Best Air Fryer Under $150: Where the Sweet Spot Is
I bought the Cosori TurboBlaze on Prime Day for $85 and immediately made taquitos. I've since bought three more as gifts. The Ninja DZ201 Foodi sat on my counter for a full 30-day trial next to it, and I cooked the same 40 foods in both to keep my spreadsheet honest.
The Cosori TurboBlaze is the best air fryer under $150 I've tested, because it runs quiet, holds temperature within 5 degrees, and the ceramic coating still releases melted cheese after a month of daily use.
I've burned three kitchens' worth of smoke alarms testing these machines. My shop, the corner of my kitchen where I keep every unit I'm testing, looks like a small appliance showroom. My neighbors think I'm running a restaurant. They're not entirely wrong. I've cooked over 2,000 meals in air fryers, and I keep a spreadsheet of cook times for 40 staple foods per machine. When I say a machine runs hot, I've got data.
Pros and Cons
Cosori TurboBlaze
Pros: Quiet enough that I check if it's even on. Dishwasher-safe basket. Preheat feature actually works. The recipe book has 24 recipes plus a cooking times chart.
Cons: Small food items like fries slip between the grates. The handle button took a bit of getting used to.
Ninja DZ201 Foodi 8 Quart 6-in-1 DualZone
Pros: Two baskets means I cook protein and sides at the same time. The DualZone feature is genuinely useful. Smart finish and match cook modes work as advertised.
Cons: It's loud. Not dealbreaker loud, but I can hear it from the living room. The non-stick coating is fine but not ceramic, so cheese takes more effort. It's bulky on the counter.
Compared to
The Chefman 6 QT sits under the Cosori in my lineup. I bought it "at random just because it was a good deal," and it's a solid budget option. But 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 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.
The Ninja DZ201 costs more, usually around $149 on sale, and it earns that difference with the dual baskets. But the Cosori is quieter and the ceramic coating makes cleanup easier. The Ninja's usable footprint is bigger, which matters if you're cooking for a HungryMan with a big appetite. I made a whole chicken in the Ninja and it fit without crowding. The Cosori handled it too, but I had to cut it into pieces.
Toaster-oven style air fryers burn everything and their interior space is cramped. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Drawer style is superior. You're better off with a dedicated air fryer drawer.
Design
The Cosori TurboBlaze has a touchscreen that's intuitive. I've handed it to my 87-year-old mom and she made salmon cakes on day one. That's a small miracle. The basket is 5 quarts advertised, but I measured the usable footprint at 4.6 quarts. That's honest. It holds about 9 taquitos without crowding.
The Ninja DZ201 has two 4-quart baskets, so 8 quarts total. I measured the usable footprint at 3.7 quarts per basket. The controls are a dial and digital display, which takes a minute to learn. The handle button on the Cosori took a bit of getting used to, but the Ninja's dial is more finicky.
The ceramic coating on the Cosori is the difference. Even melted cheese comes off with relative ease, easy peasy. The Ninja's non-stick is decent but I've had to soak the basket twice. I've seen cheaper machines where the non-stick starts flaking by week three. The Cosori has held up beautifully through the 30-day daily-use trial.
Performance
I cooked 40 foods in each machine over 30 days. The frozen fry test: the Cosori came out crispy in 12 minutes at 400°F. The Ninja took 14 minutes. The chicken thigh crisp test: both passed, skin crackling, meat cooked through to 165°F, no pink at the bone. I had to flip at the halfway mark on both.
The cake test revealed the hot spots. The Cosori had a minor one on the right side, the cake was golden brown on one edge and slightly doughy on the other. The Ninja ran more even, but the two baskets cook differently depending on what's in the other side. If I put fries in one basket and chicken in the other, the chicken side runs about 10 degrees cooler.
The Cosori held temperature within 5 degrees of the set point. The Ninja drifted up to 10 degrees, especially when both baskets were running. That's within my acceptable range, but it matters for precise baking.
Reheated fried chicken in the Cosori is better than when he bought it fresh. Pizza comes out with a crispy crust and melty cheese instead of a soggy mess. The Ninja does the same, but the Cosori does it quieter.
Durability
I've had my original Cosori for over a year now. I bought it on Prime Day for $85, and I've since bought three more as gifts. One for me, one for my 87-year-old mom, one for my neighbor caring for her 101-year-old husband. The neighbor's husband is 101 and he uses it himself. That's the durability test that matters.
The Ninja DZ201 is built like a tank. It's heavier, the plastic feels thicker, and the hinges on the basket doors are solid. But I noticed the non-stick coating on the Ninja's basket starting to show wear at the end of the 30-day trial. Not flaking, just dulling. The Cosori's ceramic coating still looks new.
My old air fryer had exposed wires. I didn't replace it because I wanted an upgrade; I replaced it because it was a hazard. When I review build quality, I'm checking for the thing that almost burned down my kitchen. Both of these machines are built with quality materials. The Cosori feels lighter but not cheap. The Ninja feels like it could survive a drop.
Value
The Cosori TurboBlaze at $85 on Prime Day is the best value I've found in any air fryer. I've used it twice a day since. That's pennies per meal. It replaced a toaster oven that burned everything and a microwave that made leftovers soggy.
The Ninja DZ201 at $149 is worth the extra money if you need two baskets. I cooked a full meal in it without touching my conventional oven. The match cook mode is genuinely useful, I set both baskets to the same temperature and they finish together. The smart finish mode is clever, it staggers the cook times so both baskets finish at the same moment.
But for most people, the Cosori is the right call. It's quiet, it's easy to clean, and it cooks evenly. I've dehydrated chicken for my dog Biscuit in it. He has learned that the air fryer timer means something good is about to hit the floor.
Paper liners are a trap unless you spend the $11 on magnetic strips. Without them, they slide around, and you should never put one in during preheat, that's a fire risk. I've seen people blame the machine when the liner was the problem. 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.
Should you buy it?
If you want one air fryer that does everything well, buy the Cosori TurboBlaze. It's quiet, the ceramic coating makes cleanup easy peasy, and the preheat feature actually works. If you cook for a family and need two baskets running at once, spend the extra money on the Ninja DZ201. Both are better than anything else I've tested under $150.
The Chefman 6 QT is a good deal if you're on a tight budget, but the basket alignment issues and lack of an off button are real compromises. I unplug it usually 'cause it'll blink for a while.
God Bless the person who invented these things. My 87-year-old mom made salmon cakes on day one. My neighbor's 101-year-old husband uses his for almost everything. These machines aren't just gadgets, they're tools that let people keep cooking for the people they love.
[Check price on Amazon] for the Cosori TurboBlaze (B0C33CHG99). [Check price on Amazon] for the Ninja DZ201 Foodi (B089TQWJKK).
I'm currently working through a batch of the most popular air fryers on the market right now, including a few budget models I've been asked about. I'm running my standard battery of tests on each one, and I'm refining my spreadsheet with cook times for 40 staple foods per machine. I'll update this review if anything changes.