Where to buy: the Core 300-P is $80.99 at Amazon, marked down from $99.99, and $84.97 at Levoit. The Core 300S-P is $149.99 at both. Replacement filters are $25.99 at Amazon.

• What size room is the Levoit Core 300 for?
• How quiet is the Levoit Core 300?
• Levoit Core 300 vs 300S: which one to buy
• How often to change the filter, and what it costs
• Is it good for allergies, pets and smoke?
• Common problems with the Levoit Core 300
• The Levoit HEPA settlement
• Levoit Core 300 vs Vital 200S
• Questions people ask

What size room is the Levoit Core 300 for?

A small one. AHAM certifies it for a room up to 222 square feet, which is a home office, a nursery or a small bedroom.

It is a small purifier with three fan speeds, a sleep mode and a timer. There is no app on the plain model, just buttons.

We bought one in April 2021 and put it in our bedroom. We found it was too small for the room, so we moved it to our home office, which is smaller.

That matches what it is certified for. Independent labs test that number. If your bedroom is bigger than 222 square feet, buy a purifier certified for a bigger room.

Ignore the “up to 1,073 sq ft” in the Amazon listing’s title. Levoit’s own page gets to a number that size by assuming the air in the room is cleaned just once an hour. Buy by the certified room size, on this purifier and on any other.

In a room its size, it does the job. If you have two small rooms, buy one for each.

Leave it room to breathe. Levoit asks for 15 inches of space on every side, so stand it out in the open rather than tucked behind a chair or into a corner.

If you are still deciding whether the room needs a purifier or a humidifier, the air washer vs humidifier guide walks through which one does what.

How quiet is the Levoit Core 300?

Very quiet on its lowest speed and in sleep mode, quiet enough to leave running all night. On its top speed it is loud.

Sleep mode runs the fan at its lowest speed, and you can barely hear it. That is what makes it work in a nursery or a small bedroom.

The lights are easy to deal with, too. In sleep mode every light on top drops to half brightness, and a Display Off button turns the display off. Tap any button except power and it comes back on.

The top speed is loud, “about as loud as a microwave fan” by one owner’s measurement. It is also the setting that cleans the air fastest.

Run it on high while you are out of the room, then drop it to sleep mode when you go to bed.

The timer turns it off after 2, 4, 6 or 8 hours, if you only want it on while you fall asleep. The 300S-P does the switching between speeds for you, which is most of the reason to buy it.

Levoit Core 300 vs 300S: which one should you buy?

Buy the Core 300-P unless you want to control it from your phone or want it to adjust itself. Then buy the Core 300S-P.

They are certified for about the same size room and take the same filters. The smart one costs you up to $70 more, depending on where you buy it.

Core 300 vs 300-P, and 300S vs 300S-P

The Core 300 and the Core 300-P are the plain pair. Levoit covers both in one manual, and they take the same filters.

The 300S and the 300S-P are the smart pair, and they take the same filters too. Levoit’s own store now sells only the -P versions.

What the 300S-P adds

It connects to Wi-Fi and Levoit’s VeSync app, so you can switch it on, change the speed and set a timer from your phone. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant.

The bigger difference is auto mode. A sensor inside reads the dust and smoke in the air and changes the fan speed to match. It runs at its sleep speed while the air reads clean, and speeds up as the sensor picks up more dust or smoke.

The sensor reads particles in the air, and it cannot pick up smells. A cooking smell will not speed it up by itself.

If you run an ultrasonic humidifier, in a nursery or anywhere else, keep it well away from the purifier. The mist can read as dust and send the fan up for no reason.

The plain 300-P has no Wi-Fi, which is easy to miss on the listing.

Buy the 300-P if

• You want to set it and leave it. A fan-speed button, sleep mode and a timer cover a home office or a nursery.
• You would rather not add another app to your phone.
• You want to keep it under $100.

8.7 x 8.7 x 14.2 in7.9 lb3 speeds plus sleep modeTimer 2, 4, 6 or 8 hoursDisplay Off buttonFilter: Core 300-P-RFAlso in black at Levoit

Buy the 300S-P if

• Wildfire smoke or allergies mean you want it reacting while you are at work or asleep.
• You want to check the air and change the speed from your phone.
• You want to switch it on with Alexa or Google Assistant.

Wi-Fi and VeSync appAlexa and Google AssistantAuto mode with an air quality sensorSame filters as the 300-P

How often to change the Levoit Core 300 filter, and what it costs

Every 6 to 8 months, and sooner if it runs hard through a smoky summer or a house full of pets. The standard filter is under $30. Plan on up to two a year, a little over $50 at Amazon’s price, and more if it spends a lot of time on high.

The filter is one piece, and when it is used up you replace the whole thing. You cannot wash it.

That was the part my wife did not like about ours. She kept having to buy new filters, because they were not washable. Budget for them from the start, so they do not come as a surprise.

In between, vacuum or brush the dust off the outside of the filter every 2 to 4 weeks. When the time comes to replace it, the filter is easy to change.

A light on top tells you when the filter is due. It counts running time and does not test the filter itself, so change it sooner if the air has been bad for weeks.

Which filter to buy

• The Original, for dust, allergies and light smells. Under $30.
• The Pet Allergy filter, made for pet and cooking smells. Under $40 at Levoit.
• The Toxin Absorber, made for smoke, including wildfire smoke. Under $40 at Levoit.

All three fit both the 300-P and the 300S-P. The 2-year warranty does not cover filters, since they are made to be used up.

For more on replacement filters in general, read the replacement filters guide.

Is the Levoit Core 300 good for allergies, pets and smoke?

Yes, in a small room. It is a good buy for allergies, for a house with pets and for wildfire smoke season.

If allergies are why you are buying it, put it in the room where you spend the most time, and match it to that room’s size.

It is good in a house with pets. It takes the edge off pet smells and household odors, and if smells are the main reason you are buying, get the Pet Allergy filter with it.

If you live with wildfire smoke, fit the Toxin Absorber filter when the smoke comes in.

If yours turns out faulty, the 2-year warranty covers defects, and Levoit decides whether to repair it, replace it, give you store credit or, if you bought it from Levoit, refund you.

Common problems with the Levoit Core 300

It rarely gives trouble. The complaints that do come up are noise on the top speed, the plain model’s missing Wi-Fi and auto mode, and heavy smoke smell it cannot clear.

Missing Wi-Fi and auto mode is only a problem if you buy the wrong model. If you want either, buy the 300S-P.

Heavy smoke smell is beyond it. It did not clear cigarette smoke drifting in from a neighbor’s apartment, so do not buy it for that. For lighter smoke, the Toxin Absorber filter is the one made for it.

Now and then a unit arrives used, or runs louder than it should. Plug it in the day it comes, and send it straight back if it does not look new or sounds wrong. Levoit’s own store gives you 30 days to return it for your money back.

Who should skip it

• Skip it for a room bigger than a small bedroom, or an open-plan living space. Buy a purifier certified for your room size.
• Skip it if the problem is heavy smoke smell, from a smoker next door or in the house.

The Levoit HEPA settlement: what it means if you own one

If you bought a Levoit Core or EverestAir purifier or filter in the US between August 29, 2019 and August 4, 2023, you can file a claim for $10. It comes from a proposed class action settlement over how those purifiers and filters were labeled HEPA.

The case is Sen v. Vesync. Claims are due by November 3, 2026, on the settlement site.

The court has not approved the settlement yet and has not decided who is right. Vesync denies all of the allegations.

If you are buying one now, the settlement only covers purifiers bought through August 2023, so it does not apply to a new one. The room size the Core 300 is certified for was tested by independent labs, and that is the number to buy by.

Levoit Core 300 vs Vital 200S

Buy the Core 300 for a small room and the Vital 200S-P for a bigger one. The Vital 200S-P is certified for a room up to 388 square feet, a bigger bedroom or a small living room.

It costs more, at under $190 at Levoit against under $100 for the Core 300-P. If your bedroom is too big for the Core 300, the Vital 200S-P is the Levoit to look at.

Questions people ask