Air Purifiers / Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) vs Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B
Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) vs Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B
Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2)
The best verified CADR per dollar here, if you are comfortable turning PlasmaWave off.
Wins overall by 0.8 points
Quick Verdict
A 0.8-point gap makes the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) the straightforward choice here. The best verified CADR per dollar here, if you are comfortable turning PlasmaWave off.
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) and Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B are both closely matched air Purifier models, and they're priced almost identically ($259.99 vs $263.48). On Freedom From Ozone & Air Chemistry, the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B leads (10.0 vs 6.0/10) — whether the unit adds an ioniser, plasma, UV or photocatalytic stage to the airstream, whether that stage can be switched off, and how CARB classifies the device — 'Mechanical' means filtration only, 'Electronic' means capable of generating ozone and certified only as being at or below 0.050 ppm. On Quietness, the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) leads (8.0 vs 5.5/10) — measured decibels at the lowest setting you would run overnight AND at the top speed you need in a smoke event — a purifier is only useful at a speed you can tolerate. Not publishing a figure at either end costs points. On Verified Clean-Air Delivery, the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) leads (9.0 vs 7.0/10) — how much air the unit actually cleans per minute, weighted heavily toward AHAM Verifide smoke CADR over manufacturer-published figures. Self-reported CADR scores below Verifide CADR, and 'no CADR published at all' scores below both. Overall, the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) scores 7.8/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 7.0/10 for the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B. Below, we break down the full spec sheet, category-by-category scores, and exactly who should buy which one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) | Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $259.99 | $263.48 |
| Release Year | 2024 | 2022 |
| AHAM Verifide CADR (Smoke / Dust / Pollen) (CFM) | AHAM Verifide: smoke 253 / dust 252 / pollen 247 CFM (ahamdir.com, model 5510; the 5520 and 5530 share the identical certification). Genuinely Verifide — Winix is one of the six consumer brands with current directory entries. | AHAM Verifide: smoke 133 / dust 143 / pollen 168 CFM (ahamdir.com, model HPA180B). Genuinely Verifide. |
| AHAM Verifide Room Size (4.8 ACH) (ft²) | 392 ft² (AHAM Verifide suggested room size at 4.8 air changes per hour) | 206 ft² per the AHAM Verifide listing; Honeywell rounds it to "Large (200 sq. ft.)" on its own page |
| Coverage Claim & Its Air-Change Basis | Winix leads with "AHAM Verifide 392 ft²" and states the 4.8-ACH basis in a visible footnote, then adds "cleans up to 1,882 ft² in 1 hour" as the secondary figure. That ordering is the right way round and almost nobody else here does it. | Honeywell's headline is "990 ft² in 1 hour" — which is the 206 ft² AHAM room size multiplied by 4.8. To Honeywell's credit its own product page states the AHAM room size and the "4.8 times per hour" basis in the same block. A 990 ft² room is not what this cleans; a 200 ft² room is. |
| Filter Grade (True HEPA / HEPA-Type / H13) | 4-stage: washable fine-mesh pre-filter, AOC pelletised activated-carbon filter, True HEPA rated 99.99% (Winix cites KCL report CT24-072905E under a modified SPS-KACA 002-132:2022 method — note that is a Korean test standard, not EN 1822), and PlasmaWave. | True HEPA rated at up to 99.97% of particles 0.3 µm and larger, plus a replaceable pre-filter and an optional Enhanced Odor "T" carbon filter. |
| Pre-Filter (Washable?) | Yes — washable fine-mesh pre-filter, no recurring cost | Replaceable, not washable — Pre-Filter A/A+ on a 3-month cycle. This is a recurring cost, not a rinse-and-refit part. |
| Filter Cost per Year | $55.99–$79.99/yr — Filter Q, part 1712-0123-00, list $79.99 and currently $55.99 direct from Winix, replaced every 12 months. The HEPA and AOC carbon are combined in one part, so that is the whole consumable bill. | Honeywell publishes intervals but not a single-part price for this model: HEPA "G" filter every 12 months plus Pre-Filter A/A+ every 3 months (four a year), with an optional Enhanced Odor "T" filter also on a 3-month cycle. For scale, the same store prices the equivalent HPA300-series parts at $36.95 for a single HEPA R and $15.95 for a pre-filter — which puts a comparable Honeywell in the $90–$110/yr bracket. Recorded as: interval published, price for the G/A parts not published on the manufacturer page. |
| Ioniser / UV / PCO & CARB Classification | Yes — PlasmaWave is a plasma/ion stage. Winix states it "breaks down pollutants at the molecular level without producing harmful ozone" and, to its credit, publishes the measurement: "The 8-hr TWA Ozone for this product is 0.22 ppbv when tested in a 30 m3 chamber." CARB certifies the 5510 as an ELECTRONIC device (EO G-24-234, 2024-10-03) — ozone-capable, tested at or below 0.050 ppm. PlasmaWave has a dedicated on/off control and the unit filters perfectly well with it off. | None. No ioniser, no UV, no PCO. CARB-certified and classified MECHANICAL (Honeywell INSIGHT SERIES HPA180BV2, EO G-25-339, notified 2025-12-12). |
| Noise, Lowest to Highest Setting (dB) | 23.5 dB on the slowest of five speeds (Winix published). Winix does not publish a top-speed figure. | Not published by Honeywell — the product page describes the lowest speed as "quiet" and gives no decibel figures at either end. This is the only mid-range unit here with no published noise data at all. |
| Air Quality Sensor | "Dual Smart Sensors" — a particle/air-quality sensor driving a 3-colour LED and auto mode, plus a light sensor that triggers sleep mode when the room darkens. Winix does not state whether the particle sensor is laser-based. | "Intelligent Air Quality Sensor" driving a colour-coded display and an automatic cleaning mode. Honeywell does not state the sensing technology. |
| Smart Features & Offline Operation | Wi-Fi, the Winix Smart app and Alexa need an account. All five fan speeds, auto mode, sleep mode and the timer work from the top panel with no internet at all — the app is additive, not load-bearing. | None. No Wi-Fi, no app, no account, no firmware. Fully offline. |
| Power Draw & Annual Energy | AHAM-measured 65.0W at the smoke-CADR speed; 323 kWh annual energy consumption per the AHAM listing | AHAM-measured 55.2W at the smoke-CADR speed, and 322 kWh annual energy consumption per the AHAM listing — the highest energy figure in this file for only 133 CFM of smoke CADR |
| Warranty Terms & Conditions | 2-year warranty; certifications listed as AHAM / UL / CARB / Prop 65. Manufactured in Korea. | 5-year limited warranty with no registration or subscription condition — the longest fixed term here |
| Warranty | 24 months | 60 months |
| Colors | Charcoal Gray | Black |
Category Scores
Coverage-Claim Honesty
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 8.0 — a 0.5-point margin on the trap dimension for this category. Almost every brand derives its headline square footage from ONE air change per hour, which does close to nothing for smoke, pollen or wildfire particulate — the useful standard is 4.8 air changes an hour, and it is typically a fifth of the number on the box. A high score means the manufacturer publishes the 4.8-ACH figure prominently and it survives comparison with the AHAM Verifide room size; a low score means a big number with no stated air-change basis, or no CADR at all to derive one from.. If that is what you are buying for, the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B does not close the gap elsewhere.
Verified Clean-Air Delivery
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) leads clearly here, 9.0 against 7.0 — a 2.0-point margin on how much air the unit actually cleans per minute, weighted heavily toward AHAM Verifide smoke CADR over manufacturer-published figures. Self-reported CADR scores below Verifide CADR, and 'no CADR published at all' scores below both. If that is what you are buying for, the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B does not close the gap elsewhere.
Filtration Quality
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 8.0 — a 0.5-point margin on what the media is really rated at — sealed H13, True HEPA, HEPA-Type, EPA 12 or charged fabric — whether the whole machine is sealed so air cannot bypass the filter, and how much genuine activated carbon there is for odours and VOCs. If that is what you are buying for, the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B does not close the gap elsewhere.
Running Cost
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) leads clearly here, 7.0 against 5.5 — a 1.5-point margin on filters, pre-filters, cartridges and subscriptions over three years, against the purchase price. Several units here cost more to feed than to buy; a high score means cheap, long-lived, non-proprietary consumables. If that is what you are buying for, the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B does not close the gap elsewhere.
Quietness
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 5.5 — a 2.5-point margin on measured decibels at the lowest setting you would run overnight AND at the top speed you need in a smoke event — a purifier is only useful at a speed you can tolerate. Not publishing a figure at either end costs points. If that is what you are buying for, the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B does not close the gap elsewhere.
Sensor Quality
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) leads clearly here, 7.0 against 5.0 — a 2.0-point margin on whether there is a real laser particle sensor resolving PM1/PM2.5/PM10 with numeric output, a vaguer 'air quality' index, an inference from a cheap VOC element, or no sensor and therefore no auto mode at all. If that is what you are buying for, the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B does not close the gap elsewhere.
Freedom From Ozone & Air Chemistry
The Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B leads clearly here, 10.0 against 6.0 — a 4.0-point margin on whether the unit adds an ioniser, plasma, UV or photocatalytic stage to the airstream, whether that stage can be switched off, and how CARB classifies the device — 'Mechanical' means filtration only, 'Electronic' means capable of generating ozone and certified only as being at or below 0.050 ppm. If that is what you are buying for, the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Controls & Independence
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 7.0 — a 1.0-point margin on whether every mode works from the machine itself with no account or cloud, how good the auto mode is, filter-change access, and whether losing a remote or a login costs you function. If that is what you are buying for, the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) if…
- • Quietness matters most to you — the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) scores 8.0/10 here (measured decibels at the lowest setting you would run overnight AND at the top speed you need in a smoke event — a purifier is only useful at a speed you can tolerate. Not publishing a figure at either end costs points).
- • Verified Clean-Air Delivery matters most to you — the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) scores 9.0/10 here (how much air the unit actually cleans per minute, weighted heavily toward AHAM Verifide smoke CADR over manufacturer-published figures. Self-reported CADR scores below Verifide CADR, and 'no CADR published at all' scores below both).
- • Sensor Quality matters most to you — the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) scores 7.0/10 here (whether there is a real laser particle sensor resolving PM1/PM2.5/PM10 with numeric output, a vaguer 'air quality' index, an inference from a cheap VOC element, or no sensor and therefore no auto mode at all).
- • Running Cost matters most to you — the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) scores 7.0/10 here (filters, pre-filters, cartridges and subscriptions over three years, against the purchase price. Several units here cost more to feed than to buy; a high score means cheap, long-lived, non-proprietary consumables).
- • Your main use case is large-room or wildfire-smoke.
Choose the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B if…
- • Freedom From Ozone & Air Chemistry matters most to you — the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B scores 10.0/10 here (whether the unit adds an ioniser, plasma, UV or photocatalytic stage to the airstream, whether that stage can be switched off, and how CARB classifies the device — 'Mechanical' means filtration only, 'Electronic' means capable of generating ozone and certified only as being at or below 0.050 ppm).
- • Your main use case is bedroom-quiet or ioniser-free.
Pros & Cons
Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2)
Pros
- +AHAM Verifide 253 smoke CADR — verified performance, not a manufacturer number
- +Leads with the 392 ft² 4.8-ACH figure and relegates the 1,882 ft² claim to a footnote
- +Publishes an actual ozone measurement (0.22 ppbv 8-h TWA) rather than just asserting "ozone-free"
- +One $55.99–79.99 part a year covers HEPA and carbon together; the pre-filter is washable
- +Works completely offline — every mode is on the panel, the app only adds remote control
Cons
- −PlasmaWave means CARB certifies it as an Electronic (ozone-capable) device; switch it off unless you want it
- −Winix publishes only the 23.5 dB minimum and never the top-speed noise, which at 65W is not quiet
- −323 kWh/yr on the AHAM listing is the second-highest energy use in this file
- −The 99.99% HEPA claim rests on a Korean KCL test to a modified SPS-KACA method, not EN 1822 or IEST
- −$259.99 direct is well above the street price the outgoing 5500-2 trained buyers to expect
Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B
Pros
- +5-year warranty with no strings — nothing else here matches it without a subscription
- +AHAM Verifide, and Honeywell publishes the 200 ft²/4.8-ACH basis alongside the 990 ft² headline
- +Genuinely mechanical: CARB classifies it Mechanical, so there is no ioniser or UV stage at all
- +Real air-quality sensor with a colour display and a working auto mode
- +No account, no app, no cloud — it will behave the same in ten years
Cons
- −322 kWh/yr on the AHAM listing for 133 CFM of smoke CADR: by far the worst clean-air-per-watt here
- −Honeywell publishes no decibel figure at any speed for this model
- −The pre-filter is a consumable on a 3-month cycle, so four parts a year on top of the annual HEPA
- −133 CFM smoke CADR is the lowest of the mid-range units — the $240 Coway does 233 and the $260 Winix 253
- −Honeywell has discontinued the HPA200 and HPA300 that this range replaces, so parts continuity is worth checking
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) or Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) comes out ahead overall. See the full breakdown in the scores section above — the right pick still depends on which categories matter most for your use case.
Which is better for Freedom From Ozone & Air Chemistry, the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) or the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B?+
The Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B scores higher on Freedom From Ozone & Air Chemistry (10.0/10 vs 6.0/10) — whether the unit adds an ioniser, plasma, UV or photocatalytic stage to the airstream, whether that stage can be switched off, and how CARB classifies the device — 'Mechanical' means filtration only, 'Electronic' means capable of generating ozone and certified only as being at or below 0.050 ppm.
Which is better for Quietness, the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) or the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B?+
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) scores higher on Quietness (8.0/10 vs 5.5/10) — measured decibels at the lowest setting you would run overnight AND at the top speed you need in a smoke event — a purifier is only useful at a speed you can tolerate. Not publishing a figure at either end costs points.
Which is better for Verified Clean-Air Delivery, the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) or the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B?+
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) scores higher on Verified Clean-Air Delivery (9.0/10 vs 7.0/10) — how much air the unit actually cleans per minute, weighted heavily toward AHAM Verifide smoke CADR over manufacturer-published figures. Self-reported CADR scores below Verifide CADR, and 'no CADR published at all' scores below both.
Which is better for Sensor Quality, the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) or the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B?+
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) scores higher on Sensor Quality (7.0/10 vs 5.0/10) — whether there is a real laser particle sensor resolving PM1/PM2.5/PM10 with numeric output, a vaguer 'air quality' index, an inference from a cheap VOC element, or no sensor and therefore no auto mode at all.
Is the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) worth the price difference over the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B?+
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) is the cheaper option at $259.99 versus $263.48. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Freedom From Ozone & Air Chemistry.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) is the better fit if you mainly care about large-room or wildfire-smoke. The Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B is the better fit for bedroom-quiet or ioniser-free.
What's the warranty on the Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) vs the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B?+
The Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) ships with a 24-month warranty; the Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B ships with a 60-month warranty. Always confirm current terms on the manufacturer's site before buying.
Should I wait for the next model instead of buying either of these?+
If either model is more than two years old, a successor may be close — check the "Latest Model" link on each product page. Otherwise, both are current, well-supported options and there's no strong reason to wait.
Cheaper Option
Winix 5510 (successor to the 5500-2) — $259.99
Premium Option
Honeywell InSight HEPA Tower HPA180B — $263.48
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.