Coway Airmega Mighty vs Winix 5500-2
Bottom line
Close on cleaning. In our scoring the Coway is ahead, 8.5/10 (Excellent) to the Winix 5500-2's 6.2/10 (Limited). Safety is level at 5.0/10 each, since both have a switchable ionizer that CARB lists; the gap is verified performance (10.0/10 against 7.0/10), total cost of ownership (7.0/10 against 4.5/10), certification (10.0/10 against 7.0/10) and practical fit (10.0/10 against 8.0/10). The Winix stays competitive if you are happy to run it with PlasmaWave switched off and you value that washable carbon filter.
These two are close enough on cleaning power that the question is what else separates them. Both are medium-room units with similar independently checked airflow (CADR), and both have an ionizer you can switch off that appears on California's CARB list of certified air cleaners. The Winix adds a washable carbon pre-filter that saves you a little on running cost. If a built-in ionizer bothers you, you would run either one with it switched off.
| 246 cfm (AHAM-verified) | CADR (independently verified?) | 246 cfm (AHAM-verified) |
| 10.0 | Verified Performance30% | 7.0 |
| 7.0 | Total Cost of Ownership25% | 4.5 |
| 10.0 | Certification15% | 7.0 |
| 5.0 | Safety15% | 5.0 |
| 10.0 | Practical Fit15% | 8.0 |
FAQ
- Is the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty better than the Winix 5500-2?
- In our scoring the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty rates 8.5/10 and the Winix 5500-2 6.2/10. Close on cleaning. In our scoring the Coway is ahead, 8.5/10 (Excellent) to the Winix 5500-2's 6.2/10 (Limited). Safety is level at 5.0/10 each, since both have a switchable ionizer that CARB lists; the gap is verified performance (10.0/10 against 7.0/10), total cost of ownership (7.0/10 against 4.5/10), certification (10.0/10 against 7.0/10) and practical fit (10.0/10 against 8.0/10). The Winix stays competitive if you are happy to run it with PlasmaWave switched off and you value that washable carbon filter.
- Is the Winix PlasmaWave safe?
- PlasmaWave is an ionizer you can switch off. Ionizers can produce a little ozone as a byproduct, so we only credit one when its CARB ozone compliance (California's air-cleaner safety listing) is verified - otherwise we leave those points off rather than assume. The Winix 5500-2 is on that list (model 5500-2, Executive Order G-16-053), so it earns the credit. The simplest answer for you: run the Winix with PlasmaWave turned off and it works as a plain HEPA filter.