BLUEAIR Air Purifiers for Home Large Room up to 3,235 Ft², Blue 211i Max

The Blue Pure 211i Max is a large-room purifier. Blueair rates it at about 410 CFM CADR for smoke, dust and pollen. It says the unit cleans a 674 sq ft room in 12.5 minutes, and can cycle up to 3,235 sq ft once an hour. It costs about $320 to $350 and has around 3,600 reviews at 4.4 stars.

Those CADR figures come from Blueair. The unit is AHAM Verified, but keep in mind the numbers above are the brand's own.

Who it's for

Big living rooms, open-plan ground floors, and anyone who wants to move a lot of air without a loud machine. On low it runs at 23 dB. On high it reaches 53 dB, which you'll hear, but at that setting it's clearing a large room fast. There's an air quality sensor, an auto mode and the Blueair app.

The intake is 360°, so it draws air in from all sides. Our best air purifier for large rooms guide explains how to size a purifier to a space.

HEPASilent filtration

Blueair's HEPASilent combines mechanical filtration with an electrostatic charge. Blueair says it captures 99.97% of particles. There is also a washable fabric pre-filter on the outside for larger stuff like pet hair and lint.

Because it uses an electrostatic stage, it isn't a purely mechanical filter like the Levoit Core units. Our HEPA filter air purifier and how do air purifiers work articles cover the difference.

Who should skip it

Anyone buying for a bedroom. This is too much purifier for a 150 sq ft room. A Levoit Core 300-P at about $81 or a Coway Airmega 100 at about $117 will handle that job for a fraction of the price.

211i Max vs Medify MA-40

These two have nearly the same CADR (the Medify MA-40 is rated at 406). The Medify costs less, about $250, and comes with a lifetime warranty if you register it. But it has no sensor, no auto mode and no app. It's also loud, starting at 46 dB on its lowest speed, compared with 23 dB here. For a room people sit or sleep in, the Blueair is much easier to live with.

211i Max vs Winix 5510

The Winix 5510 costs less than half as much, at about $135, with a 253 CFM smoke CADR. If your room is under about 400 sq ft, the Winix covers it and saves you around $200. The Blueair makes sense when the space is genuinely large.

For pet owners, our best air purifier for pets guide covers what else to weigh.