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Ioniser buying guide

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have searched for the best air ioniser UK and amazon.co.uk has answered with three different machines. A £10.99 PTYcrazy two-pack has no filter. A MELEDEN or JINPUS cube, both labelled GL2103, needs a USB charger you already own. A Winix 5500-2 weighs 6.7 kg and prints a CADR of 390 m³/h. Those are not sizes of one product. This guide sorts the type before the star rating, then sends you to the [ioniser comparison](/hub/cooling/ionizer) for the seven listings side by side. Peter F. checked those listings. This is not a lab test. A link to Amazon is an affiliate link, and a qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have searched for the best air ioniser UK and amazon.co.uk has answered with three different machines. A £10.99 PTYcrazy two-pack has no filter.

Our top picks

PTYcrazy PTYcrazy XY-03 plug-in ioniser, 2 pack

Best overall

PTYcrazy PTYcrazy XY-03 plug-in ioniser, 2 pack
5.5/10about £10.99
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Winix Winix 5500-2

Rank 2

Winix Winix 5500-2
9.1/10about £159
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MELEDEN MELEDEN GL2103 desktop HEPA ioniser

Best value

MELEDEN MELEDEN GL2103 desktop HEPA ioniser
7.5/10about £19.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three machines share the word ioniser
  2. 2.What to read on the listing before the star rating
  3. 3.Price bands and the bill after month six
  4. 4.Which type to take into the comparison

Three machines share the word ioniser

A filter-free plug, a desktop fan with a filter plus an ion claim, and a room unit that charges particles inside the machine are all sold as ionisers. The PTYcrazy XY-03 is two plugs, 110 g, no fan, no CADR, and 4.8 from 8 reviews. Which? describes this style as dropping particles onto surfaces. The MELEDEN at about £19.99 states about 10 m² and a HEPA claim at 0.3 micron. The JINPUS at about £25.99 uses the same GL2103 string, but its table says 2.5 micrometres while a bullet says 99.97% of PM2.5, and the review text mixes older comments. Neither box includes a wall charger. Blueair’s HEPASilent is a filter plus an electrostatic stage: the Mini Max at about £59, and the 3250i at about £125 with carbon and 48 m². Winix PlasmaWave sits after HEPA and carbon. Both Winix models state CADR 390 m³/h. How that differs from a plain filter is on ioniser versus HEPA.

What to read on the listing before the star rating

Read the filter, then carbon, then any CADR, before the stars. Only the two Winix models state a CADR, both 390 m³/h. A 99.97% bullet is the seller’s line, not a BS EN 1822 certificate. Where room figures clash, use the smallest number on the page. The Mini prints 47.4 m², 20 m² and 8.6 m² in 30 minutes. Winix titles say 99 m², a bullet says 20 m² in under 5 minutes, and the 5500-2 table says 360 square feet. The 3250i bullet says 18 dB and the table says 46 dB. Winix bullets say 3 W to 23 W, while the tables say 50 W and 70 W. Carbon is on the 3250i and both Winix models, and not on the plug-in, the Mini or either GL2103.
PTYcrazy PTYcrazy XY-03 plug-in ioniser, 2 pack

Testsieger

PTYcrazy PTYcrazy XY-03 plug-in ioniser, 2 pack
5.5/10about £10.99
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Price bands and the bill after month six

Shelf prices run from about £10.99 to about £159 because the machines differ, not because one model is marked up. The PTYcrazy has nothing to replace. Both GL2103 listings say the filter is not washable and should be replaced about every six months, and reviewers call the refills expensive. Add a USB adaptor if you do not own one. The Mini at about £59 names AHAM and has 3.9 from 533 reviews, the lowest in the set. The 3250i at about £125 adds carbon and an app. One 5500-2 user put unbranded filters at about £20 every two months. The three-year Winix warranty does not pay for filters. Who should buy which is on best ioniser in this set.

Which type to take into the comparison

Take the plug-in only if you accept dust on surfaces. Take the MELEDEN for about 10 m² if you already have a USB charger. Take the JINPUS only after the 2.5 micrometre cell and the mixed reviews. Take the Mini for 8.6 m² in 30 minutes and a child lock. Take the 3250i for carbon, an app and 48 m². Take a Winix for CADR 390 m³/h and a plasma stage you can switch off. The 5300-2’s 4.7 is 114 reviews. The 5500-2’s 4.5 is 27,540. None of these treats asthma, hay fever or COPD.

Common questions

Is a £11 plug the same product as a £159 Winix?
No. The PTYcrazy at about £10.99 is a filter-free plug with no CADR and eight reviews. The Winix 5500-2 at about £159 states CADR 390 m³/h, HEPA, carbon and PlasmaWave, with 4.5 from 27,540 reviews. Use the plug for a small smell you will ventilate. Use the Winix when particles and odours should meet a filter.
Do I need a filter if I only care about a hallway smell?
You might not, if the smell is mild and you still open a window. PTYcrazy reviews mention a hallway kept under control. A filter-free ioniser does not trap pollen. Allergy Cosmos, a retailer, warns that ionisers without filters can leave a dark mark on nearby walls. Cooking or smoke you want held in carbon points to the 3250i or a Winix.
Why do MELEDEN and JINPUS both say GL2103?
Both listings print the model string GL2103, about 550 g, and a six-month filter. They are separate ASINs at about £19.99 and about £25.99. The MELEDEN page states about 10 m² and 0.3 micron. The JINPUS table says 2.5 micrometres, and its review text appears mixed with older filter purchases. Do not add the 2,203 MELEDEN reviews to the 1,459 JINPUS reviews and treat them as one machine.
Which room number on the Blueair Mini is the modest one?
The modest claim is up to 8.6 m² in 30 minutes. The table says 20 m² and the title says up to 47.4 m². Reviewers who notice a change often describe a small room in about half an hour. For one figure without that clash, the MELEDEN says about 10 m² and the 3250i says 48 m².
Will the USB cubes include a UK plug?
No. The MELEDEN box is a filter and a micro-USB cable, and the wall charger is not included. The JINPUS names a 5 V, 1.5 m USB cable and no adaptor. You supply a BS 1363 charger you already trust. Either Blueair or either Winix should arrive ready for a UK socket. The PTYcrazy pin shape is not stated.

Related pages

Ioniser ozone and safety

Ioniser

Best ioniser: who each amazon.co.uk listing is for

How to use an air ioniser: placement, runtime and cleaning

Ioniser vs HEPA filter: where the dust actually goes

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, used for this page on 20 October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in this comparison. Listing CADR, room and decibel figures were not treated as a lab test.

  1. HSE EH38: ozone workplace exposure (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. NICE NG149: indoor air quality at home (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. NHS Right Decisions: ionisers and asthma (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. SAGE EMG, 4 November 2020: air cleaning devices (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Which?: how to buy an air purifier (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Cochrane: ionisers for chronic asthma (retrieved 20 October 2026)