Anova Precision Cooker vs Nano: Which Anova to Buy

The short answer

Quick picks

#	Cooker	Best for	Score	Price
01	Anova Precision Cooker 3.0 (WiFi), 1100 W The default, and it earned it	1,100 W	9.0	$169.99Amazon
02	Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 (WiFi), 850 W The cheapest way into Anova	850 W	8.3	Check priceAmazon

#ad · Prices pulled live from the Amazon Product API, last checked Aug 5, 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.

The same machine, at two power levels

These two Anovas are more alike than different, which is the whole point of the comparison. Both hold ±0.1°C accuracy, both cover a 0–92°C range, both run the Anova app with WiFi, and both carry Anova's two-year warranty— the longest on this site. The difference is power and size: the full Precision Cooker 3.0 is 1,100 W with an 8 L/min pump, while the Nano is 850 Wwith a 7 L/min pump in a slimmer, lighter body. So this is not “better versus worse” — it is “how much water do you heat, and how fast.”

What the extra power actually buys

The full model's 1,100 W and higher pump flow do two things: they bring a large bath up to temperature faster, and they circulate more water, keeping the temperature even across a big, deep container. If you routinely cook big batches— a whole dinner's worth of chicken breasts, a large roast, a tall stockpot of water — that power is worth having, both for speed and for even heating in a lot of water. The full model is also a taller device to store (325 mm) with a bulkier clamp-and-skirt design, the cost of that extra capability.

When the Nano is the smarter spend

Here is the honest part: for the way most people cook sous vide — a steakor two, a few pieces of chicken, a couple of portions in a normal pot — the extra power is capacity you never use. Once a bath is up to temperature, the food cooks identically; an 850 W element and an 1,100 W element hold the same ±0.1°C. So for everyday portions the Nano gives up almost nothing that matters, costs less, and stores more easily. The one caveat is the Nano's stock: it often has no live price, so when it is unavailable the full model (or the Inkbird) is the fallback.

The decision rule

Buy the full Precision Cooker 3.0if you regularly cook big batches in a large, deep container and want the fastest heat-up and the most even circulation — the extra power earns itself there. Buy the Nanoif you cook everyday portions in a normal pot and want Anova's accuracy, app, WiFi and two-year warranty for less money and in a smaller body — which describes most home cooks. Neither gives up precision; the choice is purely about how much water you heat. If you are cross-shopping outside Anova, the Anova vs Inkbird comparison brings price into it.

In detail

The picks, in full

The default, and it earned it

Anova Precision Cooker 3.0 (WiFi), 1100 W

Rated power:1100 W Temperature range:0–92°C (32–197°F)Accuracy:±0.1°C Pump:8 L/min Connectivity:Dual-band WiFi + app

Fully specifiedWorks without the app

9.0/10

The sous vide circulator most people should buy. Anova publishes the full specification — 1,100 W, a 0–92°C range, ±0.1°C accuracy, an 8 L/min pump — and backs it with a two-year warranty, the longest here. It has an on-device screen so it works without the app, which the Joule does not.

Capability: 9.5
Capacity: 8.5
Documentation: 10
Build: 8.5
Value: 8.5

What it gets right

Anova publishes the complete specification — wattage, temperature range, accuracy and pump flow — which almost nobody else in this class does
An on-device touchscreen means it works fully without a phone, unlike the app-only Joule
A two-year warranty, the longest of any sous vide machine on this site

What it doesn't

At 325 mm tall it is a large device to store next to the slimmer Nano or Joule
The clamp-and-skirt design is bulkier than the Joule's magnetic foot
1,100 W is a real draw — powerful, but the most per hour of the sub-premium circulators here alongside the Joule and Greater Goods

What it costs to run

About 20.7¢ an hour at full rated draw, at the US average of 18.83¢ per kWh.

1,100 W ÷ 1000 × 1 h × 18.83¢ = 20.7¢

1100 W, published on Anova Culinary's own Precision Cooker 3.0 product page alongside the temperature range, accuracy and pump rate. 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 the smallest possible device or you cook small portions in shallow water — the slimmer Nano is cheaper, lighter and enough for a single steak, and this is the one to buy only if you want the full power and the longer range.

$169.99on Amazon

$229.0026% off

Price last checked Aug 5, 2026. Prices move constantly — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Anova Precision Cooker 3.0 (WiFi), 1100 W

The cheapest way into Anova

Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 (WiFi), 850 W

Rated power:850 W Temperature range:0–92°C (32–197°F)Accuracy:±0.1°C Pump:7 L/min Connectivity:Dual-band WiFi + app

Two-year warrantyWiFi now, not Bluetooth-only

8.3/10

The small Anova, and the sensible entry point. 850 W rather than the full 1,100, in a slimmer, lighter body, now with WiFi where the old Nano was Bluetooth-only. For a single steak or a couple of portions in a modest pot, it is all the circulator most people need — and it carries Anova's two-year warranty.

Capability: 8
Capacity: 7
Documentation: 9.5
Build: 8.5
Value: 8.5

What it gets right

The cheapest route to Anova's build quality, app and two-year warranty
850 W and a 7 L/min pump are plenty for a single steak or a couple of portions in a normal pot
The 3.0 generation adds WiFi, fixing the old Nano's Bluetooth-only limitation

What it doesn't

Less power than the 1,100 W full model, so it heats a large bath more slowly
The 7 L/min pump moves less water, which matters if you cook big batches in a deep container
It had no live Amazon price at our last check, which usually means intermittent stock — the button says 'check price' rather than a number

What it costs to run

About 16.0¢ an hour at full rated draw, at the US average of 18.83¢ per kWh.

850 W ÷ 1000 × 1 h × 18.83¢ = 16.0¢

850 W, published on Anova Culinary's own Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 product page. Some third-party retailers list 800 W; we follow the manufacturer's own figure. 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 regularly cook big batches in a large, deep container — the full Precision Cooker 3.0's extra power and pump flow are worth it there. For everyday portions, the Nano is the smarter spend.

Check price on Amazon →

No buyable offer at the last price check (Aug 5, 2026). We show nothing rather than a stale number.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 (WiFi), 850 W

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

What is the difference between the Anova Precision Cooker and the Nano?

Mainly power and size. The full Precision Cooker 3.0 is 1,100 W with an 8 L/min pump; the Nano is 850 W with a 7 L/min pump in a slimmer body. Both share the same ±0.1°C accuracy, 0–92°C range, WiFi, app and two-year warranty. The extra power heats a large bath faster and circulates more water, but does not change accuracy.

Is the Anova Nano's lower wattage a problem?

Only for big batches. The Nano's 850 W heats a large, deep container more slowly than the full model's 1,100 W, and circulates a bit less water. For everyday portions in a normal pot it makes no practical difference — once the bath is at temperature, the food cooks the same. See the full Nano review.

Which Anova should I buy?

Buy the Nano if you cook everyday portions and want Anova quality for less — it is the smarter spend for most home cooks. Buy the full Precision Cooker 3.0 if you regularly cook big batches in a large, deep container, where its extra power heats faster and circulates more evenly. Both hold the same accuracy and warranty.

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.