Top 6 compared
The best air fryers
Crisp chips with a spoonful of oil, and a roast chicken without heating the whole oven.
54 checked · 6 made the cut
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The top 6 at a glance
An air fryer is a small, powerful fan oven that lives on the worktop, blowing hot air round the food so it crisps with little oil. It needs little or no preheating, and for an everyday meal it saves putting the big oven on. Single-drawer models are compact and cost less; dual-drawer ones cook two foods at different temperatures and finish them together.
Dishwasher-safe drawers and plates matter more than the number of presets once it’s in use most nights. Two-drawer models are wide, often close to 40cm, so measure the worktop first. A basket browns best half full, so a crowd’s chips go in two rounds, with a shake halfway through.
What matters
- Capacity in what it holds, not just litres: a whole chicken, say.
- Two drawers, if a main and a side need to finish together.
- A top temperature of 200°C or more for proper browning.
#1Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer (7.6L, AF300UK)
£199.99 RRP
- Two drawers that finish together
- 1.6kg chicken per drawer
- Heats to 240°C
Two drawers that cook separately and finish together, so the chicken and the chips land on the table at the same time. It feeds four to six, and for most weeknight dinners it quietly takes over from the oven, without heating up the kitchen.
What owners say: Owners rate the results and the easy controls and like having a main and a side on the go together; they say food comes out evenly cooked and the clean-up is quick.
A closer look: Use Max Crisp for frozen chips and nuggets in one drawer and Bake in the other for a small cake or a tray of brownies while the main cooks. A large chicken fills a drawer on its own, so give the potatoes and veg the second one.
Best for: Highest heat
- Drawers
- 2 × 3.8L
- Capacity
- 7.6L
- Holds
- 1kg chips or a 1.6kg chicken per drawer
- Top heat
- 240°C
- Cooks two things at once
- Yes
- Cooking modes
- 6 functions
- Dishwasher-safe parts
- Yes
#2Ninja Air Fryer Pro (4.7L, AF140UK)
£75–£100
- Dehydrate setting, 40 to 90°C
- Dishwasher-safe drawer and plate
Ninja’s compact single-drawer Pro: a 4.7L non-stick drawer that takes a whole 1kg chicken or 500g of chips, four functions from air fry to dehydrate, and heat up to 210°C. It suits one or two who want a Ninja without the width of a dual-zone model.
What owners say: Owners say it cooks evenly and makes great chips, that cleaning up is easy, and that the drawer is roomy for one or two.
A closer look: Leave the crisper plate in for chips, wings and sausages so they sit clear of any fat, and lift it out to bake in a small ovenproof dish that fits the drawer. The dehydrate setting runs from 40 to 90°C for up to 12 hours, low and slow enough for dried fruit.
Best for: 12-hour dehydrating
- Drawers
- 1
- Capacity
- 4.7L
- Holds
- 500g chips or a 1kg chicken
- Top heat
- 210°C
- Cooks two things at once
- No
- Cooking modes
- 4 functions
- Dishwasher-safe parts
- Yes
#3Philips Airfryer 2000 Series (4.2L)
£89.99 RRP
- Keep-warm preset
- Dishwasher-safe pan
Philips launched the very first Airfryer at a Berlin tech show in 2010, and this neat 4.2L model keeps the idea simple: a StarPlate in the pan to spread the hot air, a touchscreen with nine presets, and room for a meal for two.
What owners say: Owners find it straightforward and quick, say food comes out well cooked with very little oil, and say it wipes clean easily. The pan holds a main or a side for two.
A closer look: The keep-warm preset holds food hot when dinner’s ready before everyone else is, and the breakfast and cake presets go beyond the usual chips and chicken. Lift the StarPlate out to wash it, as crumbs and fat collect underneath, and pat fresh chips dry before they go in for the crispest finish.
Best for: Most ways to cook
- Drawers
- 1
- Capacity
- 4.2L
- Holds
- 500g chips or 6 drumsticks
- Top heat
- 200°C
- Cooks two things at once
- No
- Cooking modes
- 13 methods, 9 presets
- Dishwasher-safe parts
- Yes
#4Tefal Easy Fry Dual Zone Air Fryer (8.3L)
£129.99 RRP
- Two drawers with Sync finish
- Takes a 1.8kg chicken
- Repairable for 15 years
- Big 42 × 40cm footprint
Two drawers of different sizes, which makes more sense than it sounds: a single portion goes in the 3.1L drawer instead of rattling round a big basket, and the 5.2L one takes a whole chicken for a family meal, with Sync to finish both together.
What owners say: Owners say it makes cooking for the whole family simple, cooks quickly and well, and is easy to use, with plenty of room in less space than a full cooker.
A closer look: A light spray of oil on fresh potatoes and veg helps them colour, while frozen chips need none, as they’re already coated. Tefal suggests a hand wash, or a low-temperature dishwasher cycle, for the drawers, which keeps the non-stick in good shape for longer.
Best for: Mixed portion sizes
- Drawers
- 2 (5.2L + 3.1L)
- Capacity
- 8.3L
- Holds
- Up to 8 people; a whole chicken
- Top heat
- 200°C
- Cooks two things at once
- Yes
- Cooking modes
- 8 programmes
- Dishwasher-safe parts
- Yes
#5COSORI 4.7L Air Fryer
£75–£100
- Takes a 1.8kg chicken
- Heats to 230°C
- Dishwasher-safe basket
- No dehydrate setting
A big single basket with a tempered-glass touch panel of one-touch presets for chips, frozen food, steak, seafood and veg. It runs up to 230°C, and the 4.7L basket takes a whole chicken, so it covers a couple’s meals and a small family’s.
What owners say: Cleaning is easy and it cooks faster than the oven, owners say, and it fits a small kitchen yet takes a whole chicken. Not everyone finds it easy to get the hang of, though many say it has changed how they cook day to day.
A closer look: COSORI’s paper liners, sold separately, save scrubbing after anything sticky. COSORI puts the running noise at 55dB, quiet enough to talk over while it cooks, and its free VeSync app holds more than 100 recipes to try.
Best for: Roasting a big chicken
- Drawers
- 1
- Capacity
- 4.7L
- Holds
- 900g frozen chips or a 1.8kg chicken
- Top heat
- 230°C
- Cooks two things at once
- No
- Cooking modes
- 9 presets
- Dishwasher-safe parts
- Yes
#6Russell Hobbs SatisFry 4L Digital Air Fryer
£94.99 RRP
- Small 34 × 25cm footprint
- Dehydrate preset
- Third guarantee year if registered
A small, simple digital air fryer with ten presets, from chips and eggs to bake and dehydrate, and a 4L basket sized for one or two. Its footprint is about 34 by 25cm, so it fits a tight worktop beside the kettle.
What owners say: Easy to use and a good fit for one or two, owners say, and they like how it cooks. Its durability is the weak spot, with several reporting faults.
A closer look: Cook chips and nuggets from frozen on the Frozen preset rather than thawing them first. The basket and crisping plate go in the dishwasher, and a wipe round the inside of the drawer once it has cooled stops grease from building up.
Best for: Small worktops
- Drawers
- 1
- Capacity
- 4L
- Holds
- Up to 800g chips
- Top heat
- 220°C
- Cooks two things at once
- No
- Cooking modes
- 7 functions, 10 presets
- Dishwasher-safe parts
- Yes
Side by side
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Ninja Dual Zone AF300 | #2Ninja Air Fryer Pro AF140 | #3Philips Airfryer 2000 4.2L | #4Tefal Easy Fry Dual Zone | #5COSORI 4.7L | #6Russell Hobbs SatisFry 4L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | ||||||
| Picked Rating | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 8.9 |
| Price | £199.99 RRP | £75–£100 | £89.99 RRP | £129.99 RRP | £75–£100 | £94.99 RRP |
| Drawers | 2 × 3.8L | 1 | 1 | 2 (5.2L + 3.1L) | 1 | 1 |
| Capacity | 7.6L | 4.7L | 4.2L | 8.3L | 4.7L | 4L |
| Holds | 1kg chips or a 1.6kg chicken per drawer | 500g chips or a 1kg chicken | 500g chips or 6 drumsticks | Up to 8 people; a whole chicken | 900g frozen chips or a 1.8kg chicken | Up to 800g chips |
| Top heat | 240°C | 210°C | 200°C | 200°C | 230°C | 220°C |
| Cooks two things at once | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Cooking modes | 6 functions | 4 functions | 13 methods, 9 presets | 8 programmes | 9 presets | 7 functions, 10 presets |
| Dishwasher-safe parts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Highest heat | 12-hour dehydrating | Most ways to cook | Mixed portion sizes | Roasting a big chicken | Small worktops |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
How we checked these
How 54 became 6
We found 54 air fryer listings. Five were the same model again in another size or colour, and 21 were rated far too low and/or had too few ratings to compete. One was no longer sold. That left 27, which we narrowed down step by step:
- Ratings, reviews and salesFor the 27, we then checked the ratings and reviews further, and how many people buy each one. Owners talked most about parts breaking or the fryer failing, then size. After these checks, we dropped five more.22 left
- Features weighed upThe 22 left were compared on drawers, capacity, top heat, cooking modes and dishwasher-safe parts. Once everything was weighed up together, we dropped 16 more. The #1 has every feature you’d expect from an air fryer.6 made the cut
- Value for moneyEvery air fryer here is worth what it costs. A dearer one is only here if it gives you more.
- Who sells itEvery seller was checked. Each air fryer is sold new and sent from the UK.
- Safe to buyEvery brand on this list was checked for safety recalls. None of these six air fryers has one.
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