Pura Vs Aera: Which Scent Diffuser Is Best?

Debating Pura vs. Aera? Here’s my experience after using both, plus which one to buy.

When I bought my first Pura a few years ago, it was the first scent diffuser I’d used in my home. Before that, it felt like the only options were Glade plug-ins, which hadn’t heard of any using since the 90s. Since then, there have been a number of other Pura-like devices that have come on the market, promising a more elevated scenting experience than you’re typical Glade plug in, and cleaner, safer option than the average candle.

One such device: The Aera. The device has also been around for a few years, but I hadn’t heard of it until this year. It promises sustainable, transparent fragrances, and can scent up to 1,000 square feet, so I decided to give it a try.

Here’s a comparison of Pura vs. Aera, plus which I’d buy if you’re in the market for a home fragrance diffuser.

Pura vs. Aera: What’s the difference?

The Pura device is a small fragrance diffuser that plugs into the wall and is controlled by a mobile app. The Pura 4 allows you to plug in two fragrances at once, and you can toggle between them on your phone, or even set up a schedule for one to scent your home in the morning and the other to take over in the evening. The app allows you to set the schedule, monitor how much fragrance is left, and control the intensity of the scent.

The Aera offers two types of device. A tabletop model, that’s about 8″ long and 5″ high, or the Aera mini, which plugs into the wall sort of like a Pura. Unlike Pura, the devices are not app controlled, and you turn them on an adjust them directly on the body of the device. The Aera also only allows one scent at a time.

Pura and Aera also seem to use different mechanisms to disperse the scent.

According to the Lafco Fragrance blog,, “Pura uses electronic alternative to traditional reed diffusers. It utilizes low heat diffusion and a proprietary solvent to disperse ultra-fine fragrance droplets into the air.” It seems to constantly emit a low-level of fragrance while it’s on.

Aera, on the other hand, sends out a puff of fragrance every few minutes while it’s on, sort of like a spray of perfume. While I’m not totally sure about this because I couldn’t find any documentation online, I don’t think it uses heat to disperse the scent.

The final big difference between the two units is the price. Aera comes in at $195 for the tabletop unit and $95 for the mini-version. The Pura 4, on the other hand, comes in at just $49.99.

Pura vs. Aera: Fragrances

When it comes down to fragrance, Pura has waaay more options. Pura is a larger, more established brand which has partnerships with bigger fragrance houses like Apotheke, Nest, LAFCO, Anthropologie, etc., and it sells many popular candle fragrances in Pura versions, which is nice if you have a signature scent of favorite candle.

Aera, on the other hand, only sells its own proprietary fragrances, so it can be kind of tough to figure out which ones to choose (Though I plan to write a blog post on my favorites), and there are only about 50 of them.

While Pura wins on selection, I’m not gonna lie: The Aera fragrances just smell cleaner to me. For some reason, many of the Pura scents I’ve tried have a slightly strange undertone that is unique to Pura. It’s sort of like the scent version of an aftertaste, and reminds me a little bit of Glade Plugins (I think it has something to do with the heating of the fragrance). The “after-scent” is stronger in some scents than others, and I still have a bunch of Pura scents I love, but I would like the device and fragrances more overall without the “afterscent” or “underscent.”

That said, I still prefer Pura’s fragrances just because the Aera ones are so limited, and I haven’t found one that I love yet.

Aera Vs. Pura: Which is Better

Overall, if I had to choose one smart device, I would go with the Pura 4. The sheer number of fragrances Pura offers means you’re almost guaranteed to find one you love, and the app-control is so convenient.