Molekule and Air Doctor are well-known brands in the air purifier industry, so we decided to compare their largest and most powerful units.
Which is better, the Air Doctor 5500i or Molekule Air Pro Air Purifiers? We will find that out.
Airdoctor 5500i is a high-quality, high-performance air cleaner that can purify particles to a minimum of 0.003-micron size.
On the other hand, Molekule Air Pro is a more compact air purifier that can also deliver very powerful purification. The Multi-layer PECO filter can eliminate particles with a size of 0.3 microns.
Before we continue to the article, here is an overview of both units.
| Air Purifier | Air Doctor 5500i | Molekule Air Pro |
| Room Size Coverage | 868 sq. ft. 5x/hour | 600 sq. ft. 5x/hour |
| CADR (Smoke)/CFM | 534 | N/A |
| Fan Speeds | 6 | 6 |
| Noise Level | 30 – 50 dB | 33 – 64 dB |
| Power Consumption | 10 – 100 W | 61 – 153 W |
| Dimensions | 16″ (W) x 16″ (D) x 28.75″ (H) | 10.9” (W) x 10.9” (D) x 23.9” (H) |
| Weight | 33 lbs | 22 lbs |
| Price | Check Here | Check Here |
Air Doctor 5500i Air Purifier
AirDoctor 5500i is the largest of the AirDoctor family, and this new WiFi-connected air purifier is just brilliant – it is powerful yet quiet, and now you can control it through the phone.
It has all the possible features, including real-time air quality alerts, filter change alerts, and more.
Pros
Cons
Molekule Air Pro Air Purifier
Molekule Air Pro is the largest from the Molekule family, with great features such as real-time air score, quiet mode, easy app control, and more.
And what’s important is that it looks great – you can use it as home decor.
Pros
Cons
Air Doctor 5500i And Molekule Air Pro Designs
Both air purifiers look completely different – one has a square form with rounded edges, and the other is completely round.
AirDoctor 5500i has 2 air intakes from both sides and clean air distribution through the top. Both air intakes use full surface, making airflow high.
Molekule Air Pro has 360-degree air intake from the bottom, and clean air is distributed through the top.
A 360-degree air intake may sound better, but the opening is much smaller than Airdoctor’s large side panels. So, the airflow is also not as strong but is still significant.
AirDoctor is wider and a bit taller, and its weight is 33 lbs vs Molekule’s 22 lbs.
Both units have touchscreen control panels on the top. AirDoctor 5500i has large, understandable controls with a one-touch option to pick any function.
Molekule Air Pro, on the other hand, has a small circle-shaped screen, which you need to scroll left and right to choose the function you may need.
Read Also:
Airdoctor 5500 vs. Blueair Classic 605 Air Purifier
Airdoctor 5500 vs. Coway Airmega 400 Air Purifier
AirDoctor 5500 vs. Medify Air MA-50 Air Purifier
Air Doctor 5500i vs. Molekule Air Pro Filters And Performance
Let’s start with Air Doctor 5500i filters. As mentioned before, it has air intake from 2 sides. And both sides have the same filters.
Each side has a large pre-filter to trap the largest particles and a thick carbon/gas trap/VOC filter to trap gases and odors. Then the last ones are UltraHEPA filters, which are patented and used only by AirDoctor.
UltraHEPA can remove particles as small as 0.003 microns, which is 100x smaller than any other standard HEPA filter can filter.
So this combination, together with powerful fans, captures almost everything from the air, including dust, pollen, mold, pet hair, smoke, odors, gases, viruses, and more.
AirDoctor 5500i can clean 868 sq. ft. large rooms 5x per hour, or 2170 square feet 2 times per hour with avg. 8-ft. ceilings.
Molekule Air Pro has only one filter; it is round and is being installed in the unit through the top.
In the middle of the air purifier is a nanocatalyst-coated filter layer with a light-activated catalyst patented by Molekule.
While the filter traps large particles, the catalyst breaks down pollutants such as viruses and bacteria on a molecular level.
While the filter traps particles as small as 0.3 microns, PECO destroys 1000x smaller pollutants with no ozone byproduct.
Molekule Air Pro can clean 600 sq. ft. large rooms 5x per hour, or 1500 square feet 2 times per hour with avg. 8-ft. ceilings.
In summary, both air purifiers have great air-cleaning capacities. If you have a larger area and want to clean odors, pick the AirDoctor 5500i unit. If you don’t want to deal with filters and want particles destroyed instead of collected, pick Molekule.
Airdoctor 5500i And Molekule Air Pro Features
These units are features richest out there. Both have an auto mode, fan speed mode, quiet mode, particle sensors, filter change indicators, and Wi-Fi.
Both units have particle level indicators showing you different lights when the room is clean or dirty (full of pollutants).
AirDoctor has several features that Molekule doesn’t have, such as dim light mode, timer, and control lock feature.
Both units have an excellent app with a lot of functions. The app lets you follow your room’s dirtiness in real life and check historical data.
Air Doctor’s app even has a function to share your device control rights with other people.
Airdoctor 5500i And Molekule Air Pro Power Consumption
Air Doctor 5500i consumes 10 watts at the lowest fan speed and 100 at the highest.
Molekule Air Pro consumes 61 watts at the lowest fan speed and 153 at the highest.
Both units have an auto mode, so they will switch to a lower fan speed every time the air becomes cleaner, thus decreasing your electricity bills.
Both air purifiers consume little power compared to their performance and size, but Air Doctor is a clear winner.
Air Doctor 5500i And Molekule Air Pro Noise Level
AirDoctor 5500i emits 30 dB noise at the lowest fan speed and 50 dB at the highest.
Molekule Air Pro emits 33 dB noise at the lowest fan speed and 64 dB at the highest.
Thanks to auto mode, both units will mostly run on the lowest fan speeds, so the noise will be low.
Compared to their performance, these ratings are very low. You won’t even notice these air purifiers working most of the day.
Air Doctor 5500i And Molekule Air Pro Upkeep
As with every electrical device, air purifiers also need maintenance.
Maintenance includes filter changes. Air Doctor 5500i pre-filter is cleanable; you should clean it once every 3 months or more frequently. Based on air dirtiness, Carbon and HEPA filters should be replaced every 6-12 months.
Replacing AirDoctor filters is so easy that even a child can do that. Open the cover, remove dirty filters, install new ones, and close the lid.
The Molekule Air Pro filter should be replaced every 3-6 months. As it doesn’t have a pre-filter, it becomes dirty faster, and as Molekule doesn’t recommend cleaning or vacuuming it, you will need to buy a new one frequently.
Changing the Molekule Air Pro filter is quite easy – remove the top cover, remove the dirty one, and install a new one. Close the lid.
Air Doctor 5500i And Molekule Air Pro Price Comparison
AirDoctor 5500i air purifier price on the official website is $1099 ($799 to our blog readers), with an option to purchase now and pay later as low as $66/month, while the Molekule Air Pro price is $1014 on the official website molekule.com and same on Amazon. Check for discounts here.
The Molekule Air Pro replacement filter costs $160. It includes a PECO replacement filter.
AirDoctor 5500 replacement filter set price is $318. It includes 2 UltraHEPA filters and 4 Carbon Gas Trap/VOC filters. Each filter can be bought separately as well.
Air Doctor 5500 vs. Molekule Air Pro: Which One Is Better?
Both air purifiers are great and offer high performance in large spaces.
Air Doctor 5500i is slightly better in most of the specs. Especially for those with larger spaces who want to eliminate odors and smoke.
If you want a more fancy-looking and smaller device, go for Molekule Air Pro.
