Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair 411 – Hands-on Comparison (2023)

Both of these companies are well-known in the market, with a global presence in the air purifier business. Today, I will compare the Winix 5500-2 and the Blueair Blue Pure 411. Both of these devices are well-made and use standard/classic filtration methods. However, Winix uses ionizer, a well-known PlasmaWave technology that they gloriously promote in their air purifiers.

Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair 411 - Hands-on Comparison
Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

The Blueair 411 doesn’t use a HEPA filter. Instead, it uses Blueair’s innovative particle filter, while the Winix 5500-2 uses a True HEPA filter in its filtration stages.

Blueair is a portable, aesthetically pleasing, and easy-to-maintain air purifier. On the other hand, the Winix is a more robust device, which is why it covers rooms of up to 360 sq. ft., which is more than double the Bleuair’s coverage, which is 161 sq. ft.

Even with the huge room coverage difference, many customers are still confused about which one of these two to choose. That’s why I wrote this in-depth comparison, which answers almost every question you may have about these two air purifiers.

Winix Vs Blueair Specifications

Below is a table with all the most important specifications of the Blueair 411 and Winix 5500-2 air purifiers.

Blueair 411 air Purifier Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier
Manufacturer Blueair Winix
Model 411 5500-2
Dimensions 16.7 x 7.8 x 7.8 inches (42,5 x 20 x 20 cm) 15 x 8.2 x 23.6 inches
Room Coverage (4.8 ACH) 161 sq. ft. 360 sq. ft.
Performance Ratings
Filtration Technology Pre-filter, True HEPA Filter, and Activated Carbon Filter Washable Pre-filter, Particle Filter, and Carbon Filter
Filter Replacement Indicator Yes Yes
Filter Longevity 6-8 months up to 12 months
Power 10W 70W
Operating Costs Ratings
Fan Speeds 3 – Speed 1, Speed 2, and Speed 3 5 – Sleep Mode, Speed 1, Speed 2, Speed 3, and Turbo Mode
Air Quality Sensor No Yes
Air Quality Indicator No Yes
Auto Mode No Yes
Remote Controller No Yes
Smart App No No
Display Lock No No
Display Off No No
Noise Levels 40.6 – 67.5 dBA 40.6 – 66.4 dBA
Noise Ratings
Warranty 2-year 2-year
In-Depth Review Blueair 411 Winix 5500-2
Price Check Price on Amazon Check Price on Amazon

Features Overview

First, it’s crucial to emphasize that these two air purifiers are almost entirely different, equipped with different features, and offer different filtration technologies.

Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair 411 - Top view and size comparison
Top view for better size comparison. Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

The Blueair 411, for instance, presents itself as a minimalist device, having just a single button for all operations. On the other hand, the Winix 5500-2 offers plenty of advanced features and characteristics that significantly set it apart from its opponent.

Controls

As I already said, Blueair 411 uses one button to control the device. With this button, you can turn it on or shut it down. You can also change the fan speed and reset the filter reset indicator. That’s about it.

Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair 411 - Control Buttons
Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair 411 – control panels on the top. Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

Winix 5500-2 has a whole control board on top. Buttons are working on the pressure; the control board isn’t touch-sensitive but is very easy to use.

Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair 411 - Controls on top
Controls on the top from the different view. Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

However, even with so many buttons, Winix did a great job and positioned them perfectly. You can also use a remote controller to control this air purifier.

Working Mode

Blueair 411 has three fan speeds, while the Winix 5500-2 has four five fan speeds (with sleep mode counted) and an auto mode.

The auto mode will change the fan speed according to the pollution in the room. It gets the air quality data through the air quality sensor integrated into the Winix air purifier.

Furthermore, this air purifier also has a light sensor, so when in auto mode, it will switch to sleep mode when it is dark in the room. Personally, I would like it if the Winix had the possibility of switching the light sensor feature.

Timer

Winix 5500-2 has a timer which you can set to 1h, 4h, and 8h. This is a great feature that will let you set the time for which you want your air purifier to turn itself off.

Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair Blue Pure 411 - In-Depth Comparison
Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair Blue Pure 411 – side-by-side. Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

The timer can also be useful if you like to shut it down during the night automatically—no need to wake up and press the button.

Remote Control

Winix 5500-2 is an air purifier that you can control from the chair using a remote controller. You can turn it off or on, change the fan speed, or turn on auto mode or turbo mode.

Winix 5500-2 Remote Control
The Winix 5500-2 remote controller. Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

PlasmaWave

Winix 5500-2 uses PlasmaWave technology as the last filtration stage. This is actually an ionizer, which releases small amounts of ozone into the air. Luckily, these aren’t huge amounts, which is why this air purifier is completely safe to use. CARB confirms this!

What I don’t like here is that the PlasmaWave is turned on by default.

Airflow

Winix 5500-2 air intake is on the front side and, after filtration, is released at the top of the device. Blueair 411 air intake is from all sides, and 2/3 of the device is taking the air in.

Blueair 411 and Winix 5500-2 - Air outlets on the top
Air outlets on the top. Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

After filtration, the air is also released on the top.

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Filtration Technology

These air purifiers may have the same filtration stages, but the filters’ quality is totally different. First of all, the Winix 5500-2 uses a high-quality True HEPA filter, which is much more efficient than the particle filter in the Blueair 411.

Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair Blue Pure 411 - Filters Comparison
Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair Blue Pure 411 – Filters compared. Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

Winix also has a better carbon filter, which is pellet-based, washable, and contains more carbon than a fibrous filter coated with carbon, as on the Blueair 411.

This is why Winix removes odors faster, is better for smoke, and removes VOCs much more efficiently.

What I like about both is their washable filter, which is, in my opinion, much easier to maintain on the Blueair. You can easily wash it in your washing machine.

Overall, I think the filtration technology is much better on the Winix.

How to replace the filters on these two air purifiers?

These air purifiers use replaceable filters, except the pre-filter, which is washable on both.

The Winix 5500-2 requires replacing the filter about every 12 months, while the Blueair 411 filter needs to be changed about every 6-8 months.

The procedure of replacing filters isn’t complicated at all. I actually explained it, all with images, which you can find on the links below.

How to replace Winix 5500-2 filter? How to replace Blue Pure 411 filter? Filter replacement

Noise Test

The first thing I noticed when testing noise levels on these air purifiers is that they are very loud at their maximum speeds. I’m sure some people may find that noise annoying.

However, not many of you will use them at the maximum speed very often.

What’s also interesting here is that the Winix 5500-2 produces the same noise level on sleep mode as the Blueair 411 on the first speed.

Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair 411 - Noise test
Noise test. Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

In the table below, you can see the noise level ranges of these two air purifiers.

Product Noise Range (dBA)
Winix 5500-2 40.6 – 66.4 dBA
Blue Pure 411 40.6 – 67.5 dBA

Performance Tests

I have tested both devices in recommended room sizes. All tests are done at the highest speed in real-life scenarios, where I measured the air purifiers’ performance and the air quality improvements after 60 minutes.

Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair 411 - Performance tests
Performance tests. Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

320 sq. ft. Room Tests

I tested both devices in a 320 sq. ft. room just to see if Blueair 411 can keep up. 

The Winix 5500-2 managed to improve the air quality by about 96%, while the Blueair 411 improved the air quality by about 90%. Both worked for 60 minutes at their maximum speeds. Winix, as I expected, made much better results.

Air Quality Improvement In Different Rooms
Winix 5500-2
96%
Blue Pure 411
90%
0% 100%

320 sq. ft. Room

* Data measuring time is 60 minutes.

I also tested the Winix 5500-2 in the same room, but this time on the auto mode. It improved the air quality by about 93%, which is also an outstanding result.

194 sq. ft. Room Test

I tested the Blueair 411 in a room of the same size as the recommended one, 194 sq. ft. For just 60 minutes, working at the max speed, it improved the air quality by about 95%, which is incredibly good.

Operating Costs

Believe it or not, the Winix 5500-2 uses seven times more power than the Blueair 411. This also means it will cost you much more to operate than the Blueair.

In dollars, the Winix 5500-2 will cost you around 5$ if it works for one month in turbo mode, 24h daily. On the other hand, Blueair 411 will cost you less than one dollar if the electricity price is 0.12$ kW/h as it is in the US.

Winix 5500-2 Vs Blueair 411 - Motors comparison
Motors compared. Photo: Airpurifierfirst.com / Milan Antonic

Apart from the electric power costs, there is also the cost of a replacement filter, which is much larger. Overall, the replacement filters for Winix are more expensive, but they also last longer than filters on the Blueair.

It’s clear that the Blueair 411 is much more affordable for maintenance than the Winix 5500-2.

Product Wattage Range (W)
Winix 5500-2 1.2 – 57.9 W
Blue Pure 411 0.3 – 7.6 W

Which one is the winner?

Winix and Blueair have a high reputation on the market. I compared two of their most popular models, the Winix 5500-2 and the Blueair 411.

These two air purifiers are entirely different; the Blueair 411 is minimalistic, while the Winix 5500-2 is feature-rich.

All this made my decision on which one is a better buying option much easier. Due to larger coverage, many more features, better filtration technology, and better test results, I declare the Winix 5500-2 as the winner in this comparison.

If you have questions about these Winix and Blueair air purifiers, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below.

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