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SodaStream is no longer the only name in the carbonator game, and after years of testing devices, my colleagues and I have found that the best sparkling water maker is a convenient, versatile gadget that blows store-bought soda water…out of the water.
I probably shouldn’t admit this publicly, but La Croix is my main form of hydration. I drink still water, but most of the H2O that goes into my body on any given day is cold and carbonated because the bubbles just make it more fun to drink. Less fun, however, is the waste I create with all the cans and bottles. Sure, they’re recyclable, but I’m very aware of the materials that get produced, used, and tossed into a bin (albeit, a blue bin) at a consistently high rate around my house.
More than once, I thought a SodaStream might be the answer, but I tried a few models and always gave up after a few weeks or a months because the results never wowed me, setting it up was more work than popping the tab on an ice-cold can of Limoncello La Croix, and I couldn’t even carbonate wine in it.
But after years of testing soda makers, my colleagues and I have found models that make it quick and easy to make zingy, fizzy drinks (including wine and cocktails) with the push of a button. Find our top picks below and keep reading to learn more about how we tested sparkling water makers and what we thought of the machines that didn’t earn a top spot.
The best sparkling water maker: Drinkmate Omnifizz
In the last few years of testing, the Drinkmate OmniFizz Sparkling Water and Soda Maker has made the sparkliest sparkling water of any carbonator in its price range. And unlike the comparably priced SodaStream, you can use this to turn wine, cocktails, tea, (pulp-free) fruit juice, and more into delightfully carbonated beverages—once you get over the very small learning curve required to figure out the pressure release. It’s all outlined in the manual, but the bottle cap, which goes on for the carbonating process, has fast and slow pressure release tabs. This is important because when you’re carbonating anything with a syrup or other sugars (wine or cocktails, for example), or even excitedly adding lots of bubbles to your ice-cold water, releasing the pressure quickly could result in a bubbly beverage explosion. The other thing that stands out about this carbonator is that the bottle cap slides into the carbonator so it feels like a much more secure connection than the machines that require you to pop and/or twist the bottle into the base.
In addition to being kind of “meh,” in the looks department, this carbonator is made of all plastic parts so it doesn’t feel as durable as some others we tested. And depending on the retailer you order from, it may or may not ship with a CO2 cylinder so be sure to read the product descriptions carefully. If you order from Home Depot, you’ll get a full-size (60L) cylinder, but at Walmart it’s not included. The machine I ordered from Amazon came with an adorable but disappointingly small 3 oz. “test cylinder,” but that’s not the case for every Amazon offer either.
Specs
Height: 16.14"
Machine material(s): Plastic
Bottle material: Plastic
Comes with starter CO2 tank: Yes (size varies by retailer)
Requires proprietary CO2 tank: No
Warranty: 2 years
A splurge-worthy upgrade: Breville InFizz Fusion
Breville has cornered the high-end small kitchen appliance market with its top performing countertop oven, induction burner, toaster, and immersion blender. Now I’m adding the sparkling water maker to that list.
The Breville Infizz Fusion is a sleek, versatile carbonator ,and like the Drinkmate Ominifizz, it will carbonate more than just water. Because the carbonator cap that goes on the bottle during the bubbling process has both a fast and slow pressure release option, the Infizz Fusion can carbonate fruit juice, wine, cocktails, and even creamy drinks if you’re feeling weird. And unlike the best soda makers in the $100 to $150 range, which usually have all plastic parts, the InFizz Fusion is made of durable, high-quality stainless steel, which is available in a variety of finishes, though options vary by retailer. It also comes with a handful of accessories (including a juice filter and silicone bottle brush) to enhance the experience of using and cleaning the machine and bottle.
A countertop soda maker is a pretty simple gadget, and this is one of the priciest ones you can buy. If it’s worth it to you to pay for quality materials, aesthetics, and the ability to wow your dinner guests by transforming a bottle of bad rosé into something bubbly and palatable, you’ll likely be very happy with this. But do keep in mind that the base model, which is $249 at the time of publishing, doesn’t ship with a CO2 tank, so you’ll either need to buy one or or spend $30 more on one that comes with the tank.
Specs
Height: 16.9"
Machine material(s): Stainless steel
Bottle material: Plastic
Comes with starter CO2 tank: Only if you buy the bundle
Requires proprietary CO2 tank: No
Warranty: 2 years
How we tested sparkling water makers
For the purposes of this review, every year, my colleagues and I look at the most popular and highly rated countertop sparkling water makers—the kind that use standard 60-ml CO2 cylinders—taking into consideration availability, price, and customer ratings. As we unbox each, we evaluate the feel and quality of materials and the ease of use as we set up the machine. We use each to make seltzer with cold, filtered water—getting it as bubbly as the machine/manual allows. Depending on the versatility of the devices and models we’re testing, we’ll also carbonate cocktails, wine, juice, etc.
Other soda makers we tested
What we think about the Mysoda Woody
This simple, stylish carbonator is made from renewable wood composite. It’s beautiful, sturdy, and, when it comes to the level of carbonation, performs as well as any SodaStream. And if you want an aesthetically pleasing, sustainably made, budget-friendly soda maker, you’ll be very happy with this purchase. But there’s a catch to that: Most soda makers ship with a starter CO2 tank and this one doesn’t. The tanks are usually about $30 to $40, so when you factor that into the cost, the initial investment is more than the cost of our top pick (which did perform a little better in our testing). If you want to stay under $100 all-in, check out the Philips Sparkling Water Maker below.
What we think about the Philips Sparkling Water Maker
The Philips Sparkling Water Maker is a handsome machine with a comparatively accessible price tag, and it’s simple to set up and easy to operate with one button. More importantly, in our testing it made pleasantly sharp carbonated water. Like the Mysoda Woody above, it doesn’t ship with CO2 so you’ll still need to shell out for a standard screw-in 60l CO2 tank, but at the current retail price, even with the addition of a tank, it still comes in at just under $100.
What we think about the Ninja Thirsti
Ninja is among the most prolific small appliance manufacturers with coffee makers, countertop ovens, blenders, ice cream makers, juicers, toasters, air fryers—the list goes on and on and on. So it should come as no surprise that the brand is now in the soda maker business too. Like many of Ninja’s other offerings, the Ninja Thirsti is a bit gimmicky while also being kind of cool. Out of the box, this electric soda maker (yes, you have to plug it in) reminded me of a Nespresso machine. The water tank sits off to the side and the carbonation happens inside the machine before coming out of a little spout into whatever cup you put under it. There’s a spot on the front to add up to two proprietary flavoring cartridges, which you can put in your bubbly water individually or combine them both. Currently there are 30 flavors available and the machine shipped with four sample flavors. I found the lemonade to be overpowering, not in a great way, but I did enjoy the “hint of lime.” The control panel on the front of the machine allows you to choose between still water or three levels of carbonation, and four drink sizes (6, 12, 18, or 24 oz.). After testing, I’m left with mixed feelings about this machine. Overall, it seems like a bit much for something to have at home, and I wish I could eliminate the spot for the drops so it would tuck nicely under my upper cabinets. It could also be a great addition to a teachers’ lounge or a small office. But keep in mind that the water tank does require truly chilled, cold water so you’d also need a fridge or ice nearby whenever you want to use it.
What we think about the Glacier Fresh Sparkin Cold Soda Maker
If you’ve ever dreamed of having a club soda tap in your kitchen, this is probably as close as you’re going to get without cutting into your countertops. Like the Ninja above, the Glacier Fresh Sparkin Cold Soda Maker carbonates water in the machine, not in a bottle. Unlike the Ninja, the machine chills the water for you (though the manual still recommends filling the reservoir on the back of the machine with cold water). Once it’s filled, getting your bubbly water from the “tap” is a three-step process. First, you push a button to send water from the reservoir to the bubbling (and presumably chilling) chamber, then you push down on a lever to carbonate it. Once it’s sufficiently bubbly, you press another little lever on the front to dispense the water into a glass. It’s less complicated than it sounds, but with an 8x11" footprint, most people will be better off with a bottle-style carbonator. I should also note that I tried to move this from the counter to a nearby table with the CO2 canister in place and some water still in the chamber (ill-advised, I know) and from then on, it made a weird squealing noise.
What we think about the SodaStream Art
The SodaStream Art is marketed as the company’s premium carbonator, due to its retro-inspired body and lever instead of a button. Though it produces the exact same carbonated water as other SodaStream models, it operates a little differently: instead of pushing a button to carbonate, you pull the lever and you can pull it up to six times for the bubbliest water. But it’s made of lightweight plastic that feels kind of cheap. If you want something that looks good on the countertop, there are prettier options that are also much sturdier.
What we think about the SodaStream Terra
Currently, the Terra is SodaStream’s most basic offering and functionally, it’s a lot like the original Soda Stream, the Fizzi. However, instead of a screw-in CO2 cartridge, this machine uses the brand’s new Quick Connect cartridges, which click in. Because the Quick Connect feature is proprietary, using this machine means being married to Soda Stream’s cylinder exchange program.
What we think about the SodaStream Fizzi One Touch
At one point, when having an electric soda maker was fine (novel, even) the SodaStream Fizzi One Touch was our top pick for the best electric soda maker. But there’s really no need to plug in such a basic machine when you can make better fizzy water without it, so we’re no longer recommending this—or any sparkling water makers that require electricity.
What we think about the Aarke Carbonator III
This is the model that came after the now-discontinued Aarke Carbonator II, and the main upgrades are materials—the Aarke Carbonator III has more stainless steel and fewer plastic parts than the II. Both models are highly aesthetic machines that are easy enough to use and make perfectly fine sparkling water. If you like the look of it, you’ll probably be very happy with it, but the Breville is in the same general price range and is a lot more versatile. Plus there are lower-priced machines that perform just as well.
What we think about the Aarke Carbonator Pro
Aarke carbonators are really easy on the eyes and this “pro” version doesn’t skimp on materials. Instead of the typical plastic bottles, this one uses glass bottles, and the top of the machine (which is available in a matte black, matte sand, or shiny stainless-steel finish) covers the top of the bottle in case you were to over-carbonate and cause the glass to explode. Unfortunately, it’s not very user-friendly. Our tester had issues getting everything to lock into place and ended up with an explosion—though luckily it was only water and not glass! He eventually got it to work, but for the price, it should be easier to operate.
What we think about the Drinkpod Fizzpod
Online, we loved the sleek design of this soda maker, but in person, the materials felt cheap and flimsy. Also, because it’s so sleek and slim, the water bottles are really tall and didn’t fit into any shelves in our tester’s fridge.
What we think about the Spärkel Beverage System
Buyer beware: Instead of using a CO2 tank to produce carbon dioxide, this machine uses citric acid and baking soda. And our very competent and soda-maker-savvy tester ended up getting both in his eyes trying to make it work. After that, he couldn’t get it to function properly so unfortunately he couldn’t offer feedback on the soda water, and colleagues have reported similar issues.
Discontinued soda makers we’ve tested
Soda maker manufacturers are constantly innovating and upgrading and as new machines hit the market, older models are discontinued. Here are models we’ve tried that are no longer available widely, though you may still be able to find them used or through third-party sellers.
My fellow testers and I liked the original and now-discontinued SodaStream Fizzi. It was nothing fancy, but it was easy to use and delivered an impressive level of carbonation.
The SodaStream Aqua Fizz we tested for an earlier review came with dishwasher-safe glass carafes but the design was clunky and it wasn’t super user-friendly. Our testers were also underwhelmed with the level of carbonation. A variation on this model is still available on Amazon but given the price and our experience with the specific model we tested, we don’t recommend it.
The now-discontinued Aarke Carbonator II looked great and was perfectly fine (though not amazing) performance-wise. It was just so pricey given that adequate performance we didn’t give a top spot.
Additional soda machine testing by Epicurious and Bon Appétit commerce writer and bubbly water enthusiast Wilder Davies.