IQAir vs Blueair
We here at Allergy Cosmos are passionate about air purification, and about providing you with the best, up-to-date, and scientific information about air purifiers. So who - IQAir vs Blueair - makes the best air purifier?
IQAir and Blueair are two of the biggest brands when it comes to air purifiers. Both companies have been manufacturing air purifiers for decades. Blueair is a Swedish company that was acquired by Unilever a couple of years ago, and their air purifiers are predomenantly made in China. IQAir is a family owned Swiss company whose air purifiers are made in Switzerland and Germany.
One of the most important aspects of choosing an air purifier is of course the system filtration efficiency - i.e. the amount of pollution the air purifier filters out of the air. But there are other important aspects to consider regarding an air purifier's filtration efficiency, such as the:
- technology being used, and any possible by-products it produces,
- airflow rate of the air purifier, i.e. the amount of air the air purifier moves,
- noise level on the relevant speed setting,
- running costs in terms of electricity and filter changes, and
- availability of replacement filters in the future.
In addition, if the removal of chemicals, gases and odours is needed, then choosing an air purifier that contains the relevant gas filtration is crucial. When the air purifier uses carbon, not only does the quality and type of carbon in the air purifier matter, but the quantity used is also important.
Filtration technology
The filtration technology of IQAir vs Blueair air purifiers is very different. IQAir air purifiers use only mechanical filtration, i.e. proper HEPA filtration. Their HyperHEPA filters range from H11 to H13.
Blueair uses what they call “HEPASilent technology”, which is a combination of mechanical and electrostatic filtration. Blueair’s HEPASilent technology is not HEPA filtration (to learn more about what HEPA filtration is visit: HEPA Air Purifier) and includes the use of an ioniser, which electrically charges particles to help improve the filtration efficiency and makes them stick to the fibres of the filter.
As IQAir units only actual HEPA filtration, no additional technology is needed.
As Blueair uses a combination technology in mechanical and electrostatic filtration, an ioniser is present in all their air purifiers. Ionisation can lead to the release of Ozone into the air, which may not be suitable for some individuals.
Range of air purifiers
Both IQAir vs Blueair offer a wide range of air purifiers to choose from. Blueair has air purifiers which start from as low as £99,00 and go up to £2,769,00. IQAir air purifiers start from £389,00 and go over £7,000. Most of Blueair’s air purifiers are for domestic use, with only their ‘PRO’ range more suitable for commercial settings. Blueair has entry-priced units for very small rooms, like the Blueair Blue 511 and the Blueair Blue Max 3250i, which are available in different colours. Blueair’s current range of air purifiers also includes the Blueair’s Blue, Blueair Max, Blueair DustMagnet and Blueair Healthprotect range.
IQAir offers a selection of air purifiers for domestic and specific commercial environments. IQAir’s domestic air cleaners primarily consist of the HealthPro range, IQAir HealthPro 100, IQAir HealthPro 150, and IQAir HealthPro 250. The IQAir Atem range includes a portable air purifier called Atem, which can be used as a car (IQAir Atem Car) and personal space air purifier (IQAir Atem Desk). The newest addition is the IQAir Atem X, ideal for large and small spaces, due to its high airflow and low noise levels. The IQAir GC units are designed for higher levels of gas and chemical contamination.
IQAir has units like the GCX, Cleanzone SLS, Dental Pro and Cleanroom series, which would be suitable for a broad range of commercial sectors, including hospitals, dental practises, cigar lounges, schools, etc.
There is quite a difference in the carbon that is available from Both IQAir vs Blueair for their respective units. Blueair does not specify which type of carbon they use, but they do state that their units typically have between 0.9kg – 2.7kg of carbon in their units. This is compared to IQAir, which uses between 1kg and 14.5kg of granular activated carbon in its range of air purifiers.
Filtration efficiency /performance
Filtration efficiency is crucial to determining how effective an air purifier is. IQAir units are individually tested, certified and guaranteed to achieve their advertised high filtration efficiency.
Blueair claims that their air purifiers have a filtration efficiency of 99.97% of particles down to 0.1 microns with their HEPASilent technology, however, we have not seen independent, long term tests of the Blueair air purifiers that confirm that.
In terms of the claimed filtration efficiency, both IQAir vs Blueair are making similar claims. However, an air purifier needs to achieve the claimed filtration efficiency that the manufacturer has stated throughout an extended period, i.e., the filtration efficiency should be constant and not change over time.
IQAir provides a ‘certificate of performance’ with every air purifier, which states that the unit has passed their ‘particle leakage test’, which means that the air that comes out of the unit will be virtually free from any particulates, including viruses, bacteria mould spores, pollen etc., which is very reassuring. This guarantee covers the entire life of the filter, not just when the filter is new. This indicates that the filtration efficiency of all IQAir units is always consistent due to the use of hospital-grade HEPA filters.
Blueair does not offer a guarantee for their air purifiers filtration efficiency, because it is not consistent across the life of the filter, i.e. performance can vary. As the Blueair filters are made from polypropylene, they tend to be thinner/ less dense than fibreglass filters. This lower filter density enables more air to be pushed through them with less resistance, which means higher airflow numbers. But it also means a lower filtration efficiency. To rectify this drawback, Blueair uses an ioniser to electrically charge pollution to help it stick more readily to the filter fibres. This works well initially when the filters are new, but when the filters have been covered with a layer of charged particulate pollution - which can acts like a layer of insulation - the filtration efficiency drops. As more layers of pollution are added to the filter, the electrostatic charge drops, which in turn means that filtration efficiency drops.
Features of IQAir vs Blueair air purifiers
An often overlooked aspect of an air purifier can be what features it offers the user in terms of operation or convenience. Blueair has several air purifiers with an ‘auto mode’. This auto mode, adjusts the speed of the fans based on what it perceives the air quality is like from a sensor within the unit.
Some IQAir air purifiers, such as the Atem X, also offer an integrated air quality monitor. Furthermore, IQAir offers the indoor and outdoor ‘AirVisual Pro air quality monitor’, which accurately measures air quality levels using a laser particle scanner and artificial intelligence.
A timer is beneficial in an air purifier as it can extend the life of your filters by only operating when you actually need it. IQAir have a sophisticated timer in all of their air purifiers, which allows the user to program when they need the unit to turn on and off, as well as selecting the days of operation.
Blueair air purifiers also use timers, but they can be basic compared to the timers you would find in an IQAir unit. The new range of Blueair units can be programmed via a timer, but you would need to download the ‘Blueair Friend’ app to a compatible smartphone to be able to use this feature.
Summary
The requirements when choosing between an IQAir vs Blueair air purifier can differ greatly. While some air purifiers may be perfectly suited to removing certain types of contamination, you need to make sure you purchase the right make and model to do what you need it to.
For instance, various air purifier manufacturers claim that their air purifiers remove chemical contamination from the air, yet most of the time, the quality and quantity of the carbon used is too low to make a meaningful impact on contamination levels. Insuring an air purifier has the required quality and quantity of carbon to deal with chemical contamination is important.
Similarly, if an air purifier uses actual HEPA filtration and has a leakage-free design, there would be no reason to use any additional technology in an air purifier as it simply would not be needed.
| IQAir HP100 | Blueair 3350i | IQAir Atem X | Blueair 5440i Dustmagnet | IQAir HP250 | Blueair HealthProtect 7470i | IQAir GC Multigas | Blueair PRO L SmokeStop + Carbon Filter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £869 | £299 | £1349 | £349 | £999 | £740 | £1299 | £1289.00 + £55 |
| Filtration Efficiency | 99.5% for particles ≥ 0.003 micron | Filtration efficiency dependent on speed setting and remaining filter life | Elimination Rate (0.09 - 0.10 μm) 99.47 % | Filtration efficiency dependent on speed setting and remaining filter life | 99.5% for particles ≥ 0.003 micron | Filtration efficiency dependent on speed setting and remaining filter life | 95% at ≥ 0.003 microns | Filtration efficiency dependent on speed setting and remaining filter life |
| HEPA Filtration | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Filtration Type | HEPA | HepaSilent | HEPA | HepaSilent | HEPA | HepaSilent | HEPA | HepaSilent |
| Ionisation | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Ozone Free | Yes | Yes* | Yes | Yes* | Yes | Yes* | Yes | Yes* |
| AirFlow Rate | 470 m3/h | Not available** | 750 m3/h | Not available** | 440 m3/h | Not available** | 400 m3/h | Not available** |
| Leakage Free Design | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Gas Filtration | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Type Of Carbon Used | None | Carbon Sheet | None | Carbon Sheet | Granular Activated Carbon | Carbon Sheet | Granular Activated Carbon | Activated Carbon |
| Weight Of Carbon | No Carbon | Carbon sheet only | No Carbon | Carbon sheet only | 2.4kg | Carbon sheet only | 5.4kg | 3.3kg |
| Timer Function | Yes | Yes*** | Yes | Yes*** | Yes | Yes*** | Yes | No |
| Air Monitoring | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Auto Mode | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Housing Material | Non Off-Gassing ABS | Plastic | Non Off-Gassing ABS | Plastic | Non Off-Gassing ABS | Plastic | Non Off-Gassing ABS | Steel |
| Dimensions H x W x D | H61 x W38 x D41 cm | H48 x W31 x D31 cm | H68.8 x D25.4 cm | H65 x W29 x D29 cm | H71 x W38 x D41 cm | H68 x W30 x D30 cm | H71 x W38 x D41 cm | H79 x W50 x D24 cm |
| Weight | 12kg | 3.53kg | 13kg | 6.8kg | 16kg | 12.5kg | 20kg | 20kg |
| Power Usage In Watts | 20 - 135 | 4 - 32 | 6 - 86 | 7 - 42 | 20 - 135 | 9 - 43 | 20 - 135 | 22 to 170 |
| Sound Level db**** | 22 - 57 | 23 - 50 | 15 - 54 | 30 - 49 | 22 - 57 | 25 - 45 | 22 - 57 | 32 - 55 |
| Country Of Manufacture | Switzerland | China | Germany | China | Switzerland | China | Switzerland | China |
| Warranty | 3 Years | 2 Years | 3 Years | 2 Years | 3 Years | 2 Years | 3 Years | 2 Years |