REASONS TO BUY
Solid air cleaning performance
Simple user experience
REASONS TO AVOID
Loud on high setting
Large and heavy compared to most
Winix 5500-2 Review
While not exactly the most stand-out option in a crowded market, this air purifier still provides great cleaning performance and straightforward operation
Credit: Natalie Kafader
By Genaveve Bradshaw ⋅ Senior Review Analyst ⋅ October 25, 2024
Contributions From: Max Mutter & Ryan White
RELATED: The Best Air Purifiers of 2025
Our Verdict
The Winix 5500-2 performed well in our air cleaning tests, eliminating 99.98% of measured airborne particulates in the 150-square-foot testing room over the course of an hour. It backs up this stellar cleaning performance with an easy-to-use interface and reasonable operating costs. Its list price is higher than that of many competing models, but if you can find this unit on sale, it's both relatively budget-friendly and high-performing. Even if you can't find it on sale, the performance might justify the higher list price. Check our review of air purifiers shows how it stacks up versus competing products.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Winix 5500 performed well in many of the tests we threw at it.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Air Cleaning Performance
Whether you live in a smoggy city or in the wildland-urban interface where fires are bound to be a problem — you're going to want a device that filters your air quickly while purifying any room of your home, no matter the size. We know the importance of clean air, which is why air cleaning is the most heavily weighted metric of each product's final score. In order to test this, we filled a room in our testing facility entirely with smoke by burning paper scraps in a tinfoil-lined bowl. We then used a Dylos air quality meter to measure particles in the air and then our noses to sus out any remaining odors.
Detecting air quality with a Dylos AQI meter.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The 5500-2 is a powerful machine. It consistently displayed impressive air cleaning performance in all of our tests. When we put this unit into our smoke-filled, 150-square-foot testing room, it removed most of the measured airborne particulates in just 30 minutes. After a full hour, that mark had increased to a whopping 99.98%. It also managed to remove more odors than most models on the market. We've yet to find a consumer air purifier that can completely eliminate odors, but the 5500-2 did a respectable job. We could still clearly smell smoke when it was done cleaning our testing room, but it was substantially less pungent.
Our faux lung model is a new addition to our air cleaning test.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The 5500-2 boasts a certified clean air delivery rate of 246 cubic feet per minute, and it has enough power for rooms of up to 1,740 square feet. This purifier also has a built-in air quality meter. This allows you to set the purifier on its auto mode, and it will turn itself on and off based on the reading of its air quality meter. While this meter doesn't provide a precise readout --it only displays a blue, yellow, or red light for good, medium, and bad air quality-- we found the auto mode to be quite reactive to changes in air quality as measured by our calibrated air quality meter.
Noise
The white noise that comes from an air purifier is not always welcome and can be somewhat of a disturbance. Some models can be downright loud and burdensome — which is why we tested the amount of noise coming from each unit. In order to test the sound, we measured the decibels of each purifier. The Winix on its low setting is barely perceptible, but on the high and medium settings, our testers reported that the “sound is rather reminiscent of an early 2000s computer fan.” Registering at 53.9 decibels on high, it isn't exactly quiet. It drops off a bit on medium at 43.1 decibels.
The Winix 5500-2 is louder than most.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
Ease of Use
In order to test how easy the Winix was to use, we tested the amount of time the model took to set up in our testing facility, its interface, and how easy it was to transport from place to place.
Changing out filters on the Winix 5500-2 is quite easy.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
The 5500-2 presents very few challenges to even those who don't like dealing with home appliances. This earned it one of our top performances for user-friendliness. The unit itself has dedicated buttons for setting the fan speed, setting an off timer, and selecting a specific mode. It also includes a remote control that makes it easy to do the same things without getting out of bed or off the couch. The off-timer can be set for one, four, or eight hours. At 15.8 pounds, it is at the heavier end of the spectrum, but a convenient carrying handle makes it relatively easy to move it from room to room. Our research analysts said that this model does not feel too cumbersome to carry and appreciated the nifty handle that is not always included on all air purifiers.
We measured the dimensions of each air purifier to give you a better idea of how it will fit into your space.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Operating Cost
Plugging a machine into a wall all day is not cheap, which is why we decided to measure the operating cost of each air purifier in our lineup. To do this, we calculated kilowatt-hours, HEPA/Carbon filter lifespan and costs, and list price to get an overall cost estimate.
The 5500-2 uses very little electricity and incurs relatively low annual filter costs. However, its higher price point is a bit steep, putting its expected annual cost at a respectable $133. Luckily this model is often available online for significantly less than its list price, which pushes its estimated lifetime cost down into a better range. All-in-all we see this efficient air purifier as a great deal.
Should You Buy the Winix 5500-2?
The Winix 5500-2 offers top-tier air cleaning performance, making it perfect for anyone who wants to combat allergens and other airborne irritants. The responsive and simplified interface makes it easy to operate as well. If you can catch it during a sale, it's a tough value to beat.
What Other Air Purifiers Should You Consider?
The Levoit Core 400S is a direct competitor in terms of price point, but it impressively hosts a better ability to clean the air. Along the same price point comes the Blueair 311i Max, which impressed us with its air cleaning ability and low noise levels.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Winix 5500-2 versus top competing products:
—Genaveve Bradshaw, Max Mutter, and Ryan White
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