Levoit is probably the best-selling air purifier brand in the United States. That fact will not surprise you if you, like me, have used Levoit air purifiers in your home.
Their product range includes top-end devices like the Levoit EverestAir, which is one of the fastest air purifiers we have tested, reaching PM1 zero in a swift 16 minutes. Levoit also produces budget-friendly air purifiers like the trusted Core 300, which managed to clean our room in 54 minutes.
So, we were excited to finally get a chance to test and review the Levoit Vital 200S. It has a more traditional look than the EverestAir or the Core series, and is aimed at medium-sized rooms up to 400 square feet.
We bought the Vital 200S with our own money so we could test it following the same methodology we have used to test over 100 air purifiers since 2020. In this review, I will share the results of our tests and my experience after having this device at home for well over two years now.
The pros and cons of the Levoit Vital 200S
A summary of our top-level findings after testing this air purifier following our methodology.
“A super efficient fan combined with a high-quality particle and activated charcoal filter results in a powerful air purifier.
Retailing at $189.99, the Levoit Vital 200S gives you plenty of bang for your buck.”
HouseFresh Founder
& Lead Tester
CONS
PROS
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | – Top speed PM1 CADR: 260 cfm – Sub-45 dBA PM1 CADR: 128 cfm – AHAM PM2.5: 263 cfm (dust) |
| Filter technology: | Bonded particle and activated carbon filter with removable pre-filter |
| Recommended room size: | 390 sq. ft. (5 air changes per hour) |
| Dimensions: | 15.6D x 8.5W x 19.8H inches (39.3D x 21.5W x 50.2H cm) |
| Weight: | 13.2 lbs (5.9 kg) |
| Noise level in decibels from 3 ft. away: | Speed 1: 38.3 dB Speed 2: 41.9 dB Speed 3: 53.8 dB Speed 4: 57.7 dB |
| Electricity consumption in watts: | Standby mode: 0.97 watts Speed 1: 5.71 watts Speed 2: 8.01 watts Speed 3: 31.96 watts Speed 4: 44.55 watts |
| Filter lifespan: | 12 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 years |
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
In August of 2023, Dyson officially challenged Levoit’s use of ‘True HEPA 13 filters’ in their marketing and advertising through the BBB National Programs National Advertising Division (NAD). As a result, Levoit removed all mentions of “HEPA H13” in their marketing materials for all their air purifiers (including the Vital 200S).
Now, it’s worth mentioning that a higher grade HEPA is not required to clean the air of even the tiniest particles, as lower grade filters still pick up these small particles in multiple passes. Still, we don’t appreciate manufacturers no being transparent about technical specifications.
Design and smart features
A rectangular design that houses a powerful fan, a bonded filter and an air quality sensor.
Rather than use the cylindrical design we see with the Levoit Core series, the Vital 200S is a standard rectangle that pulls air from the front and pushes it out of the top.
Compared to the Levoit air purifier range, it shares a closer resemblance to the premium Levoit EverestAir, although I have to say I prefer the look of the pricier EverestAir — do you blame me? Have a look at it:
You will need to clean the optical sensor every two months to ensure it continues to be accurate when using the device on auto mode. This is one of the reasons why I prefer laser sensors, as I know many people will forget to clean the sensor and this will lead to the air quality readings not being as accurate as they could be.
From right to left you get an auto-mode button, a night mode button, the fan speed button, the power button, a timer button, a child lock button and lastly a button to turn the lights on and off. The power button is surrounded by an LED ring that changes color surrounded by lights that change color depending on indoor air quality.
The Vital 200S comes with app connectivity through the VeSync app, which is the app used by a range of Levoit gadgets and is well-rated across Android and Apple ecosystems.
The app uses Vesync, which is the app used by a range of Levoit gadgets and is well-rated across Android and Apple ecosystems.
I tested the Apple app, and it was easy to install and add the Vital 200S quickly. You can adjust the air purifier’s settings via the app and also see what the current indoor air quality rating is in the room where it’s set.
The main app screen has internal ads for different Levoit products, which I would prefer it didn’t, but once you go into the air purifier, there are no ads shown.
One feature that I haven’t seen in other Levoit air purifiers is a light detection mode that allows the device to switch off the display and run extra quiet when low light is detected. This is a great feature for those wanting to use it in a bedroom.
Filtration technology
An all-in-one particle filter with pelleted activated carbon. You will need to replace both filters even if only one of them needs replacing.
Levoit initially stated that the Vital 200S uses HEPA H13, which is medical grade and can remove 99.97% of particles measuring 0.3 microns. But as you know, Dyson’s challenges Levoit’s claims through the BBB National Programs National Advertising Division (NAD) and as a result, VeSync removed all mentions of ‘HEPA’ from their marketing materials.
It comes with a bonded particle and gas filter that performed very well in our particle removal test.
The gas filter uses pelleted charcoal that is much better than the impregnated fabric we see with some manufacturers.
It comes with a removable pre-filter which is much easier to clean than the pre-filter in the cylindrical Core 300/300S.
While you do get a good amount of activated carbon in the Vital 200S, if you have serious issues with VOCs and gasses, you should look for an air purifier with a much bigger filter with lbs of activated carbon such as the Alen BreatheSmart 75i, the IQAir HealthPro Plus and the Austin Air HealthMate.
Remember that most air purifier filters will arrive in a plastic bag, so be sure to remove the filter from the bag before you switch it on; otherwise, it will make your air quality worse!
When the time comes to change the filter in your Levoit Vital 200S, you’ll find that the process is simple and straightforward.
Air cleaning performance
The real-world performance of the Levoit Vital 200S matches reported CADR scores.
Running at full speed, the Vital 200S brought the levels of PM1ug/m3 to zero in 23 minutes. That makes the Levoit Vital 200S one of the fastest units we have tested under $200.
The Levoit Vital 200S was able to complete our particle removal test faster than the popular Winix 5510 but without using an ionizer function.
As the table shows, the AirFanta 3Pro offered a higher clean air delivery rate for a cheaper price. This goes to show the power of PC fans compared to retail HEPA air purifiers.
Sound levels
In our testing, the sound levels of the Vital 200S ranged from 38.3 to 57.7 dBA
As I always say, air purifiers that are too loud, get turned off eventually. That is why we used a sound meter to measure how much sound the Levoit Vital 200S generates from three feet away. We did this across all four fan speeds:
| FAN SPEED | SOUND LEVEL |
| Speed 1 | 38.3 dB |
| Speed 2 | 41.9 dB |
| Speed 3 | 53.8 dB |
| Speed 4 | 57.7 dB |
We can now compare the air cleaning performance and sound level at top speed against data from other air purifiers in the same price range:
As you can see from the table, the sound generated by the Vital 200S at top speed is quieter than that of most other air purifiers with a similar clean air delivery rate.
Running at the Vital 200S at speed 2 generates 42.5 dBA of sound, which is below the 45 dB(A) limit we have set for our quiet performance tests.
So I repeated the particle removal test with the 200S running at speed 2, and it managed to reach PM1 zero in 46 minutes.
As you can see from the table, the Vital 200S offers more powerful air cleaning performance at sub-45 dBA fan speeds than popular devices such as the Winix 5510 and the Coway Airmega 250S.
However, it is still no match to PC fan-powered air purifiers such as the Luggable XL-7 from CleanAirKits and the AirFanta 3Pro.
But sound can be very subjective, so we recorded a video of the air purifier running at different fan speeds:
Long-term running costs
Running a Levoit Vital 200S will cost you $99.47 per year, combining energy consumption costs and filter replacement prices.
As always, we used our energy meter, we recorded a maximum of 44.55 watts consumed by the Vital 200S when running at full speed. This equates to $49.48 per year if you were to keep it running 24 hours per day at its highest speed.
Here are the full results for each fan speed:
| MODE | ENERGY USAGE |
| Standby | 0.97 watts |
| Sleep mode | 3.21 watts |
| Speed 1 | 5.71 watts |
| Speed two | 8.01 watts |
| Speed 3 | 31.96 watts |
| Top Speed | 44.55 watts |
This tells me that the Levoit Vital 200S has a very efficient fan that can move a lot of air without excessive energy usage. It’s great to see that newer models of air purifiers can perform well AND be energy efficient.
Considering you need to replace the filter every 12 months and that the replacement costs $49.99, you can expect to also spend $49.99 per year on filters.
When we combine the estimated electricity costs with the filter replacement costs, you can see that the Vital 200S offers great value in the long term as well:
Regarding the filters themselves, you have other options in addition to the original filter: one aimed at those looking to deal with pet allergies, a smoke remover filter and one that includes toxin absorbers. The price of these filters ranges from $49 to $65 dollars, so they are not cheap but they are also not super expensive.
If you want to reduce yearly running costs further, you will be happy to hear that there are many generic filters available for half the price of the genuine filters from Levoit – it’s worth mentioning that performance will vary:
Bottom line: Is the Levoit Vital 200S worth it?
With a list price of $189.99, it offers excellent value for the money, with air cleaning performance that matches units that cost twice the price.
If you want to get the best air cleaning for $ ratio and want to avoid ionizer technology, the Levoit Vital 200S is definitely worthy of consideration.
It includes many smart features that are normally only found on more expensive models but still manages to clean the air as effectively as we’ve seen from units like the iconic Winix 5500-2 but without the use of an ionizer.
Those with larger spaces will want to look at bigger units like the Levoit Core 600S ($299.99), but for those with a space between 400-500 square feet, the Vital 200S is a great choice as it will be able to keep your air clean for an affordable price.
Noise levels associated to the Vital 200S are lower than the average and it comes with a sleep mode and the possibility of turning off the lights of the display (not to disturb your sleep), making it a very good option for a medium-sized bedroom.
Due to the lack of a True HEPA H13 filter, I don’t recommend this device for medical settings. However, as our in-house test showed, the Vital 200S can clean all tiny particles of 1 micron in 23 minutes. Air cleaning performance nearly three times as fast as the Levoit Core 300 ($99) and is only one minute slower than the larger Levoit Core 600S ($300).
For those who want to keep a medium-sized room clean of tiny particles and don’t want to spend more than $190, then the Levoit Vital 200S is well worth checking out. And if money is tighter, do check out the PC fan-powered AirFanta 3Pro.
If you decide to buy a Vital 200S and want to support the work we do at HouseFresh, please use this link so we can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. And if you have any questions about this device or about Levoit air purifiers in general, please drop them in the comments below and I’ll reply as soon as I can.
