Best Soda Maker of 2024: Expert Tested for Fizz and Flavor | Epicurious

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As recently as 2020, no one was really asking about the best soda maker; they just didn’t have that many choices. But you might be surprised to learn that when SodaStream—the longtime alpha of home soda making—made its 2009 global debut, it wasn’t actually a debut. It was a relaunch for a now 117-year-old company. SodaStream had been largely inactive for decades, but at certain points in the ’70s and ’80s you could have purchased the groovy, tangerine ancestor of today’s modern machine.

But we live in the future now and SodaStream is no longer the only name in the game—not even close. On our mission to find the best soda maker on the market we tested 15 machines from six different companies. Read below for our top picks. For more about how soda and seltzer makers work, and our testing criteria, scroll to the bottom of the page.

DrinkMate OmniFizz

Amazon

Target

Home Depot

The Drinkmate Omnifizz is easy to use and makes sharp and zingy sparkling water in a matter of seconds. But what stands out most is the increased control it offers as well as the greater range in utility.

The Drinkmate is built a little differently than almost all other soda makers. The infuser—the thing you attach the bottle to—has slow and fast pressure release tabs, making it easy to avoid any messes from an over-carbonated beverage. The slow release of pressure is also important for the Omnifizz’s best feature: its ability to carbonate things other than water.

Drinkmate is one of only two soda maker manufacturers we’ve come across that allows you to carbonate non-water liquids. Try making bubbly wine with a SodaStream and you could void your warranty and possibly end up damaging the machine. We tested Drinkmate’s all-beverages-welcome policy using white wine and a batched Boulevardier recipe and were pleased with the results. In fact, it carbonated the wine so well that it deceived one of my colleagues into thinking they were drinking a glass of Crémant. This means you could carbonate things like apple juice, or even milk (if you're feeling like a real sicko). The slow pressure release is the key to success here, because liquids that have any sugar (like juice or wine) or fat (like milk) foam more when hit with CO2, and so a quick release of pressure can result in a blow-up.

Simply put, the Drinkmate Omnifizz is the best carbonator on the market due to its sheer versatility and relatively affordable price tag. If we had to choose a flaw, we’d say that it’s not the best-looking machine, but that’s easy to overlook after a few sips of carbonated negroni.

Mysoda Woody

Amazon

Finnish Design Shop

What makes the Mysoda Woody unique is that it’s made from renewable biocomposite, a biodegradable material consisting of resin and natural fibers. This is likely why the Woody earned both a Red Dot and iF Gold design awards. It has a beautiful natural texture and sturdy weight compared to its plastic brethren and comes in five muted colors. Ultimately it’s that design that pushed it over the top for us.

In terms of function, the Woody has just one button and was intuitive to use. We found that it produced carbonated water on par with leading SodaStream models. Mysoda also makes the Toby and Ruby, two higher-priced models that look a little sleeker, but we liked the Woody just fine and appreciated the concerted move toward using plastic alternatives.

The Woody uses the same, easy to find screw-in canisters employed by a wide range of machines. But the price point does have a bit of a caveat: this model doesn’t come with a CO2 canister, unlike other soda makers on the market that almost always include one with purchase. Factoring in the combined cost, the Mysoda Woody clocks in around the same as SodaStream’s basic Terra machine. However, keep in mind that the latter uses a newer proprietary CO2 cartridge called “Quick Connect” that’s only compatible with SodaStream models. For this reason, we still prefer the Mysoda Woody.

Breville InFizz Fusion

Breville

Williams Sonoma

Breville is pretty new to the soda maker game, and as is the case with the majority of their appliances, the Infizz Fusion does not disappoint. It performs just as well as the Drinkmate Omnifizz, and is capable of carbonating fruit juices, mixed drinks, tea, and just about any other potable liquid you’d like to carbonate (for better or worse). The downside is that the Infizz Fusion has a significantly higher price tag: $150 higher than the Omnifizz at the time of writing. However, that money buys you a sturdy stainless steel build and a more considered design that quite literally outshines the Drinkmate Omnifizz. If looks matter and you want the versatility of carbonating cocktails and juice, the Breville is absolutely what we’d recommend.

It’s the price. Soda makers are simple machines that don’t need to cost much to work well. With the Breville you are clearly paying a premium for aesthetics.

All but one of the soda makers tested were gas canister carbonators that rely on pressurized carbon dioxide to introduce carbonation to a liquid (the outlier was the Spärkel, which used a powder). The gas comes through a siphon and then into the water in a sealed bottle. At-home soda making is a great alternative to buying seltzer, because it cuts down on the number of plastic bottles you’re bringing home from the store and then recycling after a single use. While the bottles that come with most soda makers have expiration dates and must be replaced every couple of years because the pressure inside wears them down, you will certainly get more use out of them than your average store-bought seltzer bottle. You can exchange the CO2 canisters via retailer websites and at some stores for a discount, though they do last for a while. One avid soda maker at the Epicurious office said she got 60 liters of soda out of a single canister in her Aarke Carbonator.

We limited our test to soda makers designed as countertop appliances. We did not include soda siphons like the Isi, which rely on small, individual CO2 cartridges because the cartridges need frequent replacement and are more of a nuisance to deal with than the standard 60-ml canister.

We first evaluated each machine by reading the assembly and operation instructions. Then, using cold water, we tested the highest carbonation setting for each model. We then had several coworkers do a blind tasting out of identical drinking glasses to assess the carbonation levels, and I tasted the water myself.

During the tests, we found that there was little difference in noise level, carbonation time, and amount of carbonation between the different models. All of the machines we successfully tested (there was one failure) were equally quiet, capable of lighter or stronger levels of carbonation, and took between 3–10 seconds to carbonate. Aside from the Spärkel, which we’ll get into below, all brands also used more or less the same type of gas canister.

As for other qualities, we evaluated the general build and appearance. Does it look nice? Does it feel sturdy or cheap? How much counter space does it take up? Does it come with multiple BPA-free water bottles? Is it easy or hard to replace CO2 cylinders? Does the company offer a CO2 tank exchange program?

If you’ve always dreamed of having a La Croix tap at home, but don’t have the kind of lavish lifestyle that allows for such luxuries, the Glacier Fresh Sparkin Cold Soda Maker might just be the next best thing. This is the only soda maker we tested that doesn’t require you to carbonate in a bottle. Instead, a 1.6-liter reservoir feeds water into the machine where it gets chilled (the machine cools the water but the manual also recommends starting with cold water for better bubbles). When you’re ready to make soda magic happen, you push a button on the front of the machine to fill the little bubbling chamber, then push down on a lever to engage the CO2 canister (​​you can use the same canisters you would with any other machine). Once your water is sufficiently bubbly, you simply press down on a small lever on the front to dispense your homemade soda right into your glass. It sounds more complicated than it is; the whole process is actually quick, easy, and fairly intuitive. We don’t think it’s super practical for most people. At 8 inches wide and 11 inches deep, this electric machine is a lot bulkier than the bottle-style devices and it’s pricey too ($290 at the time of publishing), but if you want a tap-like experience without calling a plumber or cutting into your countertops, it’s a good option.

Glacier Fresh Sparkin Cold Soda Maker

Glacier Fresh

Amazon

The Philips Sparkling Water Maker is a great machine with a price that’s in line with the Mysoda Woody. It is capable of making sharply fizzy soda water and has a pleasing appearance that won’t look garish next to your coffee maker—all for only $60. It’s simple to set up, uses the same single button design that pretty much all countertop carbonators have, and it performs as well. Ultimately, we prefer the Mysoda as far as build quality is concerned, but this is still a worthwhile budget machine.

Philips Sparkling Water Maker

Amazon

Philips

This is SodaStream’s most basic current model, and it functions much like the original Fizzi. The key difference is that it utilizes SodaStream’s new Quick Connect CO2 cartridges, which click in instead of twist. We found this design change to be unnecessary, and it only serves to make consumers rely exclusively on SodaStream’s gas exchange program.

SodaStream Terra Starter Kit

SodaStream

Amazon

The SodaStream Art is marketed as the company’s premium carbonator, with a retro-inspired body and lever instead of a button. It performs just like any other Soda Stream model, but if you are shopping for aesthetics, we think there are some more enticing options out there.

SodaStream Art

SodaStream

This was our previous choice for the best electric soda maker, but SodaStream seems to be phasing it out for the newer E-Terra, which is nearly identical in performance and build. We’ve moved away from recommending electric soda makers, though; there’s no reason to devote a valuable outlet when you don’t have to.

SodaStream Fizzi One Touch

Amazon

Best Buy

The original Fizzi delivered strong carbonation and is simple to use, but unfortunately it’s now discontinued.

This came with lovely glass carafes, which were also dishwasher-safe, but we found the design clunky, cumbersome, and not very intuitive. Taste testers also found the carbonation to be a bit underwhelming even at the highest setting. This model has also been discontinued.

SodaStream Aqua Fizz

Amazon

The original Aarke is certainly a tall drink of fizzy water in the looks department, with its stainless-steel body and sleek design. But its basic functionality and middle-of-the-pack carbonation capabilities didn’t blow us away. Its handsome bod wasn’t enough to justify the price.

The differences between the Carbonator III and the Carbonator II are all in the form factor: The Carbonator III has fewer plastic parts than the II, with the lever handle and the nozzle now made of steel. Performance-wise, it is a perfectly fine soda maker. Just like all previous Aarke models, you are paying for looks, and if that’s worth it to you, then go for it.

Aarke Carbonator III Sparkling Water Maker

Aarke

This somewhat fancier Aarke model has glass bottles instead of plastic, and like the Aqua Fizz, the machine covers the bottle entirely during the carbonation process to safeguard from exploding glass. Aarke Carbonators are undoubtedly the best looking carbonating gadgets on the market (even more sleek than the Breville in our opinion), with matte black or stainless-steel finishes. However, they tend to fall a little short on performance. The locking mechanism on the Pro we tested had trouble shifting into the lock position, causing the carbonator to blow open and spray water everywhere. After manually fiddling with the ring on the bottom, we got it to work, but it felt like a lot of effort for such an expensive soda machine.

Aarke Carbonator Pro

Williams Sonoma

Considering the price point, this model was incredibly flimsy and cheap. The drink canisters were also unnecessarily tall, making them unable to fit inside most fridges.

Fizzpod Home Soda Maker

Macy's

This machine uses citric acid and baking soda to produce carbon dioxide in lieu of gas canisters. Long story short, due to user error, this machine made a loud popping noise when we opened the canister and shot citric acid and baking soda into our eyes. When we attempted to use the machine again, the mistake had rendered it unusable. A colleague tested the machine at a previous job and had a similar experience.

Spärkel Beverage System

Amazon