Winix 5500-2 vs 5510
Winix retired the 5500-2 and named the 5510 its successor. Certification does not transfer between model numbers, so here is the 5510's own entry — and it is better than the machine it replaces.
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Buy the 5510. The 5500-2 is discontinued in the U.S. and Canada, and the 5510 is not merely a replacement badge — its own AHAM entry is better on all three figures that differ: 253 CFM of certified smoke CADR against 239, 392 certified square feet against 370, and 323 kWh a year against 356. Both keep PlasmaWave, and neither has a measured ozone figure.
This site has been saying for a while that the Winix 5500-2 is discontinued and that we would not carry its certified numbers across to the 5510 that replaced it, because certification attaches to a model number rather than to a product line. That was the correct thing to say and it left an obvious question unanswered: what does the 5510’s own entry actually say? This page answers it.
The short version is that the successor is better, modestly and in the right direction. The longer version is more interesting, because the register also shows that Winix sells this one machine under three different model numbers, and that the coverage figure on the box and the coverage figure in the register are the same measurement described two different ways.
The certified figures, side by side
Every number in this table is from AHAM’s own directory of certified room air cleaners. Neither machine is in ENERGY STAR, which is why the ozone row is blank for both rather than zero — a blank we would rather print than fill.
| Certified figure | 5500-2 | 5510 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke CADR | 239 CFM | 253 CFM | +14 CFM (6%) |
| Dust CADR | 244 CFM | 252 CFM | +8 CFM |
| Pollen CADR | 247 CFM | 247 CFM | No change |
| PM2.5 CADR | 241 CFM | 252 CFM | +11 CFM |
| Suggested room size | 370 sq ft | 392 sq ft | +22 sq ft |
| Annual energy use | 356 kWh | 323 kWh | -33 kWh |
| Electricity a year | $65 | $59 | A few dollars less |
| Efficiency (CFM per watt) | 4.1 | 4.6 | 12% better |
| Watts at the test setting | 57.8 W | 65 W | Higher — see below |
| Filter set, as recorded | HEPA + Carbon | HEPA+Active Carbon Filter | Same idea, new wording |
| Ion stage | PlasmaWave | PlasmaWave | No change |
| Measured ozone | None published | None published | Neither is in ENERGY STAR |
What actually changed
About 6% more air. 253 CFM against 239 is a real improvement and a small one. In practical terms it moves the two-thirds-rule ceiling from about 358 square feet to about 379, and for a pet household sized at six air changes an hour, from about 298 square feet to about 316 — check it against your own room.
33 kWh a year less. This is the change that compounds. At the U.S. average residential rate the difference is only a few dollars a year, but it arrives alongside more air rather than instead of it, which is the combination that actually matters: the 5510’s Integrated Energy Factor is 4.6 CFM per watt against 4.1, about 12% better.
Nothing on the ion stage. AHAM classifies both models as a fan filter with an ion generator. If PlasmaWave was your reason for avoiding the 5500-2, the 5510 does not solve it.
The figure AHAM publishes and does not explain
One row in that table runs against the others. The 5510 draws 65 watts at the smoke-CADR test setting where the 5500-2 draws 57.8 — about 12% more — and yet its certified annual energy use is 33 kWh a year lower.
Electricity costs on this page use 18.34¢ per kWh, the U.S. average residential price for June 2026 from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.3. Your rate is on your bill and is probably not this one; multiply the kWh figure by your own rate and you have your number.
5510, 5520 and 5530: one platform, three model numbers
Searching for the 5500-2’s replacement turns up three of them, and the register settles what the product pages do not. All three are separate AHAM entries, and all three carry identical certified figures.
| Model | Smoke CADR | Room size | Annual energy | CFM per watt | Ion stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5300-2 (discontinued) | 239 CFM | 370 sq ft | 356 kWh | 4.10 | PlasmaWave |
| 5500-2 (discontinued) | 239 CFM | 370 sq ft | 356 kWh | 4.10 | PlasmaWave |
| 5510 | 253 CFM | 392 sq ft | 323 kWh | 4.60 | PlasmaWave |
| 5520 | 253 CFM | 392 sq ft | 323 kWh | 4.60 | PlasmaWave |
| 5530 | 253 CFM | 392 sq ft | 323 kWh | 4.60 | PlasmaWave |
| C710 | 248 CFM | 384 sq ft | 235 kWh | 6.20 | None |
| AT40 | 265 CFM | 410 sq ft | 272 kWh | 5.60 | None |
| AT41 | 265 CFM | 410 sq ft | 272 kWh | 5.60 | None |
That table is the most useful thing on this page. It means the question “5510 or 5520 or 5530?” is not a performance question at all — it is a question about which bundle and which app features you are paying for. It also means the 5300-2 and the 5500-2 were one machine with two badges, which is worth knowing if you are being offered either as remaining stock.
The advertised coverage, and the arithmetic behind it
The current retail listing for the 5510 advertises coverage of up to 1,881 square feet in one hour. AHAM’s suggested room size for the same machine is 392 square feet. Both are honest, and the gap between them is not a trick so much as a convention nobody explains at the point of sale.
Here is the whole of it: 392 × 4.8 = 1,882. The register’s figure assumes 4.8 air changes an hour, which is what AHAM considers adequate; the advertised figure assumes one. Same machine, same CADR, two different standards of “covered”. One air change an hour against a continuous source like a shedding animal is close to meaningless — why the air-change rate is the whole argument.
What neither model fixes
Quick picks
The successor, its two identically certified siblings, the Winix that beats all of them, and the discontinued incumbent.
| # | Product | Best for | Certified CADR | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The successor to buy Winix 5510 253 certified CFM across 392 sq ft on 323 kWh — more air than the 5500-2 for less energy. | The 5500-2's replacement, pet odor | 253CFM smoke AHAM VERIFIDE | |
| 2 |  Winix's own better machine Winix AT41 265 certified CFM, 272 kWh, and no ion generator at all. | Pet allergies, whole living room | 265CFM smoke AHAM VERIFIDE | |
| 3 |  Identical certified entry Winix 5520 The same 253/392/323 figures as the 5510. Different bundle, same machine. | The 5510 platform, different bundle | 253CFM smoke AHAM VERIFIDE | |
| 4 |  Same again, plus app control Winix 5530 Also 253/392/323. The premium over the 5510 buys software, not air. | The 5510 platform with app control | 253CFM smoke AHAM VERIFIDE | |
| 5 |  Skip this one — discontinued Winix 5500-2 Still good on paper, but Winix has retired it and certification does not transfer. | Pet odor, if you switch PlasmaWave off | 239CFM smoke AHAM VERIFIDE |
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The picks
Winix 5510
Winix · model 5510
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The certified successor to the discontinued 5500-2, and a real improvement on it: 14 CFM more smoke CADR, 22 more certified square feet and 33 kWh a year less. It still ships PlasmaWave and it is still in no ozone register.
253 smoke / 252 dust / 247 pollen CFM · 252 PM2.5
- Certified room size
- 392 sq ft
- Energy / year
- 323 kWh
- Electricity / year
- $59
- Air per watt
- 4.6 CFM/W
- Power draw
- 65 W
- Noise
- Not published
- Filter class
- HEPA+Active Carbon Filter
- AHAM rule, 316 sq ft
- Clears it (211 needed)
PlasmaWave — fitted
AHAM classifies this model 'Fan Filter* with Ion Generator'. It is absent from ENERGY STAR, so unlike Winix's T810 there is no measured ozone figure for it, and we could not source Winix's own documentation for whether PlasmaWave is switchable on this model number.
253 certified smoke CADR across 392 certified square feet, or about 316 square feet at the six air changes an hour we size pet rooms to. AHAM records the filter set as HEPA+Active Carbon Filter, and the carbon stage is the reason this line has always been the one to pick for litter box and wet-dog smell. $59 a year in electricity.
The honest con: PlasmaWave, with no measured ozone figure because the model is not in ENERGY STAR, and we could not source Winix’s own documentation of whether the ion stage is switchable on this model number — it is on the 5500-2. Winix also publishes no noise figure and no filter price we could verify for it.
Winix AT41
Winix · model AT41
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The best-evidenced pick for a pet household: the highest certified smoke CADR of any mid-price unit here, no ion generator, and a measured zero on ozone.
265 smoke / 259 dust / 244 pollen CFM · 261 PM2.5
- Certified room size
- 410 sq ft
- Energy / year
- 272 kWh
- Electricity / year
- $50
- Air per watt
- 5.6 CFM/W
- Power draw
- 45 W
- Noise
- Not published
- Measured ozone
- 0 ppb
- Filter class
- HEPA-Type
- AHAM rule, 330 sq ft
- Clears it (220 needed)
No ionizer — filtration only
AHAM classifies this model 'Fan with Filter' — no ion generator, unlike Winix's PlasmaWave line.
Before buying the 5510, look at this. 265 certified smoke CADR, 410 certified square feet, 272 kWh a year — more air than the 5510 for 51 kWh less — and AHAM classifies it as fan and filter with no ion generator, with 0 ppb measured on the sibling AT40. $50 a year.
The honest con: availability. No Amazon listing we could find names the AT41 specifically — the offers are for the AT40, which carries identical certified figures but is a different model number — so the buy button here is a tagged search rather than a product link. Winix publishes no washable pre-filter, noise figure or filter price for it either.
Winix 5520
Winix · model 5520
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The same certified entry as the 5510 — identical CADR, room size, energy use and efficiency. What differs is the box and the bundle, not the machine.
253 smoke / 252 dust / 247 pollen CFM · 252 PM2.5
- Certified room size
- 392 sq ft
- Energy / year
- 323 kWh
- Electricity / year
- $59
- Air per watt
- 4.6 CFM/W
- Power draw
- 65 W
- Noise
- Not published
- Filter class
- HEPA+Active Carbon Filter
- AHAM rule, 316 sq ft
- Clears it (211 needed)
PlasmaWave — fitted
AHAM classifies this model 'Fan Filter* with Ion Generator'. Absent from ENERGY STAR, so no measured ozone figure exists for it.
A separate AHAM entry with the same 253 CFM, the same 392 square feet and the same 323 kWh as the 5510. If it is cheaper than the 5510 on the day you look, buy it; you are not giving anything up on certified performance.
The honest con: everything true of the 5510 is true here — PlasmaWave, no ozone measurement, no published noise or filter price. And because the two entries are indistinguishable on paper, anything a listing claims as an upgrade over the 5510 is a claim about features, not about air.
Winix 5530
Winix · model 5530
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The third model number on the 5510's certified platform, with the same figures again. The premium of this one over the 5510 buys app control, not air.
253 smoke / 252 dust / 247 pollen CFM · 252 PM2.5
- Certified room size
- 392 sq ft
- Energy / year
- 323 kWh
- Electricity / year
- $59
- Air per watt
- 4.6 CFM/W
- Power draw
- 65 W
- Noise
- Not published
- Filter class
- HEPA+Active Carbon Filter
- AHAM rule, 316 sq ft
- Clears it (211 needed)
PlasmaWave — fitted
AHAM classifies this model 'Fan Filter* with Ion Generator'. Absent from ENERGY STAR, so no measured ozone figure exists for it.
The third model number on this platform, with the same certified figures a third time. It is the version marketed on app control, and it generally sits in a higher price bracket than the 5510 and 5520.
The honest con: you are paying more for software. On the evidence this site uses — certified CADR, certified room size, certified annual energy — there is nothing to choose between this and the cheapest model number on the platform.
Winix 5500-2
Winix · model 5500-2
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The unit almost every roundup in this category picks. Certified performance is real, but it ships PlasmaWave and it costs 31% more a year to run than Winix's own AT41 for less air movement.
239 smoke / 244 dust / 247 pollen CFM · 241 PM2.5
- Certified room size
- 370 sq ft
- Energy / year
- 356 kWh
- Electricity / year
- $65
- Air per watt
- 4.1 CFM/W
- Power draw
- 57.8 W
- Noise
- Not published
- Filter class
- HEPA + Carbon
- AHAM rule, 298 sq ft
- Clears it (199 needed)
PlasmaWave — can be switched off
AHAM classifies this model 'Fan Filter with Ion Generator'. Winix documents PlasmaWave as switchable, and the unit runs as a plain HEPA machine with it off.
It earned its reputation. 239 certified CFM, a genuinely good washable pre-filter and real carbon mass made it the right answer in a shedding house for years, and it is still the pre-filter specification the successors do not document.
Why it is not a pick: Winix discontinued the 5500-2 and the 5300-2 in the U.S. and Canada and named the 5510 as successor. Remaining stock still sells, often at a price that looks like a bargain, but you are buying into a filter supply chain for a retired model and giving up 14 CFM and 33 kWh a year to do it.
Who each one is wrong for
The 5510 is wrong for an asthmatic household. Not because it is dangerous — it is sold legally and the ion stage on this line measures low where it has been measured at all — but because you can have the same air with no ion stage and no missing number, and on this site that choice is free.
The AT41 is wrong if you want to click buy today. The certified case for it is the strongest of any Winix here and the listing situation is the weakest. If a tagged search is not something you want to work through, the 5510 is the sensible compromise.
Every machine here is wrong if your room is much over 379 square feet. This is a mid-size platform. Past that you want a larger certified machine rather than this one run flat out — the larger picks for a shedding house.
Common questions
Is the Winix 5510 better than the 5500-2?
What is the difference between the Winix 5510, 5520 and 5530?
Is the Winix 5500-2 discontinued?
Does the Winix 5510 still have PlasmaWave?
Should I buy the Winix 5510 or the AT41?
Sources
- AHAM VERIFIDE directory of certified room air cleaners
- AHAM — air filtration standards and the two-thirds sizing rule
- ENERGY STAR certified room air cleaners database
- EPA — Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home
- Winix America product and filter listings
Figures were read on the dates shown against each source. If one has changed, or if we have got something wrong, tell us and we will correct the page.
Read next
- Pet hair & odorWinix vs CowayWinix is AHAM-listed and splits between PlasmaWave and plain models. Coway is ENERGY STAR-only and splits between the certified Airmegas and the unverified best-seller.
- Pet hair & odorBlueair vs WinixBlueair takes air-per-watt by a distance; Winix documents switchable PlasmaWave and washable pre-filters. Which matters depends on how much your animal sheds.
- Pet hair & odorThe Best Air Purifiers for Pet HairWhy the washable pre-filter decides this category, and the certified units that have one.
- Pet hair & odorThe Best Air Purifiers for Pet OdorWhy carbon mass decides odor performance, which units have it, and what a purifier cannot fix.