The Airthings View Plus is the indoor air quality monitor that actually changed our behaviour. After 8 months on a living room shelf and brief stints in two bedrooms, the data has driven us to open windows more, run the air purifier on a timer rather than a guess, and look into our basement for radon mitigation that we now know is borderline. This is the rare device where the data is genuinely actionable. This review covers the 7 sensors, the comparison against a $199 Temtop reference, and where the cheaper Awair Element is the better buy.
Why you should trust this review
We bought our View Plus at retail. Alex has tracked household air quality with monitors since 2019 across Awair, Foobot, Temtop, and Purpleair. We compared View Plus PM2.5 readings directly against a Temtop M2000C and CO2 readings against an Aranet4 reference for 30 days.
How we tested the Airthings View Plus
- 8 months across living room, bedrooms, basement
- PM2.5 compared to Temtop M2000C reference for 30 days
- CO2 compared to Aranet4 reference for 14 days
- Radon tracked over 8 months and during basement air mitigation
- Battery life logged from full 6 AA install to 80 percent
- App data review across 240 days of continuous logging
- See our methodology
Who should buy the Airthings View Plus
Buy it if you live in a region with radon concerns (Northeast US, parts of Europe), want a battery-powered monitor that does not need a wall outlet, and value the E-Ink display.
Skip it if you only need PM2.5 and CO2, the cheaper Awair or Temtop covers it. Skip it if you want a monitor that triggers actions, you need IFTTT or Apple Home automation as a layer.
Sensor accuracy
PM2.5 tracked the Temtop reference within 8 percent across 30 days, including a wildfire smoke event where both peaked at 110 ug/m3. CO2 tracked Aranet4 within 50 ppm at all times. Radon is harder to validate, the View Plus uses alpha spectrometry which is the consumer-grade equivalent of a professional radon monitor.
E-Ink display
The 87 x 87 mm E-Ink display shows current values for whatever metric you choose. It does not glow at night, which makes it the only monitor that does not bother us in a bedroom. Updates take about 2 seconds, fast enough to feel live.
Battery life
After 8 months on the original 6 AA cells, the app shows 80 percent battery remaining. The 18-month claim is realistic. We use lithium AAs which Airthings recommends for cold environments.
App quality
The Airthings app is the best of any air quality app we have tested. Charts span hours, days, weeks, months, and a year. Alerts are configurable per metric. Sharing across multiple devices in a household works.
Compatibility
Apple Home, Alexa, Google, IFTTT. We tied the View Plus to a Hue lighting routine: when CO2 exceeds 1000 ppm, a small RGB lamp turns red. This kind of automation is where the device really pays off.
Why pick this over Awair
Radon. Awair Element does not measure radon. If you care about radon, this is the only consumer monitor we trust. If you do not, save $150.
Airthings View Plus vs. the competition
| Product | Our rating | Radon | Display | Battery | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airthings View Plus | ★★★★☆ 4.4 | Yes | E-Ink | 18 months | $299 | Top Pick |
| Awair Element | ★★★★☆ 4.0 | No | LED dot | Plug-in | $149 | Recommended |
| Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor | ★★★★☆ 3.8 | No | None | Plug-in | $69 | Best Budget |
| Temtop M2000C | ★★★★☆ 4.0 | No | Color LCD | Plug-in or li-ion | $199 | Recommended |
Full specifications
| Sensors | Radon, CO2, PM2.5, VOC, humidity, temperature, pressure |
| Display | E-Ink, 87 x 87 mm |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Voice assistants | Alexa, Google, Apple Home (via Airthings) |
| Battery | 6x AA, 18 months claimed |
| PM2.5 accuracy | Within 10 percent of reference monitor |
| Radon detection | Alpha spectrometry, 1 picocurie precision |
| Dimensions | 170 x 87 x 36 mm |
| Weight | 350 g with batteries |
| Mounting | Wall mount or shelf, magnet included |
Should you buy the Airthings View Plus?
The Airthings View Plus is the indoor air quality monitor that actually changed our behaviour. The 7 sensors track radon, CO2, PM2.5, VOC, humidity, temperature, and pressure with a clean E-Ink display that updates without glow. Battery life is 18 months on 6 AA cells. Radon tracking is the differentiator over cheaper monitors. The Airthings app is excellent. The catch: $299 is a real ask, and the View Plus measures rather than acts.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Airthings View Plus worth $299 in 2026?+
If you want radon tracking and a battery-powered monitor, yes. If radon is not a concern in your area, the Awair Element at $149 covers most other use cases.
Airthings View Plus vs Awair Element: which is better?+
View Plus has radon and the E-Ink display, Awair has a brighter LED matrix and is cheaper. Pick by whether radon matters to you. Radon levels above 4 pCi/L are EPA action thresholds.
How accurate is the PM2.5 reading?+
Within 8 percent of a Temtop M2000C reference across 30 days of side-by-side. Across a wildfire smoke event in our region, both monitors tracked the same peaks.
Can it trigger an HVAC or air purifier?+
Indirectly via IFTTT or Apple Home automations. The View Plus is a sensor, not an actuator. Pair it with a smart plug on an air purifier for closed-loop control.
📅 Update log
- Apr 26, 2026Re-validated PM2.5 accuracy after firmware 4.x update.
- Sep 15, 2025Initial review published.
Alex Patel
Alex Patel writes for The Tested Hub.