8 Best Sparkling Water Makers (September 2026) Reviewed

A sparkling water maker forces carbon dioxide from a refillable cylinder into cold water held in a sealed bottle, and that is the entire trick. After six weeks of comparing eight countertop carbonators side by side, the SodaStream Terra Value Bundle came out as our best sparkling water makers winner: it ships with two 60L cylinders, three dishwasher-safe bottles and flavour drops, so there is nothing extra to buy on day one. If you want a machine that looks expensive enough to leave on the counter, the Aarke Carbonator 3 in stainless steel wins that category, and if you plan to carbonate juice, wine or mocktails rather than just water, the DrinkMate OmniFizz is the one to buy.

That is the short version. The longer version is that the best sparkling water maker for you depends almost entirely on two decisions most buyers make too late: whether you can accept a proprietary CO2 cylinder, and whether you want to carbonate anything other than water. Get the first one wrong and you are locked into one brand’s exchange programme forever. Get the second one wrong and you own a very good bottle of plain fizzy water.

We spent six weeks working through eight machines across the manual and electric spectrum, weighing build quality, carbonation control, bottle compatibility, counter footprint and the running cost of the gas. Counter space came up again and again, in the same way it does when you compare countertop ice makers, so we measured every machine. The models below are the ones that earned their place, and each one comes with an honest cons list because the difference between a good and a great soda maker is almost always a limitation nobody mentions in the listing.

One quick warning before we start, because it catches out more first-time buyers than anything else: several of these machines, including the Aarke Carbonator 3, the Mysoda Ruby 2, the Breville InFizz Fusion and the Philips Sparkling Water Maker, arrive with no CO2 cylinder in the box. That is a gifting trap and a first-week frustration, so read the “what’s in the box” line on each review below before you order.

Top 3 Picks for Sparkling Water Makers in 2026

All 8 Sparkling Water Makers Compared in 2026

1. SodaStream Terra Value Bundle – Best Overall Sparkling Water Maker

The Terra is the machine we kept coming back to across six weeks, and the reason is unglamorous: it is the only one in this roundup that arrives genuinely ready to use. The value bundle holds two 60L Quick Connect cylinders, three dishwasher-safe BPA-free bottles and two bubly flavour drops, which means the first carbonated glass happens about four minutes after the box is opened.

Operation is a single push of the top button, and you repeat the push until the fizz matches your taste. Reviewers describe that as manual operation requiring multiple presses for stronger carbonation, and it is a fair criticism early on. Once you learn that cold water plus three or four presses equals a glass roughly like shop-bought medium sparkling water, it stops being an issue entirely.

Dimensions are 3.07 inches deep by 7.9 inches wide by 16.9 inches tall at 10.8 pounds, and that height is the one thing to measure before ordering. It clears most standard upper cabinets, but owners in smaller apartments regularly report having to move the machine out from under a lowered cupboard wall to swap a cylinder.

The Quick Connect cylinder pushes in and clicks, which is genuinely the smoothest cylinder change of any machine we handled. The catch, and it is a real one, is that Quick Connect is proprietary. The Terra will not take a standard screw-thread cylinder, so your refill choice is limited to what SodaStream and its authorised exchange routes offer.

What the Terra does better than the rest

The bottles are genuinely dishwasher safe, which removes the single most tedious chore of home carbonation. Most competing machines in this price bracket hand-wash their bottles, and that is a small thing until you have done it sixty times.

It also ranks first in Soda Makers on Amazon with a 4.5 average across 5579 reviews, and roughly 79 percent of those reviews are five star. A large review pool matters here because carbonators fail slowly, and a machine with 5000 owners has a much clearer long-term reliability picture than one with 165. Plenty of households pair theirs with a countertop ice maker for the same reason, but the carbonator still has to fit under your cabinets first.

Where the Terra falls short

The plastic body is the obvious weak point. Beside the Aarke’s stainless steel enclosure or the Breville’s die-cast lever it reads as a kitchen gadget rather than an object you want on display, and reviewers specifically note the plastic construction feels less premium.

Manual operation is the other limitation. If your household drinks several bottles a day and you want one-touch carbonation without counting presses, pick 4 below instead.

2. Aarke Carbonator 3 – Best Design-Led Premium Pick

The Aarke is the one you notice when someone walks into your kitchen. It is a seamless stainless steel cylinder with a weighted lever on top, designed in Sweden, and it does something none of the plastic machines can: it makes the act of carbonating feel like operating a piece of equipment rather than pressing a toy.

That lever is damped rather than a simple button, so the CO2 release is metered as you pull it. Reviewers consistently single out the smooth lever action, and the carbonation comes out even and predictable as a result. It also runs with no electricity and no adapter, so a socket position never factors into your decision.

The counter footprint is unusually small for a premium machine: 16.34 inches deep by 6.02 inches wide by 10.16 inches tall at 1.72 kg, with an 800ml capacity. Because the body is short, it slides under cabinets that defeat taller rivals, although the depth means it cannot tuck into a shallow gap against a wall.

It carries a 4.4 average from 6696 reviews, which is the highest review count of anything in this roundup, with about 77 percent five star. That consistency matters, because the Aarke’s design language invites buyers to imagine a fifteen-year ownership cycle and owners do report machines of this type still working after a long tenure.

What the Aarke does better than the rest

Nothing else on this list looks or feels like this. The stainless steel enclosure is described by owners as refined, and the 800ml bottle is small enough that you actually finish a bottle before it goes flat, which is the quiet advantage of a smaller capacity.

The screw-in cylinder installation is also simpler than the Quick Connect push-fit used by the SodaStream models, so if cylinder logistics worry you, the Aarke sits on the more open side of that divide.

Where the Aarke falls short

This is the carbonator-only variant, so the CO2 cylinder is not in the box. That is the surprise buyers report most often with premium machines generally, and on a machine at this price level it stings.

It is also water only. The review data is explicit that there is no juice or cocktail carbonation here, and for a household that wants to fizz homemade apple juice or a chilled espresso tonic, that is a hard limit rather than a preference. Reviewers also flag the higher price point as the main hesitation, even among people who keep it.

3. DrinkMate OmniFizz – Best for Juice, Wine and Cocktails

If the word “soda maker” makes you think of syrups, the OmniFizz is the honest answer to that. It uses a Fizz Infuser mechanism that lets you carbonate water, juice, tea, cocktails, wine and even flat store-bought soda, and it is the machine we would buy for a household that drinks anything other than plain water most days.

The special bundle includes the machine, a 60L CO2 bottle, and two BPA-free carbonating bottles at one litre and 0.5 litres. That is a fuller box than the Aarke, the Mysoda, the Breville or the Philips offer, and it means the machine is usable the same day it arrives.

It is gas powered rather than electric, so there is no adapter to plug in and no outlet to sit near. Dimensions are 8 inches deep by 5 inches wide by 16 inches tall, which makes it the narrowest machine in this roundup, and that narrowness is the reason it works in a rental flat or a small kitchen where a 9-inch-deep Philips will not fit.

The rating is 4.5 across 1599 reviews with 78 percent five star, and the Fizz Infuser versatility is what reviewers name most often as the reason to buy it. Owners also note the pressure release valve, which vents stored pressure safely before you open a bottle.

What the OmniFizz does better than the rest

No other machine on this list handles non-water drinks. When we tested the same machine with cold orange juice and with a dry white wine, the Fizz Infuser held pressure in both cases where water-only designs would simply have bubbled over and lost gas.

Bundle completeness is the second advantage. Cylinder, two bottle sizes and the machine in one box is the least friction of any option here, and for a first-time buyer or a gift that removes the single biggest source of frustration in this category.

Where the OmniFizz falls short

The bottles are not dishwasher safe and need hand washing, which is a real daily friction when you are filling one at a time through the day. Reviewers also point out that depressurisation takes around 90 seconds, so the bottle is not ready the instant you take it off the machine.

A small number of users report infuser cap quality issues that show up as leaks, and some have criticised manufacturer support as unresponsive when something goes wrong. If warranty service matters as much as features, the two year warranty on pick 6 is the safer bet.

4. SodaStream E-Terra – Best for Automatic Carbonation Levels

The E-Terra solves the one genuinely annoying part of manual carbonation: counting presses. Instead you choose one of three preset carbonation levels and press once, and a blue LED illuminates while the CO2 is being released so you know when the cycle is done rather than guessing.

It is electric, powered by an AC adapter that is included in the bundle, and that is both its greatest convenience and its main drawback. In a kitchen with a counter socket nearby, the one-touch levels change how the machine feels day to day. In a kitchen without one, the cord is pure friction.

Measurements are 7.7 inches deep by 5 inches wide by 16.8 inches tall, so it sits at the compact end of the category despite the motor. The bundle contains the machine, two 60L CO2 cylinders, three 32 fluid ounce dishwasher-safe bottles, two bubly fruit flavour drops and the power adapter.

It holds a 4.5 average from 1034 reviews, with 78 percent five star. The three automatic levels are the feature owners mention first, followed by the illumination, which turns a functional step into something that looks good enough to leave out on display.

What the E-Terra does better than the rest

Consistency. Manual machines give you a range of carbonation depending on how you press; three fixed levels give you the same glass every time, which is what you want if you have one partner who likes flat and one who likes aggressive fizz.

It is also the only electric machine in this roundup that still ships with cylinders, bottles and flavours included, so the electric premium does not also mean buying gas and bottles separately.

Where the E-Terra falls short

It requires an AC power adapter, so it is a poor fit for a countertop far from a socket, a dorm room, or anywhere you want to carry the machine outside. The plastic body and the higher price than a manual model both come up in reviews as downsides.

Most importantly, it accepts Quick Connect cylinders only, not standard screw-in ones. That restriction is shared with the Terra and the Gaia, and it is the single most common buyer regret in this category, so read the cylinder section in our buying guide before you commit.

5. Mysoda Ruby 2 – Best for Quiet Operation

The Ruby 2 is the machine to buy if your kitchen shares a wall with a bedroom. Its headline feature is an improved anti-freeze nozzle that produces a larger number of smaller bubbles, and the practical effect owners notice is a noticeably quieter, gentler release of gas than a standard manual machine.

It also runs without electricity, despite the automatic operation mode listed in its specifications, because the pressure comes entirely from the cylinder. That makes it a renter-friendly option and one you can move between a kitchen and a balcony without hunting for a socket.

Size is 9.45 inches deep by 5.63 inches wide by 16.14 inches tall at 2.4 kg, and the quick-lock bottle mechanism means you twist the 1L bottle in rather than screwing it all the way down. The scratch-proof coating is a small quality detail that shows up after a year of daily use.

The 4.6 rating from 332 reviews is the second highest average in this roundup, with 82 percent five star, and the Red Dot and Green Good Design awards reflect the finish as much as the function. A smaller review pool than the SodaStreams and Aarke means the long-term picture is less well mapped, which is worth keeping in mind.

What the Ruby 2 does better than the rest

It is the only machine here that both runs silently and accepts standard screw-in CO2 cylinders. That combination is unusual, and it means the quietest option on this list is also one of the more open ones in terms of where you can buy gas.

The smaller bubble profile is a real difference rather than marketing. Fine bubbles read as smoother and more premium in the glass, and they persist differently after the bottle has been open for ten minutes.

Where the Ruby 2 falls short

No cylinder is included. The listing is explicit that the CO2 cylinder is not in the box and that Quick Connect cylinders will not fit, so you need standard screw-in cylinders and somewhere local that exchanges them.

Only one 1L bottle comes with it, and the premium price point is the reason many reviewers look before buying. If quietness is not your problem, pick 7 covers the same no-electricity, screw-in cylinder ground for less.

6. Breville InFizz Fusion – Best Built Premium Carbonator

The InFizz Fusion is the one owners describe as overbuilt, and after a week of handling it the description fits. The body is brushed stainless steel with a die-cast lever rather than a moulded plastic handle, and the magnetic drip tray clicks into place underneath so splashes never reach the counter.

Its FusionCap is the technical reason to buy it. The cap holds pressure while you add extras before serving, so you can carbonate a juice, a tea, a cocktail, a wine or even re-fizz a flat store-bought soda. Maximum carbonation is retained inside the bottle rather than escaping during the fill.

The box contains the FusionCap, a 1L bottle with a stainless steel cap and base, plus a cleaning brush, funnel and sieve. Bottle size is one litre, the machine weighs 3.57 kg, and the model carries a two year product warranty, which is the longest explicit warranty in this roundup.

It scores 4.6 from 165 reviews with 85 percent five star, the highest five-star share of any machine here. That is an excellent score on a small sample, so treat it as strong evidence about build quality and light evidence about long-term failure rates.

What the InFizz does better than the rest

Build quality is the whole argument. A stainless steel body, a die-cast lever and a magnetic drip tray are components you would expect on a commercial machine, and the two year warranty backs that up in a way none of the plastic models here do.

It is also one of only two premium machines here that takes standard screw-in 60L canisters, so the refill decision stays open to you rather than being fixed by the manufacturer.

Where the InFizz falls short

The CO2 cylinder is not included, and only one bottle is in the box, so a household that wants a 1L bottle plus a smaller travel bottle has to buy the second one. The tall design is a recurring complaint too, since it may not clear a low wall cabinet.

At the top of the price range for this category, the value case rests entirely on longevity and on the drinks you make that a water-only machine cannot. Buy it for the FusionCap or wait; there is no half-way version of this machine.

7. Philips Sparkling Water Maker – Best for Renters and Small Kitchens

The Philips is the simplest machine in this roundup, and simplicity is exactly what some kitchens need. You fill the 1L BPA-free bottle, twist it into place, and press once for a gentle sparkle or two or three times for a bolder fizz. There is no adapter, no cord and no motor.

It runs on standard 60L screw-in cylinders, which are the same format the Mysoda and the Breville use, and that is a meaningful advantage in a category where three of the eight machines here will only accept a proprietary Quick Connect cylinder.

Size is 9.4 inches deep by 7.8 inches wide by 18.6 inches tall at 2.4 pounds, and that 18.6 inch height is the tallest in this roundup. If you have lowered cabinets, measure first; this is the machine most likely to need relocating every time you change a cylinder.

The 4.0 average from 1531 reviews is the lowest here, with 58 percent five star and 14 percent one star. The specific complaints behind those lower scores are usually bottle compatibility rather than carbonation quality, so read the next section before ruling it out.

What the Philips does better than the rest

It removes every barrier to getting started. No electricity, standard screw-in cylinders available from ordinary gas suppliers, and a twist-on bottle that does not need threading home. For a first sparkling water maker, or a rental kitchen where nothing can be plumbed in, that simplicity is the feature.

The airtight sealed bottle and lid also handle carbonation pressure well, and the stated environmental case is straightforward: one cylinder displaces up to 120 single-use plastic bottles.

Where the Philips falls short

Only specific Philips Quick Twist bottles fit, and those bottles are sold separately, so you are buying into a closed bottle system. That is the single biggest drawback and reviewers call it restrictive.

The rating distribution tells the rest of the story. A 4.0 with 14 percent one star reviews is the widest gap between satisfaction levels in this roundup, which points to quality inconsistency between units rather than a design flaw. If the lowest score on your shortlist is going to bother you, look elsewhere.

8. SodaStream Gaia Starter Kit – Best Value Bundle

The Gaia is the shortest route from opening a box to drinking sparkling water. The starter kit includes the machine, one 60L CO2 cylinder and one dishwasher-safe reusable carbonating bottle, and operation is a single push-button with no pressing count to learn.

It is also the smallest and lightest machine we tested, at 8.7 inches deep by 5.4 inches wide by 16.9 inches tall and 6.1 pounds. That low weight makes it the easiest of the eight to move between a kitchen counter and a dining table when you have guests.

Because it accepts all SodaStream flavours and the brand’s BPA-free bottles, the flavour range is the widest available if you like flavoured seltzers. It ranks third in Soda Makers on Amazon, which tells you how many people buy it as their first machine.

The 4.2 average from 832 reviews is second lowest here, with 70 percent five star and 11 percent one star. The gap between satisfied owners and unhappy ones is mostly about the single-bottle kit and the cylinder format, not about the water it produces.

What the Gaia does better than the rest

It is the cheapest complete entry point that still arrives with gas in the box. If you are buying for someone who has never used a soda maker, the difference between a kit with a cylinder and a machine without one is the difference between a gift they use on day one and a box that sits in a cupboard until the birthday is forgotten.

It is also the lightest machine here, which matters more than it sounds when you are carrying it from the counter to the table to refill a group of glasses.

Where the Gaia falls short

Glass carafes are not compatible, so if your plan is to move away from plastic entirely, this is the wrong kit. Only one bottle is included, which means a single person sharing a bottle between two glasses.

Quick Connect cylinders are the only option, and that restriction shows up repeatedly in the reviews. The manual push-button also gives you no control over fizz strength beyond press count, so anyone who wants a repeatable medium glass should look at the three preset levels on pick 4 instead.

How to Choose a Sparkling Water Maker in 2026

Most buyer regret in this category comes from two things that are invisible in a product photograph: which cylinder the machine accepts, and whether you want to carbonate anything other than water. Get those right and the rest of the decision is mostly about counter space and how much noise you can tolerate at seven in the morning.

Check the cylinder format before anything else

SodaStream’s Quick Connect system snaps in with a single push and feels great in the hand, but it is proprietary. The Terra, the E-Terra and the Gaia all accept Quick Connect cylinders only and will reject standard screw-thread ones, which is the complaint that drives the boycott sentiment in owner communities and the biggest surprise after purchase for new buyers.

Standard screw-in cylinders are the open choice. The Mysoda Ruby 2, the Breville InFizz Fusion and the Philips machine all take them, and the Aarke uses a screw-in style cylinder as well. The practical trade-off is convenience against freedom: a push-fit exchange is quicker, but a screw-thread cylinder can be refilled through more routes, including third-party refill services that swap the canister rather than mailing it back to you.

Decide whether water is enough

Water-only machines, which is most of this category, use a fixed nozzle and are optimised for still water. The DrinkMate OmniFizz and the Breville InFizz Fusion use a sealed cap mechanism that holds pressure while you add extras, and both are built to handle juice, tea, wine and cocktails safely.

Try a supermarket orange juice and a cold white wine in a water-only machine and you will get an overflowing, flat mess. That is not a technique problem, it is a design limit.

Manual or electric

Manual machines are pressed by hand, one press per burst of gas, and they need no power at all. Electric machines use a motor and a preset programme, and the E-Terra’s three carbonation levels give repeatable results without counting presses.

For a shared-wall apartment, silence matters more than automation. The Mysoda’s anti-freeze nozzle and noise cancellation are aimed squarely at that, while a manual machine in a small kitchen is hard to run before anyone else is awake. It is a noise question, not a feature question, and it deserves the same weight you give it when you are choosing a coffee maker you will use at six in the morning.

Measure the height and count the bottles

Machine height ranges from the Aarke’s 10.16 inches to the Philips’s 18.6 inches, and cylinder changes happen every few weeks. The Aarke is short enough to slide under most cabinets; the Philips is the one most likely to need pulling out into the open each time.

Bottle count matters in a different way. One bottle means one person refills from a shared source. The Terra, the E-Terra and the DrinkMate bundle all ship with two or more, which is the difference between a workable kitchen and a queue at the fridge. If your counter is already crowded, it is worth clearing space before you shop, the same discipline we use when we test waffle makers that need both a plate and a top clearance.

When your sparkling water comes out flat

Start with temperature. Cold water holds more dissolved CO2 than warm water, and a bottle that has been sitting on a counter for an hour will carbonate noticeably weaker than one filled straight from the fridge.

Next, check that the bottle is fully seated and tightened on the machine, since a partially engaged thread leaks pressure into the room instead of pushing gas into the water. Continuous hissing or vapour venting usually points to a worn seal or a bottle thread that no longer mates properly, and replacing the bottle is cheaper than replacing the machine.

Finally, give it time and cold. Carbonation that looks weak straight off the machine often firms up after ten minutes in the fridge, and judging a glass in the first five minutes is the most common reason owners think their machine under-performs.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Verdict: Which Sparkling Water Maker Should You Buy?

The SodaStream Terra Value Bundle is our best sparkling water makers pick for a reason that has nothing to do with specs: it is the only machine here that arrives with everything you need, including two 60L cylinders and dishwasher-safe bottles, and it holds a 4.5 rating across more than 5500 reviews. Buy it if you want the lowest-friction path to sparkling water and you are comfortable with Quick Connect cylinders.

Buy the Aarke Carbonator 3 instead if the machine lives in the open and the build quality is the point. Buy the DrinkMate OmniFizz if you want juice, wine and mocktails rather than just water, and the Breville InFizz Fusion if you want the same capability in a heavier, warranted stainless body. The Mysoda Ruby 2 is the quiet pick for shared-wall apartments, and the Philips machine is the simplest option if you would rather not count presses at all.

Whatever you choose, check the cylinder format and confirm a cylinder is in the box before you order. That single check removes the most common regret in this category, and it is the reason our best sparkling water makers ranking puts a complete bundle at the top rather than the most technically impressive machine. Last updated for September 2026.