Best Freezers of 2024 - Consumer Reports

Most freezers come in at least three sizes. Our lab tests have surfaced the best model across each size.

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The freezer compartment of a standard refrigerator can be woefully inadequate if you buy food in bulk or grow your own veggies. That’s one good reason to consider a stand-alone freezer—another is the rising price of groceries.

Having more freezer space means you can take advantage of lower prices when you find them. After testing 19 chest freezers and 25 upright freezers—by filling them with boxes of frozen spinach for six weeks, no less—we found 10 chest freezers and 5 upright freezers we recommend for the job.

If you already have a stand-alone freezer, it’s a good time to assess whether it will last another season (if it’s 10 years old or older, consider a replacement). If you don’t own one and have the space to devote to another appliance, you can find a reasonably priced freezer that’s also energy-efficient, meaning it will save you money over the long run. Generally speaking, there are two freezer types, chest and upright.

Our test results are folded into an Overall Score for each model and appear in our freezer ratings charts. For more information on the pros and cons of each type, their features, and other tips, check out our freezer buying guide.

If you’re planning to put your freezer in a basement or other out-of-the-way place, consider a chest model. Chest freezers don’t come with a self-defrosting feature, which means you’ll have to take the food out periodically to defrost it manually. Also, be aware that the deepest of these deep freezers can be difficult to organize.

Below are the top-rated chest freezers from our test in four categories: small, medium, large, and extra-large.

If you’re looking for a freezer for your kitchen, consider an upright freezer. Though they cost more to run than chest freezers, some are available in different finishes that you can match to your kitchen suite, while others come with a handy self-defrost feature. (In our tests, the self-defrosting models perform better than manual-defrost models.)

Below are our top picks in small, medium, and large sizes.

We test freezers under both normal and adverse conditions. If there’s ever a power outage (or if you live in an area that experiences power outages frequently), you want a model that keeps your food frozen for as long as possible.

We start by evaluating how well each freezer maintains food at a constant temperature on a daily basis. To do this, we pack each one with boxes of frozen spinach and measure the internal temperature of the cavity in 15 different places over the course of six weeks to assess how well they keep the packages frozen.

The results allow us to judge their thermostat control and temperature uniformity (the ability to maintain the same temperature throughout the freezer cavity). Our engineers also measure usable storage capacity, which doesn’t always match what manufacturers claim.

To see how well a freezer fares under adverse conditions, we simulate a power outage by raising the temperature in the test chamber to 90° F and unplugging the loaded freezer for 9 hours. “We test them in a warm room because summer is often when the power goes out,” says Larry Ciufo, who analyzes our freezer test data. In the best freezers, the temp rises by just a few degrees. But the worst models show a temperature spike of 25° F or more, which means food can start to thaw.

In addition to these tests, we also calculate energy efficiency and measure noise output.

To help you find the best model for your needs, Consumer Reports’ freezer ratings make it easy for you to compare them by grouping freezers by size and capacity (small, medium, large, and extra-large) as well as by configuration (chest or upright). That way, you’re not comparing the performance of a chest freezer as big as a bathtub to one the size of a dishwasher.

Mary H.J. Farrell

As a senior editor at Consumer Reports for more than 15 years, Mary H.J. Farrell reported on all manner of vacuums and cookware, as well as microwaves, mixers, freezers, and fans. Starting in the mid-1990s, she held senior positions at People.com, MSNBC, and Ladies’ Home Journal. One of her earliest jobs was at Good Housekeeping.