I'll be honest — I resisted air fryers for years. I thought they were just small ovens with better marketing, the kind of thing you'd buy after watching too many TikTok videos and then quietly shove to the back of the cupboard. Then my wife bought one, and I ate my words. Along with some properly excellent chips, a surprisingly crispy roast chicken, and reheated pizza that tasted better than it did the night before.
If you're reading this, you're probably in the same place I was: curious but sceptical, and not keen on spending £200+ to find out. Good news — you don't have to. The under-£100 bracket is where the real value sits. You get proper brand-name build quality, useful features, and enough capacity to feed a family without paying for bells and whistles you'll never touch.
These five are the ones I'd actually recommend to a mate. No filler picks, no padding the list — just five machines that do the job well at a fair price, with every price and stock status re-checked on 5 September 2026.
Two picks have changed since the last version of this guide. The Ninja AF160UK has gone from Amazon's own shelves and now only appears through marketplace sellers at £129 and up, so it is replaced below by the cheaper Air Fryer PRO. The Cosori Pro LE listing was reassigned to an entirely different product, so that is replaced too.
How do they compare side by side?
| Model | Capacity | Max Temp | Zones | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower Vortx 4L | 4.0L | 200°C | Single | 4.5/5 | £45.63 |
| Tefal Easy Fry FW402 | 4.5L | 200°C | Single | 4.4/5 | £69.97 |
| Salter Dual EK4750 | 7.4L (2x3.7L) | 200°C | Dual | 4.4/5 | £74.99 |
| Ninja Air Fryer PRO | 4.7L | 210°C | Single | 4.8/5 | £79 |
| Cosori 4.7L 9-in-1 | 4.7L | 230°C | Single | 4.7/5 | £79.99 |
All five are dishwasher safe. Prices and stock verified 5 September 2026.
What should you look for in a budget air fryer?
Before you get lost comparing models, here's what actually matters:
- Capacity: 3-4 litres is fine for one or two people. If you're cooking for a family, you want at least 5 litres. Dual-drawer models let you cook two things at different temperatures — handy but they take up more counter space.
- Temperature range: Most budget air fryers max out at 200°C, which handles 90% of what you'll cook. Some go up to 240°C for that extra crispiness on chips and chicken skin. Worth having if you care about texture.
- Controls: Digital touchscreens with presets are convenient. Analogue dials are simpler and have less that can go wrong. Neither is objectively better — pick what suits you.
- Basket shape: Square or rectangular baskets fit more food than round ones of the same stated capacity. This is one of those things manufacturers don't shout about, but it makes a noticeable difference.
- Dishwasher safety: If the basket and crisper plate can go in the dishwasher, you'll actually use the thing regularly. Hand-washing a greasy basket gets old fast.
- Noise: They all make some noise — it's a fan in a box. But there's a range. If your kitchen opens onto your living room, this is worth checking in reviews.
The 5 best air fryers under £100 for 2026
1. Ninja Air Fryer PRO 4.7L (AF140UK) — best all-rounder (£79)
The AF160UK that used to top this guide is no longer sold by Amazon directly — it survives only through marketplace sellers at £129 and above, which is over this guide's budget and not worth paying. The Air Fryer PRO is the one to buy instead, and at £79 reduced from £99.99 it is both cheaper and better rated: 4.8 out of 5, the highest score in this guide.
You lose a little capacity, dropping from 5.2 litres to 4.7, and two cooking functions. What is left is the four that matter: Air Fry, Roast, Reheat and Dehydrate, with a temperature range up to 210°C. The 4.7-litre drawer still takes a whole 1kg chicken or 500g of chips, which covers most weeknight cooking for one or two people.
AirCrisp is Ninja's rapid hot-air system and it is the reason the brand keeps winning these comparisons: chips come out properly crisp rather than merely dried out. The non-stick drawer and crisper plate are dishwasher safe, and the whole thing is 2000W with a two-year guarantee once you register it.
The trade-off is size. Ninja rates it for up to two people. If you are cooking for a family of four regularly, the dual-zone Salter further down this list gives you far more room for the same sort of money.
Pros: Best crisping under £100, highest customer rating here at 4.8/5, reduced to £79, dishwasher safe, two-year guarantee
Cons: Only rated for two people, four functions rather than six, 210°C rather than 240°C
Best for: One or two people who want the best results and the Ninja build quality
Where to buy: Amazon (£79)*
2. Cosori 4.7L 9-in-1 — best value for families (£79.99)
A word of warning if you bought from the old version of this guide: the listing we linked for the Cosori Pro LE L501 has since been reassigned to a completely different Tower air fryer. This is the current Cosori to buy, at £79.99 down from £99.99, rated 4.7 out of 5.
The Cosori is the sensible choice rather than the exciting one. It doesn't have a standout feature — it just does everything well, quietly, and with the best recipe support of anything here. The 4.7-litre basket is rated for one to four people and takes 12 chicken wings, a 2.25kg chicken or 1.8kg of chips.
Where it beats the Ninja on paper is temperature: 230°C against the Ninja's 210°C, which helps with frozen food that needs a hard, fast blast. Nine one-touch function keys cover chicken, chips, frozen food, steak, seafood, veg, reheat and shake, or you can set time and temperature manually.
The tempered glass top and digital panel look better than the price suggests, the basket is dishwasher safe, and you get a 30-recipe cookbook plus over 100 more in the VeSync app. That app support is genuinely the differentiator if you are new to air frying and don't know where to start.
Pros: 230°C top temperature, rated for up to four people, excellent recipe and app support, reduced to £79.99
Cons: No single standout feature, app requires an account, basket rather than dual zone
Best for: Families and anyone new to air frying who wants recipes to follow
Where to buy: Amazon (£79.99)*
3. Tefal Easy Fry & Pizza FW402 — best compact option (£69.97)
Tefal have been making non-stick kitchen gear since before most of us were born, and the Easy Fry shows that experience. The 4.5-litre capacity sits in the sweet spot for one to three people, and the wide, flat drawer shape means it'll fit an 11-inch pizza — something most air fryers at this size can't manage without awkward folding.
Nine preset programmes, a digital touchscreen, and a detachable pizza cutter (yes, really — it comes with one). The non-stick coating is Tefal's own, which in my experience outlasts the generic coatings on cheaper brands. It's a compact unit too, so if counter space is tight, this is the one to look at.
It won't cook for a big family and the max temperature is 200°C, so don't expect maximum crispiness. But for a couple or someone living alone who wants something reliable and compact, it's a cracking little machine.
Pros:
- Wide drawer fits 11-inch pizzas
- Tefal's durable non-stick coating
- Compact footprint for small kitchens
- Good value at around £70
Cons:
- 4.5L suits 1-3 people only
- 200°C max temperature
Best for: Couples or solo cooks with limited counter space who love reheated pizza.
Where to buy: Currys (£69.97)*
4. Tower Vortx 4L Digital — best under £50 (£45.63)
If you just want to try air frying without committing much money, the Tower Vortx is the one. At around fifty quid, it's cheap enough that you won't feel cheated if air frying isn't for you, and capable enough that you might never feel the need to upgrade.
Four litres is enough for one or two people's meals. The digital display and touch controls feel surprisingly decent for the price — I was expecting flimsy, and got functional instead. Temperature goes up to 200°C, the basket is non-stick and dishwasher safe, and it heats up in about three minutes.
It's basic. There's no dehydrate function, no shake reminder, and the build quality isn't going to win any awards. But at this price, those are compromises worth making. Tower have sold millions of these for a reason — they just work.
Pros:
- Exceptional value at around £50
- Digital controls that work well for the price
- Dishwasher-safe basket
- Compact and lightweight
Cons:
- 4L is too small for families
- No advanced features (dehydrate, max crisp)
- Build quality is adequate, not premium
Best for: First-time buyers, students, or anyone who wants to spend as little as possible.
Where to buy: Amazon (£45.63)*
5. Salter Dual Air Fryer EK4750 — best dual zone under £100 (£74.99)
Dual-zone air fryers under £100 are rare, and most of them are rubbish. The Salter EK4750 is the exception. Two independent 3.7-litre drawers give you 7.4 litres of total capacity, with separate temperature and timer controls for each side. Cook your chips in one drawer and chicken in the other, both finishing at the same time. It's the closest thing to a cooking superpower I've found at this price.
The sync function is the key feature — set different cook times and it'll stagger the start so everything finishes together. No more chips going cold while you wait for the main course. At around £80, that's a proper bargain considering Ninja's equivalent dual-zone models start at £150+.
The trade-off is build quality. Salter sits a tier below Ninja and Tefal in terms of how premium things feel, and the non-stick coating on the drawers may not last as many years. But for the price, it's a lot of air fryer for your money.
Pros:
- Two independent cooking zones with sync finish
- 7.6L total capacity — enough for a full family meal
- Hugely undercuts Ninja's dual-zone models on price
- Digital controls with presets for both drawers
Cons:
- Build quality isn't as premium as Ninja or Tefal
- Non-stick coating may wear faster with heavy use
- Takes up significant counter space
Best for: Families who want dual-zone cooking without spending £150+.
Where to buy: Amazon (£74.99)*, Currys*
When is the best time to buy an air fryer in the UK?
Air fryers go on sale predictably throughout the year. If you can wait, these are the windows to watch:
- Amazon Prime Day (July): Ninja and Cosori typically see 20-30% reductions. The AF160UK has dropped to £79 during past Prime Days.
- Black Friday / Cyber Monday (November): The biggest discounts of the year. Budget models that normally sit at £50-80 can drop to £30-50. Premium models like the Ninja regularly hit their all-time lowest prices.
- January sales: Retailers clear Christmas stock. Not as dramatic as Black Friday, but you'll find solid 15-20% discounts across the board.
- Bank holiday weekends: Currys and Argos run flash sales around May and August bank holidays. Worth checking if you're not in a rush.
That said, if you need an air fryer now, just buy one. The price differences between sales are usually £10-20, and you'll save that much in reduced oven energy bills within a month of regular use.
Frequently asked questions
Are air fryers actually healthier than deep frying?
Yes, and it's not even close. Deep frying submerges food in oil, typically adding 100-200 calories per serving. Air fryers use a tablespoon at most — sometimes none at all. The results aren't identical (deep-fried chips will always have that specific texture), but they're close enough that most people end up preferring the air fryer version once they've adjusted. Your clothes won't smell of oil either, which is a bonus nobody talks about enough.
What can you actually cook in an air fryer?
More than you'd think. Chips, chicken wings, and frozen food are the obvious ones, but I regularly use mine for roasting vegetables, reheating leftover pizza (a revelation — the base goes crispy again), baking small cakes, and cooking salmon fillets. Some people do entire roast dinners in stages. The main limitation is size — you're cooking in batches if you're feeding more than four people with a single-drawer model.
Do air fryers use less energy than an oven?
Significantly less. A typical air fryer uses 1,000-1,500 watts compared to 2,000-2,500 watts for a conventional oven. More importantly, an air fryer reaches cooking temperature in 3-5 minutes versus 10-15 for an oven, and the smaller cooking space means less wasted heat. Energy Saving Trust estimates suggest you could save £30-50 a year by switching from oven to air fryer for suitable meals.
How long do budget air fryers last?
With reasonable care, three to five years from a branded model like Ninja, Cosori, or Tefal. The non-stick coating is usually the first thing to go — avoid metal utensils and abrasive sponges and it'll last longer. Unbranded models from marketplace sellers can be more variable, which is one reason I've stuck to established brands in this guide.
Our verdict
For most people, the Ninja Air Fryer PRO at £79 is the one to buy. It's the crispiest air fryer under £100, the build quality is a step above everything else at this price, and at 4.8 out of 5 it is the best-rated machine here. It replaces the AF160UK we used to recommend, which has left Amazon's shelves and now only turns up through marketplace sellers at £129 and above.
If you're cooking for more than two, the Cosori 4.7L at £79.99 is rated for up to four people and runs 20°C hotter, which helps with frozen food. And if you want dual-zone cooking without breaking the bank, the Salter Dual EK4750 at £74.99 is still the only realistic option under £100.
On the tightest budget, the Tower Vortx 4L has dropped to £45.63 from £79.99, which makes it the bargain of this guide.
Whichever you pick, your oven is about to get a lot less use. Mine certainly has.