Airthings View Plus vs Awair Element: Which Air Quality Monitor Is Worth It?

The Airthings View Plus and Awair Element are the two most popular dedicated air quality monitors for home use — and the two that shoppers compare most often before committing. Both measure the pollutants that matter most indoors. Both have companion apps. Both look good on a shelf. But they differ in one area that may settle the decision before you read another word: radon.

The Airthings View Plus includes a radon sensor. The Awair Element does not. If radon detection matters to you, the comparison ends here. If it does not, the decision becomes more nuanced — and the Awair's $110 lower price starts looking very attractive.

Based on our research into published specifications, verified customer reviews, and expert analysis, here is the full comparison.

Quick Decision Guide

Full Specs Comparison

Sensor Coverage: Airthings Offers More

The most fundamental difference between these monitors is what they measure. The Airthings View Plus tracks seven air quality parameters. The Awair Element tracks five. That gap comes down to two metrics: radon and barometric pressure.

Radon: The Key Differentiator

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that seeps into homes through foundation cracks and is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, according to the EPA. It is odorless, colorless, and impossible to detect without a sensor. The Airthings View Plus includes a dedicated radon sensor that provides continuous monitoring with readings updated hourly.

Who needs radon monitoring:

• Homes in EPA Zone 1 or Zone 2 radon areas (check the EPA radon map for your county)
• Homes with basements or slab-on-grade foundations
• Anyone who has never tested for radon — approximately 1 in 15 U.S. homes have elevated radon levels
• Homeowners who want continuous monitoring rather than one-time test kits

If you fall into any of these categories, the Airthings View Plus is worth the $110 premium for the radon sensor alone. A professional radon test costs $150 or more, and it gives you only a snapshot. Continuous monitoring is far more valuable for tracking seasonal fluctuations and mitigation effectiveness.

Shared Sensors

Both monitors use NDIR (Non-Dispersive Infrared) sensors for CO2 measurement — the gold standard technology for accurate carbon dioxide readings. Based on customer reviews, both deliver reliable and responsive CO2 measurements that track well with ventilation changes.

For PM2.5, VOCs, temperature, and humidity, both monitors perform comparably. Customer reviews indicate that readings from the Airthings and Awair generally agree within expected margins when placed in the same room, though individual unit calibration can vary slightly.

Barometric Pressure

The Airthings View Plus also includes a barometric pressure sensor. This is a nice-to-have for weather enthusiasts and for understanding how pressure changes affect indoor air quality (lower pressure can increase radon infiltration), but it is not a primary purchasing factor for most buyers.

Display Quality

Awair Element wins here. The Awair Element features a bright LED display that shows a composite air quality score (0-100) along with individual readings for each parameter. The display is always on, easy to read from across the room, and provides an instant visual check of your air quality without reaching for your phone. The color-coded system (green, yellow, red) makes status immediately clear.

The Airthings View Plus uses an e-ink display that is customizable — you can choose which metrics to show — but it is less vivid and harder to read at a distance. The e-ink screen does contribute to battery life (no backlight), which is part of the design tradeoff. You need to wave your hand over the device to wake the display, which some users find inconvenient for quick glances.

If at-a-glance monitoring matters to you, the Awair's always-on LED display is the better experience. If you primarily check readings through the app anyway, the display difference is less relevant.

Power and Placement Flexibility

Airthings View Plus wins here. Battery power is a genuine advantage for an air quality monitor. The View Plus runs on four AA batteries that last approximately 12 months, which means you can place it anywhere — your basement for radon monitoring, a bedroom nightstand, a kitchen counter, or any room that lacks a convenient outlet. No cords, no clutter.

The Awair Element requires a USB-C connection for power. This limits placement to locations near an outlet or where you are willing to run a cable. For living rooms and bedrooms this is usually fine, but for basement monitoring (where radon testing is most critical), finding a convenient outlet can be a challenge.

The battery design also makes the Airthings easier to move between rooms for spot-checking air quality throughout your home.

App and Dashboard Experience

Both monitors have well-designed companion apps, but they take different approaches.

Airthings App

The Airthings app provides a comprehensive dashboard with historical data, trend graphs, and the ability to manage multiple Airthings devices from a single account. The historical data visualization is particularly strong — you can view daily, weekly, and monthly trends for each parameter, which helps identify patterns like overnight CO2 spikes or seasonal radon fluctuations.

For multi-device households (monitoring several rooms), the Airthings ecosystem is more polished. The dashboard gives you a whole-home overview at a glance. Customer reviews frequently praise the app's data presentation and the Airthings web dashboard, which provides the same data on a larger screen.

Awair Home App

The Awair Home app centers around its 0-100 Awair Score — a composite rating that makes it easy for non-technical users to understand their air quality at a glance. Individual parameter readings are accessible with a tap, and the app provides personalized tips for improving air quality based on current conditions.

The Awair app is arguably more user-friendly for beginners, with clearer action recommendations. However, its historical data features are more limited compared to the Airthings dashboard, and customer reviews note that the app can occasionally be slow to sync.

Smart Home Integration

Both monitors support IFTTT for home automation (e.g., turn on a fan when CO2 exceeds 1,000 ppm). Both work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice queries. The Awair Element supports Apple HomeKit directly, while the Airthings View Plus requires an Airthings Hub for HomeKit connectivity — an additional cost consideration.

Both devices also offer API access for advanced users who want to build custom automations or data logging solutions.

Accuracy and Reliability

Based on our research into customer reviews and expert evaluations:

CO2 accuracy: Both monitors use NDIR sensors and deliver reliable CO2 readings. Customer feedback indicates both track ventilation changes accurately, with readings stabilizing within a few minutes of environmental changes.

PM2.5 accuracy: Both use laser-scattering particle sensors. These are adequate for tracking trends and identifying poor air quality events (cooking, wildfire smoke), though neither is as precise as a reference-grade instrument. For consumer-level monitoring, both perform well.

VOC accuracy: Both use MOx (metal oxide) VOC sensors that provide a relative index rather than specific gas identification. These sensors detect a broad range of volatile organic compounds and are useful for identifying when VOC levels rise (cleaning products, painting, new furniture off-gassing), but they do not tell you which specific compounds are present.

Radon accuracy (Airthings only): The radon sensor requires 24-48 hours of initial calibration and provides increasingly accurate readings over time. Customer reviews note that readings correlate well with professional radon test results after a few weeks of monitoring. The hourly updates are valuable for tracking real-time changes.

Cost Analysis

The Awair Element is $110 cheaper upfront with no ongoing costs. The Airthings View Plus has minimal ongoing costs (AA batteries), but the price gap is significant for what is ultimately a monitoring device, not an active air treatment system.

If you want HomeKit integration with the Airthings, the optional Hub adds $80, narrowing the Awair's value proposition. Without HomeKit needs, the cost comparison is straightforward.

Who Should Buy Which

Buy the Airthings View Plus ($299) if:

• Radon monitoring is important — you live in a radon-prone area or have never tested your home
• You want battery-powered flexibility to place the monitor anywhere, including basements
• You plan to monitor multiple rooms and want a cohesive multi-device dashboard
• Barometric pressure data is useful to you (weather correlation, radon tracking)
• You want the most comprehensive sensor coverage available in a single device
• You value a longer warranty (2 years vs 1 year)

Buy the Awair Element ($189) if:

• Radon is not a concern for your home or you already have a separate radon detector
• You prefer a bright, always-on display that is readable from across the room
• Budget matters — $110 savings for the five core air quality metrics
• You want simple HomeKit integration without an additional hub
• You primarily care about CO2, PM2.5, and VOC monitoring
• The always-plugged-in power requirement is not an issue for your planned placement

The Bottom Line

The Airthings View Plus and Awair Element are both excellent air quality monitors that do their primary jobs well. The decision comes down to two factors: radon and budget.

If radon monitoring matters to you, the Airthings View Plus is the only choice. No other consumer-grade monitor in this price range includes a radon sensor, and continuous radon monitoring provides genuine health value that justifies the $299 price tag. The battery-powered design makes it ideal for basement placement where radon levels are typically highest.

If radon is not a concern, the Awair Element delivers the five most important air quality metrics at $110 less, with a superior display and simpler setup. According to customer reviews, it is one of the most user-friendly air quality monitors available, and the 0-100 Awair Score makes air quality data accessible to everyone in the household.

Both monitors pair well with air purifiers, humidifiers, and ventilation systems — giving you the data you need to know when to take action and when your indoor air is already clean.