Levoit Vital 100 vs Core 300 | Air Purifier Comparison

Welcome to my comparison review between Levoit Vital 100 vs Core 300. These are two great and similarly priced air purifiers from a well-established brand Levoi. Sometimes it can be hard to pick the correct air purifier, with so many different options currently on the market. This post will (hopefully) give you all the information you need in order to decide which one of these would be a better fit for you.

As usual, I will start this review with a side-by-side comparison of product specifications, where I will list all the technical details of both devices. The main portion of this review will be dedicated to analyzing and comparing the features and product specifications. Let’s dive straight into this comparison!

Levoit Vital 100 vs Core 300 – product specifications

I want to start things off with a side-by-side comparison of the main product specifications for both of these air purifiers.

As we can see from the graph above, there are some differences. Core 300 is a smaller, lighter and more compact out of the two. Consequently, it also has a lower power consumption as the fans are smaller (requiring less power) than the ones Vital 100 uses. The biggest difference here is the Energy Star certification – quite a few Levoit air purifiers do have this certification and Core 300 is among them, while Vital 100 is not. For those of you that are unaware, if a product is Energy Star Certified it simply means that the manufacturer measured the CADR rating according to AHAM requirements, and not just with internal testing. Such certification gives an air purifier more trust in the consumer’s eyes, as the measurements come from an official source.

Looking at the overall product specification, the Levoit Core 300 model offers more versatility and is a bit more energy efficient than Levoit Vital 100. Both of these also come with a default 1-year warranty, with the option to extend it for an extra year, if you register your device on Levoit’s website.

Levoit Vital 100 vs Core 300 – features and effectiveness

This is going to be the main portion of my comparison, where I will take a look at Vital 100 and Core 300’s main product features. Similarly to the paragraph above, I will first present all of the relevant information in a side-by-side chart, and then give you an analysis of the differences.

Filtration system

First I will take a closer look at the filtration system for both air purifiers, as there is a bit to talk about here.

Levoit VItal 100 comes with the standard 3-stage filtration system which is a staple for the Levoit brand. You get the “classic” prefilter, HEPA filter, and a carbon-activated filter. This is also one of the most common setups you will see in many other air purifiers as it is completely safe, meaning that it does not produce any harmful ozone (like UV-C light and many ionizers do). Vital 100 uses a high-quality true HEPA filter which is effective at removing harmful particles as small as 0,3 microns, with a 9.99% efficiency – this makes it an H13 graded HEPA filter (in other words the highest tier). In essence, this is a pretty basic filtration system, but at the same time really effective due to its quality components.

Levoit Core 300 comes with the exact same 3-stage filtration system, and the same effectiveness. The main difference here is the replacement filter, as Levoit offers 4 different types, based on your needs. In addition to the “standard” filter, you can choose any of these other 3 different filter types: “Pet Allergy”, “Mold & Bacteria”, and “Toxin Absorber”. As the name already suggests, each one of them is specially modified and is more effective against certain types of harmful air particles.

In terms of the filtration system, I have to give Core 300 the edge over Vital 100. While both use the same core filtration system (equally as effective), Core 300 is simply more flexible. The additional types of replacement filters offer you a more complete air cleaning solution, suitable for any needs. Do not get me wrong, Vital 100 is not lagging that far behind, it is just not as flexible.

Room coverage

Levoit Vital 100 has a room coverage of 300 square feet, which makes it suitable for even larger rooms. CADR (clean air delivery rate) rating is 130 cfm, which is good. A quick manual CADR calculation supports this number, so the device really is capable of effectively covering rooms of up to 300 square feet. Quite a few manufacturers inflate CADR a bit sadly, as it is one of the major selling points of air purifiers – I am happy to say that Levoit is not among these. While this specific model has not been AHAM verified, you can still trust that the information Levoit provides is legit. The air change rate (ACH) is 4x, which means that Vital 100 can change the air four times in a span of one hour – this is slightly above average.

On the other hand, the Core 300 model is recommended for rooms of up to 215 square feet. Levoit is quite known for making CADR their USP (unique selling point) as their models have good numbers, with many being Energy Star certified. So this specific number came as a little bit of a surprise to me, seeing how low the recommended room coverage is. The CADR rating is 140 cfm for dust, 145 cfm for smoke, and 141 cfm for pollen. These are some great numbers, verified by AHAM – this means that they are completely reliable, which is excellent information! The fan is an improvement over older Levoit models and allows for up to 5 air changes (ACH) per hour – this is quite above average.

While the suggested room coverage is bigger for the Vital 100, Core 300 makes up for it in terms of a higher CADR rating and an exceptional 5 ACH, the highest of all current Levoit air purifiers. For larger rooms, Vital 100 is more suitable than Levoit Core 300. I would definitely pick Core 300 for any smaller or medium-sized room, especially if you have any types of allergies, as a higher ACH number helps would help you more in that case.

Noise levels

The differences are minimal here, so I will not make a separate paragraph for each model. Both the Levoit Vital 100 and Core 300 have identical noise levels. The lowest fan speed produces 23 dB (24 dB for Core 300) of noise, while the highest fan speed produces 50 dB in both. 23 or 24 dB is really quiet and is the equivalent of rustling leaves and whispers. This makes both of the models more than suitable for bedrooms or a study room, as there is no risk of the device waking you up. 50 dB (max fan speed) is a little more noticeable, but not very noisy honestly – you will certainly hear it, but it probably will not bother you during the day. At night, however, it is probably best to lower the fan speed setting, as any noise over 45dB has a chance of waking up a person from sleep. This is especially true if you are a light sleeper!

Both of these models also come with an option to turn off the led light, which if very convenient at night. All in all, in terms of noise levels, you can not go wrong with either the Levoit Vital 100 or Core 300, as they practically produce the same noise levels on all 3 fan speeds. Both are also considered very silent air purifiers.

Control panel

Vital 100 comes with a pretty standard control panel, which is what you would expect from a Levoit air purifier. You get a few adjustable settings that you can work with. These are the power button, fan speed control (3 speeds), timer function (2h, 4h, 8h), and display on/off. There is also a filter replacement indicator light on the control panel, which tells you when it is time to change the filter – expect to do that every 6 months, which is pretty much the industry standard at this point. All in all, nothing really that much fancy here, but sometimes less is more. The control panel can be found on the top side of the device, bottom right corner, and looks like this:

Levoit Vital 100 control panel

Levoit Core 300 comes with a very identical control panel, with 2 extra additions: child lock and sleep mode. Child lock is a good addition to any air purifier, especially if you have smaller children or pets running around, as it keeps the settings from accidentally being clicked. Sleep mode does what the name already suggests – it reduces fan speed so that it operates more quietly. This comes in handy if you keep the device in your bedroom at night, as you can go to sleep without any worries regarding possible noise. Other settings are the same: 3 fan speeds, 4 timer settings (2h, 4h,6h, 8h), display on/off, and a filter replacement indicator. The control panel is again located on the top side of the device, in an aesthetically pleasing circle shape that looks like this:

Levoit Core 300 control panel

All in all, the Core 300 control panel takes the edge over Vital 100 in terms of aesthetics and functionality. While both of these control panels are pretty basic and lack smart features, you still do get some settings to play around with. Core 300 offers one additional timer setting, child lock, and night – all things that Vital 100 lacks. Personally, I also find the control panel looking much more elegant and stylish than Vital 100.

Levoit Vital 100 vs Core 300 – conclusion

We have reached the final part of my comparison between these two great entry-level purifiers from Levoit. We are looking at two quite similar devices that have a couple of smaller, but important differences.

Overall, I give the edge and my recommendation to Levoit Core 300 over the Vital 100 model, as it outperforms it in almost all aspects. A higher CADR rating, bigger ACH, a very solid filtration system, custom replacement filters, additional settings on the control panel, and portability are the main reasons why I pick Core 300 as the winner in this case. The main thing that holds me back when comparing these two models is the price difference, as Vital 100 is more expensive while simultaneously not more effective. Levoit Core 300 is also quite a bit more versatile just due to the small & compact design, and also thanks to the custom replacement filters. Since there are 4 different filter types, you can turn this air purifier into a more “specialized solution” if you have specific air quality issues such as pet dander, mold growth, etc.

Core 300 is also AHAM and Energy Star certified, while Vital 100 is not. Not such a big deal since both of these devices are from the same brand, but still a difference nonetheless.

That being said, Vital 100 is nothing short of a solid option too. It does have all of the staples of a great Levoit air purifier – standard control panel, quiet operation, powerful air filtration system, ozone free. The only edge Vital 100 has over Core 300 is that it can be used in bigger rooms of up to 300 square feet, while Core 300 is optimally used in smaller & medium-sized rooms (up to 215 square feet). So if you are looking for a budget-friendly air purifier for big rooms, consider taking Levoit Vital 100.

And this concludes my comparison of Levoit Vital 100 vs Core 300. I hope it helped you decide which one of these two great air purifiers would be a better fit for you. As usual, if you have any specific questions, feel free to leave a comment.

You can check the latest price and availability of Levoit Vital 100:

You can check the latest price and availability of Levoit Core 300: