Winix 5300 vs. 5500: Which Is The Better Air Purifier?

The EPA has made it very clear that the quality of indoor air tends to be worse than outdoor air by as much as 200% to 500%. There doesn’t need to be a nearby wildfire for the air quality in your home to be poor. 

That’s where your air purifier comes in. These devices are designed to reduce the pollutants in indoor air and improve the quality of the air that you breathe at home.

There are a number of popular names in the air purifier market, like Dyson, Conway, and Levoit. But one of the leading brands in air purifiers is Winix.

There’s more than just one air purifier produced by Winix. So how do you choose which one is best for you? 

Winix 5300 vs. 5500 Which Is The Better Air Purifier

In this article, we will compare two of Winix’s most popular products available, which are Winix 5300 and Winix 5500.

We hope this will help you decide which Winix device is right for you.

We will also answer some of the most commonly asked questions about the Winix air purifiers. 

Is Winix A Good Brand? 

Before we compare the two products, let’s learn about the Winix brand. 

Winix brand is highly praised by consumers, particularly because of the features and benefits offered with their newer models. These features are what make Winix stand out from other air purifier brands.

Let’s explore these features and the benefits that they provide?

Winix Air Purifiers Features and Benefits

The first feature, Winix air purifiers have true HEPA filters. This means that the devices can clean as much as 99.97% of all pollutants that are so often found in indoor air.

Whether it’s dust, pollen, mites, dirt, pet dander, or a number of other pollutants, HEPA filters do the job. Because of this feature, Winix is best when an indoor space has poor air quality.

If you find that the air quality of your home is worse than average, using a lower-end device could clear the air of most pollutants, but only a device with a HEPA-grade filter will clear as much as 99.97%. 

Another feature of Winix air purifiers is their PlasmaWave technology, which combats odors.

Older and low-end air purifiers use ozone as a filter mechanism. The more modern devices, such as the Winix models, use technology like PlasmaWave, that is far friendly to the environment. 

PlasmaWave allows the device to reduce the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) of the air. This process removes bad smells more effective and eco-friendly. 

The majority of the Winix models available come with multi-stage methods when it comes to cleaning.

This feature of having more than just one stage of cleaning allows an air purifier to be more thorough when removing pollutants from the air.

This is because not all pollutants are the exact same size. So while the pre-filter, or physical filter, removes larger pollutants, the more detailed HEPA filter will remove the particles that are smaller. 

A feature we loved is that most Winix devices include smart sensors or air quality sensors.

The benefit is that you don’t have to worry about adjusting fan speeds depending on the pollution currently in the air. This is ideal because you’re not relying on your best guess.  The Winix air purifiers do it for you.

Thanks to the smart sensors, the device is able to determine the quality of the air and automatically adjust to clean the air as needed.

A great feature of the Winix models is they’re designed for both standard bedroom sizes, and for larger spaces, up to 360 square feet. 

Let’s Compare the Winix 5500 And The Winix 5300 

The Winix 5500 and the Winix 5300 are very similar devices when it comes to area rating, fan speed, and power. Their appearance is almost identical. Both are metallic silver and have a control panel at the top.

The Winix 5500 and Winix 5300 both measure 16.3 x 8.5 x 21.7 inches and weigh 15 pounds. However, there are some key differences worth noting. 

The Filter System

The Filter System

The first notable difference is the filter system. Both the 5500 and the 5300 feature a true HEPA filter.

The 5500 also features a pre-filter and a washable AOC carbon filter. While the 5300 only features an activated carbon filter as well as the HEPA filter. 

Overall, the filter system of the Winix 5500 has the edge over the filter system of the 5300. Because, in addition to the two filters, the 5500 also has a washable AOC carbon filter.

The more filters, the more effective the air purifier is going to be when it comes to air pollutants of varying sizes. The fact that the AOC carbon filter is washable is another perk that the 5300 just doesn’t offer. 

The purpose of a carbon filter is to absorb unpleasant odors, including smells from cooking, or smoke. The 5300 has a carbon filter.

But the 5500 filter being washable means the maintenance is a lot simpler. You won’t need to find a replacement filter any time soon.

Chemical Filtration

This refers to an air purifier’s ability to target unpleasant or musty odors caused by things like mold. Overall the 5500 performs better in this area, because of the washable carbon filter. This feature packs more power than its 5300 counterparts. 

Both the Winix 5300 and the Winix 5500 have LED lights. When the light flashes, this indicates that it’s time to replace or clean the filter.

They both have an air quality bar that lets you know how good or bad the air quality is in the space. This is determined by the smart sensors in the units. Lights on both devices also let you when they’re in auto mode, or sleep mode. 

Controls 

So, how easy are the 5500 and the 5300 to actually control? Both devices feature remote control.

This makes it a lot easier to turn them on and off and make adjustments. 

The controls for the 5300 and the 5500 are almost identical, with the 5300 having the edge slightly on the 5500. This is because there have been some consumer reports that the buttons on the 5500 remote can sometimes be faulty. 

Which Is Better: The Winix 5500 Or The Winix 5300? 

Both devices are very similar. Our experience is that the Winix 5500 slightly beats out the Winix 5300.

Although it is a little more expensive than the 5300, it features a washable carbon filter. This filter, along with the two other filters, means it’s well worth the higher price. 

If the air quality in your indoor space tends to be very poor because of tobacco smoke, cooking smells, or pets, then you will want as many filters as you can get. For this reason, the 5500 air purifier is the better choice. 

We believe that both are solid devices. We would recommend the Winix 5300, featuring the top-of-the-line HEPA filter and PlasmaWave tech. But because of the washable carbon filter, the Winix 5500 wins in our opinion. 

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Winix Air Purifiers

Does The Winix 5300 Air Purifier Give Off Ozone?

Some consumers have expressed concern about whether the Winix 5300 produces ozone. While air purifiers of old did produce ozone, the Winix 5300 and 5500 does not, thanks to the PlasmaWave technology used in each device. 

This technology allows the 5300 to filter out the odor, smoke, and any other chemicals that are in the air.

Older air purifiers, the filtering mechanism of ozone was used instead. It was eventually shown that this mechanism was bad for the environment. 

Modern air purifiers are far better for the environment than the models from years ago. Thanks to advancements in technology that allow the devices to clean up indoor air without contributing to the greenhouse effect. 

Are The 5300-2 And 5500-2 Better Than The Original Devices?

The Winix 5300-2 and the Winix 5500-2 air purifiers are essentially evolutions of the Winix 5300 and the 5500. They’re more expensive than their predecessors.

If you can afford the higher prices then they’re definitely worth considering. This is due to their four-stage air cleaning system. 

Both the 5300-2 and the 5500-2 clean the air in four stages.

First stage is the washable fine mesh pre-filter; second stage is the carbon filter, only washable in the 5500-2; and the third stage is the true HEPA filter.

The final stage is the PlasmaWave technology that was also present in both the 5300 and the 5500. 

A major difference is that the 5500-2 has a remote control, and the 5300-2 does not.

Winix 5300 vs. 5500: Which Is The Better Air Purifier Conclusion

We found that both the Winix 5300 and the Winix 5500 are very effective air purifying devices. They feature a true HEPA filter, adept at filtering out air pollutants, as well as PlasmaWave technology, which reduces bad odors. 

Overall, our recommendation is for the Winix 5500. Only because the 5500 features three filters, including a washable carbon filter, making it more effective at reducing the VOCs in the indoor air.

You can find the Winix 5300 on Buya, and the Winix 5500 on Mercari.