A refrigerator has been an essential part of modern life for many decades. The basic working components haven't changed much, but the style and features have. When it comes time to buy a new fridge, many start by considering type and layout, features like ice makers and water dispensers, and whether or not it will fit in their space. It's much harder to judge fridges in the store based on their performance, but don't worry, we've done this work for you! Here we recommend the best refrigerators we've tested based on how uniformly they maintain temperatures, how well they preserve produce, and how effectively their internal capacity utilizes their footprint.
No matter how good the refrigerators we list below are, you might be limited by the space available in your kitchen. We've gone in-depth about the size classes available in Refrigerator Sizes: How To Find The Perfect Fit. Or maybe ice making is more important to you than fridge size or capacity; read Refrigerator Ice Makers Explained: Pros, Cons, Types, and More to find the ideal ice maker for your needs. If you're trying to get oriented with a new design, we go through everything you need in our Refrigerator Types Explained guide. And finally, be sure to check out our picks for best refrigerator brands, the best French door fridges, and the best counter-depth refrigerators for other options.
Quick Look
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Best Refrigerator
Everyday Use8.4Temperature Uniformity8.6Produce Preservation8.6Standard Width36" (91 cm)StyleFrench DoorCounter-DepthNoIce MakerRefrigerator DoorSee all our test resultsWater DispenserIn-DoorThe best refrigerator we've tested is the Bosch 500 Series B36FD52SNS. This 36" wide standard depth French door refrigerator offers incredible produce preservation performance, great capacity, and excellent temperature uniformity. There are plenty of height-adjustable storage options in the fridge, with split shelves for storing tall objects like wine bottles, large produce bins, a full-width deli drawer providing lots of space for meats and cheeses, and two very deep door bins for storing large juice containers. The freezer is a little more utilitarian yet still large and practical, consisting of two pull-out drawers with dividers. Temperatures are very uniform, especially in the freezer, though the fridge door bins are a little warmer than the shelves. The in-door ice and water dispenser delivers a decent amount of ice for a small family, but not enough for large gatherings.
The Bosch 800 Series B36CT80SNS is Bosch's flagship fridge and costs more because it's not only equipped with dual evaporators but also dual compressors like commercial refrigerators, which is very rare in consumer refrigerators. Because of this, the Bosch 800 has excellent temperature uniformity and better produce preservation performance than the Bosch 500, and it should preserve produce outside of the crisper drawer better than the Bosch 500 because it maintains high humidity in the fridge compartment. But this counter-depth fridge just can't offer the same capacity as the Bosch 500 can.
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Best Mid-Range Refrigerator
Everyday Use8.0Temperature Uniformity8.5Produce Preservation8.0Standard Width36" (91 cm)StyleFrench DoorCounter-DepthNoIce MakerFreezer CompartmentSee all our test resultsWater DispenserInternalThe best mid-range fridge we've tested is the Samsung Bespoke RF30BB6200QL. This fridge's dual evaporators lead to excellent temperature uniformity, particularly in the freezer. Since the dedicated evaporator for the fridge keeps humidity high, the produce preservation performance is very good. There's a water dispenser that refills a dedicated Autofill pitcher inside the refrigerator; this leaves a lot of space in the fridge, but you can't refill a glass directly from the dispenser. It offers good refrigerator temperature uniformity and superb temperature uniformity in the freezer. It produces two types of ice in the freezer and stores them in its very large ice tray, though this takes away capacity from the relatively small freezer.
Another Samsung fridge offering comparable performance to the high-end Bespoke refrigerator is the Samsung RF32CG5400SR. It offers greater capacity in both the fridge and freezer, and it even makes three kinds of ice using three ice makers with an astoundingly large ice capacity. However, its produce preservation performance is much worse than that of the Bespoke model since it has a single evaporator, which creates very low humidity in the fridge, leading to produce drying out much more quickly.
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Best Budget Refrigerator
Everyday Use7.7Temperature Uniformity7.7Produce Preservation7.7Standard Width33" (84 cm)StyleTop FreezerCounter-DepthNoIce MakerFreezer CompartmentSee all our test resultsWater DispenserNo Water DispenserThe best budget refrigerator we've tested is the GE GTS22KGNRWW. You'll generally find top freezer designs in the budget space, with few features. This GE fridge is no exception, but it performs remarkably well. It excels at produce preservation; its well-sealing crisper drawers will keep produce wilt-free for a long time. It offers good capacity for a 33" wide fridge, though its lack of split shelving may make it difficult to fit taller items in the refrigerator compartment. There's a lot of capacity in the freezer, even with its high-capacity ice tray in place, and the tray is fed by an ejector-style ice maker that introduces fewer failure points than a twist-tray design. The ice maker has a good production rate. Temperature uniformity in the fridge and freezer is good, especially considering this fridge uses an older fixed-speed compressor design.
If you don't have the space for this 33" GE fridge, consider the 30" Frigidaire FFTR1835VW. This fridge offers better temperature uniformity in the fridge and freezer, and has a larger ice tray. However, you give up some capacity with this narrower fridge, and produce preservation performance isn't quite as good because the crisper drawers don't seal as well.
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Best Counter-Depth Refrigerator
Everyday Use7.8Temperature Uniformity8.1Produce Preservation8.0Standard Width36" (91 cm)StyleSide By SideCounter-DepthYesIce MakerFreezer DoorSee all our test resultsWater DispenserIn-DoorIf your kitchen design relies on a fridge sitting flush with the edges of your counters and you're willing to make a few trade-offs, consider the KitchenAid KRSC703HPS. This 36" wide refrigerator uses a side-by-side design, which means some compromises in capacity, even in standard-depth fridges, since the compartments are narrow. The capacity in the fridge isn't low, though, and it's actually very good in the freezer. The produce preservation performance is great, with dual evaporators keeping humidity high in the fridge and its crisper drawers sealing in moisture quite well. Its ice maker has a high production rate, and its ice bucket is large enough for medium to large families. Both refrigerator and freezer temperature uniformity are impressive; the dual evaporators control temperature very well in this fridge.
Counter-depth fridges are constrained in capacity. The LG LRFLC2706S breaks the mold with its 'Counter-Depth MAX' design, which maximizes space by eliminating the in-door water and ice dispenser, replacing it with an unobtrusive water dispenser inside the fridge compartment, and adding a tall, full-width deli drawer to increase capacity. It has even better temperature uniformity than the KitchenAid despite having only a single evaporator. However, its ice maker is a little slower, and this fridge is much worse than the KitchenAid at produce preservation.
Notable Mentions
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Bosch 100 Series B36FD10ENS:
The Bosch 100 Series B36FD10ENS has an identical internal layout to our top pick, the Bosch 500 Series B36FD52SNS, so it has the same high capacity, yet it costs quite a bit less. Unfortunately, the produce drawer doesn't seal nearly as well, leading to much worse produce preservation performance, and the 100 Series delivers worse temperature uniformity in the fridge.
See our review -
GE Profile PGE29BYTFS:
The GE Profile PGE29BYTFS has a faster, higher-capacity ice maker than our top recommendation, the Bosch 500 Series B36FD52SNS. Its separate pull-out drawer maintains food items at a different temperature from the fridge, increasing flexibility, though this makes the freezer shorter and reduces its capacity. It also doesn't offer the same outstanding produce preservation performance as the Bosch.
See our review -
LG LTCS20020S:
The 30" budget LG LTCS20020S offers better produce preservation performance than our alternate 30" recommendation, the Frigidaire FFTR1835VW, and has a faster ice maker. However, its capacity is just a bit lower in both the fridge and the freezer, and its temperature uniformity is much worse.
See our review
All Reviews
We offer our recommendations for the best refrigerators based on our testing. Your requirements may differ due to the space available for your fridge, your budget, and your needs, so please look at all our refrigerator reviews below. These appliances are available with a wide range of features, prices, sizes, and designs, so you can find the best fridge to meet your needs.