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Best Soda Makers to Buy in 2024 [CNET]
Our Experts
David lives in Brooklyn where he’s spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips. David earned his BA from Northeastern and has toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom. Right now he’s likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or tinkering with a toaster. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week.
Expertise Kitchen tools | Appliances | Food science | Subscriptions | Meal kits
CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
Best for making more than just sparkling water
Ninja Thirsti drink system
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There are a lot of reasons to kick that soda habit to the curb, but if cost is your main concern, then investing in an at-home soda maker is the way to go. From your favorite branded cola to your very own homemade soda, a soda machine can make the best carbonated beverages right on your own counter. No need to make a grocery run the next time you’re craving bubbly beverages, because we found the best soda maker.
So, a simple yet effective way to add a little zhuzh to your water is by picking up a soda maker. And we’re always looking to save money at the grocery store these days, whether that means switching to a grocery delivery service, meal kits or store-brand products. That makes this at-home tool — which can add carbonation to most drinks without taking up too much counter space — a great investment in the long run. Plus, it’s fun to use.
To find the best, I took a total of eight soda makers to task, including three SodaStream models, Ninja’s fancy new at-home Thirsti machine and Aarke’s striking stainless steel carbonator, to find the best soda maker.
Based on my testing, here are the four best soda makers to buy in 2024.
What’s the best soda maker overall?
After extensive testing (and one persistent case of hiccups), we’ve marked the SodaStream Terra as the best soda maker for 2024. During our testing, we found it consistently makes sparking water with its simple manual pump, it’s cheaper to purchase and also offers an exchange program that makes getting carbonation canisters cheaper.
While there are more elegant options, the SodaStream Terra is probably the best soda water maker for most people.
SodaStreamBest soda makers to buy in 2024
If I had one complaint about this and some other SodaStreams, it’s that the plastic build is a tad flimsy. That said, the Terra has the lowest price of any model on this list. The basic package is $100 and includes a carbon dioxide cartridge and plastic carafe. A beefed-up bundle features five plastic bottles (two small and three regular sizes), one carbon dioxide cartridge and a bottle of Pepsi concentrate to flavor your water for $120. Read my full review of the SodaStream Terra.
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The Terra is SodaStream’s entry-level model, but it works well and lands at the top of our list as the best soda water maker for most people. The Terra made consistently fizzy water with simple manual pumps. It’s very easy to operate and doesn’t take up much space on the counter.
The Terra model has one recent improvement over SodaStream’s previous models in that you can click the carbon dioxide canister into the back rather than having to load it from the bottom. This saves a step each time you change the canister. Speaking of canisters, SodaStream has an easy exchange program where you can drop off empty cartridges in exchange for full ones at about half price ($17).
If I had one complaint about this and some other SodaStreams, it’s that the plastic build is a tad flimsy. That said, the Terra has the lowest price of any model on this list. The basic package is $100 and includes a carbon dioxide cartridge and plastic carafe. A beefed-up bundle features five plastic bottles (two small and three regular sizes), one carbon dioxide cartridge and a bottle of Pepsi concentrate to flavor your water for $120. Read my full review of the SodaStream Terra.
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If it’s more than just sparkling water you covet, Ninja’s souped-up Thirsti beverage system is the right pick. At its base price of $180, it’s more expensive than a standard SodaStream, but that’s because it does a whole lot more. Right now, it’s on sale for $150.
The Thirsti is the only electronic drink maker on this list. It adds carbon dioxide to your water with the best of them, but also has the option to impart flavors, caffeine, vitamins and other enhancements electronically in 6-,12-, 18- or 24-ounce servings.
Choose from more than 20 water drops to plug into the front of the drink maker — as many as two at a time — and the Thirsti will spit out fruity beverages, lemonade and flavored sparkling water in about 3 seconds. The beverages are all zero-calorie and some are sweetened with sucralose. If you don’t like the taste of that sugar substitute, you’ll want to stick to the “Splash” pods, which contain only essence.
The basic Thirsti package comes with the machine, a carbon dioxide canister and eight water drops to add some panache to your hydration routine. Read our Ninja Thirsti review.
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If design and aesthetics are important to you, the Aarke is pretty clearly the best-looking soda water maker on the market. It’s built from metal, while most others are constructed from cheaper plastics. It also has something of a vintage malt shop appeal, and it’s slim, so you can slide it onto the counter without forfeiting much real estate. The Aarke III works well, although it releases carbon dioxide a bit less consistently than a SodaStream.
This is also the most expensive soda maker on our list at around $200, and that price doesn’t include a carbon dioxide canister. The good news is you can use SodaStream and Soda Sensei canisters with the Aarke and take advantage of their robust canister exchange programs. Read my full review of the Aarke here.
In testing to find the best soda water makers, it mostly came down to general performance, ease of use, and overall value. I made at least 10 full bottles of sparkling water using each, noting how proficiently and consistently a machine executed its most vital duty of imparting carbon dioxide into the water. I also carbonated other liquids — including fruit juice and wine — but found that there was no difference in performance based on the type of liquid being carbonated. If a machine carbonated water well, it did so across all liquids.
Some of the machines took more muscling and pumps of the lever to get carbon dioxide emitted into the bottles. Of the manual machines, the SodaStream models were the most consistent. With five unique settings, the Spärkel electric seltzer maker makes the most precise soda water.
The stylish Aarke III carbonator comes in five finishes and has a vintage malt shop look.
AarkeI also took note of the sturdiness and build of each soda water maker. The Aarke III is by far the most stylish soda water maker and is built solidly out of stainless steel, with five finishes to choose from. While aesthetics are nice, it’s also by far the priciest model, with an almost $200 tag, which keeps it from being the best model for most people.
DrinkMate OmniFizz: This $120 sparkling water maker did a fine job carbonating water, wine and juice. I don’t have much negative to say about the machine other than that the hinge at the top that connects the bottle to the machine seems like it could loosen or break over time.
SodaStream Fizzi One Touch: This is SodaStream’s electronic sparkling water maker and lists for $124. It works well and has three presets to get whatever level of carbonation you seek. This is another model I don’t have any major issues with, but I just don’t think it’s worth the extra $54 over its manual counterpart, the Terra.
Sparkel: This unique carbonation system uses powder packets instead of carbon dioxide canisters to add fizz to water. It works well, but the machine base is bulkier than most and isn’t quite worth the $150 price.
Soda Sensei [Out of Stock]: This model looks nice, but it struggled a bit more than the SodaStream Terra to make consistently bubbly water.
How much cheaper is it to make seltzer at home?
Let’s use the rough estimate SodaStream gives of getting 60 liters out of each $17 cartridge if you use the exchange program. That breaks down to about 25 cents per liter. By comparison, the average cost for a 1-liter bottle of soda water is about 80 cents in a store.
If you were to go through six cartridges over the course of a year ($102), plus the cost of the SodaStream Terra ($100), that would be $202 total and about 56 cents per liter, a significant savings over store-bought seltzer.
These calculations are based on drinking 360 liters per year, which is about 33 ounces of soda water per day, or a little less than three cans. The more carbonated water you drink and the longer you use your SodaStream, the more you’ll save versus paying for the canned stuff.
Are soda water makers better for the environment?
Definitely. A soda water maker such as SodaStream or the Aarke Carbonator has almost no negative environmental impact. If used instead of store-bought seltzer, these machines will take hundreds of cans and plastic bottles out of the waste management and recycling system every year. Standard carbon dioxide canisters are also reusable, which is why SodaStream will sell you a refill for half price if you return the empty canister.
Can you carbonate other beverages with a soda water maker?
Beyond making carbonated water, you can add fizz to just about any liquid with a soda water maker. Fruit juices, sparkling wine and beer that have gone flat (even flat soda) are just a few popular beverages to consider other than plain cold water. If you want fizzy milk, you can make that too.
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