Winix vs. Honeywell: Which Air Purifier to Choose?

Can't decide between Winix and Honeywell? We compared them for you.
By
Carolina Evans
Carolina Evans
Research Writer
Holds a Master’s degree in Engineering and is keen on her own home’s climate. Sometimes we think that Carolina owns every single product she writes about – that’s ho read more
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Reviewed By
Richard Powell
Richard Powell
Expert Consultant
For 8 years, Richard had been working as an HVAC specialist and AC unit installer since his student years. Now, he’s our main consultant on every technical aspect that may read more
Last updated: August 16, 2023
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Can't decide between Winix and Honeywell? We compared them for you.
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It’s a very nice thing to clean the surface of furniture and appliances in your home but you should be thinking about cleaning up the air too. Using an air purifier to work can help you breathe in clean and fresh air. An air purifier is especially needed in your home if you suffer from asthma or allergies because the device helps to keep allergens away from the air.

Of course, brands don’t offer the same performance. That’s why we are going to be comparing two popular brands – Winix vs Honeywell – and their models in this article. While detailing their functions, we will be giving you the right information to help you make an informed choice for your use.

Brands comparison

Winix

Winix vs. Honeywell: Which Air Purifier to Choose?Winix – a top manufacturer of air purifiers – has been around for almost 50 years. The company has devoted several years to developing and creating healthy home appliances with the goals of bringing clean water, clean air, and comfort to your home.

Winix owns and operates at least five factories in China, Thailand, and South Korea. But it maintains sales, support centers, and marketing, in The Netherlands, The USA, and South Korea. The company says its mission is to produce perfect appliances which are superior in performance, innovation, and style.

Winix is known to promote and support environmental causes. As the company strives to provide clean and fresh air in homes, it also encourages parents, allergy sufferers, pet owners, and all to learn the advantages of clean and quality air.

Apart from air purifiers, Winix also produces Water Filtration & Drinking Water Systems, Dehumidifiers, Humidifiers, Garment Care Appliances, and Ceramic Heaters.

Winix is known to offer two years warranty for its products, especially air purifiers in this case. The warranty covers manufacturing defects but does not cover damage done by the user. The company repairs or replaces any defective part or unit during the warranty period. It also provides support and other services during that period.

Honeywell

Winix vs. Honeywell: Which Air Purifier to Choose?The Honeywell brand – founded by Mark C. Honeywell – has been around for several more years compared to the Winix brand. The company was founded in 1906 – 115 years ago – precisely. The multinational conglomerate is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.

Besides, Honeywell manufactures several home appliances, including air purifiers, designed to provide comfort and convenience to the users. The Honeywell Store – where the company’s products are sold – offers a secure and seamless shipping experience.

Apart from air purifiers, the Honeywell brand produces Heaters, Thermostats, Ceiling Fans, Air Coolers, Air Conditioners, Humidifiers, DeHumidifiers, Humidifier Filters, Air Purifier Filters, Furnace Filters for HVAC, Security Cameras, Safes, Shredders, Door Locks, Water Alarm, Security & Flood Lights, Door Chimes, LED Light Bulbs, LED Light Fixtures, Light Switch Timers, Home Standby Generators, RTS Transfer Switches, Maintenance Kits, Commercial Air Filters, Electronic Air Cleaners, Media Air Cleaners, Water Coolers, Eye Protection, Hearing Protection, and Head/Face Protection

Clearly, the Honeywell brand offers many more home products compared to the Winix brand.

The Honeywell brand typically places five years warranty on its products, especially air purifiers. This is three years more than the period offered by Winix. However, the two brands share similar warranty policies.

Honeywell’s warranty applies to the replacement or repair of a product found to be defective in workmanship or material. This warranty does not cover supplemental damage or damage resulting from abusive, commercial, or unreasonable use. Also, the company doesn’t consider defects that emanate from normal wear and tear as manufacturing defects.

Winix vs Honeywell: Comparing Popular Models

As we mentioned before, Winix and Honeywell are both top manufacturers of air purifiers. Below, we will evaluate and compare three models of both brands based on their overall performance, coverage area, filtration, noise level, speeds, air quality indicators, and some other factors.

Winix 5500-2 vs. Honeywell HPA300

Winix 5500-2 Honeywell HPA300
Coverage area 360 sq. ft. 465 sq. ft.
Filtration 3-stage 3-stage
Pre-filter permanent mesh pre-filter yes, Honeywell A and A+, 3-month lifespan (doubles as a carbon filter)
Carbon filter yes, 1-year lifespan see above
True HEPA filter yes, 1-year lifespan yes, 1-year lifespan
Ionizer/similar technologies yes, PlasmaWave technology no
Noise level 40 dB (on lowest speed) 48.3 dB (on lowest speed)
Speeds 4 4
Air quality indicator yes, 3-color LED light no
Dimensions 15 x 23.6 x 8.2 inches 13.7 x 22 x 23.6 inches
Weight 15.4 lbs. 17.3 lbs.
Warranty 2-year limited 5-year warranty
VIEW ON AMAZON VIEW ON AMAZON

Overall Performance

When it comes to purifying the air, the Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier ranks up there with the best. It combines different smart features to deliver a great home appliance. This model uses a True HEPA filter to capture up to 99.7% of airborne pollutants, including dust mites, pollen, pet dander, and other allergens.

Also, this purifier uses washable Advanced Odor Control (AOC) Carbon Filter that is made out of activated carbon granular to remove household odors. Winix  PlasmaWave equally acts as a permanent filter, breaking down chemical vapors, allergens, odor, and other pollutants.

Besides, the Winix 5500-2 features smart sensors that gauge the air while the model’s Auto Mode controls the fan to filter the needed air. It also adds a sleep mode that operates silently at night.

Winix vs. Honeywell: Which Air Purifier to Choose?The Honeywell HPA300 Air Purifier is another reliable product. It captures about 99.97% of toxic airborne particles such as pollen, smoke, dust, and pet dander. Apart from those particles, this device helps to reduce up to 99.9% of some bacteria, mold spores, and viruses.

Moreover, the Honeywell HPA300 is designed to serve extra-large rooms, so you don’t have to worry about the coverage of your large room. This purifier is all about improving your air quality and getting rid of allergens that may affect you.

Besides, this purifier doesn’t disappoint when it comes to ease of use. It features easy-to-use touch controls, and a filter change indicator as well as a 2, 4, and 8-hour automatic shut-off timer. Also present in the HPA300 is a control panel dimmer.

Coverage Area

The Winix 5500-2’s coverage area is 360 square feet room size. The coverage capacity makes the purifier suitable for both medium and large rooms, family rooms, kids’ bedrooms, and kitchens.

The Honeywell HPA300 has a coverage area of 465 square feet. That means the purifier filters and circulates air in extra-large rooms. No matter how big your room is, you can be confident this device will provide quality air for it. The HPA300’s coverage capacity is more than the 360 square feet capacity offered by the Winix 5500-2.

Filtration

The Winix 5500-2 uses a 3-stage filtration system. This system features a True HEPA filter, a Washable AOC Carbon Filter, and the Winix PlasmaWave technology.

The innovative PlasmaWave technology creates positive and negative ions that combine with the air’s water vapor molecules to produce hydroxyls that neutralize bacteria, viruses, odors, chemical vapors, and harmful gases.

Like the Winix 5500-2, the Honeywell HPA300 features a 3-stage air cleaning system. The three levels help to get rid of almost all the harmful airborne particles in your room, leaving you with very clean air. Nothing separates the HPA300 and the Winix 5500-2 here other than the 5500-2 adds the unique PlasmaWave to its system.

Noise Level

The Winix 5500-2’s lowest noise is at 40 decibels (dB) – lower than the level of normal conversation (60dB). Even though the noise level rises with the level of speed, you can still count on the purifier not to disturb your eardrums.

At its lowest, the Honeywell HPA300 has a noise level of 48.3dB. Although the level of the HPA300 is slightly higher than that of the Winix 5500-2, your eardrums won’t be troubled by the noise.Winix vs. Honeywell: Which Air Purifier to Choose?

Winix A231 vs. Honeywell HDF-120-Q

Winix A231 Honeywell HDF-120-Q
Coverage area 230 sq. ft. 170 sq. ft.
Filtration 4-stage 2-stage
Pre-filter permanent mesh pre-filter yes, permanent
Carbon filter yes, 1-year lifespan no
True HEPA filter yes, 1-year lifespan HEPAClean filter
Ionizer/similar technologies yes, PlasmaWave technology no
Noise level 25 dB (on lowest speed) 40 dB (on lowest speed)
Speeds 4 3
Air quality indicator yes, 3-color LED light no
Dimensions 14.6 x 9.5 x 9.5 inches 28.7 x 9.7 x 10.4 inches
Weight 11.5 lbs. 12.3 lbs.
Warranty 2-year limited 5-year warranty
VIEW ON AMAZON VIEW ON AMAZON

Overall Performance

The WinixA231 is another impressive model from Winix. It removes up to 99% of tiny and harmful airborne particles. It boasts a 4-stage air purification system that includes Winix’s PlasmaWave Technology. This technology produces Hydroxyls which help to reduce airborne viruses and bacteria’s presence.

Also, the WinixA231 features inbuilt smart sensors that monitor and detect the qualify of air in the room. These sensors go further to provide a visual representation of the current air quality.

Winix vs. Honeywell: Which Air Purifier to Choose?The Honeywell HFD-120-Q comes with a permanent filtration system that removes about 99% of airborne pollutants. This purifier features three cleaning levels with washable filters. There’s also the True HEPA Allergen Remover in place and it removes up to 99% of airborne allergens, leaving you and your family with clean and fresh air.

Coverage Area

The WinixA231 has a coverage area of 230 square feet. This coverage capacity makes the purifier ideal for small and medium-sized living spaces. That makes the device perfect for the bedroom, home classroom, and home office.

With a coverage area of 170 square feet, the Honeywell HFD-120-Q is the best fit for a small room. If you use it in even a medium-sized room, you might not get the best results. By comparison, the WinixA231 covers more area than the HFD-120-Q.

Filtration

As we mentioned earlier, the WinixA231 features a 4-stage air purification system. The Washable Fine Mesh Pre-Filter is the purifier’s first line of defense against airborne particles indoors while the Activated Carbon Filter reduces chemical vapors and household odors from pets, smoke, and cooking.

Also, the True HEPA filter captures nearly all of the airborne allergens such as pollen, dust, pet dander, mold spores, and microbes. In addition, the PlasmaWave Air Cleaning Technology works as a permanent filter to break down allergens, odor, and other pollutants.

The Honeywell HFD-120-Q boasts both a HEPAClean filter and a permanent pre-filter that work together to get rid of up to 99% of airborne pollutants and allergens. In contrast to the 4-stage purification system of the WinixA231, the HFD-120-Q’s purification system is behind.

Winix vs. Honeywell: Which Air Purifier to Choose?Noise Level

The WinixA231 has a noise level of 25 dB at its lowest speed. This means the lowest noise level of this model is almost like a whisper. Although it gets louder with speed, the noise does not bother the user.

While hoping to clean your air, you don’t want the noise to take over your space. The Honeywell HFD-120-Q won’t give you that trouble. Although its noise level of  40dB at its lowest speed is higher than the 25dB of the Winix A231, you won’t experience disturbance.

Winix HR900 vs. Honeywell AirGenius 5

Winix HR900 Honeywell AirGenius 5
Coverage area 300 sq. ft. 250 sq. ft.
Filtration 5-stage 2-stage
Pre-filter yes, permanent; pet filter, replaceable yes, washable foam pre-filter/odor reducing pre-filter (doubles as a carbon filter)
Carbon filter, yes, 1-year lifespan see above
True HEPA filter yes, 1-year lifespan no, permanent ifD filter instead
Ionizer/similar technologies yes, PlasmaWave technology yes, QuietClean technology
Noise level 27 dB (on lowest speed) 41 dB (on lowest speed)
Speeds 4 5
Air quality indicator yes, 3-color LED light no
Dimensions 16.3 x 9.6 x 23.6 inches 28.7 x 9.7 x 10.4 inches
Weight 18.7 lbs. 12.3 lbs.
Warranty 2-year limited 5-year warranty
VIEW ON AMAZON VIEW ON AMAZON

Overall Performance

The Winix HR900 is engineered to provide great air cleaning action for pet owners as well as persons with pet allergies. It combines smart sensors and other enhanced technologies to deliver impressive results.  This purifier captures up to 99% of harmful airborne particles like the top models do.

Thanks to the Air Quality Indicator present in the Winix HR900, you can easily tell the room’s air quality.

Winix vs. Honeywell: Which Air Purifier to Choose?On the other hand, the Honeywell AirGenius 5 uses five air cleaning levels (general, germ, sleep, allergens, and max) featuring patented quiet-clean filters to remove 99% of toxic airborne particles from your environment. With the help of easy-to-use smart touch screen controls, you can easily operate this purifier.

Coverage Area

If you’re buying the Winix HR900 for a large room, you don’t need to have any concerns about its coverage. It covers about 300 square feet and your large room will be well covered.

With a coverage area of 250 square feet, the Honeywell AirGenius 5 is designed for large rooms although it falls behind what you get from the Winix HE900.

Filtration

The Winix HR900 uses a 5-stage air purification system. The filters include a True HEPA filtration system, Washable Advanced Odor Control Carbon Filter, Ultimate pet pre-filter, Washable pre-filter, and PlasmaWave technology. They all work to reduce pet odors and allergens.

The Honeywell AirGenius 5 features a 2-stage purification system, which includes a washable foam pre-filter and an odor-reducing pre-filter designed to capture larger airborne particles before they reach the permanent filter.

Winix vs. Honeywell: Which Air Purifier to Choose?Noise Level

At its lowest speed, the Winix HR900 records a noise level of 27dB. That’s almost the level of a whisper. Even when the speed increases, you can be confident the noise won’t be unpalatable.

The Honeywell AirGenius 5 has a noise level of 41 dB at its lowest speed. This is significantly higher than the 27 dB you get from the Winix HR900.

Final Thoughts

Make no mistake about this: an air purifier is essential in the home if you want to breathe in clean air. It’s even more important for you if you’re suffering from asthma and allergens because you need the cleanest air you can get around you. To make the process of acquiring one easy for you, we have pit Winix vs Honeywell and compared their top models.

In terms of performance, only a little separates Winix and Honeywell air purifiers. But Winix purifiers make lower noise compared to their Honeywell competitors. Winix devices also offer more stages of purification. However, Honeywell purifiers are better than Winix purifiers in terms of the warranty offers. After a thorough evaluation, we liked the Winix HR900 the most thanks to its superior purification system, air quality indicator, low noise level, and other exciting qualities.

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