Coway
Coway AP-1512HH Mighty
$229Cheaper
Released 2016
Best Air Purifiers · head-to-head
Coway AP-1512HH Mighty vs Winix 5520
A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Coway AP-1512HH Mighty is cheaper at $229. Every spec and price links to its source.
Winix
Winix 5520
$259.99
Released 2022
Which is better: the Coway AP-1512HH Mighty or Winix 5520?
The Winix 5520 wins 1 of the 1 specs we compare head to head; the other wins 0. The Coway AP-1512HH Mighty is the cheaper at $229. Get the Winix 5520 for the stronger spec sheet, the Coway AP-1512HH Mighty to spend less.
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Key specs, head to head
The numbers that decide it, drawn to scale — longer bar wins, the accent bar is the stronger figure.
Full spec sheet
✓ marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.
| Spec | Coway AP-1512HH Mighty | Winix 5520 |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $229 | $259.99 |
| Brand | Coway | Winix |
| Released | 2016 | 2022 |
| Cadr smoke (CFM) | 233 | 253 |
| Coverage (sq ft) | 360 | 392 |
| Hepa | Yes | Yes |
| Filter type | Pre-filter + Activated Carbon + True HEPA + Ionizer (switchable) | Fine Mesh Pre-filter + AOC Carbon + True HEPA + PlasmaWave (4-stage) |
| Noise db min | 24.4 | 23.5 |
| Smart | No | Yes |
| Energy star | Yes | No |
| Release | 2016 | 2022 |
Sources — Coway AP-1512HH Mighty: breathequality.com (verified 2026-06-15). Winix 5520: winixamerica.com (verified 2026-06-15).
What's the difference between the Coway AP-1512HH Mighty and Winix 5520?
Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (6 of 7). Matching specs are omitted.
- Cadr smoke (CFM): Coway AP-1512HH Mighty 233 vs Winix 5520 253
- Coverage (sq ft): Coway AP-1512HH Mighty 360 vs Winix 5520 392
- Filter type: Coway AP-1512HH Mighty Pre-filter + Activated Carbon + True HEPA + Ionizer (switchable) vs Winix 5520 Fine Mesh Pre-filter + AOC Carbon + True HEPA + PlasmaWave (4-stage)
- Noise db min: Coway AP-1512HH Mighty 24.4 vs Winix 5520 23.5
- Smart: Coway AP-1512HH Mighty false vs Winix 5520 true
- Energy star: Coway AP-1512HH Mighty true vs Winix 5520 false
What reviewers say
Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.
Coway AP-1512HH Mighty
HouseFresh's chamber test rates the Coway AP-1512HH Mighty a strong cleaner — clearing incense smoke in a 728 cu ft lab in 26 minutes at top speed with a 247.7 CFM dust CADR — but flags it as unusually power-hungry (75.3W) and now dated, with better-value rivals available. (1 sourced review, 1 lab-tested.)
Praised: Strong, fast air-cleaning performance (26 min to clear room at top speed) with decent value when the ionizer runs at full speed; Very cheap and widely available OEM/generic replacement filters.
Flagged: Much more power-hungry than similarly performing purifiers (75.3W at Speed 3), raising long-term running cost; Design is dated versus modern units; performance-per-dollar drops sharply without the ionizer and at lower speeds.
Winix 5520
Only one whitelisted tester (Wirecutter) hands-on tested the exact Winix 5520, and only in its dismissed-competition section: a capable purifier that tested worse and louder than Coway's Mighty 2, with a dark, monolithic form that stands out in most rooms, a display that shuts off only on the lowest and least effective fan speed, and an ionizer that reactivates on every power-on. No lab numbers were published for this model. (1 sourced review, 1 lab-tested.)
Praised: Capable air-cleaning performance.
Flagged: Tested worse than, and louder than, Coway's Mighty 2; Display only shuts off on the lowest, least effective fan speed; Reverts to its ionizing function on every power-on.