Skip to content
Nungeum

Appliances head-to-head

Blueair Blue Pure 211+vsWinix 5500-2

Blueair Blue Pure 211+ vs Winix 5500-2, scored side by side on all 5 Appliances axes. Overall 8.3 to 8.1.

Blueair Blue Pure 211+

Blueair

8.3

Moves a large room's worth of air while staying quiet enough to forget about.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Winix 5500-2

Winix

8.1

The recommendation-thread default: true HEPA plus carbon, and filters you can actually find.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Where they diverge

Two products can average the same and still feel different, because the shape of the scores differs. Left of center is Blueair Blue Pure 211+, right is Winix 5500-2.

Blueair Blue Pure 211+

Axis

Winix 5500-2

  • 8.4
    Performance
    8.2
  • 8.2
    Value
    9.0
  • 7.8
    Durability
    7.6
  • 8.6
    Ease of use
    7.8
  • 8.6
    Quietness
    7.8

Which one to pick

Take the Blueair Blue Pure 211+

Leads on Performance, Durability, Ease of use and Quietness.

  • An open-plan living space rather than a bedroom-sized box
  • You want one control and no app
  • The washable fabric sleeve catching pet hair appeals to you

Take the Winix 5500-2

Leads on Value.

  • Cooking smells and smoke, where the carbon stage earns its place
  • You want replacement filters from more than one supplier
  • Auto mode that responds to actual air quality

What each one gets wrong

Blueair Blue Pure 211+

  • You want a display showing particulate readings
  • Carbon filtration for cooking smells is a priority

Winix 5500-2

  • You want the ionizer permanently gone rather than switched off each time
  • A visible control panel light in a dark bedroom bothers you

Specs, side by side

SpecBlueair Blue Pure 211+Winix 5500-2
CoverageLarge rooms—
FilterFabric pre-filter plus particle filterTrue HEPA plus washable carbon
ControlsOne button, three speeds—
Extra—PlasmaWave, switchable
Sensor—Auto mode with air quality light

Rankings they both appear in

Questions

Blueair Blue Pure 211+ or Winix 5500-2 — which should I buy?
Blueair Blue Pure 211+ leads on Performance, Durability, Ease of use and Quietness. If Value matters more to you, take the Winix 5500-2 instead.
How far apart are they overall?
Blueair Blue Pure 211+ scores 8.3 and Winix 5500-2 scores 8.1, a gap of 0.2. The total is the plain average of the 5 axes used in Appliances.