I've spent the last nine years testing air fryers, and I've bought three Cosori TurboBlazes with my own money. One for me, one for my 87-year-old mom, and one for my neighbor who's caring for her 101-year-old husband.
I've cooked over 2,000 meals in these machines, kept a spreadsheet of cook times for 40 staple foods per machine, and replaced an air fryer that had exposed wires before it burned down my kitchen.
The best air fryer under ~$129.99 isn't the one with the most presets or the biggest advertised basket. It's the one that's quiet enough to forget it's running, has a ceramic coating that releases melted cheese, and doesn't make you want to throw it out the window by day 12.
Here's the short list, then I'll tell you exactly why.
Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Qt Air Fryer, Ceramic Coating, 9-in-1, Light Gray
I bought this one on Prime Day for ~$119.99, and I've since bought three more as gifts.
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Ninja Air Fryer, 4 Qt Capacity, 4-in-1 Crisp, Roast, Reheat, and Dehydrate, Dishwasher Safe Parts, 105°F-400°F, 1550 Watt, Grey, AF101
Make mealtime faster and easier with the Ninja Air Fryer, a high-performance digital air fryer designed for quick, crispy results with little to no oil. Powered by advanced rapid air circulation techn
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Chefman Air Fryer – 6 QT Compact Airfryer for Quick & Easy Meals in Minutes, Features Hi-Fry Technology for Extra Crisp, Touchscreen Controls with 4 Presets, Nonstick & Dishwasher Safe Basket - Black
I bought this one at random just because it was a good deal, and it's a solid budget option.
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Gourmia 4-Qt Digital Air Fryer with Guided Cooking, Easy Clean, Stainless Steel
I bought this one at random just because it was a good deal, and it's a solid budget option.
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CHEFMAN 2 Qt Mini Air Fryer – Digital Space-Saving Compact Air Fryer with Nonstick and Dishwasher Safe Basket, Quick & Easy Meals in Minutes, Features Digital Timer and Shake Reminder – Black
This tiny thing is perfect for one person.
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OSTBA 4.5QT Air Fryer, LED Touch Screen, 6 Presets, Fast Oil-Free Cooking, Adjustable Temp & Timer, Dishwasher Safe Nonstick Basket, Compact Family Size
Make mealtime faster and easier with the Ninja Air Fryer, a high-performance digital air fryer designed for quick, crispy results with little to no oil. Powered by advanced rapid air circulation techn
Visit on Amazon →Why you should trust me
I'm Priya. I've been a food blogger for nine years, and I pivoted to air fryers after my recipes kept getting ruined by machines that ran 25 degrees hot. I've tested every unit the same way: a frozen fry test, a chicken thigh crisp test (skin crackling, meat cooked through to 165°F, no pink at the bone), a cake test to reveal hot spots, and a 30-day daily-use trial where I cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the machine until I either want to buy a second one or throw it out the window.
I live with my partner and our beagle mix, Chip, who has learned that the air fryer timer means something good is about to hit the floor.
My shop looks like a small appliance showroom. My neighbors think I'm running a restaurant. They're not entirely wrong.
How I picked
I didn't just look at the spec sheets. I measured the usable footprint of every basket, because a "6-quart" air fryer that's actually 4.8 quarts of real cooking space will ruin your meal prep. I ran the cake test on every machine to find hot spots.
I checked whether the coating survived a month of real use, because I've seen cheaper machines where the non-stick starts flaking by week three.
And I cross-referenced my own results with what real buyers were reporting, because I've learned that a machine can look great on paper and still have a basket that just won't slide back in sometimes.
Our pick: Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Qt
I bought this one on Prime Day for ~$85, and I've since bought three more as gifts. It's quiet. Like, I have to check to see if it's even on quiet. My old air fryer was so loud I couldn't hear the timer, and this one runs at a whisper.
The ceramic coating is the real deal: I melted cheese on the basket last week and it came off with relative ease, easy peasy.
The basket is dishwasher-safe, the touchscreen is intuitive, and the preheat feature actually works, which is rarer than you'd think.
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The recipe book that comes with it is a lovely little book with 24 recipes plus a cooking times chart. I've made taquitos in it (it holds about 9), coconut shrimp from frozen in 8 minutes, and I've dehydrated chicken for Chip.
The chicken thigh crisp test passed with flying colors: skin crackling, meat cooked through, no pink at the bone.
The cake test revealed a minor hot spot on the right side, but nothing that ruined the bake.
A verified buyer noted in June 2026 that small food items, such as fries, can end up slipping between the grates of the cooking rack. I've seen the same thing. It's annoying, but it's not a dealbreaker.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Small fries and other tiny items slip through the grates and burn at the bottom of the basket. The handle button took a bit of getting used to. But the cleanup is so easy that I don't mind fishing out a few rogue fries.
This is for anyone who wants a machine they'll actually use every day, not one that ends up shoved in the back of a cabinet because it's too loud or too hard to clean.
Runner-up: Ninja Foodi 8 Qt DualZone
The Ninja is the machine I recommend to people who want a brand name they trust. It's been around forever, it's reliable, and it crisps beautifully. The 4-quart capacity is smaller than the Cosori, but it's fine for two people. I made hard-boiled eggs in it and they came out perfect, and the reheating function brought leftover pizza back to life with a crispy crust and melty cheese.
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But there's no preheat feature. Any pre-heating is done just by waiting for the temperature to reach the desired level, which means you have to account for drift manually. And the basket is on the smaller side, so if you're cooking for a family, you'll be doing batches.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: No preheat, smaller capacity, and the controls are a bit basic compared to the Cosori's touchscreen. But it's a workhorse, and it's the machine I'd buy for someone who's skeptical about air fryers.
This is for the person who wants a no-nonsense, reliable machine from a brand they already know.
Budget pick: Gourmia Air Fryer 4 Qt
Gourmia French Door Air Fryer Toaster Oven
I tested this one because it kept showing up on "best budget air fryer" lists, and it's fine. It's ~$50, it has a digital display, and it cooks food. The frozen fry test came out crispy in 13 minutes at 400°F, but the cake test revealed a hot spot on the left side. The coating is thin, and after a month of daily use, I noticed it starting to wear in the corners.
It runs hot, which means you'll need to learn its quirks. I found myself setting the temperature 10 degrees lower than the recipe called for. It's not a bad machine, but it feels like a budget machine. The plastic is thinner, the basket is lighter, and the fan is louder than the Cosori.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: It runs hot, the coating is thin, and it's louder than I'd like. But for ~$50, it gets the job done, and it's a good starter machine.
This is for someone who wants to try air frying without committing to a bigger price tag.
The Chefman 6 QT
I bought this one at random just because it was a good deal, and it's a solid budget option. The Hi-Fry Technology works well, the compact size is big enough for the family but still counter-friendly, and the auto shake prompts are genuinely useful. The rotisserie function is a nice bonus that you don't see at this price.
But there are real compromises. The basket just won't go back in sometimes. Like it just doesn't slide in well and takes a minute to get perfectly lined up. There's no off button, so it just waits to be fired up. I unplug it usually 'cause it'll blink for a while. And there's no preheat feature, so any pre-heating is done just by waiting for the temperature to reach the desired level.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The basket alignment issue is genuinely annoying, and the lack of an off button means you'll be unplugging it. But if you can live with those quirks, it's a good deal for the price. One buyer said "I'm so grateful and happy" and "the basket just won't go back in sometimes" in the same review. That's the reality of a budget machine.
This is for someone who wants a big capacity and a rotisserie function without spending over ~$100.
The CHEFMAN 2 Qt Mini
This tiny thing is perfect for one person. It's ~$40, it takes up almost no counter space, and it cooks a single chicken thigh perfectly. I tested it for my sister who lives alone and swore she'd never use an air fryer, and she uses it every day now.
But it's small. You can't cook a full meal in it, and the presets are basic. It's not a family machine.
This is for the single person or the couple who just wants to reheat leftovers and cook small portions.
The OSTBA 4.5QT
The OSTBA has a nice LED touchscreen and 6 presets, which sounds great on paper. But it's loud, and the cake test revealed significant hot spots. The right side of the cake was golden brown and the left side was doughy. I had to flip everything halfway through and rotate the basket, which defeated the purpose.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: It's loud, it has hot spots, and the presets are more gimmick than useful. It's not a terrible machine, but there are better options at this price.
The competition
I also tested a toaster-oven style air fryer, and it burned everything. The interior space is cramped, the heat is uneven, and it looks like it should do more than it does. Drawer style is superior. I've said it before and I'll say it again.
The bottom line
The best air fryer under ~$100 is the Cosori TurboBlaze. It's quiet, it cooks evenly, and the ceramic coating makes cleanup easy peasy. It's the machine I've bought three times as gifts, and it's the machine I reach for every day.
Spend the ~$11 for the magnetic strips that hold the paper liner in place. Otherwise it really slides around.
And do not put a paper liner in the basket during PreHeat. That's a fire risk.
The Ninja is a solid runner-up if you want a brand you trust. The Chefman is a good deal if you can live with the basket alignment issues. And the Gourmia is fine if you're on a tight budget. But if you want a machine you'll actually use, one that's quiet enough to forget it's running and easy enough to clean that you won't dread it, get the Cosori.
God Bless whoever invented this thing. My 87-year-old mom made salmon cakes on day one. That's a small miracle.