Best Refrigerator Buying Guide for 2020

We’ve consulted more than a dozen refrigerator experts, read thousands of user reviews, and dug into sales and data trends to understand what kinds of fridges people are buying. You can read more about our research process in our accompanying guide to the best refrigerators. That guide, along with this one, was cowritten by staff editor Liam McCabe, who has covered the appliance industry for six years, including a stint at Reviewed.com, and has written about fridges, ranges, air conditioners, and other major appliances for Wirecutter. Staff writer Michelle Ma is a former retail reporter who has interviewed dozens of manufacturers about how their products are made, sold, and used.

The most important factor in deciding on a new fridge is determining what size will fit in your kitchen. Refrigerators are usually listed by their internal capacity in cubic feet, but it’s more important to focus on the external dimensions—and width is usually the limiting factor. Here’s how to measure for various scenarios.

Replacing your current fridge? You’ll need to buy a new one of very similar width.

• Measure your current machine’s width, depth (from the wall to the front face), and height. This will focus your search more than any other step you can take.
• Keep in mind that manufacturer’s measurements of fridges are up to an inch skinnier, to allow room for installation.

Purchasing for a newly finished home or remodeled kitchen? You’ll need to measure the space where you intend to place the fridge.

• Measure depth not only at waist height, but also at the top, where your cabinetry might be, and at the bottom, where you may have a baseboard: floor and wall trim can limit your available fridge space. (However, bear in mind it’s usually possible to remove a bit of trim, and worth doing so if it means you can fit your favorite fridge in.)
• Take several width and height measurements, as outlined in the illustration below, in case the space for your fridge is asymmetrical (houses can settle unevenly, for example).
• Leave at least an extra inch at the sides, top, and back for proper ventilation and air circulation. Fridges work by transferring heat from inside to the outside air via coils on the back of the machine, so they need that breathing space.

Finally, and especially if you are moving up in size with your new fridge, measure the entryways to your kitchen and your home. It’s no good buying a new fridge if you can’t actually get it through the door.

As noted, manufacturers place a lot of emphasis on the internal cubic feet measurement. We recommend that you put this low on your list of criteria. For one, a good layout of drawers and shelves is more important than sheer volume. For another, there’s no standard for how the different manufacturers measure this, so there’s no way to compare them. But as a rule of thumb, a family of four can fit the essentials into an 18-cubic-foot fridge. For each additional person in your household, you’ll want another two cubic feet. Almost any 36-inch, standard-depth fridge will have 24 cubic feet or more of space—plenty even for a big family.

After dimensions, it’s time to figure out which door style is best for you. French doors are currently the most popular, but if you have space constraints or are on a budget you may want to choose a different style.

If you’d like specific model recommendations for the following door styles, see our full guide to the best refrigerators.

French door

French-door models have a bottom-mounted freezer that opens like a drawer, and two half-width doors on the refrigerator section. This is the best style for most people, according to every bit of industry data and every salesperson we talked to. They typically range from 30 to 36 inches wide. Our favorite is the 36-inch-wide Whirlpool WRF535SMHZ.

Our pick

Whirlpool WRF535SMHZ

36-inch, French door

Stripped-down but solid, the Whirlpool WRF535SMHZ is reliable, efficient, and quiet.

You should consider a French-door fridge if you:

• Eat mostly fresh produce, deli, and dairy items. That describes most people: The average person opens the fridge five to seven times more often than the freezer, according to Mike Eveland, lead designer and engineer at BlueStar Refrigeration (a maker of high-end fridges), so a French-door fridge is often the most practical. With the fridge section entirely at waist-to-eye level, go-to items like fruits and vegetables, deli slices, milk, and juice are kept in easy reach.
• Don’t mind a less-organized freezer. French-door freezers tend to have very little shelving; usually they consist of just one or two big, tublike drawers. Some people find that they lose items in these tubs. If you eat a lot of boxed, frozen goods, a side-by-side or top-freezer fridge may be better.
• Often store wide dishes or containers. Pizza boxes, large baking sheets, and full-size turkeys are more likely to fit into a French-door fridge or freezer than into a narrower side-by-side.
• Are limited by your kitchen space. A French-door freezer pulls out straight, rather than swinging open, so it isn’t constrained by a wall on either side of the unit. The double doors of the fridge extend only half as far as a single full-width door when opened, meaning this style can work better in narrower spaces.
• Have a budget of at least $1,500. This is about as low as you can go for a 36-inch French-door refrigerator, and will get you a no-frills model. For a 36-inch standard-depth French-door fridge with an ice maker, an ice/water dispenser, and a stainless finish, you can expect to spend up to $2,300. Paying more generally gets you additional capacity and features, but, according to the limited data available, does not guarantee reliability, longevity, quiet operation, or better food preservation, unless you jump to a premium built-in/integrated unit.

Side-by-side

Side-by-side fridges are split vertically, with the freezer on the left and the refrigerator on the right. Most people will be happier with a French-door fridge—several salespeople we spoke with said that they outsell side-by-sides “at least” 10 to 1. Side-by-side models typically range from 33 to 36 inches wide. Our favorite model is the 36-inch GE GSS25GSHSS.

GE GSS25GSHSS

36-inch, side-by-side

This reliable, affordable GE side-by-side is a great option for people who eat more frozen food than fresh and prefer an organized freezer layout.

Consider a side-by-side fridge if you:

• Eat more frozen than fresh food. Side-by-side fridges have more vertical storage space for frozen food. It’s also easier to see and organize your frozen food because the frozen section has more shelving at eye level.
• Want premium features at a great price. Side-by-sides tend to cost several hundred dollars less than French-door fridges that have the same quality of interior and amenities. “A $2,000 side-by-side is an amazing fridge. A $2,000 French door is not as nice,” said Richard Hughes of Appliance Factory.
• Are limited by your kitchen space. Like French-door models, side-by-sides are suitable for narrow galley kitchens because the door’s swing radius isn’t as big as that of a door on a traditional top-freezer unit.

Top-freezer

Top-freezer models have (no kidding) a top-mounted freezer and a full-width door on the fridge. It’s the classic refrigerator, a no-frills utilitarian icebox. Despite the increasing popularity of French-door models, top-freezers are still the most popular type of fridge by units sold, according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. These models typically range from 24 to 33 inches wide. Our favorite model is the 30-inch GE GTS18GTHWW.

GE GTS18GTHWW

30-inch, top-freezer

Need a cheap fridge that just works? This GE is among the least likely to have reliability issues. It’s also a great option if you need a second fridge to keep in a basement or garage, or if you’re purchasing for tenants.

Consider a top-freezer fridge if you:

• Are on a budget under $1,000. A no-frills, 30-inch-wide fridge with enough capacity for four people can range from anywhere between a basic $475 or so icebox unit to an almost $1,000 stainless steel version with some upgrades like glass shelves. Our budget pick, the GE GTS18GTHWW, costs a very reasonable $530 at the time of writing.
• Care most about reliability. These fridges typically don’t come with extra features like water dispensers or ice machines, which means they have fewer parts that can break or wear out.
• Are concerned about energy efficiency. Many of the newest models are very energy efficient compared with other fridge door styles. (However, all fridges made today are far more energy efficient than those made even 10 years ago, due to tightened efficiency standards.)
• Have a lot of space in your kitchen. Full-width doors need plenty of clearance to open, so take a measurement before you buy.

Counter-depth

Counter-depth fridges are shallower than standard fridges, typically measuring 25 inches from the back of the fridge to the door seal. The doors do still stick out from the counter a couple of inches (they need to swing open, after all), but visually, counter-depth fridges integrate neatly with the countertop, giving kitchens a more open feel and keeping walking spaces unobstructed. Standard fridges, by contrast, jut out 6 to 10 inches beyond the counter, and in small kitchens can be visually and physically obtrusive. Counter-depth fridges are available in French-door and side-by-side styles. Typically, they cost several hundred dollars more than otherwise comparable standard-depth fridges.

You should consider a counter-depth fridge if you:

• Are tight on kitchen space. If you have a galley kitchen, an island tight to the fridge, or another kitchen layout that might cramp the space in front of your fridge, these models are a good option.
• Care a lot about how your fridge looks in your space. Because these fridges line up with counters rather than jutting out past them, they look more trim and can give kitchens an airier feel than standard-depth fridges.
• Don’t need all the storage of a full-depth fridge. If you have a small household or you shop frequently instead of making big, weekly buys, you may not need all the storage space a standard-depth fridge provides. In that case, counter-depth is a great option.

Other fridge styles

Less commonly, you’ll find a few other styles. The bottom-freezer design is not currently in fashion, apart from super-narrow units built for small, upscale condos. As with top-freezer models, the wide-swinging doors might have trouble opening fully near a kitchen island or in other tight spaces. Built-in fridges are a staple in the higher-end market, where they’re popular because their paneling and size are customizable and can be worked into any kitchen design. Column fridges are built-ins that have completely separate fridge and freezer units. Integrated fridges are similar to built-ins, but can be even further concealed with no visible hinges and custom overlay panels.

Before you commit to a door style, make sure the doors will be able freely swing open without hitting other appliances, blocking entryways and walkways, or hitting a wall. Fridge doors need to be able to open wider than 90 degrees, in order to remove shelves and bins for cleaning.

If you need to place a fridge directly in a corner, French-door and side-by-side options likely won’t work (because one door won’t ever open fully). In this case, an old-fashioned fridge with full-width doors may be a better option, because you can switch the hinge from the left side to the right, which gives the flexibility to work around such interference.

If you have a kitchen island or a narrow galley-style kitchen, you may not have enough room for a full-width door (like those found on top- or bottom-freezer models) to open completely.

Fridges with French doors or side-by-side doors are a good option in a tight space because the narrower doors don’t need as much room to swing open. For really cramped spaces, consider a counter-depth fridge: This style is shallower than standard fridges by 6 to 8 inches, giving the doors that much more room to swing open. (Many people also just prefer the look of a fridge that lines up with the counter’s edge, rather than protruding beyond it.)

Here are some other features we think are worth considering before commiting to a specific model.

• The finish. Stainless steel is the most popular. It’s durable and fits into most decor, and fingerprint-resistant finishes are now available on some models. Be aware that some stainless steel won’t hold magnets, so if your fridge is your bulletin board, bring a magnet to the store with you to check. Black stainless steel is regular stainless with a dark polymer coating, and is arguably easier to keep clean than traditional stainless. Regular glossy black and white are not always available on higher-end models. Bright solid colors tend to be reserved for retro-style fridges these days.

• Matching your other appliances. Colors and surface textures can vary between manufacturers, even for something seemingly universal like stainless steel. So if you want your appliances to match perfectly, you may have to stick with the same brand.

• Handle style. The handles are one of the only parts of the fridge you’ll see when it’s closed, so it’s a big aesthetic choice for some people. There are two basic kinds: A European-style, which is curvaceous, smooth, and more “ergonomic” looking; and pro handles, which are straight, often textured, and more “industrial” looking. You often pay a premium for this style on otherwise comparable fridges. Some manufacturers offer both styles, others offer only one. Handleless fridges, designed with grooves on the side of the door, are less common, and we think a little less functional, because a handle is easier to grab from any direction.

• Functional drawers and shelves. Drawers with rollers open and close more smoothly than those with plastic-on-plastic glides. Spill-proof shelves keep accidents contained. A folding or hide-away shelf is handy because it lets you fit a tall bottle or cake tray without adjusting the height of the shelves. Gallon door storage can free up a bunch of shelf space by letting you keep your juice or milk in the door. Many French-door fridges come with a full-width drawer below the crisper drawers; it’s designed for platters and sheet pans but is also a great place to keep snacks in a spot that kids can reach. These features are common but not universal on fridges above the budget category.

• Ice makers and ice and water dispensers. These are extremely convenient, and it’s getting hard to find a non-budget fridge without at least the first of these. The downside is that they are, according to our experts, the parts that most frequently break or malfunction. Our top pick has a strong track record of reliability in this area.

• Multi-zone climate control. Lots of refrigerators now have this, but we wouldn’t pay extra for it. No manufacturer was willing to give us even a ballpark estimate of how much better these fridges are at maintaining food freshness. And as Chris Zeisler at Repair Clinic pointed out, “You’re adding another refrigeration system, with some serious expense if something goes wrong.”

• Noise level. We nixed certain fridge models specifically because we read repeated complaints in user reviews about very loud noise. It’s something that drives people crazy. User reviews and Consumer Reports (subscription required) are your best sources for determining the level of noise on specific models. We’ve recommended only models with Very Good or better noise scores at CR and that weren’t regularly criticized by users.

The most basic “smart” fridges are Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth-enabled, and the flashiest ones have mounted touchscreen tablets, cameras inside, and apps that allow you to do things like create grocery lists and control internal temperatures.

They sound tempting, but don’t get one, according to Kyle Wiens, who runs the wiki-based DIY repair site iFixit. The circuit boards on these fridges are known to break frequently, and they also have security concerns. Smart fridges, like any other smart technology, are hackable, and appliance companies don’t update their security patches often. Anything that’s Wi-fi–connected is “guaranteed” to have security issues, said Wiens. In 2015, for example, Samsung’s smart fridges were hacked, exposing users’ Gmail login credentials. Besides the security risk, having a tablet mounted on your fridge “reduces the lifespan of your fridge to the lifespan of a tablet,” Wiens added.