Molekule Mini+ Air Purifier Review

About the Molekule Mini+ Air Purifier

• Area coverage: Up to 250 square feet
• Dimensions: 12 x 8 inches
• Weight: 7.2 lbs
• Color options: White
• Maximum noise level: 65 decibels
• Filter life: Approximately six months

The Molekule air purifier is white with gray trim and is small with rounded edges. It has a faux-leather handle on one side.

The air purifier features app-connectivity, and it has an optical air quality sensor used for automatic mode. Its cord fits into the base and extends through a notch in the bottom side.

The purifier features a simple interface with one button that cycles between fan speed and automatic mode. Its display light flips off automatically after a few seconds.

Molekule offers an auto-replacement subscription program that sends a new filter every six months. With the subscription, replacement filters cost $79.99.

How we tested this air purifier

We test air purifiers at the Reviewed labs in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In our tests we place an air purifier in a sealed chamber with high levels of smoke and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We use an air quality meter to track how well it is able to clean up the space.

After initial lab testing, each air purifier is then taken home by a tester, who tracks how well it does in real-life conditions. These tests account for whether an air purifier is quiet enough to be used in sleeping quarters, how much room it takes up, and more.

What we like

It eliminates viruses, bacteria, and chemicals

While air purifiers create healthy spaces, very few of them are certified as medical devices. The Molekule breaks the mold here.

Cleared as a Class II medical device by the FDA, this air purifier was independently verified to eliminate viruses, bacteria, and chemicals with its patented PECO technology when running at a fan speed of three and up.

PECO stands for a photoelectrochemical oxidative. Inside the Molekule, powerful UV LEDs activate a catalyst, releasing highly reactive ions. These ions break down pollutants, leaving behind water vapor and other harmless byproducts.

It can even eliminate COVID-19, giving you better peace of mind during outbreaks.

The Mini+ also has a true HEPA filter and can consequently filter out other types of pollutants like smoke or dander with a particle size down to 0.3 microns.

In a setting like a school classroom or hospital-based office, the Molekule could be your first line of defense against airborne pathogens. Planted on a desk, it might be enough to keep you from getting sick (though that will depend on lots of other circumstances).

It’s highly portable

Molekule’s small size means you can position it on your bedside table or at the end of a desk while you work.

The Molekule features a synthetic faux-leather strap that sticks up from one side of it. This makes a perfect handhold with which to carry about the small air purifier, whether you’re transporting it to the office, or from room to room.

It matches a modern desk

When it comes to aesthetics, the Molekule’s designers nailed it without being flashy or skimping on function. Like many air purifiers, it looks a bit like a diminutive jet engine, with a round build and a partial grill on top. It will fit right in on a modern desk with your snake plant, and look chic without grabbing attention.

Its cord is easy to manage, staying in place thanks to a convenient circular recession on its bottom face, around which it can be wound. A small notch gives the cord enough space to emerge from beneath without getting in the way of the air purifier sitting flat on a surface. If you hate knots of stray cables as much as we do, then you’ll appreciate this.

Lastly, we love how the single button lights up as you cycle between fan speeds and modes, and how that light flicks off after you’re done, refraining from glowing at you all night as you try to fall asleep.

Molekule connects to a 5G network, and its app is easy to use

The device connects on a 5G network, which is somewhat rare, considering many IoT devices still require 2.4G connections. This means you won't have to set up a separate Wi-Fi connection just so you can use your air purifier’s smart features.

The app gives you the same cycle controls over fan speed and automatic mode that the physical button does. Courtesy of a countdown based on the six-month filter recommendation, it will also remind you when you need a replacement.

Additionally, the app displays a graph of air quality based on the optical air quality sensor. If you live in a wildfire zone or a city with lots of air pollution, this can help you understand just how much pollution is getting into the house.

What we don’t like

It doesn’t filter particulate matter very well

The Molekule is good at filtering out viruses and bacteria, but its small fan limits how much it can do on common pollutants like smoke, pollen, and pet dander.

The Molekule’s PECO technology is able to eliminate extremely small particles, including viruses smaller than 0.1 microns. These are too small for a standard HEPA filter to catch. The Mini+ handles these with a different process from standard particle filtration. For regular pollutants like dust and dander, it filters like a standard HEPA filter, catching pollen or cat fur down to the 0.3 micron range.

The difference in the particle filtration quality between the Mini+ and other air purifiers comes from the small size of the Mini+. With a small fan, it’s unable to filter as much air as larger filters

On an office desk, this should still be able to move enough air to make a difference around you, it just won’t do as good of a job as the very best air purifiers at clearing the air throughout a whole home.

It makes a ton of noise

The Molekule’s fans are louder than we’d like, especially at high speed.

Since its Class II medical device clearance is for fan speeds three and up, you’ll need to really run this purifier to get its full benefit. Since faster equals louder in this case, this means more noise is required to get the full benefit of the Mini+.

Set to automatic mode, it runs only at the speed it needs to, which is often lower. Thankfully, this means less noise.

Replacement filters will cost you

Air purifier filters need to get changed with time, but when you buy a new air purifier you may forget to account the future added cost of replacing those filters. In the case of the Molekule, you will need to replace its filter every six months.

The Molekule’s auto replacement subscription sends filters every six months and costs $79.99 for each filter. Without a subscription, individual filters will cost $105 after shipping. This is considerably more expensive than the replacement filters for some other brands like the Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max or Levoit Vital 200s which both cost $49.99 per filter.

However, unlike other air purifiers on the market, Molekule filters do include the PECO catalyst system, which is likely responsible for the increased cost.

Should you buy the Molekule Mini+?

Yes, if you’re worried about viruses and bacteria in your personal space

The Molekule air purifier provides portability and a small frame, an automatic mode, and a demonstrated ability to destroy viruses and bacteria that earned it the honor of being registered as a Class II medical device.

We can think of common use cases where the Molekule is extremely beneficial. A nurse, teacher, or any office worker who finds themselves in settings with frequent exposure to germs will appreciate its proven protection in this department, which goes well beyond what most HEPA filters provide.

While the Molekule does a good job at improving indoor air quality in small spaces, it doesn’t have the ability to clear smoke, pet hair, dust, pollen, mold spores, and VOCs from the air at the same volume as other top performing air purifiers. It also boasts an annoyingly loud fan, and requires you to shell out serious money for replacement filters after your initial investment.

Still, it’s much smaller than most of the best air purifiers we tested, and these expensive filters do advanced things that a lot of other filters can’t.

In the end, we think that if virus and bacteria filtration and portability are important to you, then this is one of the best desktop air purifiers on the market. However, if you’re in the market for something for wildfire or hay fever season that will purify the air in your whole home, consider the Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max.