix with PlasmaWave is much better at eliminating bacteria and certain viruses.

Price-wise, the Blueair is more expensive.

If you look at the price-performance and the bacteria and certain viruses elimination, the PlasmaWave-based Winix air purifiers beat the HEPA-base Blueair air purifiers.

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Winix Air Purifiers FAQ

Let’s look into some of the most frequent questions about Winix air purifiers:

Is Winix A Good Brand?

Yes. In fact, Winix is one of the better and most innovative brands as far as air purifiers are concerned. Most air purifier brands rely on HEPA-based filtration systems to remove air pollutants.

Winix, on the other hand, has upgraded its filtration system with the use of ozone-free propriety PlasmaWave technology. Usually, no-name brands don’t innovate; Winix does have a long tradition and established presence in the US air purifier industry.

Which Winix Air Purifier Is The Best?

In 2023, this was a very easy question: the best Winix air purifier is the Winix 5500-2. It has solid specs, it’s wildly popular, and it even has washable cost-saving activated carbon AOC filters.

In 2023, however, it might be a toss-up between 5500-2 and the new Winix HR900. HR900 has better CADR ratings, a 5-stage filtration system, but it’s primarily targeted at people who own pets. It’s had to say that such a niche model is the best Winix air purifier overall.

Nonetheless, the fact that you only need 1 activated carbon replacement per year (instead of 4) makes the Winix 5500-2 still the best model available.

Does Winix Air Purifier Work?

It does. Winix air purifiers use both HEPA-based systems as well as PlasmaWave technology to increase indoor air quality. This is done by capturing air pollutants such as dust, pollen, mold, and destroying even bacteria and certain viruses.

All Winix air purifiers are tested by AHAM for efficacy, CADR rating, and the appropriate recommendation of the coverage area. On top of that, they all have a number of additional certifications.

Is PlasmaWave Dangerous?

PlasmaWave technology is not dangerous (if you’re not a bacteria or virus, that is). In fact, PlasmaWave filters were designed specifically to be less dangerous than air ionizing filters.

Those use potentially harmful ozone to destroy bacteria and viruses. PlasmaWave, on the other hand, produces a naturally occurring hydroxyl group. They are negatively charged and destroy the positively charged entities, such as bacteria and certain viruses.

How Long Do Winix Filters Last?

Winix HEPA filters last about 12 months. You have to buy replacement HEPA filters once per year.

Activated filters might last 3 months or 12 months, depending on the filters and the device. For example, one of the best parts of the Winix 5500-2 is that it has 12-month activated carbon filters that need to be replaced once a year. Other models usually have 3-month activated carbon filters that need to be replaced 4 times per year.

The Winix’s special PlasmaWave filter is permanent and doesn’t need to be replaced.

Where Is Winix Made?

Winix is divided into 3 segments, namely Winix America, Winix Europe, and Winix Korea.

For specific models, you can check where they are actually made by opening the specification sheets.

Example: Winix 5520-2 is, according to its specification sheet, made in Korea.

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If you have any questions about the Winix air purifiers or want to share some experiences with their units, you can ask/share them in the comments below.