Should you buy a Ninja or a Tefal air fryer? We've tested air fryers from both brands and this is our verdict

In the battle of Ninja vs Tefal air fryers, there's a lot to like, with both brands producing high-quality appliances that will go the distance in your kitchen.

While neither of these brands enjoys the accolade of being the first brand to sell an air fryer (that belongs to Philips), both have made significant steps in the design and performance of these appliances.

So, as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, I felt it was my duty to put them head to head to establish which has the best air fryer offering. Here are the main points of comparison you should know about before you invest, all gauged from our extensive testing of both Ninja and Tefal air frying products.

Which brand has the best product range?

Tefal has a more varied range of air fryers than you might think, ranging from small single-drawer models to dedicated pizza-sized products.

The brand also sells an air fryer with a steam function, which our reviewer tried out in our Tefal EasyFry 3-in-1 air fryer review as well as a countertop oven-style product as showcased in our Tefal Easy Fry Multifunction Oven review.

Tefal's products, similarly to Ninja, pack a lot of functions into one appliance which saves you countertop space and money long-term, as you won't feel the need to splash on another buy down the line.

By far the most popular Tefal air fryer we've tried is the Tefal Easy Fry Dual Air Fryer & Grill, the star of Jamie Oliver's Air Fryer Meals TV show. Our expert reviewer and home economist Helen McCue was very impressed with it in our review, saying that it was far more useful than she anticipated.

Its quirk is that it has one 2/3 sized drawer and one 1/3 sized drawer. Helen wasn't expecting to enjoy its design, but found that it was actually pretty useful for mealtime cooking. She also made space for an entire chicken in the larger drawer, which something that Jamie Oliver showcased on TV too.

Let's now take a look at Ninja's product range, which is endlessly being updated with innovative new air fryer designs. The original sell-out model from them is the Dual Zone air fryer, which has two drawers and cooks everything fantastically fast. Though we love the Dual Zone, the air fryer that took over from it in our list of air fryers is the Ninja FlexDrawer, which is the most versatile product on the market in my opinion.

You can read about Helen's adventures in testing this air fryer in our Ninja FlexDrawer review, but the bottom line is that the ability to switch between one large cooking zone and two smaller ones makes this product unbeatable.

As far as functionality goes, Ninja takes the biscuit there too. Whether it's oven style models (like the Ninja MultiFunction Oven) or products with the ability to slow cook and saute (I'm looking at you, Ninja Combi), there's no doubt this is the brand doing the most.

WINNER - Most product choice - Ninja

Cooking performance

The performance of Tefal's air fryers across our tests has been solidly good, with 4 and 4.5 stars given across the board. In general, the takeaways that our expert reviewer gleaned from her tests were that Tefal products have good, family-sized capacities and are easy to use.

Our highest scoring review of a Tefal air fryer (the Easy Fry Dual) saw Helen comment that this was 'ultimately a decent air fryer that cooks well', adding that 'it was nice to be able to air fry a whole chicken without cramming it in or having to buy the smallest chicken I could find'.

Importantly, the build quality of all of the Tefal air fryers we've tried has been impressive. The brand has a recognisably good reputation in the UK (A YouGov poll found that 95% of answerers knew of the brand and a huge 75% of those had a positive opinion).

Ninja's performance in our tests has also been impressive across the board. To date we've tested 8 different standalone air fryers and plenty more multicookers from the brand with an air fryer setting.

Along with the FlexDrawer, one of the brand's other top-scoring products is the Ninja Air Fryer MAX PRO AF180UK. It earned 5 stars in our review, with Helen remarking that it was a great find for a two-person household. It's a winner if you're looking for something with a small footprint but still packs a punch. Helen still squeezed a small chicken in it.

All in all, I think that the air frying performance of both of these brands is exemplary. However, thanks to the innovation of the features available with Ninja air fryers, I think they just take the crown on this one.

WINNER - Performance - Ninja

Price

A brand could be producing the greatest air fryers in the world but if they're overpriced, then many people won't be able to access them.

Ninja and Tefal are two brands that I would say take up the more expensive end of the air fryer pricing spectrum, but both also have the quality that makes investing more worth it. After all, you get what you pay for when it comes to appliances.

Going off RRPs, Ninja's most expensive air fryer is the FlexDrawer (£269.99), while Tefal's priciest pick is the Easy Fry Oven (£250.00). On the other end Ninja's cheapest is the AF100UK (£99.99), while Tefal goes as low as (£80.00).

On the whole, I think Tefal's selection is the more affordable, not taking into account sales discounts. Therefore, it gets my vote for affordability.

WINNER - Price - Tefal

Should you buy a Ninja or a Tefal air fryer?

Ultimately I think that if you pick a Ninja or a Tefal air fryer for your kitchen, you're in safe hands.

The brand that will suit you will depend on your price range and how many people you need to cater to and catching any of these products on sale is a great way to invest for less.