The Winix 5510 and Winix 5530 are the same purifier in different colors, so buy whichever is cheaper on the day in the finish you prefer. Both carry a 253 CFM smoke CADR, a 392 sq ft room rating and the same Filter Q; Winix's own manuals even list the same 65 W power rating for both, so color and price are the whole decision.
The short answer
Choose the 5510 if you want a black unit, or it costs less than the 5530 at checkout. It also has two more years of owner reviews behind identical hardware.
Choose the 5530 if you want white, or it is the cheaper of the pair that day. Some listings credit it with a 45 W rating, but Winix's manual says 65 W, the same as the 5510, so there is nothing extra to pay for.
| On paper | Winix 5510 | Winix 5530 |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024 | 2026 |
| Housing color | Black | White |
| Retail part number | 1022-0233-00 | 1022-0233-08 |
| Smoke CADR (AHAM Verifide) | 253 CFM | 253 CFM |
| Room at 4.8 air changes/hr | ~392 sq ft | ~392 sq ft |
| Filter | Filter Q, 1712-0123-00 | Filter Q, 1712-0123-00 |
| Rated power (Winix manual) | 65 W | 65 W |
| Noise figure you'll see | 40.2–65.7 dBA (independent meter) | 23.5 dB Sleep only (Winix) |
| Weight (Winix manual) | 13.3 lb | 12.6 lb |
| Wi-Fi app | Yes | Yes, plus Alexa |
| PlasmaWave ionizer | Yes, can be switched off | Yes, can be switched off |
| Warranty | 2-year limited | 2-year limited |
| Typical price | $180–$200 | $180–$220 |
How to tell them apart on the shelf or a listing
Because the machines match, mix-ups don't hurt performance. They do matter when a seller charges more for one than the other, or when the listing is for a different Winix entirely. Four checks settle it:
- The model number on the box and rating label. It reads 5510, 5520 or 5530. That number, not the photo, is what to match.
- The retail part number. Home Depot lists the 5510 as 1022-0233-00 and Ace Hardware lists the 5530 as 1022-0233-08. The shared 1022-0233 stem is a good hint that Winix treats them as one product in two trims.
- The color. Black is the 5510, white is the 5530. The 5520 is the one with a different front grille.
- The filter named on the page. A genuine 5510-family unit lists Filter Q. If a listing mentions Filter H or a washable carbon filter, you are looking at the older Winix 5500-2, which has no Wi-Fi and a lower 232 CFM smoke rating.
The 5530's box also advertises 1,882 sq ft. That works out to one air change an hour, about a fifth of the pace used for sizing on this site, so don't let it suggest the 5530 covers more floor than the 5510.
Does the 45 W rating mean the 5530 is cheaper to run?
No. Winix's manuals settle it. The spec table in the 5530 manual gives a 65 W power rating, a 12.6 lb weight and a 13.59 x 8.27 x 22.17 in body, and the 5510/5520 manual lists the same 65 W rating and body dimensions, with a weight of 13.3 lb. The 45 W number appears in some retail copy for the 5530, but nothing Winix publishes backs it up, so read it as a listing error rather than a more frugal fan.
That means a single electricity ceiling covers both models. At 65 W, 24 hours a day, either one uses about 569 kWh a year, roughly $97 at $0.17/kWh. Nobody runs a purifier on Turbo all day, and neither model has published per-speed wattage, so the real figure on Auto is a fraction of that and the same for both units. Try your actual runtime and electricity rate in the running cost calculator.
Why the noise numbers disagree
Put the two product pages side by side and the 5530 looks dramatically quieter: 23.5 dB against 40.2 dBA at the bottom. It isn't. The 23.5 dB is Winix's own Sleep-mode figure. The 5510 range on our page comes from an independent measurement, not from Winix, so the two figures were never on the same scale.
The cleanest data point covers the 5510, and it applies to both. HouseFresh measured it from 3 ft at 35.2 dBA in Sleep, 36.8 on speed 1, 40.8 on speed 2, 51.6 on speed 3 and 67.2 on Turbo. Speeds 1 and 2 suit a bedroom. Speed 3 competes with a conversation. Turbo is for clearing smoke with the door shut. Winix publishes no top-speed figure for the 5530, so expect the same spread.
Same rating, same rooms
With identical airflow, one set of numbers covers both. At full speed with 8 ft ceilings:
| Room | Air changes per hour |
|---|---|
| 12 x 15 bedroom (180 sq ft) | 10.5 |
| 14 x 16 bedroom (224 sq ft) | 8.5 |
| 15 x 25 living room (375 sq ft) | 5.1 |
| 18 x 28 great room (504 sq ft) | 3.8, undersized |
Either one can idle on its two lowest speeds through a bedroom night and still turn the air over several times an hour. At 375 sq ft they are near their limit and will lean on speed 3 during cooking. Raise the ceiling to 9 ft and the comfortable room size drops to about 349 sq ft. For a space of 500 sq ft or so, the Levoit Core 600S and its 410 CFM is the realistic step up.
Three-year cost, side by side
Assumptions: each unit ships with a Filter Q installed, so three years of ownership means buying two more sets, priced between Winix's $49.99 sale and its $79.99 list. Electricity is shown only as a full-speed ceiling, because neither model has published low-speed wattage.
| Three years | Winix 5510 | Winix 5530 |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | $180–$200 | $180–$220 |
| Two Filter Q sets | $100–$160 | $100–$160 |
| Purchase + filters | $280–$360 | $280–$380 |
| Electricity ceiling (Turbo 24/7) | ~$290 at 65 W | ~$290 at 65 W |
The filter and electricity lines are identical by definition, which leaves the purchase price as the only line that differs. Buying Filter Q on sale instead of at list saves up to $60 over three years, a bigger lever than the usual price gap between the two models.
Filter Q is the part to get right
Both units take Filter Q, part 1712-0123-00: a True HEPA panel plus an AOC carbon panel packed with granular carbon pellets. Winix rates both panels for 12 months, and the carbon is replaced, not rinsed. The washable mesh pre-filter stays in the purifier. Fit details and third-party options are on our Winix 5510/5530 Replacement Filter page.
Three traps catch buyers:
- Filter Q will not fit a 5500-2. That model takes Filter H (116130), sold as the Winix 5500-2 Filter Set, and Filter H will not fit the 5510 or 5530 either.
- Filter A (115115) is for the 5300-2 and C535. Similar branding, different machines.
- Copies reuse the part number. Plenty of third-party listings print 1712-0123-00 in the title. If you want the pellet carbon bed Winix designed, check the seller is Winix.
After a swap, the 5510/5520 manual says to close the front panel, switch the unit on and hold Filter Reset until it beeps, which takes 5 seconds or more. The 5530 shares the platform, but confirm against the label on its control panel.
Which one to buy
Take the cheaper one. With the same airflow, filter and 65 W rating, nothing else separates them. If they are within about $10, pick the color that suits the room. Either way, match the model number on the listing to the box, and make sure the seller is shipping a 5510-family unit rather than a 5500-2.
If neither suits you, the reason is usually the filter bill or the ionizer. Buyers who don't need the app can save on running costs with the Winix 5500-2, whose carbon panel is washable. Anyone who would rather not have ionizer hardware in the room at all should compare the Coway Airmega Mighty2, which covers about 372 sq ft with no ionizer, or the Levoit Vital 200S-P at about 388 sq ft.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Winix 5530 a newer model than the 5510?
Newer by date only. The 5510 came out in 2024 and the 5530 in 2026, and Winix says the 5530 has the same filtration performance as the 5510 series. What changed is the white housing and a fresh listing, not the purifier inside.
Where does the Winix 5520 fit in?
It is the third model on the same platform: identical 253 CFM rating and the same Filter Q, with a different front grille. If the 5520 happens to be cheapest on the day you shop, it is just as sound a buy.
Will a Winix 5500-2 filter fit the 5510 or 5530?
No. The 5500-2 takes Filter H (116130), a different size with a washable carbon panel. The 5510, 5520 and 5530 all need Filter Q, part 1712-0123-00.
Is the 5530 quieter than the 5510?
Nothing published shows that. The only noise number Winix gives for the 5530 is 23.5 dB in Sleep mode, while the 5510 numbers in circulation come from independent sound meters, which read higher by design. HouseFresh measured the 5510 at 35.2 dBA in Sleep and 67.2 dBA on Turbo from 3 ft, and the 5530 should sound much the same.
Do the 5510 and 5530 carry the same warranty?
Winix's 5510 manual gives a 2-year limited warranty in the US and Canada, excluding filters, and the 5530 is listed with the same two-year term. Neither model buys you extra coverage over the other.