Comparison
Airthings vs Govee: Which Air Quality Monitor Do You Need?
The Govee H5106 tracks PM2.5, temperature and humidity. The Airthings Wave Plus tracks radon, CO2, VOCs, humidity, temperature and air pressure, but not PM2.5. The gap is not about quality. It is about what each device was built to measure.
Last updated October 2026 · 6 min read · By the CleanAirHomeLab team
This page compares devices. It is not medical advice.
Govee H5106
$59.99 list price
PM2.5, temperature, humidity. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Screen. USB-C power.
Best for:
Watching particles: cooking, candles, smoke days, checking a purifier
Airthings Wave Plus
$249.99 list price
Radon, CO2, VOCs, humidity, temperature, air pressure. Runs on 2 AA batteries.
Best for:
Homes that have never tested for radon, basements, a wider view of indoor air
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Govee H5106 | Airthings Wave Plus |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (fine particles) | Yes | No PM2.5 sensor |
| Temperature | Yes | Yes |
| Humidity | Yes | Yes |
| Radon gas | No radon sensor listed | Yes. About 10% accuracy after 7 days at 5.4 pCi/L, per Airthings |
| CO2 | No CO2 sensor listed | NDIR sensor, 400 to 5,000 ppm |
| VOCs | No VOC sensor listed | TVOC (total VOCs) |
| Air pressure | Not listed | Yes |
| Display | Screen shows the time or PM2.5 | No screen. Red, yellow or green glow ring |
| Connection | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth | Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi through an Airthings hub |
| Power | USB-C (Type-C) power | 2 AA batteries, about 16 months on Bluetooth |
| Maker's list price | $59.99 on govee.com | $249.99 on airthings.com |
List prices are the makers' own regular prices, read October 6, 2026. Store prices change; check the current price before you buy.
What Govee Does Well
The Govee H5106 tracks fine particles, temperature and humidity. It has a screen that can show the time or the PM2.5 reading, so you do not need to open an app to check it. The Wave Plus has no screen at all.
Govee says it connects over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and lets you store and export your data. You can see how PM2.5 changes when you cook, light a candle, or when smoke drifts in from outside. That kind of feedback helps with daily choices, like when to run your purifier.
It runs on USB-C power, so it needs a nearby outlet. If you just want to know whether your air purifier is working, the H5106 gives you that data.
What Only Airthings Does
Of these two, only the Airthings Wave Plus measures radon. For most homeowners, that is the main reason to pick it.
Why Radon Matters
The EPA says radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. It says nearly 1 out of every 15 US homes is estimated to have high radon levels, and to fix your home at 4 pCi/L or more. A radon test kit tells you whether you have a problem. A Wave Plus tracks it all the time, so you can watch it change by season and check that a fix worked.
See how to test your indoor air for the order to do it in.
The Wave Plus also tracks CO2 and VOCs. CO2 is mostly a sign of how much fresh air a room gets. ASHRAE says its ventilation standard sets no limit for indoor CO2. VOC jumps can tell you when new furniture, paint or cleaners are giving off fumes.
It runs on 2 AA batteries, about 16 months on Bluetooth, per Airthings. You can put it in a basement without running a cable. The EPA says to test for radon in the lowest lived-in level of the home.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the Govee H5106 if:
- You already know your radon level, or you plan to use a radon test kit
- You mainly want to track PM2.5: cooking smoke, candles, outdoor smoke coming in
- You want a screen you can read without opening an app
- You want the lower-priced of the two
Buy the Airthings Wave Plus if:
- You have never tested your home for radon (especially if you have a basement)
- You want to keep checking radon after a fix to confirm it worked
- You want CO2 and VOC data alongside radon in one battery-powered device
- You need to put it somewhere without a nearby outlet
Consider both (or the Airthings View Plus) if:
- You want PM2.5 plus radon. The Wave Plus has no PM2.5 sensor; the View Plus adds one
- You want a screen with radon readings. The View Plus has a 2.9 inch ePaper screen
The Bottom Line
These are not competing products. They measure different things. The Govee H5106 is a PM2.5 monitor that also tracks temperature and humidity. The Airthings Wave Plus is a radon and air quality monitor that does not track PM2.5.
If you have never tested your home for radon, start with radon. A test kit or a Wave Plus will tell you where you stand.
If you want a simple way to see whether your air purifier is working, or how much your cooking adds to the air, the Govee H5106 covers that.
Common Questions
Is Govee accurate enough for real air quality monitoring?
Govee says the H5106 reads PM2.5, temperature and humidity and refreshes every 2 seconds. Govee publishes no accuracy figure for it. It is useful for spotting trends, like a jump when you cook or when smoke drifts in. For CO2 or radon, the H5106 lists no sensor. If you need those, look at Airthings or AirGradient.
Can Airthings Wave Plus detect PM2.5?
No. Airthings says the Wave Plus tracks radon, CO2 (an NDIR sensor, 400 to 5,000 ppm), VOCs, humidity, temperature and air pressure. It has no PM2.5 sensor. If you want radon and PM2.5 in one device, the Airthings View Plus adds a PM2.5 sensor and a 2.9 inch ePaper screen. Airthings lists it at $329.99.
Do I need both a Govee and an Airthings?
Only if you want every reading. The Govee H5106 covers PM2.5. The Wave Plus covers radon, CO2 and VOCs. The Airthings View Plus covers all of those in one device. If you have never tested your home at all, a PM2.5 monitor plus a radon test kit is a simple place to start.
Does Airthings or Govee pay this site?
No. Neither Airthings nor Govee has an affiliate deal with us. The buy buttons on this page go to Amazon, and Amazon pays us a small commission if you buy there. Our picks are based on the makers' published figures, not commission rates.
Keep Reading
Sources and last review
Specifications on this page are taken from the documents below, on the dates shown. We do not physically test products; read our methodology. Page last reviewed .
Correction, October 2026: this page compared the Govee H5179, which Govee sells as a temperature and humidity sensor. Govee's PM2.5 monitor is the H5106, and the page now names it. The page also called the Wave Plus CO2 sensor an estimate (Airthings specifies NDIR), printed prices Airthings and Govee no longer list, and said Airthings pays this site a commission. It does not.
- Govee (Smart Air Quality Monitor, model H5106) (manufacturer), retrieved 2026-10-06
- Govee (Wi-Fi Thermo-Hygrometer, model H5179) (manufacturer), retrieved 2026-10-06
- Airthings (Wave Plus product page, re-read) (manufacturer), retrieved 2026-10-06
- Airthings (View Plus product page, re-read) (manufacturer), retrieved 2026-10-06
- Airthings (manufacturer), retrieved 2026-09-03
- US EPA (Health Risk of Radon, re-read) (government), retrieved 2026-10-06
- US EPA (A Citizen's Guide to Radon, EPA 402/K-12/002) (government), retrieved 2026-10-06
- ASHRAE (Position Document on Indoor Carbon Dioxide) (standards body), retrieved 2026-10-06
Affiliate Disclosure:Amazon links on this page use our Associates tag (cleanairhome-20). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Airthings and Govee do not pay us. Our picks are based on the makers' published figures, not commission rates. Full disclosure.