Blueair 411 or Levoit LV-PUR131? The Ultimate Comparison!

Levoit and Blueair are very popular and globally known air purifier manufacturers. In this article, I will compare Blueair 411 and Levoit LV-PUR131.

The Levoit LV-PUR131 is a medium-sized air purifier, equipped with many more advanced options, has larger filters, and covers rooms up to 322 sq. ft. Blueair 411 is a small air purifier, characterized by minimalism, without many advanced options, and covers rooms up to 161 sq. ft.

Levoit is made of plastic. Its build quality is okay, and it is available in white and black. Blueair is also made of plastic; it has a pre-filter available in five different colors, which is washable.

Will the multitude of advanced options make the Levoit LV-PUR131 a better choice, or will the Blueair’s minimalism decide this fight? You will find the answer to this and many other questions related to these two devices in the article.

Specs: Blueair 411 Vs Levoit LV-PUR131

Features Overview

Regarding features, Levoit is far ahead of Blueair primarily because it has options such as an air quality sensor and auto mode. Blueair 411 is a minimalistic air purifier with almost no additional options besides the filter reset indicator. 

Below I will describe the most exciting and vital options these two air purifiers have.

Filter Reset Indicator

Although the Blueair 411 is a minimalist air purifier, it still has one feature that makes it much easier to use the device. This option is a filter reset indicator, which will notify you when it is time to replace the old filter.

This filter reset indicator is also included in the Levoit air purifier.

Display Off

Display off is an option only available on the Levoit LV-PUR131 air purifier. This option allows you to turn off all the indicators on the device with just one touch.

This can be very useful if you plan to use the device in the bedroom or another room where the indicators or other lights might bother you.

Air Quality Sensor and Auto Mode

Another unique option available only on the Levoit LV-PUR131 is the air quality sensor, which detects dust particles.

This sensor is located on the side of the device, detects dust particles in real-time, and works in combination with some other options available on Levoit.

Thus, for example, the current air quality will be shown through the LED indicator located in the middle of the control panel.

In addition, this sensor works in combination with auto mode, which will automatically switch the fan speed depending on the current air quality in the room.

I want to emphasize that the air quality indicator only works if the air purifier is switched to auto mode.

Timer

The timer is also only available on Levoit. Basically, the timer is used to set the time you want the device to turn itself off.

On the LV-PUR131, the timer can be set between 1h and 12h.

Airflow

Due to the different construction, these two air purifiers have different airflow. On Blueair, the air intakes take up two-thirds of the device and are located on the bottom part.

Levoit is a rectangular air purifier that has openings for air intake located on the front.

On both devices, the air exits through the openings on the top.

Warranty

When it comes to the warranty, I have to say that there is not much difference because both the Levoit LV-PUR131 and the Blueair 411 come with a 2-year warranty.

What I would recommend to everyone is to register the air purifier on the manufacturer’s website immediately after purchase.

Filtration Technology

Levoit LV-PUR131 uses a three-stage filtration technology. The Blueair 411 uses a three-stage filtration plus a HEPASilent technology which is an additional filtration stage.

The first stage of filtration on Levoit is a pre-filter, the second stage is a True HEPA filter, and the last stage is a pellet-based carbon filter. On Blueair, the first filtration stage is a washable pre-filter, the second stage is a particle filter, and the third stage is a fibrous filer coated with carbon.

I would praise Levoit and what I think is a significant advantage over Blueair is the True HEPA filter, which is the primary stage of filtration and most deserving of outstanding performance. Besides, there is the pellet-based carbon filter, which is also much more efficient in eliminating odors than the fibrous carbon filter at Blueair.

I would also like to emphasize that these two air purifiers are CARB-certified. Levoit LV-PUR131 does not produce ozone and is entirely safe to use, while Blueair 411 produces ozone in allowed amounts. The reason why Blueair produces ozone is that the device has a built-in ionizer as a part of the HEPASilent technology.

How to Replace Filters?

These air purifiers use filters that need to be changed from time to time, except for the pre-filter on Blueair, which is washable.

On average, filters on both devices last between 6-8 months. Fortunately, both devices use a filter reset indicator that will notify you when it is time to replace the filter. That way, you don’t have to monitor the filter wear manually.

The process of replacing the filters is straightforward, and if you want to see detailed instructions for replacing the filters, you can find them at the links below.

Noise Tests

The noise test was fascinating, especially after comparing noise levels at all speeds.

For example, on the first fan speed, the Blueair 411 produces a sound of 40.6 dBA, while the Levoit LV-PUR131 in sleep mode produces a sound of 41.6 dBA. This means that Blueair, although it has no sleep mode, is much quieter at the lowest speed than Levoit.

The situation is somewhat different at maximum speeds, where Levoit showed much better results. At max speed, the Levoit LV-PUR131 produces a sound of about 59.3 dBA, while the Blueair 411 produces a sound of about 67.5 dBA. In addition to being much louder at max speed, the Blueair has a much stranger motor sound, which is why I prefer Levoit.

However, although slightly louder at the lowest speed, the Levoit LV-PUR131 is still a quieter air purifier than the Blueair 411.

Performance Tests

At first glance, it could be said that the performance test for these two products is not fair, mainly because Levoit covers twice as large rooms as Blueair.

However, in addition to the test in a room of 320 sq. ft., where I tested both products, I also did a test in a 194 sq. ft. room, where Blueair 411 improved air quality by about 95% in 60 minutes of operation at max speed.

320 sq. ft. Room Tests

In addition to the test mentioned above, I tested these two devices in a 320 sq. ft. room, which is the ideal room size for Levoit, and slightly larger than the recommended dimensions for Blueair.

In 60 minutes of operation at max speed, the Blueair 411 improved air quality by an incredible 90%, while the Levoit LV-PUR131 improved air quality by about 92%.

Although Levoit showed better performance in this test, I must say that Blueair positively surprised me and is only a step behind Levoit.

Operating Costs

When it comes to power consumption, I think things are clear from the start, especially since the Blueair 411 uses a motor of just 10W, which is four times less than Leovit’s 40W.

This means that if you used either of these two devices 24 hours a day, at maximum speed, for one month, your electricity bill would be increased by less than $ 1 in the case of Blueair and by about $ 3 in the case of Levoit.

In addition to the cost of electricity, there is also the cost of replacement filters, where Blueair is also more affordable.

If we take both the price of replacement filters and the price of electricity consumption into account, we can conclude that the Blueair 411 is several times more affordable for maintenance than the Levoit LV-PUR131.