Air Purifiers comparison

How to choose an air purifier in 2026

Air purifier Mars Scores weight performance (70%) and smart/noise (30%). Performance is dominated by two numbers: CADR (clean air delivery rate) and rated coverage area, both verified against AHAM or CADR-equivalent test standards. Marketing "rooms up to 1,500 sq ft" claims are usually 5× the real number.

CADR is the only spec that matters at scale

A unit with 600+ m³/h CADR (Coway Airmega 400, Levoit Core 600S) cleans a 40 m² room four times per hour. Smaller units (200–350 m³/h) need to run continuously to keep up. Filter the catalog by cadr_m3h and coverage_m2 before anything else.

True HEPA H13+ vs "HEPA-type"

Marketers will write "HEPA" on anything; only has_hepa_13 true (filters 99.95% of 0.3 µm particles) actually meets the medical-grade standard. Pair with an activated carbon stage (has_carbon_filter) for VOCs, smoke and cooking odors.

Noise floor on quiet mode

A purifier rated 65 dB on turbo is irrelevant — you run it on quiet overnight. noise_db_min is the spec that decides whether it lives in the bedroom or stays in the living room. Anything above 30 dB on quiet mode will keep light sleepers awake.

Sensors and smart features

PM2.5 + VOC sensors with app reporting let you see actual room air quality and verify the purifier is doing something. Without sensors you are guessing. See Mars Labs for our sensor-accuracy bench tests and Field Reports for long-term filter cost analysis.

How vsMars scores air purifiers

Mars Score for air purifiers is dominated by CADR and coverage — the two specs that determine whether the unit can actually keep up with your room volume. See methodology for the full weighting.