IQOS vs. Vape: Are They the Same Thing?

IQOS and e-cigarettes seem very similar to one another on the surface. They’re both alternatives to smoking that allow you to absorb nicotine through your lungs, and they both provide alternatives to smoking that may be safer than conventional cigarettes. In addition, they both produce vapour rather than smoke.

Those points, however, are largely where the similarities between IQOS and vapes end. IQOS may seem like the newer of the two technologies, but it actually isn’t; it’s just the culmination of the tobacco industry’s decades of research – sometimes half hearted, other times less so – into the creation of a safer cigarette.

Harm reduction products like IQOS and e-cigarettes exist on a continuum of risk. Although it’s important to understand that the products don’t occupy the same position on that continuum, they’re both currently understood by health experts to be less risky than smoking. For some people who want to stop using smoked tobacco products, vaping will be the better option. For others, it’ll be IQOS. In this guide, we’ll explain everything that you need to know.

What Is Vaping?

An e-cigarette made by V2 Cigs UK.

We’ll begin with a brief overview of what vaping and IQOS are in case you’re still a smoker and are unfamiliar with how the two technologies work. Vaping uses an electronic device with a heating coil that turns a nicotine-infused liquid called e-liquid into vapour. You inhale the vapour and absorb the nicotine through your lungs. E-liquid consists of vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol, nicotine and food-grade flavours.

There are many different types of vaping devices on the market today. Our list of the best vapes provides a good overview of what’s available.

What Is IQOS?

An IQOS device. Wikimedia Commons.

IQOS is the best-known heated tobacco product (HTP). This type of device is also sometimes referred to as a heat-not-burn (HNB) system. It works by heating tobacco until it releases the nicotine as vapour. The tobacco can undergo pyrolysis during this process, but it doesn’t combust or release smoke. IQOS uses tobacco sticks called HEETS, which have filters and basically look like short cigarettes. When you insert a HEET into the device, a ceramic blade pierces the tobacco. When you puff on the device, the blade heats up and causes the nicotine to vaporize. On its own, the nicotine and water content of the tobacco wouldn’t produce a very substantial vapour cloud. To enhance that aspect of the experience, the tobacco in HEETS is impregnated with vegetable glycerine and propylene glycol – the same two primary ingredients found in e-liquid.

IQOS is produced by Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes.

IQOS vs. Vaping: Which Is Safer?

The Accord smoking system, an unsuccessful 1990s precursor to IQOS. PBS.

As we mentioned above, IQOS and vaping are both presently thought by medical experts to be safer than smoking. Since IQOS doesn’t combust the tobacco, it doesn’t produce tar. Using IQOS does, however, result in the inhalation of other dangerous compounds such as tobacco-specific nitrosamines and carbon monoxide – albeit at lower levels than in smoked tobacco. However, those same compounds either aren’t present in e-cigarettes at all or are present in much lower levels. Here are some recent studies and news releases that can help you understand IQOS vs. vaping on the basis of risk.

• In 2015, Public Health England released a sweeping study concluding that e-cigarettes are 95 percent safer than smoking.
• In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised IQOS for sale as a modified-risk tobacco product, granting permission for Altria to claim that it reduces the body’s exposure to harmful chemicals compared to smoking. To obtain this authorisation, Altria needed to demonstrate to the FDA’s satisfaction that IQOS is safer than conventional cigarettes.
• A 2018 study published in the journal Tobacco Control examined tobacco cigarettes, IQOS and e-cigarettes to compare their emissions of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA). The TSNA emissions of IQOS were 8-22 times lower than those of conventional cigarettes. However, TSNA emissions from the e-cigarette were significantly lower than those of IQOS. In fact, three of the four types of TSNA were below the minimum threshold for detection.

IQOS vs. Vaping: What Tastes Better?

A HEET contains a plug of real tobacco. Wikimedia Commons.

Taste is a matter of personal preference, but it’s definitely safe to say that IQOS and vapes taste almost nothing like one another. In fact, the major strength of each is also the one thing that the other can’t do.

• Since IQOS contains real tobacco, it tastes somewhat like a conventional cigarette. It’s not strictly the same as smoking because much of the flavour of smoking comes from the smoke itself. For many people, though, it’s close enough. However, although HEETS with added flavours do exist, they all still taste like tobacco.
• When you vape, the flavour of the e-liquid that you use comes from food-grade natural and artificial flavours. Menthol is also allowed in e-cigarettes. Since there are presently no legal restrictions on vape flavours, an e-cigarette can have almost any flavour including fruit, dessert, candy and even plain menthol. Even tobacco-flavoured vapes exist, and many people find those flavours quite enjoyable. However, it isn’t possible for a vape to taste exactly the same as real tobacco since tobacco isn’t used as a flavouring agent.

Although vapes don’t have the ability to taste like real cigarettes, some find that a strength rather than a drawback. After switching from smoking to vaping, many people end up backsliding and trying cigarettes “just one more time.” When they do that, it’s very common for those people to report that they find the taste of cigarettes absolutely disgusting and can’t imagine why they ever enjoyed smoking in the first place.

IQOS vs. Vaping: Which Is Easier?

When it comes to simplicity and ease of use, there’s no clear winner between IQOS and vaping. IQOS is a fairly user-friendly system – you charge the device, insert a HEET and puff on the HEET to smoke. Vapes such as the V2 Cigs e-cigarette (review) offer the same level of simplicity; just charge the battery, twist on a cartridge and puff to vape. There are more advanced vaping devices that offer additional features and are also more complex, but there’s no need to use an advanced vape if it’s not the right fit for you.

IQOS vs. Vaping: Which Is More Affordable?

In terms of affordability, there is no contest. Vaping is significantly cheaper than IQOS, although they both cost much less than smoking. That’s because the products are taxed at different rates.

• The average cost of a pack of cigarettes in the UK is a little over £15. At the time of writing, cigarettes have a duty of £316.60 per 1,000 sticks plus 16.5 percent of the retail price.
• The average cost of HEETS in the UK is around £6.7. At the time of writing, heated tobacco products have a duty of £325.53 per kilogram.
• The UK has no added duty applying to vaping products, although such a tax has been considered. Vape cartridges and liquids are extremely inexpensive. For example, refill cartridges for the V2 Cigs e-cigarette cost as little as £1.59 each when purchased in bulk. A cartridge typically lasts around a day.

Wrapping Up: What Are the Main Benefits of IQOS and Vaping?

IQOS and vaping have one thing in common: They both allow you to inhale nicotine without inhaling smoke. The similarity is unfortunate because it can cause some confusion among smokers who might conclude that they’re basically the same. It’s also unfortunate because IQOS and vaping are both viable options for reducing the harm of smoking even though they have different risk profiles. As we bring this article to a close, we’ll summarise the strongest aspects of IQOS and e-cigarettes.

Main Strengths of IQOS:

• It contains tobacco and therefore provides an authentic tobacco flavour that’s somewhat similar to smoking.
• It’s considered less risky to health than smoking. It produces no tar. Other harmful compounds from cigarettes are present in much lower concentrations than in cigarette smoke.
• It’s less expensive than smoking. A pack of HEETS typically costs a little less than half of what a pack of cigarettes would cost.

Main Strengths of Vaping:

• It’s considered much less risky to health than smoking. The harmful compounds that are present in IQOS are either present in much lower concentrations or aren’t present at all in e-cigarette vapour.
• It allows you to enjoy a much wider variety of flavours. Because e-liquids use the same flavouring ingredients used by the food industry, they can taste like almost anything.
• Vaping gives you greater control over your nicotine intake. E-liquids are available in many different nicotine strengths and are also available with no nicotine at all.
• It’s less expensive than IQOS and much less expensive than smoking. At present, vaping products do not have the duties that apply to cigarettes and heated tobacco products. You can vape for well under £2 per day.