The Sans is a medium-sized air purifier with a cylindrical body that comes in different colors and is highly recommended by trusted newspapers and magazines.
But is it as good and quiet as they all say it is? And most importantly, does its air cleaning performance justify the $470 list price?
To find out, I bought one with my own money so that I could use it a home in order to test its performance, energy consumption, noise generation, yearly maintenance costs, and day-to-day user experience.
The overall score for the Sans Air Purifier incorporates first-hand data results from our battery of tests, as well as our ratings for customer service, brand transparency, and design & UX. Check out the full scorecard below to see the category breakdown.
Search for ‘Sans’ to see where it ranks, based on its air cleaning performance and value for money. You can also filter results to easily compare models in the same price range.
The pros and cons of the Sans Air Purifier
A summary of our top-level findings after testing this air purifier, following our methodology.
“Based on my first hand data and comparison to over 150 air purifiers, I think most people will get better value from cheaper air purifier models from other brands.
When adding the list price to the yearly running cost, you will end up spending $702.57 in the first 12 months of owning a Sans Air Purifier.The Levoit Vital 200S and the Winix 5530 both offer the same air cleaning performance at top speed, but will cost you half the money to buy and to run.”
HouseFresh Founder
& Lead Tester
CONS
PROS
Filtration technology
An all-in-one cylindrical filter with HEPA filtration for particles and activated carbon for odors.
You can access the filter from the back and, I’ve got to say, I am not a fan of the mechanism… Both of us cut ourselves when accessing the filter.
The filter itself is an all-in-one cylindrical filter with a pre-filter mesh on the outside, a particle filter underneath and a layer of activated carbon on the inside.
According to Sans, the particle filter is HEPA H13 and the carbon filter comes with a pound of carbon, which equates to 453 grams.
Keep in mind that this won’t be enough to help those with serious issues with odors or VOCs. And once the carbon is full, you’ll have to replace the entire filter as particle and carbon are bonded together.
Design, controls and features
A medium-sized air purifier with similar dimensions to other cylindrical models like the Philips 3200 Series.
The Sans is a medium sized air purifier with a cylindrical shape. There is a Mini version, too.
The fan draws dirty air from all around the bottom half section of the body, while clean air is released through the top of the device.
You get buttons to select speeds, set timers, adjust the lights and enable the UV-C light inside.
There is also a magnifying glass button that allows you to switch between PM2.5, PM10 and VOC readings from the sensors.
It is pretty light, weighing just around 5kg (or 11lbs), and comes with a handle at the top.
I bought the white version because I didn’t want to pay $20 extra but you also get options for dark grey, cream and green.
While doing my research about Sans, I found an article from T3 with an intriguing headline that read, “Watch out, Meaco – this Sans air purifier is near-quiet and has a lights out mode.“
This reminded me that somewhere in our loft, there was a Meaco unit waiting for its moment to shine…
Both air purifiers have similar dimensions, similar weight, similar handles, similar controls, and even similar filter removal mechanism. Our test data shows that performance, sound and energy consumption are also similar.
But there are differences, too. The Sans has different button designs, uses a UV-C light and comes with a dual sensor that measures PM2.5 and VOC levels.
These differences feel like customizations, so I performed a few reverse image searches on Google and came across different models sold in different countries that look a lot like the Sans.
This points in the direction of an ODM agreement, where multiple brands are entering agreements to sell a specific design with the same manufacturer.
Air cleaning performance
We tested the Sans Air Purifier in our 728-cubic-ft test room, measuring how quickly it removed PM1 particles from the air after we filled the space with incense smoke.
When running at top speed, our PurpleAir Zen sensor shows that the Sans Air Purifier needed 24 minutes to reach PM1 zero. Based on the natural ventilation of our test room, we estimate a PM1 CADR of 249 cfm.
This makes this larger Sans model powerful enough to clean the air five times per hour in rooms up to 373 sq. ft. (or 34 m²).
As the comparison chart below shows, 24 minutes is the same amount of time it took the Levoit Vital 200S and the Winix 5530 – although those two models come with app support and cost less than $190.
But considering the list price of $469.99, how much power do you get per dollar you spend?
As you can see from the table blow, consumers choosing to buy a Sans are paying a much higher cost per CADR than that of other similar models from well known brands like Levoit, Winix, Coway and Blueair.
But this is all based on top speed data. And results at top speed won’t tell us the full story…
Sound levels
The sound levels of the Sans Air Purifier range from 36.9 dBA to 65.2 dBA. Just to give you an idea, 65 decibels sits between a dishwasher and a vacuum cleaner.
As with every review, I used our BAFX sound meter to measure how much sound this larger Sans model generates at each of its fan speeds at 3 ft away:
Reaching 65.2dBA at top speed, the Sans is louder than every mid-sized air purifiers in the comparison. In fact, it’s so loud that it makes loud units like the Winix 5530 and the Coway Airmega 350 look good.
Running at speed 1, it reached 36.9 dBA and cleared our test room in 1 hour and 53 minutes. It’s 3x slower to clean the air at a fan speed under 45 decibels than the Coway Airmega Mighty2, which is cheaper.
Based on the natural ventilation of our test room, I estimate a PM1 CADR of 55 cfm at speed 1, which can clean the air five times per hour in spaces up to 82.5 sq. ft. (or 7 m²).
Long-term running costs
Running a Sans Air Purifier will cost you $232.58 per year, combining energy and filter replacement costs.
We used our energy meter to record how much electricity the larger Sans model pulls at each fan speed and while on standby.
At top speed, the Sans draws 45.2 watts, so if you were to leave it running at top speed 24/7 for one year, it will add $72.62 to your energy bill, based on the latest electricity prices in the U.S. as of November 2026.
In terms of filter replacements, Sans states that the filter needs to be changed every 3 months.
Each filter costs $39.99, so you can expect to spend $159.96 each year on filter replacements alone.
I added the yearly filter replacement costs to the energy consumption costs and found that you’ll need to budget for $232.58 per year to keep your Sans Air Purifier running all day, every day.
This makes the Sans the most expensive mid-sized air purifier in our benchmark to run over a year, thanks in particular to the short filter lifespan which forces you to spend nearly 40 bucks every three months (or $36 dollars if you sign up for the filter subscription).
That is why I encourage you to always take a few minutes to calculate how much money you will need to spend on filter replacements before deciding which model you’ll go with.
Be aware you may lose the coverage for the 5-year warranty if you don’t replace your filters every 3 months.
Bottom line: Should you get a Sans Air Purifier?
After testing everything there is to test about this model, I can’t recommend it.
The Sans lists at around $470 and that’s what it has sold for on Amazon for most of the past year, though you’ll sometimes find it cheaper on Sans’s own website
This price makes the Sans hard to recommend because for an air purifier that offers the same or worse air cleaning power than much cheaper models from more well-known brands:
Plus, it’s louder than most so you don’t get the same level of air cleaning power at quiet fan speeds as you would with a Coway Mighty2, an AirFanta 3Pro or a Philips 3200 Series – all of which are not only quieter but also cheaper to buy AND to run.
Which brings me to the exorbitant cost you’d pay in the first year of ownership…
When adding the list price to the yearly running cost, you will end up spending $702.57 in the first 12 months of owning a Sans.
Based on my first hand data and comparison to over 150 air purifiers, I think most people will get better value from cheaper air purifier models from other brands.
The Levoit Vital 200S, the Winix 5510 and the Winix 5530 all offer the same air cleaning performance at top speed, but will cost you half the money to buy and to run.
And if you’re looking for the highest CADR at the lowest price, then look no further than the newly released AirFanta 5Pro. This PC fan powered air purifier nearly doubles the performance of the Sans at top speed and costs less than $200.
If you’re still unsure about which air purifier to get, I recommend you check out our air purifier comparison too. In there you will find all the data I have collected on over 150 different models, so you can compare them like for like.
If you have any questions about the Sans or about air purifiers in general, please drop them in the comments below, and I’ll reply personally as soon as I can.
