IQAir HealthPro Plus vs. IQAir GC MultiGas – Are they really better?

In this installment of Air Purifier Wars, we are comparing two of the best home air purifiers on the market today: the IQAir HealthProPlus vs IQAir GC MultiGas.

In Vacuum Wars’ 32-point testing system, the HealthPro Plus has enjoyed a leading position when compared to the other air purifiers that we have reviewed so far.

In this head-to-head test and comparison, we wanted to find out if the newer, more expensive GC MultiGas is significantly better than the original HealthPro Plus, and therefore, the new Air Purifier Wars champion.

IQAir Air Purifiers

The Swiss made HealthPro Plus and GC MultiGas are both top-tier air purifiers which have the same dimensions, airflow, controls and features. Beyond minor cosmetics, what makes them different in the filters that each model ships with.

About the IQAir HealthPro Plus

The HealthPro plus is a premium air purifier. According to the IQAir, it is “1 Rated medical-grade air purifier for medium size to large rooms…” as well as “IQAir’s most popular, best-selling air purifier.”

About the IQAir GC MultiGas

The GC MultiGas is also a premium air purifier, but it carries a significantly higher price tag due to its ability to handle a broader range of irritants. IQAir states it is “…#1 for multiple chemical sensitivity and smoke. For control of a wide range of gaseous organic and inorganic chemicals.”

IQAir HealthPro Plus and GC MultiGas

IQAir, a prominent air purifier manufacturer, regularly finds its place on various best air purifier lists and has received numerous awards in the industry.

The GC MultiGas, their latest offering, boasts an amazing 12 pounds of activated carbon for reducing a wide range of both organic and inorganic gaseous chemicals, making it suitable for those with multiple chemical sensitivities.

The original IQAir HealthPro Plus also has a huge amount of carbon, much more than any of its competitors, but not nearly as much as the MultiGas. So, it’ll be interesting to see how the differences in carbon amounts affect the performance in our VOC tests later on.

Both the IQAir HealthPro Plus and the GC MultiGas are recommended for spaces up to 1,125 square feet and come with 10-year warranties. Both have six fan speeds and can be programmed to a daily or even weekly schedule to run at different speeds and times.

Both models are also equipped with filter life monitors which are based on both time and fan speed, and both come with a remote control. While these are much larger and heavier than most air purifiers, we found them easy to move from room to room as they have four bottom-mounted casters (wheels).

Test Results

The results of all the measurements and tests we performed are below.

	Health Pro Plus	GC Multigas
Airflow/Noise 1	44db @ 24 CFM	46db @ 28 CFM
Airflow/Noise 2	50db @ 42 CFM	48db @ 47 CFM
Airflow/Noise 3	57db @ 70 CFM	54db @ 74 CFM
Airflow/Noise 4	62db @ 84 CFM	57db @ 82 CFM
Airflow/Noise 5	67db @ 101 CFM	62db @ 98 CFM
Airflow/Noise 6	73db @ 127 CFM	67db @ 126 CFM
Max Airflow	127 CFM	126 CFM
Average CFM to db	1.04	1.28
HEPA Rating	0.003 microns	0.003 microns
Fog Test (to Baseline)	51 min	33 min
TVOC Reduction	100%	100%
TVOC Time to 0%	51 seconds	19 seconds
Where to Buy	Amazon	Amazon

Airflow

Starting with the bench tests, this is where we test things like airflow and noise level. We measured airflow at all settings and, though we did not find a significant difference between them, they both were incredibly good.

For example, the airflow at max power was just over twice the average speed of all the air purifiers we’ve tested so far.

In both models, the motors are encased within a double-walled housing and seated on rubber suspension pads that isolate motor vibration. They both had the best CFM to noise ratings of any we’ve tested, meaning that they put out a lot of air without being too loud, though the MultiGas was slightly better at this.

Filter Quality

Now let’s examine their filter quality. The HealthPro Plus and GC MultiGas both use IQAir’s patented Hyper HEPA filter technology, which they say can filter the smallest airborne particles that exist.

The Hyper HEPA filters capture ultra-fine particles down to .003 microns, which is 100 times smaller than the conventional HEPA industry standard of 0.3 microns. Basically, it’s an extremely high-quality HEPA filter.

The HealthPro Plus has three filters: a pre-filter to capture coarse and fine particulate matter, a V5 cell containing 5 pounds of granular activated carbon and a chemical sorbent to trap volatile organic compounds or VOCs, and other harmful chemicals, and a HEPA filter. Five pounds of carbon is a lot; it was by far the most we’ve seen on an air purifier before this review.

The GC MultiGas has a pre-filter incorporating IQAir’s Hyper HEPA technology, setting it apart from the HealthPro Plus where the pre-filter and the HEPA filter are separate products.

The GC MultiGas also features cartridges that contain three pounds each, so 12 pounds total, of granular activated carbon and impregnated alumina, which is by far the largest amount of carbon in any consumer air purifier that we know of. Finally, the GC MultiGas has filter sleeves that wrap around its cartridges.

Filter Life

The advanced filters used in both air purifiers do last longer than those we’ve seen regardless of price. Estimates below are from IQAir’s website.

HealthPro Plus filter lifespan

• PreMax Filter: 18 months
• V5 Cell: 2 years
• HyperHEPA: 4 years and 2 months

GC MultiGas filter lifespan

• GC HyperHEPA Pre-Filter H11 (S): 1 year
• GC MultiGas Cartridges: 2 years and 5 months
• GC Post-Filter Sleeve Set: 2 years and 4 months

Filtration Tests

Moving on to our filtration tests, our first being the fog test. In this test we release 12 seconds of fog into a ventless room and run the air purifiers on max power, measuring each air purifier’s ability to return the air to our baseline.

Both air purifiers successfully cleared the fog back down to baseline measurements. The MultiGas was significantly quicker, clearing the fog in 33 minutes, a new Air Purifier Wars record, compared to the HealthPro Plus’s still admirable 51 minutes. Both scores were much better than average.

For examining the reduction of VOCs, we pump exact amounts of incense smoke into a sealed refrigerator and measure how much and how quickly each air purifier can reduce VOCs in a 5-minute test on max power.

The MultiGas’s 12 pounds of carbon was truly noticeable here. It reduced the VOCs 100 percent in just 19 seconds, by far the fastest we’ve ever seen, with the next best being the HealthPro Plus at just 51 seconds.

Just so you can get a sense of how good that is, the average score is a reduction of 66 percent in 4.3 minutes. So, to reduce it 100 percent in 19 seconds is truly amazing, and it proves that at least with IQAir, you can really trust their claims of reducing smells, gases, and VOCs.

Our Conclusion

So, as we bring this review to a close, we can see that both the IQAir HealthPro Plus and the GC MultiGas are in a league of their own. Their design, power, and unique high-quality filters set them apart from most other air purifiers on the market.

However, when faced with the choice between the two, the IQAir GC MultiGas is clearly the better choice. The question is, is it worth the extra money compared to the previous IQAir?

If you’re more concerned with odors and gases and you want the best of the best, the MultiGas is the clear choice and is worth the extra cost. But if you want the second-best air purifier on the market for a significantly reduced cost, you would want the IQAir HealthPro Plus.

Specs

	IQAir Health Pro Plus	IQAir GC Multigas
Maximum Coverage	1,125 sq. ft.	1,125 sq. ft.
Purification Technology	Pre-filter, Gas & odor filter, HyperHEPA filter H12/13	HEPA Pre-filter H11, Gas & odor filter, Post filter
Dimensions	15” x 16” x 28”	15” x 16” x 28”
Color	White	White
Weight (with filters)	35 lbs.	44 lbs.
Warranty	10 years	10 years
Where to Buy	Amazon	Amazon