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HUB 01 · Multicookers

The Best Multicookers

One pot that pressure-cooks, slow-cooks, sautés and — on some — air-fries. We ranked the real ones on what the manufacturer publishes: rated wattage, working pressure, the pot material, and what it costs to run. The Instant Pot Duo is still the one to buy if you are not sure, and here is exactly why.

By Stephen V.Updated How we rank
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We earn a commission if you buy through our links. It does not change the price you pay, and it does not decide our picks — the scoring rubric is published in full, including what disqualifies a pick. How this works.

The short answer

Quick picks

#ad · Prices pulled live from the Amazon Product API, last checked Jul 21, 2026. Where we have no verified live price we show none — we would rather leave a gap than print a number that has gone stale. The wattage column is what the manufacturer publishes; “not published” means exactly that, and we have not estimated one. Scores are ours, compiled from published specifications, and are not test results.

What a multicooker actually is

A multicooker is an electric pot with a heating element in the base, a lid that can seal for pressure, and a microcontroller that runs both. That is the whole machine. Pressure cooking is the reason to own one — sealing the lid raises the boiling point to around 250°F, which is what turns dried beans tender in 40 minutes and a tough chuck roast to shreds in an hour. Every other function is that same element at a different power level: slow cook is low and long, sauté is high and open, keep-warm is barely on.

Once you know that, the “7-in-1 versus 13-in-1” number on the box stops meaning much. Most of those functions are the same heat relabeled. What genuinely differs between these machines is four things: the pot material, whether it pressurizes and how the lid seals, whether it also crisps with hot air, and how honestly the manufacturer documents any of it.

The one spec that actually varies: the pot

Almost every multicooker here draws between 700 and 1,500 watts and pressurizes to roughly the same 10–12 psi. The real hardware difference is the inner pot. Instant Pot uses an 18/8 stainless pot with a tri-ply base on its core models — no coating to scratch off, so it outlasts everything. Ninja and most budget cookers use a nonstick pot that is easier to clean and wears out faster. Neither is wrong, but a stainless pot is the reason a well-kept Duo is still going a decade later, and it is worth knowing which you are buying.

Pressure, crisp, or neither

Three of these machines are not really in the same class, and the honest thing is to say so. The Duo Crisp and the Ninja Foodi add a second lid that air-fries, so a pot roast pressure-cooks and then crisps in the same pot — genuinely useful if you would otherwise own a pressure cooker and an air fryer. The Ninja PossibleCooker deliberately drops pressure entirely; it is a big slow-cooker-style pot for people who never used the pressure function. And the Crock-Pot is a plain slow cooker, here as the honest floor: if Slow Cook is the only button you ever pressed, it does that one job for a fraction of the price.

How to choose in one paragraph

For most people, buy the 6-quart Instant Pot Duo — it is stainless, well-documented, and the cheapest cooker here you can genuinely trust. Step up to the Pro for the auto-sealing lid and a sous vide program, or the Duo Crisp if you want air frying in the same box. Size up to the RIO Wide only if you batch-cook, down to the Duo Mini if you cook for one or two. And if you never pressure cook, be honest about it and buy the slow cooker.

In detail

The picks, in full

01
Instant Pot Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart

The one to buy if you are not sure

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart

Stainless inner potWattage & pressure published
8.6/10

The multicooker that made the category, and still the right default. Instant Brands publishes the wattage, the working pressure range and a stainless (not nonstick) inner pot, which is more than most of the field manages — and it costs less than almost all of them.

Capability
7.5
Capacity
8
Documentation
9.5
Build
8.5
Value
9.5

What it gets right

  • Instant Brands publishes the wattage, the working-pressure range and the pot material — the full set, which most of the field does not
  • The 18/8 stainless inner pot has no coating to scratch off, so it outlives the nonstick pots in cookers costing more
  • At the current price it is the cheapest genuinely well-documented multicooker on this site

What it doesn't

  • No sous vide or air-fry program — this is the plain pressure-and-slow-cook model, by design
  • The steam release is a manual toggle, not the quiet auto-release of the Duo Plus or Pro
  • Seven functions is fewer than the sticker-count leaders, though most of those are the same element at different set points

What it costs to run

About 18.8¢ an hour at full rated draw, at the US average of 18.83¢ per kWh.

1,000 W ÷ 1000 × 1 h × 18.83¢ = 18.8¢

1000 W at 120 V / 60 Hz, published on the Instant Pot Duo product page and confirmed on the IP-DUO60 manual specification page. This is an upper bound: the element only draws full power while it is heating up or pressurizing, then cycles off to hold temperature, and no manufacturer publishes a duty cycle — so we compute at full rated draw rather than invent a correction factor. The full method is published.

Skip this if…

you specifically want sous vide, a quieter steam release, or an air-fry lid — the Duo has none of those, and reaching for it and then wishing it did more is the most common Instant Pot regret. Step up to the Pro or Duo Crisp instead.

$104.04on Amazon

$109.995% off

Price last checked Jul 21, 2026. Prices move constantly — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart

02
Instant Pot Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart

The one to keep for a decade

Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart

Sous vide programNo published pressure figure
8.4/10

The Duo's mechanicals with the interface fixed: a genuine sous vide program, an auto-sealing lid, grab-and-go pot handles and five programmable buttons. It draws 1,200 W rather than the Duo's 1,000, and Instant Brands does not publish a working-pressure figure for it — the one gap in an otherwise well-documented cooker.

Capability
9
Capacity
8
Documentation
8
Build
9
Value
8

What it gets right

  • A real sous vide program plus sterilize, on a stainless pot with grab-and-go handles — the most complete Instant Pot without the air-fry lid
  • The auto-sealing lid removes the single most common Instant Pot mistake: leaving the valve on Venting and wondering why it will not pressurize
  • Five programmable Fav buttons make it the only model here you can genuinely set up around the three things you actually cook

What it doesn't

  • Instant Brands publishes no working-pressure figure for the Pro — the number is on the Duo's manual but not this one, which for a premium model is a fair thing to want
  • 1,200 W draws more than the Duo's 1,000, so it costs marginally more per minute to run
  • You are paying for interface and lid engineering, not for better cooking — the pot and heating are the Duo's

What it costs to run

About 22.6¢ an hour at full rated draw, at the US average of 18.83¢ per kWh.

1,200 W ÷ 1000 × 1 h × 18.83¢ = 22.6¢

1200 W at 120 V / 60 Hz, published on the Instant Pot Pro product page and confirmed on the Pro manual specification page 51. This is an upper bound: the element only draws full power while it is heating up or pressurizing, then cycles off to hold temperature, and no manufacturer publishes a duty cycle — so we compute at full rated draw rather than invent a correction factor. The full method is published.

Skip this if…

you want air frying. The Pro has no crisping lid and never will; if a crisp finish is on your list, the Duo Crisp is the model in the range that does it.

$169.99on Amazon

Price last checked Jul 21, 2026. Prices move constantly — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart

03
Instant Pot Instant Pot Duo Crisp Ultimate Lid, 13-in-1 Air Fryer & Pressure Cooker, 6.5 Quart

Pressure cook and air fry under one lid

Instant Pot Duo Crisp Ultimate Lid, 13-in-1 Air Fryer & Pressure Cooker, 6.5 Quart

One lid, both jobsHighest draw here
8.4/10

The one lid that both pressurizes and crisps, which is the whole argument against buying a pressure cooker and an air fryer separately. It draws 1,500 W — the most of any Instant Pot here — and that higher draw is the air-fry element doing real work, not a spec-sheet flourish.

Capability
9.5
Capacity
8.5
Documentation
8.5
Build
8
Value
7.5

What it gets right

  • The Ultimate Lid does pressure and air fry without swapping hardware, which is the genuine space-saving argument for the combo
  • Thirteen functions here include the ones people actually asked for — sous vide, dehydrate and proof, not just relabeled heat
  • Instant Brands publishes the 1,500 W rating and a stainless inner pot in its own manual — full documentation on a combo unit, which is rare

What it doesn't

  • 1,500 W is the highest draw of any Instant Pot on this site, so it is the most expensive per minute to run
  • The crisping lid is heavy and has to go somewhere while you pressure cook — combo units solve counter space and then eat cupboard space
  • The single Ultimate Lid is more complex than a plain pressure lid, so there is more to go wrong over years of use

What it costs to run

About 28.2¢ an hour at full rated draw, at the US average of 18.83¢ per kWh.

1,500 W ÷ 1000 × 1 h × 18.83¢ = 28.2¢

1500 W at 120 V / 60 Hz, published on Instant Brands' own Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid product page and confirmed in the model SLCO65000 user manual specification table. This is an upper bound: the element only draws full power while it is heating up or pressurizing, then cycles off to hold temperature, and no manufacturer publishes a duty cycle — so we compute at full rated draw rather than invent a correction factor. The full method is published.

Skip this if…

you already own a separate air fryer you are happy with. The combo's entire premium is putting both jobs in one box; if crisping is already handled, the plain Pro does the pressure half better for less.

$199.99on Amazon

$219.999% off

Price last checked Jul 21, 2026. Prices move constantly — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

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04
Instant Pot Instant Pot RIO Wide 7-in-1, 7.5 Quart Multi-Cooker

A wide base for searing and big batches

Instant Pot RIO Wide 7-in-1, 7.5 Quart Multi-Cooker

Wide searing baseStainless inner pot
8.3/10

The Duo, rebranded RIO and widened. The 7.5-quart Wide has a larger searing base than the tall 6-quart pots, which is the one real ergonomic improvement in the line — more of the pot bottom touches the element, so browning is more even before you pressurize.

Capability
7
Capacity
9
Documentation
9
Build
8.5
Value
8

What it gets right

  • The wide base — Instant Brands claims 35% more searing surface — browns more food at once and more evenly than a tall 6-quart pot
  • 7.5 quarts genuinely cooks for a larger household or a batch-cooking weekend
  • 18/8 stainless anti-spin inner pot — no coating to fail, and it stays put while you stir

What it doesn't

  • 1,200 W is more than the standard 1,000 W Duo, so it costs marginally more per minute to run
  • The wider footprint takes more counter than the tall pots for the same 7-in-1 feature set
  • Seven functions only — no sous vide, no air fry

What it costs to run

About 22.6¢ an hour at full rated draw, at the US average of 18.83¢ per kWh.

1,200 W ÷ 1000 × 1 h × 18.83¢ = 22.6¢

1200 W at 120 V / 60 Hz, published on Instant Brands' own RIO Wide product page. This is an upper bound: the element only draws full power while it is heating up or pressurizing, then cycles off to hold temperature, and no manufacturer publishes a duty cycle — so we compute at full rated draw rather than invent a correction factor. The full method is published.

Skip this if…

counter space is tight or you cook for one or two — the Wide's whole advantage is a bigger base, and if you do not need the width you are giving up counter for nothing. The standard Duo is the same idea, narrower and cheaper to run.

$139.95on Amazon

Price last checked Jul 21, 2026. Prices move constantly — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Instant Pot RIO Wide 7-in-1, 7.5 Quart Multi-Cooker

05
Ninja Ninja 14-in-1 PossibleCooker PRO, 8.5-Quart Multicooker (MC1001)

Big-batch cooking without pressure

Ninja 14-in-1 PossibleCooker PRO, 8.5-Quart Multicooker (MC1001)

Oven-safe potNo pressure cooking
8.2/10

Ninja's current multicooker, and pointedly NOT a pressure cooker. It is an 8.5-quart pot that sears, slow-cooks, steams and goes in the oven to 500°F, at 1,200 W. If you never used the pressure function on your old Instant Pot, this is the more honest machine for how you actually cook.

Capability
7.5
Capacity
9.5
Documentation
8
Build
8
Value
8

What it gets right

  • 8.5 quarts and an oven-safe pot to 500°F means one vessel from sear to slow-cook to a browned finish under the broiler
  • SharkNinja publishes the wattage plainly, which a surprising number of multicookers do not
  • For a household that only ever slow-cooked and seared, this drops the pressure mechanism you never used and the maintenance it needs

What it doesn't

  • It does not pressure cook — so it will not turn dried beans or a tough roast around in 40 minutes the way an Instant Pot does
  • The '14-in-1' count rests on 8 actual functions; the extra six are the appliances it claims to replace, not separate modes
  • The pot's material is described inconsistently across Ninja's own copy, stainless in one place and nonstick in another

What it costs to run

About 22.6¢ an hour at full rated draw, at the US average of 18.83¢ per kWh.

1,200 W ÷ 1000 × 1 h × 18.83¢ = 22.6¢

1200 W as published by SharkNinja on the 8.5-quart PossibleCooker PRO (MC1001) product page. This is an upper bound: the element only draws full power while it is heating up or pressurizing, then cycles off to hold temperature, and no manufacturer publishes a duty cycle — so we compute at full rated draw rather than invent a correction factor. The full method is published.

Skip this if…

speed is why you want a multicooker. The entire point of pressure cooking is time, and this machine deliberately does not do it — buy an Instant Pot if a weeknight roast is the goal.

$139.95on Amazon

$169.9918% off

Price last checked Jul 21, 2026. Prices move constantly — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

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06
Ninja Ninja Foodi OS300 10-in-1, 6.5-Quart Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer

Pressure and crisp, the TenderCrisp way

Ninja Foodi OS300 10-in-1, 6.5-Quart Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer

Dual lid: pressure + crispCurrent listing is a renewed unit
7.7/10

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp's direct rival: a pressure cooker with a separate crisping lid, Ninja's TenderCrisp system. It is the honest alternative in the pressure-plus-air-fry class — with one caveat worth knowing before you buy, below.

Capability
9
Capacity
8.5
Documentation
7
Build
7.5
Value
6.5

What it gets right

  • TenderCrisp pairs a pressure lid with a separate crisping lid, so a pot roast pressure-cooks and then crisps without changing pots
  • The 500°F crisping element is a genuine high-heat finish, not the same element run harder
  • A direct, feature-for-feature answer to the Instant Pot Duo Crisp for anyone who prefers Ninja's interface

What it doesn't

  • At 1,460 W it draws nearly as much as the Duo Crisp's 1,500 — the two crisping units are the most power-hungry multicookers here
  • The Amazon listing for this exact model is currently a certified-renewed unit; new stock of the Foodi pressure-cooker line has become intermittent as Ninja shifts to its SmartLid and PossibleCooker ranges
  • Two lids means two things to store, and the crisping lid is bulky

What it costs to run

About 27.5¢ an hour at full rated draw, at the US average of 18.83¢ per kWh.

1,460 W ÷ 1000 × 1 h × 18.83¢ = 27.5¢

1460 W at 120 V / 60 Hz, published in the Ninja Foodi OS300 owner's guide Technical Specifications. This is an upper bound: the element only draws full power while it is heating up or pressurizing, then cycles off to hold temperature, and no manufacturer publishes a duty cycle — so we compute at full rated draw rather than invent a correction factor. The full method is published.

Skip this if…

you want a brand-new, first-hand unit with a full manufacturer warranty on the exact SKU — the Instant Pot Duo Crisp is the pressure-plus-air-fry pick that ships new, and it is the safer buy today.

$209.99on Amazon

Price last checked Jul 21, 2026. Prices move constantly — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

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07
Instant Pot Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, 3 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker

One or two people, or a second pot

Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, 3 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker

Smallest footprintLowest-draw Instant Pot here
7.3/10

The Duo shrunk to 3 quarts. It is the right size for one or two people, for a dorm or an RV, or as a second pot for a side dish while the big one does the main. The same 7-in-1 function set, the same stainless pot, in a footprint that actually fits a small kitchen.

Capability
7
Capacity
4.5
Documentation
9
Build
8
Value
8

What it gets right

  • Three quarts is genuinely one-or-two-person sized — you are not heating a six-quart pot to cook a cup of rice
  • At 700 W it is the lowest-draw Instant Pot on this site, and small and light enough to live in a cupboard
  • The same 18/8 stainless inner pot and 7-in-1 set as the full Duo, so nothing about the cooking is compromised

What it doesn't

  • Three quarts is a hard ceiling — it will not cook for a family, and doubling a recipe means two rounds
  • The smaller pot pressurizes fast but the tight interior makes searing in batches fiddly
  • No sous vide or air fry — it is the plain Duo feature set, scaled down

What it costs to run

About 13.2¢ an hour at full rated draw, at the US average of 18.83¢ per kWh.

700 W ÷ 1000 × 1 h × 18.83¢ = 13.2¢

700 W at 120 V / 60 Hz, published on Instant Brands' own Duo Mini product page and confirmed in the Duo Mini user manual specification table. This is an upper bound: the element only draws full power while it is heating up or pressurizing, then cycles off to hold temperature, and no manufacturer publishes a duty cycle — so we compute at full rated draw rather than invent a correction factor. The full method is published.

Skip this if…

you ever cook for more than two, or you batch-cook. The Mini's size is its whole point and also its whole limit; a 6-quart Duo is only a little more money and vastly more useful for a household.

$89.99on Amazon

Price last checked Jul 21, 2026. Prices move constantly — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

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08
Crock-Pot Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker

If you only ever slow cook

Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker

Lowest draw on the siteSlow cook only
7.0/10

Not a multicooker and not a pressure cooker — a plain 6-quart programmable slow cooker with a locking Cook & Carry lid. It is here as the honest counterweight to the whole category: if the only function you ever used on a multicooker was Slow Cook, this does that one job for a fraction of the price.

Capability
4
Capacity
8
Documentation
7.5
Build
7
Value
8.5

What it gets right

  • At 240 W it is by far the lowest-draw appliance on this site — a genuinely cheap way to cook all day
  • The locking lid genuinely travels — to a potluck, a tailgate, a family dinner — without sloshing
  • Almost nothing to fail: no pressure seal, no gasket to replace, no electronics beyond a timer

What it doesn't

  • It only slow-cooks — no pressure, no sauté in the pot, no rice program, no sous vide
  • Slow by design: a pot roast is a 6–8 hour job here versus 40 minutes under pressure
  • The stoneware crock is heavy and breakable, unlike a metal multicooker pot

What it costs to run

About 4.5¢ an hour at full rated draw, at the US average of 18.83¢ per kWh.

240 W ÷ 1000 × 1 h × 18.83¢ = 4.5¢

240 W at 120 V / 60 Hz, published on Crock-Pot's own product page for the 6-quart Cook & Carry programmable slow cooker. This is an upper bound: the element only draws full power while it is heating up or pressurizing, then cycles off to hold temperature, and no manufacturer publishes a duty cycle — so we compute at full rated draw rather than invent a correction factor. The full method is published.

Skip this if…

you want speed or versatility. This is the opposite of a pressure cooker — it is slow on purpose. If you would ever use a sauté, rice or pressure function, buy an Instant Pot and this becomes redundant.

$88.46on Amazon

$94.997% off

Price last checked Jul 21, 2026. Prices move constantly — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker

How we picked

Machines we claim to have tested: 0

Everyone in this category tells you they tested twenty cookers. We have tested none, and we say so. Here is what we do instead: read the manufacturer's manual and spec page, record the published wattage, capacity, pressure or temperature figure and warranty term, work out what the machine costs to run per hour, show the arithmetic so you can redo it with your own electricity rate, and cite all of it. Where a brand publishes no wattage, we print no running cost rather than borrowing a number from a similar model. Prices come live from Amazon's API and disappear rather than go stale.

The scores above are judgments from that documented research — not test results. One of the five metrics is Documentation: whether the manufacturer will tell you what its cooker draws at all. The full rubric, including what disqualifies a pick, is published in full.

Questions

Frequently asked

Is a multicooker the same as an Instant Pot?
Instant Pot is a brand of multicooker — the one that made the category. A multicooker is any electric pot that combines pressure cooking, slow cooking, sautéing and usually a few other functions in one appliance. Ninja Foodi, Crock-Pot Express and Cosori all make multicookers too; Instant Pot is just the most common.
What wattage should a multicooker be?
Most 6-quart electric pressure cookers draw about 1,000 watts; combo units that also air fry draw more — the Instant Pot Duo Crisp is 1,500 W and the Ninja Foodi 1,460 W. Higher wattage heats and pressurizes faster but costs more per minute to run. We publish the running cost for each on its pick.
Do I need the stainless pot or is nonstick fine?
A stainless (18/8) inner pot has no coating to scratch or flake, so it lasts far longer and you can use metal utensils and high sear heat in it. Nonstick pots are easier to clean but wear out and need replacing. For a machine you want to keep for years, stainless is the better buy — which is one reason the Instant Pot Duo ranks first here.

Keep reading

Receipts

Sources

We have not tested these machines in a lab and we do not pretend to have. Specifications come from the manufacturer's own published documents; electricity rates come from the US Energy Information Administration; prices come from the live Amazon API. Where a figure is not published, the page says “not published” rather than guessing. Read the full method.