How to choose a multicooker: 2026 buying guide

For most households a 6 qt cooker is the right size. Fifteen of the 25 multicookers we catalogued (as of October 20, 2026) are 6 or 6.5 qt, and Instant Pot rates its 6 qt models "for up to 6 servings". Go smaller only if you cook for one or two, and larger if you batch cook or feed a big family.

• If you live alone or cook side dishes → look at the Instant Pot Duo Mini 3QT or the 4 qt RIO Mini.
• If you cook for three to five → a 6 qt model.
• If you meal prep, cook whole roasts or feed six or more → 7.5 qt or more.

Quarts here are the maker's stated capacity, so compare them like for like.

See standard 6 qt multicookers under $200 · See large multicookers under $200

Instant Pot's RIO Wide and RIO Wide Plus hold 7.5 qt in a shorter, wider pot. Instant Pot says the RIO Wide has "a 35% larger searing surface than standard 8-quart multi-cookers". That matters if you brown meat in batches before pressure cooking. We group them with the large cookers because 7.5 qt is closer to 8 qt than to 6 qt.

You don't need to spend much for the basics. Sixteen of the 25 multicookers we catalogued cost less than $200 on the maker's own site when we checked, and every one of them pressure cooks. Spending more buys extras: an air fryer lid, more phone app choices or a different pot.

One cooker, the Instant Pot 4QT RIO Mini, shows no price on instantpot.com, so it only appears when you choose No limit.

A note on Instant Pot prices: instantpot.com shows a Where to Buy button instead of a cart. We use the price Instant Pot lists in its own page data, and retailers set their own prices.

See every multicooker under $200 · Multicookers under $200

Only if you want to crisp food in the same pot after pressure cooking. Four of the 25 multicookers we catalogued air fry, all from Instant Pot, and none is under $200 on the maker's store. If air frying matters more than pressure cooking, a basket air fryer is a separate appliance and a separate category on this site.

There are two designs:

• Two lids. The Duo Crisp + Air Fryer (6 and 8 qt) "comes with two interchangeable lids—one for pressure cooking, one for air frying", per Instant Pot, and the Pro Crisp & Air Fryer 8QT "includes two removable lids". You need room to store the lid you're not using.

• One lid. The Duo Crisp 6.5QT with Ultimate Lid has one lid that, per Instant Pot, "switches effortlessly between pressure cooking, air frying, and more".

• If you want the most capacity with air frying → an 8 qt Duo Crisp or Pro Crisp.

• If you don't want a second lid on the counter → the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid.

See multicookers with an air fryer lid

Sous vide means holding food in a sealed bag in water at a set temperature for a long time; a multicooker with a sous vide function holds that temperature for you. Thirteen of the 25 multicookers we catalogued list sous vide, from the COSORI 6.0-Quart Pressure Cooker and the CUCKOO 6-Quart 8-in-1, both under $200, to Instant Pot's Pro, Pro Plus and Pro Max. The Instant Pot Duo, Duo Mini and RIO don't list it, so if you're curious about sous vide, filter for it.

Most people don't. Four of the 25 multicookers we catalogued connect to a phone app: the Instant Pot Pro Plus, Pro Max and Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid (Smart version) through the Instant Connect app, and the CHEF iQ iQ Cooker through the CHEF iQ app. Instant Pot says you can "monitor progress, adjust settings, or switch functions" from your phone, and CHEF iQ lists "remote control and monitoring" over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

• If you want to check on dinner from another room → an app-connected cooker.
• If you'd rather keep it simple → skip it; every cooker here works from its own buttons.

A dozen or so covers most cooking. One-touch programs are preset buttons for foods such as rice, soup, beans or yogurt that start a preset cooking cycle. Fifteen of the 25 multicookers we catalogued have 10 to 19; five have 20 or more (Instant Pot Duo Plus 8QT and RIO Wide Plus with 25 presets, Instant Pot Pro 6QT and 8QT with 28, and CHEF iQ with "300+ Cooking Presets stored on the cooker").

Makers count differently. Instant Pot counts "smart programs" separately from its "cooking functions" (the Duo has 7 functions and 13 programs), CUCKOO counts "menu options", Breville counts "shortcuts" and Presto counts "programmed settings". Compare within a brand, and treat cross-brand counts as rough.

It's a trade-off, and the maker states the material for 19 of the 25 cookers we catalogued. Fifteen use a stainless steel pot, including every Instant Pot Duo, Duo Plus and RIO, the Breville Fast Slow GO and both CUCKOO models. Two have a ceramic-coated pot (Ninja HyperHeat, Breville Fast Slow Pro) and two a nonstick pot (Presto, CHEF iQ).

• If you sear a lot → stainless steel; Instant Pot pitches its stainless steel pot for searing and sautéing.
• If easy cleanup matters most → a coated or nonstick pot.

• Wattage. Makers state it, but it mostly follows pot size and doesn't tell you how a cooker performs. We don't filter on it.
• "N-in-1" counts. "7-in-1" or "13-in-1" counts functions, and some makers count keep warm or sterilize as functions. Check that the functions you'll use are on the list.
• Accessories. Steam racks come with nearly every model. Extras like a second sealing ring are nice but rarely decide which cooker fits you.

• Buying for the largest meal you cook once a year. An 8 qt cooker is a bigger appliance to store; Instant Pot rates its 6 qt for up to 6 servings, which covers most family meals.
• Assuming every multicooker air fries. Only four in our catalogue do, and they're the larger, pricier models.
• Comparing program counts across brands. See above: the numbers aren't counted the same way.
• Forgetting the lid. Two-lid air fryer models need storage for the spare lid.

• Multicookers under $200: eight cookers under $200 on the maker's store.

Is a multicooker the same as an Instant Pot?

Instant Pot is a brand; "multicooker" is the type. Every cooker in our finder pressure cooks and does other jobs such as slow cooking, steaming and rice. Sixteen of the 25 we catalogued are Instant Pot models; the rest come from Ninja, Breville, Presto, COSORI, Chefman, CUCKOO and CHEF iQ.

Do all the multicookers here pressure cook?

Yes. That's our scope rule: we only list electric multicookers that pressure cook. Slow cookers and multicookers without pressure cooking, such as cookers sold mainly for slow cooking, are left out, and so are basket air fryers, which have their own category.

What's the smallest multicooker here?

The Instant Pot Duo Mini 3QT. The Instant Pot 4QT RIO Mini and the CUCKOO 5-Quart Premium Multi-Pressure Cooker are the next sizes up.

Which multicookers make yogurt?

Several do. Instant Pot lists yogurt among the functions of the Duo Plus 8QT and the RIO Wide Plus, Ninja lists "make yogurt" on the HyperHeat, and Breville added a yogurt shortcut to the Fast Slow GO. Check the maker's function list for other models.

Which multicookers cost less than $100?

Three in our catalogue were under $100 on the maker's store when we checked: the Instant Pot Duo Mini 3QT, the COSORI 6.0-Quart Pressure Cooker and the Chefman 6-Quart 13-in-1 Multicooker. The COSORI lists sous vide; the Duo Mini is the small one. All three are on our under-$200 list.

Should a family of four get a 6 qt or 8 qt Instant Pot?

A 6 qt fits most family meals; Instant Pot rates it for up to 6 servings. Choose 8 qt if you often cook double batches or large cuts of meat.

Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi?

It depends on whether you want air frying. Ninja's own US store did not list a Foodi pressure cooker with an air fryer lid when we checked in October 2026; the Ninja pressure cooker it sells is the HyperHeat 6.5 qt (PC201). Ninja lists "Pressure cook, slow cook, make rice, sous vide, steam, sear/sauté, make yogurt, and more" for it, states "Number Of Automatic Programs: 9" and an "Aluminum with Nonstick Ceramic Coating" inner pot; air frying appears nowhere on its page.

The four pressure cookers in our catalogue that air fry are Instant Pot models. The Duo Crisp + Air Fryer (6 and 8 qt) "comes with two interchangeable lids—one for pressure cooking, one for air frying", the Pro Crisp & Air Fryer 8QT "includes two removable lids", and the Duo Crisp 6.5QT with Ultimate Lid has one lid. If you don't need air frying, compare the HyperHeat with the Instant Pot models by size, price and inner pot in the finder.

We catalogued 25 multicookers from eight manufacturers' US sites on October 20, 2026, and recorded each spec with the maker's own wording. Prices are the price on the maker's own store when we checked (for Instant Pot, the price it lists while sending buyers to retailers). We left out basket air fryers, slow cookers and multicookers that don't pressure cook, stovetop pressure cookers, refurbished units, retailer-exclusive editions and models we couldn't match to an exact Amazon listing. Sites we couldn't read (Crock-Pot, Cuisinart) aren't covered. Prices and stock change, so check the current price before you buy.

Written with AI assistance from manufacturer specifications; reviewed and approved by the site owner. We don't test products hands-on. How we choose

Sources:

• Instant Pot: https://instantpot.com/products/instant-pot-duo-6qt-multi-use-pressure-cooker and the other Instant Pot product pages linked from each cooker
• Ninja HyperHeat (PC201): https://www.sharkninja.com/ninja-hyperheat-6.5-qt-pressure-cooker-with-simpliserve-pot--blue-macaron/PC201.html
• Breville Fast Slow Pro: https://www.breville.com/en-us/product/bpr700
• Breville Fast Slow GO: https://www.breville.com/en-us/product/bpr680
• Presto 02141: https://www.gopresto.com/product/presto-electric-pressure-cooker-plus-02141
• COSORI 6.0-Quart Pressure Cooker: https://cosori.com/products/6-0-quart-pressure-cooker
• Chefman 6-Quart 13-in-1 Multicooker: https://www.chefman.com/products/6-quart-13-in-1-multicooker
• CUCKOO CMC-ZSN601F: https://www.cuckooamerica.com/products/cmc-zsn601f
• CUCKOO CMC-QSB501S: https://www.cuckooamerica.com/products/cmc-qsb501s
• CHEF iQ iQ Cooker: https://chefiq.com/products/iq-cooker