Ninja vs Tower vs Tefal air fryers: which should you buy?

Since the first air fryer launched back in 2010, many brands have entered the market, but Ninja, Tefal and Tower remain some of the most popular.

Every year in our lab, we test models from the big names as well as rivals, including Morphy Richards, Philips and Russell Hobbs.

To decide which air fryers are worthy of becoming Which? Best Buys, we rigorously test each one, looking for models that are easy to use and make tasty air-fried food. Keep scrolling to discover how big-name brands compare for average Which? test score.

Head to our shortlist of the best air fryers to see which ones came top in our tests

Ninja vs Tower vs Tefal – features compared

Tefal was the first brand to launch a low-fat fryer (the ActiFry) around 10 years ago, closely followed by Philips with its Airfryer. More recently, Ninja and Tower have joined them for a slice of the pie.

Ninja air fryers

• Ninja sells the AF100UK as its basic offering for around £70, and has since released the Foodi Max Dual Zone AF400UK and the Foodi Max AG551UK for around £200.
• If you're shopping on a budget, the brand's list of sub-£100 models also includes the Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4.7L AF140UK, and the Ninja AF110UK.
• Premium Ninja air fryers come with extra features. For example, the Foodi Dual Zone has two chambers that can cook independently. Meanwhile, the Foodi Max functions like a grill, with a probe that monitors food temperature for optimal timings.
• Most Ninja air fryers don't have viewing windows, so you could end up pausing it often to check on your food. But the new Crispi models (Ninja Crispi FN101UKGY,  Ninja CRISPi PRO 5-in-1 XL AS090UK, and the Ninja CRISPi PRO 7-in-1 XL AS101UKLG) have a glass cooking container, which lets you see how dinner's getting on.
• Ninja products come with a 12-month warranty, which is less than Tower and Tefal air fryers.

Our Ninja air fryer reviews will let you know how models performed in our test lab.

Tefal air fryers

• If you're shopping for a Tefal model, expect to spend between £80 to £200. The new Tefal Easy Fry Mega EY855D40 is a great place to start if you're looking for a mid-sized air fryer.
• A higher price gets you a larger cooking capacity and different features, such as a large surface for cooking pizzas with the Tefal Easy Fry Pizza Air FW4018G0
• Tefal offers a two-year guarantee on its air fryers.

Read our Tefal air fryer reviews to see which of these models impressed.

Tower air fryers

• Prices for Tower air fryers start at around £70 for the Tower AIRX AI Digital Air Fryer T17158 and go up to £130 for models such as Tower Vortx Vizion T17100.
• Newer designs, such as the Tower T17181AFR, Tower Vortx Elite 10.4L Duo Basket Digital Air Fryer T17138 and Tower Good Food GF17015 have a dual-compartment oven-style design, a digital display and plenty of other features. The Tower T17190 Vortx 11L Dual Layer is another example of a dual-zone model, but the baskets in this one are stacked on top of each other.
• Tower offers a three-year warranty, which is superior to Ninja and Tefal.

See our Tower air fryer reviews to find out how they fared in our tough lab tests.

Looking for a branded model at a great price? We round up the best air fryer deals every month

Which brand is best?

This table brings together all our expert knowledge to give you the verdict on which air fryer brand is best, including:

• How well each brand's air fryers performed on average in our tough tests
• What each brand's highest and lowest-scoring air fryers scored in our test lab
• How much each brand's highest-capacity air fryer is capable of cooking in kilograms
• Our overall verdict

Air fryer brands rated

Only logged in Which? members can see our verdicts in the table below. If you’re not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access.

Want an appliance that does more than just air fry? See our guide to the best multi-cookers.