We compared current toaster ovens and air fryer ovens on what decides daily use: how much they hold, how evenly and quickly they toast, how well they air fry and how much counter they take.
Ad disclosure: we earn a commission on Amazon links, at no cost to you. It never decides our picks. How this works
Best overall
Suits One oven for roasting, baking and air frying
Best budget
Suits Toast and air fry with simple dials, smaller budget
Best for air frying
Suits Families who air fry fries, veg and pizza most nights
Best for small kitchens
Suits Toast and reheats for one or two on a small counter
From spec sheets and independent tests. The best result in a row is tagged.
| Feature | Breville Smart OvenBest overall | Cuisinart Air FryerBest budget | Ninja French DoorBest for air frying | Panasonic FlashXpress ToasterBest for small kitchens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Full-size convection oven | Convection oven, analog dials | French-door air fry oven | Compact infrared, no fan |
| Air fry | Yes: Mesh basket, fan speed control | Yes: Basket included | Yes: 5-qt basket Best | No: No fan, no air fry |
| Capacitymanufacturer | 9 slices, 13-in pizza Best | 6 slices, 12-in pizza | 6 slices, 5 lb of fries | 4 slices, 9-in tray |
| Toasting scoreTechGearLab, out of 10 | 6.8 | 8.3 Best | Not in TechGearLab's test | 8.3 Best |
| Medium toast timeTechGearLab | 4.8 min | 5.0 min | No lab figure found | 2.5 min Best |
| Preheat to 350°FTechGearLab; Ninja per Tom's Guide | 5.4 min | 2.0 min | About 90 s (Tom's Guide) | 1.6 min Best |
| Temperature accuracyTechGearLab, average off at 350°F | 5.2°F hot Best | 21.7°F hot | No lab figure found | 24.4°F cool |
| FootprintW x D x H, inches | 21.4 x 17.3 x 12.7 | 16.5 x 15.1 x 13.7 (TechGearLab) | 16.5 x 15.8 x 13.5 | 13 x 12 x 10.2 Best |
| Weight | 38.9 lb | 16.3 lb (Shouldit) | 22.8 lb | 7.5 lb Best |
| On Amazon | Check price on Amazon(paid link) for Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro (BOV900BSS) (opens in a new tab) | Check price on Amazon(paid link) for Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill (TOA-70) (opens in a new tab) | Check price on Amazon(paid link) for Ninja French Door Premier Air Fryer, Convection Oven and Toaster (FO101) (opens in a new tab) | Check price on Amazon(paid link) for Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven (NB-G110P) (opens in a new tab) |
Who each one is for, and what to know before you buy.
01Best overall
Buy it if you want one countertop oven that roasts, bakes, air fries and toasts well enough to leave the full-size oven off most nights, and you have the counter for it. Skip it if space is tight, you mostly make toast, or you want an oven that stays cool outside.
Pick it ifHouseholds of two to six that bake, roast and air fry often and want a countertop oven that can stand in for the wall oven
Skip it ifSmall kitchens, toast-only households and anyone who wants dishwasher-safe accessories or a cool exterior
Why it made the list. America's Test Kitchen's top air-fryer toaster oven and TechGearLab's highest-scoring toaster oven, with an average error of about 5°F at 350°F. It holds nine slices, a 13-inch pizza or a 14-lb turkey; the costs are a 21-inch-wide footprint, a slow preheat and a hot exterior.
02Best budget
Buy it if you want an air fryer toaster oven that toasts well, uses plain dials and costs noticeably less than the premium models. Skip it if you bake a lot and need exact temperatures, or you want precise digital timing.
Pick it ifCouples and families of up to four who want even toast, crisp air-fried food and simple dial controls in a mid-size oven
Skip it ifBakers who need exact temperatures, anyone who wants to set times to the minute, and very small counters
Why it made the list. Tied for the best toasting score in TechGearLab's test and preheated to 350°F in 2 minutes, with air fry, grill and two fan speeds run by four plain dials. It ran about 22°F hot, so bakers need an oven thermometer.
03Best for air frying
Buy it if you air fry for a family most nights, want a fast preheat and like doors that open without swinging down over the counter. Skip it if you need a long warranty, lab-verified temperature accuracy or a large oven for roasting and baking.
Pick it ifFamilies of three to five who air fry fries, vegetables, chicken and pizza several times a week and want quick weeknight meals
Skip it ifBakers who want measured temperature accuracy, anyone who needs a whole-turkey oven, and buyers who value a long warranty
Why it made the list. Tom's Guide's current top toaster oven: a 5-quart air fry basket, a preheat of about 90 seconds and French doors, measured at a maximum of 64 dB. It has a one-year warranty and no independent lab accuracy data yet.
04Best for small kitchens
Buy it if you want fast, even toast and quick reheats for one or two people on a small counter. Skip it if you want to air fry, roast a chicken or bake anything that needs an accurate oven temperature.
Pick it ifSingles, couples and small kitchens that mostly toast bread and bagels, reheat leftovers and bake personal pizzas
Skip it ifAnyone who wants air frying or convection, families cooking full meals, and bakers who need precise temperatures
Why it made the list. Infrared heat with no preheat: the fastest to 350°F and tied for the quickest medium toast in TechGearLab's test, with a top toasting score, on a 13 x 12 inch footprint. It has no fan, so no air frying, and it ran about 24°F cool.
A countertop oven is a box with heating elements above and below the rack and, in most current models, a fan. What separates the good ones is how evenly that heat lands, how much fits inside and how much counter the box takes. Preset counts and marketing names for fans matter far less.
Manufacturers describe capacity in slices of bread, pizza diameter and sometimes cubic feet. The practical test is the pan you use most. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro takes nine slices, a 13-inch pizza and most 9 x 13 inch pans, per Breville, which makes it a real stand-in for a wall oven. The Cuisinart TOA-70 and the Ninja French Door Premier take six slices; Cuisinart rates the TOA-70 for a 12-inch pizza, though TechGearLab listed 11 inches as its practical limit. The Panasonic FlashXpress holds four slices on a 9-inch tray under a 4.1-inch ceiling.
| Household | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 people, mostly toast and reheats | Panasonic FlashXpress | 13 x 12 in footprint, no preheat |
| 2 to 4, toast and air fry on a budget | Cuisinart TOA-70 | Six slices, top toast score, plain dials |
| 3 to 5, air-fried weeknight meals | Ninja French Door Premier | 5-qt basket, 90-second preheat |
| 2 to 6, baking and roasting too | Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro | 1 cu ft, best accuracy in lab tests |
Large air fryer ovens are often mediocre toasters, because a big cavity and a strong fan are designed for roasting, not for browning bread quickly. TechGearLab's scores show the pattern: the Cuisinart and the compact Panasonic tied at 8.3 out of 10 for toasting, while the Breville scored 6.8. The Panasonic was also quick, making medium toast in 2.5 minutes against 4.8 for the Breville and 5.0 for the Cuisinart.
Reviewers disagree about the Breville. America's Test Kitchen called its toast excellent, while Tom's Guide found a full nine-slice batch uneven, with pale slices at the edges. ATK also found pale toast common among air fryer ovens, including Instant's Omni Pro 18L and Instant Oven 18L. If toast is most of what you make, the Panasonic or the Cuisinart is the safer choice.
Air fry mode in an oven is convection with a strong fan and a mesh basket that lets hot air reach the underside of the food. An oven spreads food wider than a basket fryer, so fries for four can sit in one layer, but a large cavity usually crisps more slowly than a compact basket machine. ATK found the Breville's fries and chicken Parmesan on par with its favorite basket air fryer, while Tom's Guide found its results good but a step below dedicated air fryers, with less crisp wings.
The Ninja is built around air frying, with a 5-quart basket that Ninja says holds up to 5 pounds of fries; Tom's Guide found cubed sweet potatoes crisp outside and fluffy inside. The Panasonic has no fan and does not air fry at all. If you only want crisp food and never toast, a basket model from our air fryer list, such as the Cosori TurboBlaze, is smaller and cheaper.
Measure before you buy, including the space above the oven, because tops and doors get hot: Tom's Guide measured 252°F on top of the Breville's glass and 270°F on the door of Ninja's Double Oven (DCT401). Breville lists the Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro at 21.4 inches wide and 17.3 deep. The Ninja is about 16.5 by 15.8 inches, TechGearLab measured the Cuisinart at about 16.5 by 15.1, and the Panasonic is 13 by 12 inches. Leave room on every side for venting, keep the oven clear of cabinets and curtains, and follow the clearances in the manual.
Digital controls give exact times and temperatures; analog dials are simpler but coarser. The Cuisinart's four dials suit people who dislike menus, and Shouldit liked their directness. For baking, accuracy matters more than the interface. In TechGearLab's 30-minute test at 350°F, the Breville averaged about 5°F off, the Cuisinart ran about 22°F hot and the Panasonic about 24°F cool, so with those two an inexpensive oven thermometer pays for itself.
Preheat time is the other number to check. The Panasonic reached 350°F in 1.6 minutes and the Cuisinart in 2.0, while the Breville took 5.4. Ninja claims 90 seconds for the French Door Premier, which Tom's Guide matched in its test.
Models we considered, and why each one did not make the list.
The same oven body with app control. Tom's Guide found it better at toast and frozen fries, but rated the Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro slightly ahead overall. It is worth the premium only if you want the app.
America's Test Kitchen says it cooks as well as the Breville, but we did not find it among the countertop ovens on Ninja's US store on September 26, 2026. The store lists the Prestige Smart XL (DT501) instead, and ATK found the DT501's frozen fries took nearly three times longer than expected.
Two compartments help if you cook two dishes at once. Tom's Guide measured the DCT401 at 65.8 dBA, the loudest toaster oven or air fryer it had tested, and TechGearLab found the Double Stack XL (DCT651) weaker at crisping than the best ovens in its test.
It folds up against the backsplash to save counter space, but we found little independent US testing of this model. ATK found the earlier flip-up SP101 too low for a whole 4-pound chicken, and its side handle awkward enough to cause burns.
The TOA-70's predecessor still turns up in listings. ATK found it missed target temperatures by as much as 85 degrees and made pale toast. Check that the listing says TOA-70.
A stainless FlashXpress sold from October 2024 through April 2026 and recalled on July 16, 2026 by the CPSC and Health Canada, because its cord insulation may be inadequate, posing shock and fire hazards. It is not the NB-G110P we recommend, but it looks similar; check the model number.
ATK found good air frying from the Omni Pro 18L and the Instant Oven 18L but pale toast from both, and the Omni Plus flashed false burning warnings and ran loud.
TechGearLab measured the Wonder Oven running 38°F cool with weak air frying. The Panasonic air fryer model is too new for enough independent testing.
For most households, yes. It crisps a wider batch and also toasts and bakes, but it takes more counter and, in the Breville's case, over five minutes to preheat. If crisp food is the main use and space is short, a basket air fryer is the better tool.
Among our picks, the Cuisinart TOA-70 and the Panasonic FlashXpress tied for the best toasting score in TechGearLab's test, and the Panasonic was the fastest.
For baking and air frying, yes. Tom's Guide notes that the Breville starts a preheat step on its own for many functions, and the Ninja preheated in about 90 seconds in its test. The Panasonic's infrared elements heat fast enough that it needs none.
Prime Big Deal Days run October 6 to 7 and Black Friday is November 27, 2026, and countertop ovens are regular deal items at both. If you can wait a few weeks, it is reasonable to. Check the model number on any deal: TOA-70 rather than TOA-60, and NB-G110P rather than NB-G200.
More kitchen picks are in the kitchen category.
We compared current toaster ovens and air fryer ovens on what decides daily use: how much they hold, how evenly and quickly they toast, how well they air fry and how much counter they take. The short answer: the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro for most kitchens with room for it, the Cuisinart TOA-70 for toast and air frying with simple dials in a lower price class, the Ninja French Door Premier for air-fried family meals, and the Panasonic FlashXpress for toast and reheats on a small counter.
The shortlist came from the models that recur in current independent testing: America's Test Kitchen's air-fryer toaster oven review (updated August 2026), TechGearLab's lab test of 11 toaster ovens (updated October 2025), Tom's Guide's toaster oven guide and reviews (March 2026) and Consumer Reports' ratings, with specs checked against Breville, Ninja and Panasonic product pages and Shouldit's measurements of the Cuisinart. We have not cooked with any of these ovens; every result is attributed to the site that reported it. Each pick is sold on amazon.com, none of the four model numbers is on a CPSC recall list, and models that were recalled, missing from the brand's US store or short on independent testing were left out.
